Conceptualizing pattern analysis of spectral change relative to ecosystem status

Change is recognized as being intrinsic to ecosystems, but is also the esse nce of instability and the outgrowth of situations that lack sustainability . Change is arguably the most fundamental symptom for onset of abnormality in ecosystem function, and change in change cannot be detected without suff icient monitoring to determine spatial and temporal aspects of characterist ic change regimes across landscapes. it must also be recognized that change can be associated with either restoration or degradation. A suite of recen t developments in change detection using compressed multiband image data pr ovides in-creased flexibility and practicality for systematic change detect ion on a regional basis. Combining such capability with conceptual extensio ns of spatial pattern analysis through echelons can provide a methodology f or systematically monitoring spatial structure of spectral change across la ndscapes in order to profile characteristic broad-scale regimes of change a nd to indicate trends in these regimes. Implementing these analytical scena rios with new generations of computers and remote sensors could lend a furt her dimension to tracking of ecosystem status over major regions.