Statement_of_Work_updated_0002.pdf

STATEMENT OF WORK

Remote Sensing for Resource Management – Remote Sensing specialist to support USGS research using cloud computing technologies

UPDATE: Contractor MUST have a proven track record of peer-reviewed, scientific publications on the topic of hydrologic mapping and dryland vegetation remote sensing.

Please include with your quote and documentation.

1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

A. Introduction:

The United States Geological Survey (USGS), Western Geographic Science Center (WGSC), has a requirement for work to be performed by a Remote Sensing Specialist with expertise using the Google Earth Engine (GEE) Cloud Computing Platform to support multiple project needs. The U.S. Geological Survey Western Geographic Science Center is working with and partner federal agencies to develop novel remote sensing techniques to support natural resource management on federal lands. The research projects require the use of remote sensing and cloud computing to accomplish three main tasks 1) map changes in surface water in key habitat areas along the US-Mexico border in the Lower Rio Grande Valley and adjacent areas of northern Mexico, 2) map key habitat types and land cover classes for species of concern on the US-Mexico border in the Lower Rio Grande Valley and adjacent areas of northern Mexico, 3) map changes in vegetation cover along the US-Mexico border at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.

B. Background:

Remote Sensing to support Landscape Connectivity Conservation in the Lower Rio Grande Valley - To maintain viable populations, individual ocelots and bobcats require not only ample supplies of prey and water but also efficient energy expenditure budgets that allows predatory behavior, reproduction, and general locomotion to traverse a landscape. In the case of the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV), assuring species survival requires contiguous areas of vegetation and connectivity to populations in Mexico, which is currently fragmented and impacted by border wall and other anthropogenic land uses. Similar conditions are at play for the Texas tortoise which although covering smaller home ranges (typically less than a hectare), require contiguous vegetation and food and water sources. Each species has limiting factors which impact the total energy they can expend to traverse the landscape. Tortoise energy expenditure is particularly limited by temperatures (impacting time of travel but also dependent on available shade) and local micro-topographical changes. Ocelots and bobcats share similar locomotive functions but differ in behavior, habitat, time of travel, and thermoregulation, all of which impact total energy expenditure. Ocelot is reliant on certain land cover types and is especially sensitive to vegetation density and percent canopy cover, unlike the bobcat which is a habitat generalist and is less susceptible to disturbances. These factors and therefore, energy expenditure can be multiplied by human-built obstructions such as roads, water diversion, and fences.

C. Vegetation changes at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument:

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (OPCNM) is part of the largest contiguous protected area in the Americas but faces a range of ecological threats even despite existing protection mechanisms. In this hyperarid region, low soil moisture and vegetation cover, extreme heat, and unpredictable rainfall result in many species living at the far extremes of their ecological tolerances even despite special adaptations to a harsh environment. In such settings, even small environmental changes linked to anthropogenic disturbance, climate change, and other stressors can present independent or even compounding threats that reduce vital rates of wildlife and plants, drive population declines, and result in shifting community structure and composition.

2. SCOPE

Remote Sensing to support Landscape Connectivity Conservation in the Lower Rio Grande Valley - Energy expenditure for wildlife be multiplied by human-built obstructions such as roads, water diversion, and fences. Through the larger project we will be developing spatial models to estimate cumulative energy expenditure within existing corridors and habitat restoration scenarios on Lower Rio Grande National Wildlife Refuge tracts, adjacent properties, and in Tamaulipas. The models will provide managers maps and data for comparative analysis, allowing them to choose those options best suited to minimize expenditure and improve likelihood of survival and reproduction. Remote sensing data are critical for 1) identifying and mapping important hydrologic conditions and changes in seasonal waters and 2) identifying and mapping vegetation and landcover types that support species habitat or provide barriers, as well as identifying where these habitats are connected and how they have changed over time.

Vegetation changes at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument - Climate warming and drying in this region of the Sonoran Desert surrounding OPCNM have also been linked to reductions in tree and shrub cover that are important habitat for most desert wildlife. We are updating decadal remote sensing vegetation classification models of this region that were originally created by USGS (Munson et al. 2016) and seek to extend the time series data to 2022. These data will be used for understanding dynamics of bird and other communities in the region.

3. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

The project has specific technical and background knowledge requirements. The successful candidate will have a strong background in remote sensing, with experience in Google Earth Engine using remotely sensed imagery for mapping applications and analysis. The successful candidate will have strong programming skills, including proficiency with Python, R and Google Earth Engine (GEE). Candidate is required to have proficiency with GIS and image processing software ArcGIS.

Task 1. Remote Sensing to support Landscape Connectivity Conservation in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Contractor will use Landsat, Sentinel, or other suitable imagery, in GEE to

1. Map and assess changes in surface water dynamics (1990-2022) across the study region

2. Map key habitat including landcover and vegetation types across the study region and assess change in those map classes over time at a decadal time period or otherwise specified by the research group.

Task 2. Vegetation changes at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument The contractor will use Landsat satellite imagery in GEE to

1. Map sub-pixel cover of three vegetation types: perennial grasses, creosote bush, and leguminous trees (mesquite and paloverde) following the general approaches used in Munson et al. (2016), to update the products to include recent imagery beyond 2009. The contractor will work with NPS vegetation monitoring plot data and high-resolution imagery (NAIP, worldview, planet) as a source of image training and validation.

4. DELIVERABLES

Contractor will provide written documentation on methods that describes the process in enough detail that the work could be replicated, and with enough metadata information that would be suitable for publication in a USGS data release and/or a scientific manuscript. The contractor will provide digital maps, tables, graphs, and code resulting from each of the above tasks.

5. PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

The technical liaison will evaluate the quality of the work including the digital maps, tables, graphs, and code resulting from each of the above tasks prior to completion and before acceptance. With map-based products, the contractor will provide some statistical estimate of thematic/model accuracy that can be used to evaluate the results.

SUPPORTING INFORMATION:

1. Period of Performance: approximately 8/1/2023-7/31/2024

2. Place of Performance: Contractor’s own facility. Contractor will not require access to

USGS IT systems.

3. Format of the Deliverables are to be received in GEE scripts, methods summary document, raster image files, excel files /databases.

4. Contractor to invoice after each task completed unless otherwise arranged by technical liaison.

References:

Munson, S. M., Sankey, T. T., Xian, G., Villarreal, M. L., & Homer, C. G. (2016). Decadal shifts in grass and woody plant cover are driven by prolonged drying and modified by topo‐edaphic properties. Ecological Applications, 26(8), 2480-2494.