Field Validation Methods for Digitizing the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Built Environment

Rapid human development in the Snake River Plain in Idaho has altered wildfire processes across that landscape, affecting sagebrush ecosystems and increasing human exposure to wildfire. To understand the interactions between the built environment and wildfire, finely resolved maps of infrastructure are necessary. Although advancements in technology over the years have allowed researchers to use satellite imagery to quickly and accurately identify elements on the ground, the best available spatial data of human development does not detect much low-density development in the wildland-urban interface (WUI). We used QGIS software to digitize, or map, the built environment using NAIP imagery as a guide. Because satellite images are not always clear, these products still require validation to ensure the digitized data is correct. After digitizing Teton valley and Owyhee county, field work will be done to take GPS points of features on the ground to confirm the digitized data and classifications are correct. We will also generate accuracy metrics using these GPS points. Our maps of the built environment will allow for the evaluation of spatiotemporal relationships between people and wildfire, with implications for research and management.