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ALABAMA REMOTE SENSING AND SUSTAINABLE GROWTH
Sustainable Growth & Development Supported With Funds From
      Project Director - Mahtab Lodhi, Ph.D       Mississippi State University Center for Urban Rural Interface Studies
      Department of Geography, University of New Orleans

Alabama Costal Mosaic

Alabama Costal Mosaic Landcover

Baldwin County

Baldwin County Landcover

Mobile County

Mobile County Landcover

GeoTool

Visualization Tool

Online Mapping

Some random content here

Remote Sensing

Remote Sensing Resources

Remote Sensing in Alabama

About SmartGrowth

Smart Growth Illustrated

GIS

GIS Resources

GIS in Alabama

Alabama Raster Viewer

Coastal Development

Coastal Database

Learn Google Map API

This is an Interdisciplinary Initiative supported by funds from Mississippi State University Center for Urban Rural Interface Studies. It brings together partners from various institutions and interest groups with the goal of promoting the sustainable growth and development in coastal areas along the Gulf of Mexico. The outcome of this initiative is a web-based Coastal Geospatial Information Support System (CGISS) for coastal areas that will allow users to identify and visualize critical information related to a wide variety of development issues including environment, natural resources, land use patterns, and urbanization. Users will be able to query data and create custom maps based on multiple development scenarios. Communities can use this educational tool to guide future decisions on growth and development in a sustainable manner such that the need for economic development is balanced with priorities associated with preserving the environment and conservation of natural resources. The CGISS will also help address important questions related to where in the coastal areas, the future growth and development should occur as well as assessing the environmental and / or economic impact of growth.

Autauga
Baldwin
Barbour
Bibb
Blount
Bullock
Butler
Calhoun
Chambers
Cherokee
Chilton
Choctaw
Clarke
Clay
Cleburne
Coffee
Colbert
Conecuh
Coosa
Covington
Crenshaw
Cullman
Dale

Dallas
DeKalb
Elmore
Escambia
Etowah
Fayette
Franklin
Geneva
Greene
Hale
Henry
Houston
Jackson
Jefferson
Lamar
Lauderdale
Lawrence
Lee
Limestone
Lowndes
Macon
Madison
Marengo
Marion

Marshall
Mobile
Monroe
Montgomery
Morgan
Perry
Pickens
Pike
Randolph
Russell
St Clair
Shelby
Sumter
Talladega
Tallapoosa
Tuscaloosa
Walker
Washington
Wilcox
Winston

   There is a growing concern that current development pattern in many communities across the country is not compatible with the long-term interest of these communities. Therefore, there is growing interest in developing and adopting smart growth and sustainable development. This is mainly due to changing demographic patterns, environmental awareness as well as economic concerns. Smart growth and sustainable development covers a range of development and conservation issues and strategies designed to help protect the natural environment while making communities economically strong and sustainable. It integrates activities that improve the quality of development while protecting the environment and conserving natural resources on sustainable basis. Smart growth and sustainable development is attainable only when development and environment are integrated at the policy, planning, implementation and the management levels. This type of approach requires the participation of all segments of the society, including public officials, planners, policy or decision-makers, stakeholders as well as the general public. To be able to understand where and how growth pressure is endangering the environment as well as to assess the future extent and pattern of land use / land cover change is essential not only for preserving our natural resources for future generations but is also crucial in terms of integrating environment and development at the policy, planning, implementation and management levels.
   There is growing interest and desire around the country in developing and implementing smart growth and sustainable development plans. It is important that communities interested in fostering smart growth and sustainable development have access to information and resources so that their development plans are based on principles of smart growth (www.smartgrowth.org).
   Remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are efficient geo-spatial data analysis tools and have been effectively used to analyze the mechanics and processes of large-scale land use / land cover changes and patterns occurring over time. Satellite images can be used to accurately monitor, analyze, and map land use/land cover changes in urban, rural and rural-urban interface. Satellite imagery when used in conjunction with GIS is very effective for land use / land cover categorization as well as trend analysis. Understanding the urbanization-induced growth and change is crucial to those interested in studying the urban dynamics as well as for decision-makers and planners interested in attaining and implementing smart growth and sustainable development plans. Uncontrolled urbanization results in the destruction of green areas and is not conducive to sustainable development.
    As mentioned above, satellite imagery coupled with GIS has proven technological and cost effectiveness, and are increasingly being used to develop useful sources of information to support decision making in connection with a wide array of urban applications. Satellite images are useful source of land use / land cover information, and along with GIS are used to gather, store, retrieve, analyze, display data related to land use / land cover, urbanization, and environment. Such data can be very useful to smart growth and sustainable development decision-makers, planners, stakeholders as well as general public. Furthermore, satellite imagery and GIS can be very effective in understanding and analyzing the environmental and Sustainable Development Indicators (ESDIs) that provide critical information for decision-makers and planners as well as other stakeholders in a variety of ways. For example, ESDIs can translate complex physical and social science concepts and processes into more meaningful and understandable information that can be easily incorporated into smart growth decision-making process. In addition, ESDIs can be used to assess progress towards smart growth and sustainable development goals.
    In order to achieve and implement smart growth and sustainable development it is important that decision-makers, planners, and other stakeholders have access to precise and easily understandable information in a timely and cost effective manner on essential social, cultural, economic, and environmental parameters that are fundamental to the principles of smart growth and sustainable development. Geographic information systems and satellite imagery provide useful source of geospatial information and have proven efficacy with respect to acquisition, analysis, storage, retrieval, and presentation. Satellite imagery analyzed in GIS-environment can be used to monitor the intensity and pattern of land use / land cover change as well as economic analysis including demographic growth trend and real estate trend analysis. This type of information is crucial for the purpose of identifying Smart Growth implementation options and strategies. It is in this context that the Department of Geography, University of New Orleans, in collaboration with Mississippi State University, Center for Urban Rural Interface Studies has developed this educational project which is geared towards educating the general public about the use of GIS and satellite imagery in understanding the fundamental principles of sustainable development, and for critical information generation, gathering and utilization in timely and cost effective manner. The project's geographic focus is on Tangipahoa, Washington, St. John the Baptist, and St. Tammany parishes of Louisiana. These parishes in the Lake Pontchartrain Basin have experienced unprecedented urbanization in recent years.
    In broader terms, remote sensing is the science of acquiring information about an object from measurements made without actually making physical contact with the object being observed. The process involves measuring the reflected or emitted Electromagnetic Radiation. It is also defined as, the science and technology of acquiring information about the earth's surface and the atmosphere using sensors onboard airborne or spaceborne platforms.In more restricted terms, remote sensing refers to the science and technology of acquiring information about the earth's surface and the atmosphere using sensors onboard airborne or spaceborne platforms. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) on the other hand refers to tools and techniques that allow for the processing of geospatial data and extraction of information about some portion of the earth.