Geospatial Center

A regional hub of technological innovation and solutions for natural resource professionals.
Our mission is to provide current geospatial solutions for researchers, conservationists, and educators focused on landscape-scale management of fire-dependent ecosystems in the Southeastern US.
The Tall Timbers Geospatial Center provides services both internally to our research and conservation programs, and externally through contracts with partner organizations. This page provides project highlights and examples. For information on projects or services for partners, please contact Joe Noble, Director of the Geospatial Center.
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Southeast FireMap
This product maps all detectable fires across nine states in the Southeastern United States. The map and associated tools aim to improve fire management in urban and rural communities through remote sensing and track both prescribed fire and wildfires throughout portions of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas — prioritizing coverage of the historic longleaf pine range. Funding was provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) through an agreement with the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities.
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Southeastern Burn Permit Geodatabase

The purpose of the Southeastern Burn Permit Geodatabase project is to map and analyze the frequency of prescribed burns throughout the Southeast. The project will assist both land managers and scientists interested in state and regional level data on temporal and spatial patterns in prescribed fire application. This database could also be used by public and private land managers to prioritize areas for treatment with prescribed fire, as well as by scientists and policymakers to help answer a variety of questions as we all work to expand the pace and scale of prescribed fire use. Learn more about this project at the “Community of Fire” Story Map.
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NASA Fire Detection & COVID-19 Impacts on Fire Use

The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly impacted lives around the world in countless ways. To help learn more about one of these many impacts, Tall Timbers worked with the NASA Earth Science Division through their Rapid Response program, and the Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station, Missoula Fire Lab to measure and better understand changes in the use of prescribed fire. Reductions in fire use add to the existing fire deficit, meaning lands that need fire for biodiversity and wildfire risk reduction are not getting it. Explore interactive data or view the full research article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
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Land Conservancy Conservation Prioritization Model

The Geospatial Center collaborates with the Tall Timbers Land Conservancy on development of geospatial frameworks to strategically target lands for permanent conservation based on a variety of factors such as watershed, fire history, and proximity to other conserved lands. This ongoing work will continue to develop science-based tools to help identify at-risk conservation lands based on their ecological values to justify land protection and encourage support and buy-in from public agencies and private conservation partners.

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Explore the Aucilla River with a StoryMap
The Aucilla River watershed stretches from Thomasville, Georgia to the Gulf of Mexico and contains unique natural and cultural resources found nowhere else. Along its 90-mile length, the river disappears into impenetrable swamps, passes cliffs of limestone, tumbles over rapids, vanishes underground over 30 times, and is fed by a spring-fed river just before it reaches the Gulf of Mexico. The Geospatial Center worked with staff in the Tall Timbers Land Conservancy to develop this ArcGIS Story Map as an interactive way to help people connect with these natural resources through recreational opportunities.
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Feral Swine Control Survey App
Hog Havoc is a free mobile app developed by Tall Timbers — available on all smartphone platforms — that allows you to quickly provide wildlife managers with locations of feral hog populations. When you find live hogs or rooting damage on your property, you can mark each site with a GPS location in Hog Havoc, and describe the habitat and estimated cost of any damage. The location of the site will be automatically and privately submitted to Tall Timbers biologists. This is a joint project with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) – Wildlife Services (WS), and Tall Timbers.

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