USING SPATIAL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES TO MAP CHINESE TAMARISK (TAMARIX CHINENSIS) INFESTATIONS

This paper describes the application of airborne video data with globa l positioning system and geographic information system technologies fo r detecting and mapping Chinese tamarisk infestations in the southwest ern United States. Study areas were along the Colorado River in southw estern Arizona, the Rio Grande River in extreme west Texas, and the Pe cos River in west-central Texas. Chinese tamarisk could be readily dis tinguished on conventional color video imagery in late November when i ts foliage turned a yellow-orange to orange-brown color prior to leaf drop. The integration of the global positioning system with the video imagery permitted latitude/longitude coordinates of Chinese tamarisk i nfestations to be recorded on each image. The global positioning syste m latitude/longitude coordinates were entered into a geographic inform ation system to map Chinese tamarisk populations along the three river systems.