Hyper-Resolution Hydrography
Transforming Stream Mapping in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Since 2018, the Chesapeake Conservancy’s Conservation Innovation Center has partnered with the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), the U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) Office, to create the most detailed inventory of the Chesapeake Bay watershed’s stream and ditch network to date. This cutting-edge Hyper-Resolution Hydrography dataset maps more than twice the number of channel miles previously identified, increasing the total from approximately 150,000 to nearly 350,000 miles. This collaboration redefines the Chesapeake Bay's vital waterways and sets the stage for potential groundbreaking restoration strategies.
The Hyper-Resolution Hydrography dataset pinpoints channel locations, estimates channel dimensions, and quantifies the connectivity of the landscape to our region’s waterways with unprecedented detail. These data can facilitate data-driven decision making for water quality, flood control, fish passage, stream restoration, and other water resource and aquatic habitat concerns.
“The landscape is shaped by running water. Stream networks are the primary conduit between the watershed and the Bay, and now we can characterize that connection in ways that we've never been able to before,” says Matthew Baker, UMBC professor of geography and environmental systems and project lead.
The Hyper-Resolution Hydrography dataset goes beyond stream mapping; it also includes maps of agricultural and roadside ditches, offering versatility to inform implementation of ditch management and other best management practices (BMPs) to reduce excess nutrients and sediment to the Bay.
This approach marks the first automated hydrographic mapping initiative of its kind on such a vast scale, setting a new standard in the field of hydrography. Integrating cutting-edge computer vision and machine learning techniques to detect and classify stream-like features from LiDAR elevation data, combined with the power of UMBC’s high-performance computing facilities, has significantly reduced the time and resources required to map extensive areas. The entire Chesapeake Bay watershed can be mapped in a matter of weeks—a remarkable improvement in efficiency over conventional techniques. This efficient automation also allows for the hydrography data to be updated as new LiDAR elevation data are made available, keeping maps up to date with the ever-changing landscape.
“I think when people begin using our hyper-resolution hydrography in conjunction with the one-meter land use data, it will be eye-opening to see just how connected the landscape is to our waterways,” says David Saavedra, hydrography technical lead at the Chesapeake Conservancy. “There are so many opportunities to improve our region's water quality, many of which may not have been readily apparent with previous data.”
The new stream data aligns with the CBP’s high-resolution land use and land cover data, also produced by CIC, enabling meaningful analysis of the interaction between land and water.
How It’s Made
- LiDAR Foundation: High-resolution LiDAR elevation models form the backbone of the analysis.
- Geomorphic Interpretation: Terrain features are analyzed to identify visible, channelized areas.
- Advanced Tracing: Algorithms connect stream polygons into a seamless 1D linear stream network, ensuring accurate representation of water flow pathways.
Access the Data
- Download the data and learn more at USGS ScienceBase
