The main point of this abstract is increasing the value of the current Colorado the Beautiful Initiative through additional data points gathered by mapping the trail systems with the use of unmanned aerial systems and 3rd party software to build the additional data points to be included in the current mapped environment. I have used Unmanned Aerial Systems and 3rd Party Mapping Software Companies (DroneDeploy, Precision Hawk, Pix4D, and DroneMapper) to build sample data to support my work I have been able to create sample maps, photos, video of certain trail sections to show how additional data sets can be included to increase the value of the initiative for both the public and government sectors With the data I have collected, I can discuss several points of interest with the conference. I can show how the data can be utilized to benefit the public sector: Safety, knowledge, and planning and the government sector: trail maintenance, anticipating future problems- heavy traffic areas or lost hikers, plant health - fire danger and erosion, and intersection of multiple agency and private land area issues.

1. Adding Value to
“Colorado the Beautiful
Initiative”
Aerial Mapping and Data Collection

2. Overview
• Introduction into the “Colorado the Beautiful Initiative”
• Benefits of Aerial Photography and Mapping for data
collection
• Value add for the Public Sector
• Value add for the Government Sector
• Challenges
• Closing Summary

3. “Colorado the Beautiful”
Initiative
• cow.state.co.us/cts
• The Colorado Trail Explorer,
developed by Colorado Parks
and Wildlife, includes 17,099
trails and 1,431 trailheads. The
mapped trails include 5,683
miles of hiking trails, 6,821
miles of mountain biking trails,
24,906 miles of motorized trails
and unpaved roads, and 1,746
miles of paved bike trails.

4. “The Colorado Trail Explorer builds on
our Colorado the Beautiful initiative by
giving people quick and easy access
to recreational opportunities and more
readily connects people with the
outdoors” Hickenlooper said in a
statement unveiling the mapping
project he announced two years ago
at Great Outdoors - Colorado’s first
Outdoor Summit
The mobile-friendly Colorado
Trail System map categorizes
trails by four distinctions: non-
mechanized trails for hiking and
horseback riding, multi-use
non-motorized trails for
mountain biking, trails and
roads for motorized use and
paved bike trails

5. Gudy Gaskill Trail

6. Benefits of Aerial
Photography and Mapping
• Aerial Photos provide current pictorial view of ground that no map can
equal
• Easily obtained and processed with current UAS and 3rd party
mapping technology
• Ability to access difficult terrain while limiting human exposure to injury
• Month to month, year to year comparison of selected areas for
evaluations
• Sensor advancement and development
• Plant health, LIDAR, and Thermal sensors
• Lower cost benefits with faster turn around to market

7. Value Add Public Sector
• Include photos of Trailhead Signs
• Addition of GSP coordinates at way points
• Elevation gain/loss profile
• Data to provide public with warnings/closures/trail
conditions

8. Adding
Information for
the Public

10. GPS
Coordinates at
Waypoints

11. Current
Conditions
• Warnings
• Closures
• Maintenance

12. Elevation
Profile

13. Elevation
Profile

14. Value Add for the
Government Sector
• Trail Maintenance
• Review of heavy trafficked areas
• Public knowledge and safety helps decrease
public safety issues and decreases utilization of
resources for lost hikers and search and rescue
mission
• Plant health - proactive mapping of fire danger
areas and erosion of trails

15. Trail
Maintenance

16. Heavy Traffic
Areas

17. Public Safety

18. Plant Health

19. Challenges
• Offline Use - GPS overlay on downloaded map
• Multiple Governing Agencies
• Access
• Budget
• Cost of best sensor technology

20. In Summary
• The Colorado Trail Mapping initiative has created
the start to a fantastic web tool for the public to
use, but it could be so much more valuable to
both the public and the government with
additional data points and information available
for use by both entities