FIGURE 2.4 Land cover classification. This remote sensing analysis using Landsat data allows planners to model more complex relationships in the urban landscape. SOURCE: Metro Data Resource Center.

obtain higher-resolution data from commercial sources and to make these an operational part of the region’s planning activities. At present, remote sensing data are used to inventory vacant lands within the urban growth boundary that can be used for industrial or residential purposes. They are also used to identify environmentally constrained lands, wetlands, and waterways.

One of the advantages enjoyed by Portland Metro is that the need for spatial data for urban growth planning led to the setting up of an operational budget for remote sensing data. The resolution of the data available to regional planners has improved each year, and Portland Metro has been able to assess the land supply more precisely because greater spatial detail is available from the higher resolution data.

Another advantage is that Portland Metro now has a common data infrastructure that is being maintained by the counties and municipalities that make up Metro. This collaboration has multiple advantages. It reduces the cost to local