Success Story
Mapping Rare Bigtooth Maple Habitat Across 4.4 Million Acres
Snapshot
Client:
Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
Challenge:
Identify and map rare Bigtooth Maple habitat across 4.4 million acres of rugged terrain
Outcome:
Identified likely Bigtooth Maple habitat across 4.4 million acres, directing field teams to the highest-probability survey locations and improving conservation efficiency
Project overview
Government agencies responsible for natural resources and conservation depend on accurate geospatial analysis to guide field operations across vast landscapes. Identifying sensitive habitat requires transforming massive terrain datasets into actionable intelligence that helps field teams focus limited time and resources where they matter most. Success depends on connecting office-based GIS analysis with efficient field verification.
This success story explores how the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department used Global Mapper to analyze lidar-derived terrain data across 4.4 million acres of the Texas Hill Country. By identifying the landscape characteristics associated with rare Bigtooth Maple habitat, the department created field-ready habitat maps that improved survey efficiency and supported more informed conservation planning.
The challenge
Bigtooth Maple is a rare and imperiled tree species found in isolated pockets of the Texas Hill Country. Finding and documenting these populations across 4.4 million acres is difficult, particularly in steep, rugged canyons where access is limited and traditional surveys require significant time and resources. The department needed a way to narrow the search area before fieldwork began, allowing botanists to spend more time documenting potential populations and less time searching low-probability locations.
The approach
GIS Specialist Kelsi Schwind and the Texas Parks & Wildlife GIS team used Global Mapper to analyze high-resolution lidar-derived elevation data and identify the terrain characteristics associated with Bigtooth Maple habitat. By combining lidar-derived terrain analysis with automated geospatial workflows, the department transformed a massive regional dataset into actionable intelligence that guided field operations with confidence.
Habitat suitability models were then converted into field-ready maps that guided botanists directly to priority survey locations.
Office-to-field habitat mapping workflow
Using Global Mapper, the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department created an office-to-field habitat mapping workflow that analyzed lidar-derived terrain data, identified likely Bigtooth Maple habitat, and produced field-ready maps that guided botanists to the highest-probability survey locations.
Analyze Terrain
Imported lidar-derived elevation data covering 4.4 million acres into Global Mapper for terrain analysis.
Idenitfy Habitat
Analyzed elevation, slope, and landform characteristics associated with Bigtooth Maple habitat.
Prioritize Survey Areas
Watershed Analysis divided the landscape into individual canyon systems, narrowing potential habitat before fieldwork began.
Prepare Field Maps
Habitat suitability models were converted into field-ready maps for botanists working in remote terrain.
Verify and Refine
Field observations were incorporated back into the GIS workflow to validate habitat models and improve future analysis.
Results
Turn habitat analysis into field action
Analyze terrain, identify priority habitat, and equip field teams with reliable maps that connect office-based GIS analysis to confident field execution.
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