United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission - Protecting People and the Environment
Home > NRC Library > Document Collections > NUREG-Series Publications > Staff Reports > NUREG 0933 > Section 2. Task Action Plan Items- Item B-43: Value of Aerial Photographs for Site Evaluation

Resolution of Generic Safety Issues: Item B-43: Value of Aerial Photographs for Site Evaluation ( NUREG-0933, Main Report with Supplements 1–35 )

DESCRIPTION

The technique of aerial photography has a long established and proven utility for earth resource inventory and evaluation. Applicants for nuclear construction permits are becoming aware of this and are making increasing use of aerial photographs in their environmental reports. The uncertainties with the methodology at present relate to: (1) photo interpretation techniques and the extent to which existing regulatory guidance can be met using this method; (2) fine tuning of the interplay between aerial photography and ground truthing needed to meet licensing requirements; (3) quantification of presumed cost advantages of this method; and (4) relative information return from different films, photographic scales, and seasons of coverage. This NUREG-04713 task will examine existing regulatory guidance and produce a list of items which might be fulfilled in whole or in part from aerial photographic information. Field tests on actual sites will be carried out to determine the information return from photographs in relation to regulatory requirements and in relation to conventional ground based data collection efforts. The results will give the staff a documentary basis for accepting aerial photographic inventories and resource evaluation in environmental reports and for revising existing guidance for making environmental surveys.

CONCLUSION

Work completed on this Environmental issue has so far resulted412 in the publication of NUREG/CR-2861.472

REFERENCES

0003.NUREG-0471, "Generic Task Problem Descriptions (Categories B, C, and D)," U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, June 1978.
0412.Memorandum for T. Speis from J. Funches, "Prioritization of Generic Issues—Environmental and Licensing Improvements," February 24, 1983. [8303090540]
0472.NUREG/CR-2861, "Image Analysis for Facility Siting: A Comparison of Low- and High-Attitude Image Interpretability for Land Use/Land Cover Mapping," U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, November 1982.