nvironmental 
environmental 
y the formula: 
ories (the more 
an environment 
omprising an 
environment, 
ing, 
ography, 
climate, and 
Xity varied 
. Similarly, 
nd cultural 
bility varia- 
tal forms. In 
evoted specifi- 
imiting factor 
is too often 
udy is an 
of the United 
radar system 
and use mapping. 
esearch. 
lagery of 
' areas for this 
astern United 
ther covered 
is of the country 
ig to problems 
in analysis. 
nts of steep 
5, glacial 
, lakes, rivers, 
land, pasture, 
rcentages varied 
ricultural 
, included 
Crops were almost 
+ 1549 — 
never absent and frequently comprised a major segment of an owner's 
land. The percentage of forest cover, a mixture of hardwoods and soft- 
woods, varied from 10 to over 90 percent and ranged in form from frag- 
mented but ubiquitous farm woodlots to expanses of wilderness devoted to 
lumbering and recreation activities. Population densities ranged from 
small, isolated villages and infrequent, randomly scattered dwellings in 
mountain areas such as the Adirondacks of New York to the highly urban 
and conurbanization conditions extant in the eastern Massachusetts and 
southern Connecticut segments of Megalopolis. 
The second study area was much more diverse, containing humid 
continental with warm summers and mid-latitude steppe climatic conditions. 
From east to west the physical setting included: gently rolling till 
plains; level to rolling glacial plains with morainic hills; dissected, 
narrow shale and clay plain with steep walled valleys and narrow flood 
plains; dissected shale plains with badlands and hilly to steep valley 
walls; dissected mountain foothills with gentle valley slopes and many 
streams; a mountain core area with plateaus and radial drainage; 
dissected plains and buttes with rolling to steep slopes; and inter- 
mountain basins with small mountain ranges and dissected plateaus. Land 
use was much more extensive in nature compared to Study Area I and 
reflected the township and range system instead of metes and bounds. In 
the eastern segments virtually all land was in farms with three-quarters 
devoted to corn and sorghum and 10-15 percent in pasture. Narrow bands 
of woodlands bordered stream valleys and wet bottomlands. Moving west 
corn and wheat were principal crops with beef cattle production and 
woodlands in the form of shelterbelts around farmsteads and along streams 
comprising less than one percent of the land. Continuing west land use 
consisted of more extensive land holdings with ranches producing wheat 
and cattle and sheep on native grass and shrub pastures. Forested areas 
were devoted to timber and recreation in the mountains but were otherwise 
present as pinyon-juniper woodlands on higher hills and plateaus. Cattle 
and sheep grazing gained precedence in the western ends using sagebrush 
and shrub pasture on large ranches. About five percent of the land was 
dryland farmed and one or two percent irrigated. Less than five percent 
of the entire area was urbanized. Settlements and dwellings decreased 
in frequency, density, and periodicity from east to west. In summary, 
these study areas were patently differemt environments, each embracing 
what might be considered two subdivisions: Study Area I having a rather 
precise rural-urban separation and Study Area II containing a transition 
from more or less intensive farm activity to extensive ranching and 
grazing. 
Using Level I and Level II categories (see Table I) as defined by 
Anderson, et. al. (1976) each study area was examined to determine the 
consistency of detail visible. At the same time an evaluation was made 
as to the effect environmental modulation had on radar system related 
parameters. The general effects of topography, vegetation, settlement 
pattern, field size and shape, and transportation/commmication network 
were also assessed qualitatively. A final measure of landscape feature 
detectability was made by comparing each study area with two existing 
thematic land use maps to determine if such maps could be updated using 
radar imagery as a data base.