Mapping Tire Piles With ImageryMapping Tire Piles With Imagery

Catherine HuybrechtsEndpoint EnvironmentalEndpoint Environmental

Indiana GIS Conference

Indianapolis, Indiana

March 14, 2007

Presentation outlinePresentation outline

1. Waste tires in America

2. Market development for used tires

3. Tire stockpiles

4. Government action

5. Origins of mapping tire piles with satellite imagery

6. TIRe Model

7. Example map

8. Summary

Waste tire piles in America Waste tire piles in America

• Every year Americans dispose of an estimated 280 - 300 million vehicle tires

• Approximately 80% of those tires are diverted to various profitable markets

• Remaining 20% - tires are disposed of or stockpiled illegally every year

• Today, across the United States, there are approximately

200 million tires in stockpiles

Market developmentMarket development

Market development diverts waste tires from being stockpiled.

tire derived fueltire derived fuel

landfill drainage layer materiallandfill drainage layer material

running tracksrunning tracks

playgroundsplaygrounds

roadsroads

Hazardous stockpilesHazardous stockpiles

Mosquito breeding habitat

Toxic fires

History of tire piles in AmericaHistory of tire piles in America

• Prior to 1985 there were no laws against stockpiling

• Entrepreneurs stockpiled and made money off tires

• There was a notion among entrepreneurs that the more tires they collected the more money they would eventually be worth something someday

• Between 1985 – 1992 not all states had laws prohibiting stockpiles

• Between 1995 – 2005 states focused on assessment and abatement of stockpiles

Number of Scrap Tires in U.S. Stockpiles - 2003

0100200300400500600700800900

1000

1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2001 2003

Year

Mil

lio

ns

of

tire

s

Source: Rubber Manufacturers Association, 2004.

Each state addresses tires differentlyEach state addresses tires differently

Fee Collected by Tire Dealer for Tire Disposal

United States of America

YES

NO

Data collected from Rubber Manufacturers Association, 2006

Stockpile Clean-up Program Exists

United States of America

YES

NO

Data collected from Rubber Manufacturers Association, 2006

Financial Incentives Offered to Encourage Market

Development

United States of America

YES

NO

Data collected from Rubber Manufacturers Association, 2006

Source: Rubber Manufacturers Association, 2004.

- 2003

State agencies take actionState agencies take actionTechniques used to locate tire piles:

• Highway patrol helicopter surveillance• Communication with locals• File and records checks • Follow-up on location tips

Origins of mapping tire piles with Origins of mapping tire piles with satellite imagerysatellite imagery

• In 2004, California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) approaches NASA Ames Research Center Develop Program and San Jose State University Foundation

• Create a method for mapping waste tire piles with satellite imagery

Pilot-project objectivesPilot-project objectives

• GOAL: Use commercially available high-resolution satellite imagery to locate and map illegal waste tire piles in two climate regions of California.

• TECHNIQUES / TOOLS: standard image analysis methodspertinent geospatial technologycomputer automation

• DESIGN OBJECTIVE: Create a methodology with end-user functionality that rapidly and consistently analyzes satellite imagery.

Pilot-project researchPilot-project research

Results:

no computer models

no satellite imagery interpretation techniques for tire pile mapping

State expressed interest in technology

Survey of Government Agencies Responsible for

Managing Waste Tires

United States of America & Mexico

Pilot-project study areasPilot-project study areas

Northern California Coastal Climate

Southern CaliforniaDesert Climate

Pilot-project resultsPilot-project results

Study Area Northern California

Southern California

Target sites for pilot-project (unknown to NASA)

6 7

Target sites identified by NASA in pilot-project

6 7

Number of new sites located by NASA

1 1

False-positives were commonly attributed to shadows, water, debris piles and features with tire material content such as black tarps, polyethylene tubing, and parking lots.

How to find tires in imageryHow to find tires in imagery

• TIRe Model = Tire Identification from Reflectance Model

• Image-processing algorithm with 29 different math equations

• TIRe Model eliminates everything but the darkest pixels in an image to identify tire piles, which absorb light

• Capable of locating tire piles of 100 tires or more

• Does not work with winter-season imagery

• Not fully automated, requires human visual-interpretation

Workflow for creating a map of tire Workflow for creating a map of tire pilespiles

Obtain Imagery Customize TIRe Model

Process Imagery Visual Interpretation

Create Preliminary Map

Verify Tire Piles in the Field

Create Final Map

Satellite versus aerial imagerySatellite versus aerial imagerySatelliteSatellite AerialAerial

4-band4-band(wavelengths of data)

Blue, Green, Red, Near-infrared

DataData(Bits/Pixel)

16-bit (281 trillion color combinations)

Pixel sizePixel size(Resolution)

7.3 feet / pixel(or more)

1 foot / pixel (or less)

Coverage Coverage areaarea

Large (~ 40 sq-miles per image)

Small(~ 4 sq-miles per image)

TIRe Model customizationTIRe Model customization

Land Cover RegionsUSAMap Credit: An Ecological Assessment of the United States Mid-Atlantic Region (EPA Report 600/R-97/130) November 1997

TIRe Model processTIRe Model process

# # 11

# # 22

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Image Originator/Publisher: PAMAP Program, PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Topographic and Geologic Survey, 2005

Visual interpretationVisual interpretation

Suspect Pile # 1

Suspect Pile # 2

False positivesFalse positives

Shadow Water Body

Example 1 Example 2

Example mapExample map

Information on mapKnown tire piles Suspect tire pilesInfrastructure dataNatural landmarksStandard map elements

SummarySummary

• In testing, TIRe Model locates tire piles of 100 tires or more

• Satellite or aerial imagery can be used with the TIRe Model

• Customization of the TIRe Model is necessary to successfully locate tire piles

• Maps reduce staff time in the field, conserving resources

• Imagery provides a visual reference of tire pile sites and can be used in court

• TIRe Model is a new technology that is continually improving

Contact InformationContact Information

Catherine Huybrechts

email: catherine@endpointenvironmental.com

phone: (415) 668-4222

Endpoint EnvironmentalEndpoint Environmental678 – 3RD Avenue

San Francisco, California 94118-3907

www.endpointenvironmental.com