The Everglades: A perspective on the requirements and applications for vegetation map and database products

A collaborative effort by the National Park Service South Florida Natural R esources Center at Everglades National Park, the Center for Remote Sensing and Mapping Science at The University of Georgia, and the South Florida Wat er Management District has resulted in a seamless and complete GIS vegetati on database of the southern Everglades using color-infrared (CIR) aerial ph otographs and a single vegetation classification system. This database cont ains spatial data for the vegetation communities within approximately 1.2 m illion hectares (ha) of South Florida's wetlands. The area covered includes Everglades National Park, Rig Cypress National Preserve, Biscayne National Park, the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, and the south Florida Water Management District Wafer Conservation Area 3. This detailed delineat ion of vegetation in the preserved lands of south Florida allows for the fi rst time a quantitative analysis of Everglades vegetation data at the plant community level. In addition to this spatial database, several subset stud y areas have been identified in areas of special environmental interest for interpretation of large-scale aerial photographs and the development of hi gh-resolution vegetation data sets. Together, these Everglades vegetation m apping efforts provide a baseline for establishing trends and monitoring ch anges related to the restoration and preservation of the Everglades.