Model for Geospatial Vegetation, Impervious Surfaces, Soils, and Topographic Analysis (VISSTA)

Southern Shores & Camden County, North Carolina

The barrier islands and coastal plain of North Carolina are dynamic landscapes, constantly shaped by waves, winds, storms, and growing pressure from development. Similar to many coastal regions, this area has seen a decrease in natural lands and increase in impervious surfaces, which have led to stormwater management challenges such as surface and groundwater pollution, erosion, and flooding.

When making land use decisions, the ability to quantify and communicate the potential impact of stormwater runoff is critical to the long-term, sustainable management of water resources. However, existing tools require costly field data and complex geospatial technology beyond the capacity of many coastal planners to use.

With support from CICEET, a project team led by researchers at East Carolina University is developing VISSTA (Vegetation, Impervious Surfaces, Soil, and Topographical Analysis), a model to assess the cumulative impacts of stormwater runoff, poor drainage, and surface cover, and inform land use decision making. VISSTA incorporates newly available LIDAR topography, satellite, GIS, and field data for communities on the Southern Shores on the Outer Banks and Camden County on the Inner Banks of North Carolina. The researchers are working closely with community planners and other stakeholders to develop this tool, which will be integrated and packaged in a broadly accessible ArcGIS extension.

The team is also partnering with experienced outreach groups, including the Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuaries Project, North Carolina NEMO, and the Eastern Carolina University GIS Science Center to develop training and technical assistance to help planners and decision makers apply these tools to develop effective land use plans that protect natural resources from the negative impacts of stormwater runoff.