The files linked to this reference are the geospatial data created as part of the completion of the baseline vegetation inventory project for the NPS park unit. Current format is ArcGIS file geodatabase but older formats may exist as shapefiles.

The digital vegetation map was produced using a combination of machine processing and visual interpretation. We used two primary image sources. These included 2006 1:12,000-scale infrared aerial photography for the areas west of the Sangre de Cristo Mountain range that was subsequently processed by the USFWS and 2006 National Agricultural Imagery Program (NAIP) imagery, and ground-truthing to interpret the complex patterns of vegetation and landuse at GRSA. Other referenced imagery included 2006 and 2007 Quickbird imagery which covered portions of the project area. All of the interpreted and remotely sensed data were converted to Geographic Information System (GIS) databases using ArcInfo© software. Draft maps created from the vegetation classification were field-tested and revised before independent ecologists completed an assessment of the map‘s accuracy during 2008. During the summer of 2008 we sampled 1,537 accuracy assessment points to establish a final overall accuracy of 73.7%. This metric is subject to considerable interpretation and is discussed in detail in the results section.