Impervious Surface Mapping

The Value of an Integrated Approach

In our efforts to apply this new method of impervious surface mapping and extend its usefulness to the public, we have worked with the Metropolitan Council, the regional planning and policy agency for the seven-county Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. Not only has this agency been a primary sponsor for this research, but they have also welcomed the opportunity to integrate project results into their everyday responsibilities in land use planning and water resource management.

Steve Kloiber, environmental analyst for the Metropolitan Council, says, “Impervious is a very useful indicator to measure a variety of impacts of development on aquatic and terrestrial systems (increased storm water runoff, increased flooding, increased stream bank erosion, decreased habitat quality, decreased biodiversity, etc.). The satellite-based imperviousness assessment provides a cost-effective means of estimating imperviousness for large areas, such as the entire Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. In the past, this kind of data was only available for much more limited areas.”