Which method or tool is best for your needs? Use the Rangeland Methods Guide to find tested and validated methods plus relevant remote sensing tools.
Interested in learning more about specific rangeland assessment methods or tools? Visit Rangeland Methods Abstracts to search, browse and learn what our experts say about the assessment methods and tools that are being used in the field.
Google Earth is great for communicating information to diverse audiences, but getting GIS data layers into it can be a frustrating experience. The Landscape Toolbox’s Google Earth Export Tools ease the process of getting data from ArcGIS and the Landscape Toolbox Data Center into Google Earth.
Level 1 Users are users with little GIS and remote sensing experience or access to specialized GIS or remote sensing software or hardware. Level 1 users will mostly interact with Toolbox-generated products and web applications and may work with level-2 or level-3 users to use other Toolbox tools for their management information needs.
Level 2 Users have an understanding of GIS and rangeland monitoring data and have experience with GIS software. Level 2 users can do some minor data creation (e.g., creating layers to define new management scenarios) or edit existing layers (e.g., correcting and updating polygons in the vegetation maps). They will use Toolbox tools and products to aid analyses for their management questions and may also run new scenarios based on existing state and transition models and vegetation maps. These users may provide outputs to level 1 users but may also require assistance from level 3 users to set up datasets for some tools.
Level 3 Users have a highly-developed skill set for manipulating and analyzing GIS, remote sensing, and assessment/monitoring data. They will have access to specialized software and hardware for creating new data layers (e.g., creating image objects from new imagery) and would set up the data layers that level 1 and 2 users would have access to. These users could also lead the process of creating new state and transition models or vegetation maps for new areas. Use of Landscape Toolbox tools in major planning efforts (e.g. RMP) would rely heavily on level 3 users.