Welcome to the Rangeland Decision Support System

What is the RDSS?

The Rangeland Decision Support System (RDSS) is a web application for Range Conservationists working for public land management agencies in Arizona and New Mexico. The main goal of this project is harnessing the power of remote sensing and other geospatial technologies to assist in the effective management of rangeland areas. A working assumption is that the RDSS will complement, rather than replace, the current rangeland management approach based on collecting data in the field. We expect the RDSS to be expanded in later versions in a number of ways, such as providing additional information beyond canopy cover estimates and providing specific functionality for other public land managers. Within the overall project's goal of making remote sensing information an operational tool for rangeland management, there are three options for providing this project's final product:

  • Provide vegetation cover estimates and other layers for direct use as a downloadable package or as web-services.
  • Generate standard reports to provide quantitative analysis and maps to document historic trends in vegetation.
  • Provide an interactive analysis web interface. This interface is called the Rangeland Decision Support System (RDSS).