Policy Analysis & Science Assistance

Branch Chief: Rudolph Schuster

FORT scientists in the Policy Analysis and Science Assistance Branch conduct and integrate biological, social, economic, and institutional analyses of conservation policies and management practices to help land and resource managers make informed decisions and resolve resource management conflicts.

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In the News

USGS Study Reveals Who Uses Landsat and How

Because Landsat imagery covers the entire globe, goes back 35 years, and is now available at no charge, it is of particular value to the global community. However, until recently, no one knew specifically who used it and how. In the first study of its kind, FORT social scientists identified and queried a cross-section of professional users in private, academic, government, and nonprofit sectors. Sample participants were surveyed about their use of moderate-resolution imagery, including Landsat, and asked how they valued it.

The results from more than 2500 respondents provide a comprehensive assessment of users and uses of Landsat and other moderate-resolution imagery. A new FORTWeb science feature summarizes the findings of this survey, describes how FORT investigators built the sample population and measured willingness to pay, and provides a further examination of the survey results by application (use) areas (agriculture, ecosystem research and monitoring, disaster response, urban planning, etc.), level of use of Landsat, and dependence on Landsat. Read the full report at The users, uses, and value of Landsat and other moderate-resolution satellite imagery in the United States—Executive report.

 Landsat Imagery: A Unique Resource

 

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Publications:
 

 Landsat imagery: A unique resource

 U.S. Geological Survey Science for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative—2010 Annual Report

 Valuation of Rangeland Ecosystem Services

 Compensation and predator conservation: Limitations of compensation

 Constraints to connecting children with nature—Survey of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees sponsored by the National Conservation Training Center, Division of Education Outreach

 Abbreviated bibliography on energy development—A focus on the Rocky Mountain Region

 The effect of offering distance education on enrollment in onsite training at the National Conservation Training Center

 Appropriate uses and considerations for online surveying in human dimensions research

 Potential misuse of avian density as a conservation metric

 On determining the significance of ephemeral continental wetlands to North American migratory shorebirds

 

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