Picture Michigan Tomorrow

Why Picture Michigan Tomorrow?

The MSU Land Policy Program with funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation's People and Land program has launched a new initiative, Picture Michigan Tomorrow. The heart of this new initiative is developing new models of Michigan's land use future to raise understanding of what the state will look like in the future. More than just using computer modeling to paint pictures, we are committed to translating those pictures into things that are important to people. Part of this process is taking a closer look at Michigan's future with the goal of articulating the economic, ecological and social problems related to land use in more accessible terms, with less jargon, and fewer abstract concepts. The future of land use in Michigan is the key to the state's future economic health, quality of life, and ecological sustainability.

The core objective of Picture Michigan Tomorrow is to develop land use forecasts using computer modeling, then, more importantly, to translate those forecasts into things people care about. This is at its heart a strategic planning and outreach initiative, which will strive to deliver clear pictures of Michigan's land use future to the state's stakeholders. Picture Michigan Tomorrow Project will build a robust, scalable, econometric model of future land consumption in Michigan. This model will incorporate the history of land use change, the primary drivers of land use change in Michigan, and new aerial imagery to forecast the future land use patterns. The outputs will be both spatial and statistical forecasts, scaleable to the municipal level. Those forecasts will then be used to develop detailed reports on the impacts of land use change to federal, state, and local decision makers. The decision makers will also be able to look at multiple planning scenarios to evaluate the impact of policy changes. This effort will form a foundation for understanding land use change in Michigan and a hierarchical planning and visualization tool for local, regional, and state planners, well as provide data and analysis to the research community.

Partners

Computational Ecology - http://www.cevl.msu.edu/pages/lulc/peopleland.htm

Our Mission: "Our goal is to promote the study of temporal and spatial dynamics of features and functions associated with natural and human dominated landscapes."

Land Policy Institute - http://www.landpolicy.msu.edu/

Our Mission: "The program mission is to provide effective, science-based solutions and educational/outreach programs to support various local, state, national, and international stakeholders and decision makers in addressing land use issues. The program promotes the sustainable development of Michigan's natural resources through the simultaneous consideration of social, economic, environmental, and equity issues."

Michigan Natural Features Inventory - http://web4.msue.msu.edu/mnfi/

Our Mission: "To actively contribute to decisions that impact the conservation of biological and ecological diversity by collecting, analyzing, and communicating information about rare and declining plants and animals, and the array of natural communities and ecosystems native to Michigan."

People and Land - http://www.peopleandland.org/

Our Mission: "The overall mission of PAL is to enable people in Michigan to live in diverse, healthy communities that are environmentally sustainable, economically viable and socially equitable."

Public Sector Consultants - http://www.publicsectorconsultants.com/

Our Mission: "We strive to improve our clients’ ability to meet the challenges of a changing world and communicate effectively with their constituencies. We take pride in elevating the level of public and private discourse through focused research, clear and concise publications, and group facilitation."

Remote Sensing & GIS Research and Outreach Services - http://www.rsgis.msu.edu/

Our Mission: "To provide state-of-the-art remote sensing (RS), global positioning system (GPS), geographic information science (GIS) and cartographic services to the MSU campus, the State of Michigan, and other agencies. To provide outreach instruction and technology transfer in the geospatial fields of RS, GPS, GIS, and cartography. To conduct research grant and contract work for on-campus and off-campus units."


About Us Partners Downloads MAIP Tools and Projects Feedback	"“The condition of our water is a direct reflection of our use of the land." - Aldo Leopold
	Why Picture Michigan Tomorrow? The MSU Land Policy Program with funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation's People and Land program has launched a new initiative, Picture Michigan Tomorrow. The heart of this new initiative is developing new models of Michigan's land use future to raise understanding of what the state will look like in the future. More than just using computer modeling to paint pictures, we are committed to translating those pictures into things that are important to people. Part of this process is taking a closer look at Michigan's future with the goal of articulating the economic, ecological and social problems related to land use in more accessible terms, with less jargon, and fewer abstract concepts. The future of land use in Michigan is the key to the state's future economic health, quality of life, and ecological sustainability. The core objective of Picture Michigan Tomorrow is to develop land use forecasts using computer modeling, then, more importantly, to translate those forecasts into things people care about. This is at its heart a strategic planning and outreach initiative, which will strive to deliver clear pictures of Michigan's land use future to the state's stakeholders. Picture Michigan Tomorrow Project will build a robust, scalable, econometric model of future land consumption in Michigan. This model will incorporate the history of land use change, the primary drivers of land use change in Michigan, and new aerial imagery to forecast the future land use patterns. The outputs will be both spatial and statistical forecasts, scaleable to the municipal level. Those forecasts will then be used to develop detailed reports on the impacts of land use change to federal, state, and local decision makers. The decision makers will also be able to look at multiple planning scenarios to evaluate the impact of policy changes. This effort will form a foundation for understanding land use change in Michigan and a hierarchical planning and visualization tool for local, regional, and state planners, well as provide data and analysis to the research community. Partners Computational Ecology - http://www.cevl.msu.edu/pages/lulc/peopleland.htm Our Mission: "Our goal is to promote the study of temporal and spatial dynamics of features and functions associated with natural and human dominated landscapes." Land Policy Institute - http://www.landpolicy.msu.edu/ Our Mission: "The program mission is to provide effective, science-based solutions and educational/outreach programs to support various local, state, national, and international stakeholders and decision makers in addressing land use issues. The program promotes the sustainable development of Michigan's natural resources through the simultaneous consideration of social, economic, environmental, and equity issues." Michigan Natural Features Inventory - http://web4.msue.msu.edu/mnfi/ Our Mission: "To actively contribute to decisions that impact the conservation of biological and ecological diversity by collecting, analyzing, and communicating information about rare and declining plants and animals, and the array of natural communities and ecosystems native to Michigan." People and Land - http://www.peopleandland.org/ Our Mission: "The overall mission of PAL is to enable people in Michigan to live in diverse, healthy communities that are environmentally sustainable, economically viable and socially equitable." Public Sector Consultants - http://www.publicsectorconsultants.com/ Our Mission: "We strive to improve our clients’ ability to meet the challenges of a changing world and communicate effectively with their constituencies. We take pride in elevating the level of public and private discourse through focused research, clear and concise publications, and group facilitation." Remote Sensing & GIS Research and Outreach Services - http://www.rsgis.msu.edu/ Our Mission: "To provide state-of-the-art remote sensing (RS), global positioning system (GPS), geographic information science (GIS) and cartographic services to the MSU campus, the State of Michigan, and other agencies. To provide outreach instruction and technology transfer in the geospatial fields of RS, GPS, GIS, and cartography. To conduct research grant and contract work for on-campus and off-campus units."