Vegetation - Suisun Marsh - 2024 [ds3221]

To create the 2024 Suisun Marsh vegetation map, vegetation was interpreted from a mosaic of the true color imagery that was flown in June 2024. Polygons were delineated using heads-up digitizing (i.e., a photo interpreter manually drew polygons around each stand of vegetation) in Esri's ArcGIS Pro 3.4.3, and polygon attributes were recorded within a file geodatabase. All attributes were interpreted using the Suisun Marsh 2024 imagery as the base imagery. The photo interpreters obtained information primarily from the 2021 map and 2024 reconnaissance points as reference data, which were used during mapping to determine vegetative signatures and the appropriate mapping type for each polygon. Several other imagery sources were used as ancillary data, including 2024 NAIP, 2024 NAIP Color Infrared, all imagery available through Google Earth (including street view), and the 2021 NAIP imagery. Minimum mapping unit (MMU): Typically, the minimum mapping size is 0.25 acres. However, the photo interpreters use their best judgment to determine if a stand below 0.25 acre should be separately delineated. For example, a smaller polygon would be appropriate for any new visible occurrence of a non-native species of concern, such as Phragmites australis, Arundo donax, Carpobrotus edulis, Eucalyptus spp., and Lepidium latifolium. Minimum mapping width: There are many long and narrow polygons within the Suisun Marsh study area, most of which are roads, ditches, levees, and sloughs. The minimum mapping width is typically 10 feet; however, if small sections of a stand fell below the minimum width, the polygon was not split. More information can be found in the project report, which is bundled with the vegetation map published for BIOS and available for viewing here: https://filelib.wildlife.ca.gov/Public/BDB/GIS/BIOS/Public_Datasets/3200_3299/3221.zip and here: https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=232836.