PhenoMap

Abstract

PhenoMap is a web browser mapping application that delivers weekly vegetation ‘greenness’ from satellite data across all lands in the conterminous United States. This information can be used by managers to support tactical management decisions and monitor areas ranging from 15 acres to the landscape level. In addition, PhenoMap contains precipitation data from the National Weather Service, Accumulated Growing-Degree Day data from the USA National Phenology Network, and the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor map. 

Purpose

Photo Credit

Image by Charlie Schrader-Patton.

Four maps of the United States showing PhenoMap outputs for 2005, 2011, 2013, and 2015, with wide variability between years. PhenoMap weekly percentile images for week 26 (early July) for the years 2005, 2011, 2013 and 2015 demonstrate the wide variation in phenology between years. 

Four maps of the United States showing PhenoMap outputs for 2005, 2011, 2013, and 2015, with wide variability between years. PhenoMap weekly percentile images for week 26 (early July) for the years 2005, 2011, 2013 and 2015 demonstrate the wide variation in phenology between years. 

Vegetation phenology (the pattern of annual life cycle events like emergence, leaf out, flowering, etc.) drives many management activities on the landscape – such as application of pest biocontrols, grazing strategies, and habitat restoration plantings. Future climate and weather patterns are expected to vary widely, with an increase in the occurrence of extreme events such as flooding and drought. These events will not be uniform across space and time. Since phenology is highly sensitive to climatic conditions, monitoring changes in phenology will increase in importance. PhenoMap tracks changes in vegetation ‘greenness’ as a proxy for phenology for the current week and the previous three weeks across CONUS. At the click of a mouse, managers can view the seasonal ‘greenness’ patterns across large landscapes and use this information to inform their management actions, such as turning out livestock for grazing. 

Overview and Applicability

PhenoMap can inform many land management activities but it has particular relevance to rangeland managers. Range management decisions are dependent on experience – understanding the relationship between the weather (timing and amount of precipitation, temperature, wind) and the likely response of rangeland vegetation. PhenoMap adds to this knowledge base by providing a view of the entire management area, in near-real time, to add to the manager’s first-hand experience on the ground. This can increase efficiency and help prioritize needed actions in specific locations. PhenoMap also provides visual documentation of the reason behind decisions. Historic PhenoMap data are available upon request.

PhenoMap can be used to ask questions such as: How green is this week compared to the same week historically? Or compared to the historic annual greenness curve? Placing the current week’s greenness in context can reveal patterns that are not discernible otherwise. Percentile week and percentile annual PhenoMap layers show the greenness value of the current week as a percentile of the historic values for that same week (percentile week) and as a percentile of the historic annual greenness curve (percentile annual). Thus if a pixel is in the 75th annual percentile, the greenness value is greater than all but 25 percent of the greenness values in the historic (2002-2019) annual greenness curve. Similarly, if a pixel is in the 90th weekly percentile, then it is greater than all but 10 percent of the historic values for that same week. Combined with local knowledge of the expected phenological state of specific areas, these percentile layers can provide insights into whether the landscape is ahead or behind seasonally.

Inputs

No inputs of data are required. PhenoMap allows user input of geospatial data using the shapefile, CSV, KML, GFX, or GeoJSON formats.

Outputs

PhenoMap is a web browser map that delivers map images of greenness, estimated precipitation, accumulated growing-degree day, and current drought conditions. Displayed maps may be output in graphic formats (.jpg, .pdf, .gif).

Requirements

Internet-capable device, internet connection, and web browser software.

Restrictions and Limitations

The tool is not intended for any official record keeping or documentation and is for informational use only.

Citation

Charlie Schrader-Patton, Nancy E. Grulke, Jacqueline P. Ott. 2020. Monitoring land surface phenology in near real time by using PhenoMap

Release Notes

This application tool should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S. Government determination policy and is viewed as providing one more piece of information to managers during their decision-making process.

Weekly updates occur every Friday and are facilitated and maintained by RedCastle Resources, Inc., under contract with the Western Wildland Environmental Threat Assessment Center (WWETAC).

The tool webpage is hosted, operated, and maintained by the USDA Forest Service Western Wildland Environmental Threat Assessment Center in conjunction with the USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station.