Sensor networks report information on environmental conditions. The precise factors that any given sensor reports on vary depending on the phenomenon being observed. Types of measurements range from simple parameters such as precipitation, to more complex variables such as fish migration patterns and pollutant discharges.
Administrative boundaries are the legally established lines dividing areas controlled by governments or organizations. Administrative boundaries do not necessarily align with geographic features, and may in fact divide mountain ranges and watersheds. Some examples of the types of administrative units these boundaries may divide include countries, states, counties, cities, and towns.
An aquatic environment is composed of many elements. These characteristics include physical conditions, flow paths, catchments, and shorelines. Oceans, rivers, streams, lakes, and marshes can all be considered hydrographic features of an aquatic environment.
The following data layers were produced as part of the Bethnic Mapping Project. The Benthic Mapping Project made use of remote sensing tools to image the floor of the estuary and sediment sampling tools to determine the relationships among sediment characteristics, animals that live in or on the sediment, and the features imaged by remote sensing. The project is managed jointly by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve and the HUDSON RIVER ESTUARY PROGRAM, and funded by NYSDEC with funds from the Environmental Protection Fund through the Hudson River Estuary Program. These datasets are publicly available through the New York State GIS Clearinghouse.
The term landcover refers to the physical features of any given geographic area. Some examples of major landcover categories include: open water, developed land, deciduous forest, evergreen forest, shrub, grassland, cultivated crop land, and wetland. The exact classifications of landcover types vary, and are dependent upon the scale of the data and the research question at hand. For instance, data sets covering large regions are likely to be made up of general classes such as pervious and impervious surfaces, or urban and non-urban. Data sets covering smaller regions might break a developed class into more finely detailed categories such as developed industrial, and developed residential. In 1976 the United States Geological Survey (USGS) created a system for categorizing land cover types that is still heavily relied upon in modern research. The vast majority of landcover studies derive their classifications from remotely-sensed satellite imagery and ground verification.
This data layer represents landcover classifications from the National Landcover Database 2001 (NLCD 2001) in the Hudson River Watershed Counties of Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, and Ulster. The data set consists of 15 landcover categories whose definitions follow:
Open Water — All areas of open water, generally with less than 25% cover of vegetation or soil.
Developed, Open Space— Includes areas with a mixture of some constructed materials, but mostly vegetation in the form of lawn grasses. These areas most commonly include large-lot single-family housing units, parks, golf courses, and vegetation planted in developed settings for recreation, erosion control, or aesthetic purposes. Impervious surfaces account for less than 20% of total cover.
Developed, Low Intensity — Includes areas with a mixture of constructed materials and vegetation. These areas most commonly include single-family housing units. Impervious surfaces account for 20–49% of total cover.
Developed, Medium Intensity — Includes areas with a mixture of constructed materials and vegetation. These areas most commonly include single-family housing units. Impervious surfaces account for 50–79% of the total cover.
Developed, High Intensity — Includes highly developed areas where people reside or work in high numbers. Examples include apartment complexes, row houses, and commercial/industrial. Impervious surfaces account for 80–100% of the total cover.
Barren Land (Rock/Sand/Clay)— Barren areas of bedrock, desert pavement, scarps, talus, slides, volcanic material, glacial debris, sand dunes, strip mines, gravel pits, and other accumulations of earthen material. Generally, vegetation accounts for less than 15% of total cover.
Deciduous Forest — Areas dominated by trees generally greater than 5 meters tall, and greater than 20% of total vegetation cover. More than 75% of the tree species simultaneously shed foliage in response to seasonal change.
Evergreen Forest— Areas dominated by trees generally greater than 5 meters tall, and greater than 20% of total vegetation cover. More than 75% of the tree species maintain their leaves all year. Forest canopy (the uppermost spreading branchy layer of a forest) is never without green foliage.
Mixed Forest— Areas dominated by trees generally greater than 5 meters tall, and greater than 20% of total vegetation cover. Neither deciduous nor evergreen species are greater than 75% of total tree cover.
Shrub/Scrub— Areas dominated by shrubs; less than 5 meters tall with shrub canopy (the uppermost spreading branchy layer of a series of shrubs) typically greater than 20% of total vegetation. This class includes true shrubs, young trees, or trees stunted from environmental conditions.
Grassland/Herbaceous — Areas dominated by characteristically herbaceous vegetation, generally greater than 80% of total vegetation. These areas are not subject to intensive management such as tilling, but can be utilized for grazing.
Pasture/Hay — Areas of grasses, legumes, or grass-legume mixtures planted for livestock grazing or the production of seed or hay crops, typically on a perennial cycle. Pasture/hay vegetation accounts for greater than 20% of total vegetation.
Cultivated Crops — Areas used for the production of annual crops such as corn, soybeans, vegetables, tobacco, and cotton; also perennial woody crops such as orchards and vineyards. Crop vegetation accounts for greater than 20% of total vegetation. This class also includes all land being actively tilled.
Woody Wetlands — Areas where forest or shrubland vegetation accounts for greater than 20% of vegetative cover and the soil or substrate (surface on which an organism grows) is periodically saturated with or covered with water.
Emergent Herbaceous Wetlands — Areas where perennial herbaceous vegetation accounts for greater than 80% of vegetative cover and the soil or substrate (surface on which an organism grows) is periodically saturated with or covered with water.Pollution can be defined as the introduction of harmful substances into the environment from natural or man-made sources (USGS). Atmospheric pollution may be caused by manufacturers, power plants, cars, or even volcanoes. Soil contamination can result from the overuse of pesticides or fertilizers, the leaching of harmful wastes from landfills, or oil and gas spills. Water contamination is often the result of industrial discharges of waste and municipal discharges of sewage, but might also occur due to stormwater runoff, or naturally in an algal bloom.
No matter what the source of the pollution, the impacts of a polluted environment on human life are negative. In order to control the amount of pollution released into our atmosphere, the United States government passed the Clean Air Act of 1963 and a series of later revisions and updates. This groundbreaking act established a federal standard for air pollution control (National Ambient Air Quality Standard). The standard placed a limit on the amount of air pollution that any given source could emit. The act also called for the establishment of state standards and methods of monitoring. The Clean Water Act of 1972 and its later revisions established a means of controlling water pollution. Limits on pollution were established, and direct sources (known in the Act as point sources) were required to apply for permits that would ensure they were both accounted for and monitored.
This data layer represents areas in and around the Hudson River Watershed that failed to meet the Clean Air Act requirements for carbon monoxide pollution.
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless, and poisonous gas produced by the incomplete burning of carbon in a variety of fuels including wood, coal, and gasoline. When CO enters the bloodstream, it reduces the ability of oxygen to get to the body's organs and tissues. Health threats are most serious for those who suffer from heart disease. Exposure to high levels of CO can cause vision problems, clumsiness, reduced learning ability, and inability to perform complex tasks.
77% of CO pollution in the United States comes from transportation sources, with the most from highway motor vehicles. Therefore, the focus of CO monitoring has been on high-traffic sites in urban areas where the main source of CO is motor vehicle exhaust. Other major CO sources are wood-burning stoves, incinerators, and industrial sources.This data layer represents areas in and around the Hudson River Watershed that failed to meet the Clean Air Act requirements for ozone pollution.
Ozone (O3) is the major component of smog. In the upper atmosphere, O3 is beneficial to life because it shields the Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. At ground level, high concentrations of O3 are a major health and environmental concern. O3 is not emitted directly into the air, but is formed through complex chemical reactions between volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NO X) in the presence of sunlight. Both VOCs and NO X are produced by transportation and industrial sources. VOCs are emitted from sources as diverse as cars, chemical manufacturers, dry cleaners, paint shops, and other sources using solvents. NO X is produced primarily by cars.
The reactivity of O3 causes health problems: It damages lung tissue, reduces lung function and sensitizes the lungs to other irritants. Scientific evidence indicates that ambient levels of O3 (the amount of O3 existing around us) not only affect people with impaired respiratory systems, such as asthmatics, but also healthy adults and children. Exposure to O3 for several hours at relatively low concentrations (for example, in concentrations produced by ionizing air filters) has been found to significantly reduce lung function and may lead to respiratory inflammation in normal, healthy people during exercise.This data layer represents areas in and around the Hudson River Watershed that failed to meet the Clean Air Act requirements for particulate matter pollution involving particles smaller than 10 micrometers.
Air pollutants called particulate matter include dust, dirt, soot, smoke, and liquid droplets directly emitted into the air by sources such as factories, power plants, cars, construction activity, fires, and natural windblown dust. Particles formed in the atmosphere by condensation or the transformation of emitted gases such as sulfur dioxide (SO 2) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are also considered particulate matter.
Studies of human populations exposed to high concentrations of particulate matter, and laboratory studies of animals and humans, have found major effects to human health. These effects include breathing and respiratory symptoms, aggravation of existing respiratory and cardiovascular disease, alterations in the body's defense systems against foreign materials, damage to lung tissue, cancer, and premature death. The subgroups of the population that appear to be most sensitive to the effects of particulate matter include individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cardiovascular disease, or influenza. Asthmatics, the elderly, and children are also especially affected.This data layer represents areas in and around the Hudson River Watershed that failed to meet the Clean Air Act requirements for particulate matter pollution involving particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers. These fine particles are believed to pose the largest health risks among various-sized particulates.
Air pollutants called particulate matter include dust, dirt, soot, smoke, and liquid droplets directly emitted into the air by sources such as factories, power plants, cars, construction activity, fires, and natural windblown dust. Particles formed in the atmosphere by condensation or the transformation of emitted gases such as sulfur dioxide (SO 2) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are also considered particulate matter.
Studies of human populations exposed to high concentrations of particulate matter, and laboratory studies of animals and humans, have found major effects to human health. These effects include breathing and respiratory symptoms, aggravation of existing respiratory and cardiovascular disease, alterations in the body's defense systems against foreign materials, damage to lung tissue, cancer and premature death. The subgroups of the population that appear to be most sensitive to the effects of particulate matter include individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cardiovascular disease, or influenza. Asthmatics, the elderly, and children are also especially affected.This data layer represents the locations of sites in the Hudson River Watershed currently included in an environmental remediation program administered by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) Division of Environmental Remediation. The term environmental remediation refers to the process of correcting (remedying) an environmental problem such as the removal of hazardous substances from soils or waters. Depending on the site specific situation, or program sponsoring the action, differing levels of remediation might be required. Most often, hazardous sites can be considered remediated when the risk they pose to human health and the environment is minimized to some legally established level.
The remediation sites depicted in this data set are administered by several programs: the Brownfield Cleanup Program, the Environmental Restoration Program, the State Superfund Program, and the Voluntary Cleanup Program.The social geography of any given area is made up of a great number of elements. The places where we work, learn, play, create art, and do business are both shaped by, and serve an important purpose in shaping, society. But society itself is more than just places. Perhaps most importantly, society is people. The distribution of people across lands, and the proportion of different populations in distinct locations can serve to illustrate a social landscape. Such demographic measures are relied upon by researchers, site developers, politicians, and other decision-makers to make sense of diverse communities. The US Census Bureau performs a survey once every 10 years to develop a national Census of demographic information; and numerous demographers frequently conduct studies on a local scale.
In simple terms, demographics can be defined as: characteristics of human populations. These characteristics include population features such as age, gender, race, and income. Demographic data can be constructed and analyzed across large and small geographic scales.
This data layer represents the distribution of populations age 5 to 17 at the Census block group level in the Hudson River Watershed in the year 2000. The data was derived from surveys collected by the US Census Bureau in Census 2000.
This data layer represents the distribution of gender proportions at the Census block group level in the Hudson River Watershed in the year 2000. The data was derived by finding the difference between female and male populations as reported in surveys collected by the US Census Bureau in Census 2000.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) defines transportation as the “Movement of people or materials from one place to another for economic, political, or recreational purposes.” Approximately 68 million dollars of the 2009 Federal Budget was apportioned to the Department of Transportation (USDOT). State, county, and municipal governments also allocate significant resources for transportation.