Introduction: The Challenge Key Themes Driving Landscape Characterization Wetland Principles Trends in Wetland Inventory, Monitoring, and Assessment Wetland-Landscape Paradigm Current Global Perspectives and Systems Approaches Ecological Goods and Services Sustainability Watershed and Coastal Planning Utilizing This Edition to Its Full Benefit Traditional to Contemporary Characterization Methods Photointerpretation Interpretations Historical Aerial Photographs, Sources, and Their Utilization Creation of Image-Based Land Cover Products Applied Photogrammetry and Image-Based Remote Sensing Case Study: Traditional Characterization of Geographically Isolated Wetlands Broad Assessment of Rivers, Stream, and Associated Wetlands Wetland Ecosystem and Receptor Monitoring Methods for Characterizing Changes in Features Case Study: Landsat Characterization of Map Analysis of Riparian and Riverine Wetlands of the Mississippi River (Headwaters to the Gulf of Mexico) Characterization of Vegetation Soil Characterizations Water Resource Characterization Wetland Classification Case Study: Digital Characterization Approaches for Geographically Isolated Wetlands Integrating Field-Based Data and Geospatial Data Effectively Utilizing Data Variables Data Availability, Cost, and Quality Key Data Types Metric Measurability, Applicability, and Sensitivity Categorization Training Data Set Development Change Detection Using Principal Component Analysis Assessment of Accuracy Case Study: Mapping Invasive Plant Species in the Great Lakes Discussion and Conclusion Summary Utilizing Broad-Scale Characterization Approaches Temporal Change Data Processing Vegetation Index Differencing Importance of Preprocessing Postcategorization Land Cover and the Role of the Classification System Advanced Sensors Case Study: Great Lakes Wetland Characterization and Indicator Development Moving Forward with the Landscape Perspective Determining Ecological Functions of Wetlands with Landscape Characterization Gathering Information Management Considerations and Maximizing Tools Planning Considerations Features of Interest Wetland Risks and Impacts Case Study: Habitat Risk Assessments in the Lower Mississippi River Basin Using Metrics and Indicators Resource Applications of Results References Appendix: Mississippi River and Surrounding Landscape Index and Receptor Monitoring Methods for Characterizing Changes in Features Case Study: Landsat Characterization of Map Analysis of Riparian and Riverine Wetlands of the Mississippi River (Headwaters to the Gulf of Mexico) Characterization of Vegetation Soil Characterizations Water Resource Characterization Wetland Classification Case Study: Digital Characterization Approaches for Geographically Isolated Wetlands Integrating Field-Based Data and Geospatial Data Effectively Utilizing Data Variables Data Availability, Cost, and Quality Key Data Types Metric Measurability, Applicability, and Sensitivity Categorization Training Data Set Development Change Detection Using Principal Component Analysis Assessment of Accuracy Case Study: Mapping Invasive Plant Species in the Great Lakes Discussion and Conclusion Summary Utilizing Broad-Scale Characterization Approaches Temporal Change Data Processing Vegetation Index Differencing Importance of Preprocessing Postcategorization Land Cover and the Role of the Classification System Advanced Sensors Case Study: Great Lakes Wetland Characterization and Indicator Development Moving Forward with the Landscape Perspective Determining Ecological Functions of Wetlands with Landscape Characterization Gathering Information Management Considerations and Maximizing Tools Planning Considerations Features of Interest Wetland Risks and Impacts Case Study: Habitat Risk Assessments in the Lower Mississippi River Basin Using Metrics and Indicators Resource Applications of Results References Appendix: Mississippi River and Surrounding Landscape Indexnclusion Summary Utilizing Broad-Scale Characterization Approaches Temporal Change Data Processing Vegetation Index Differencing Importance of Preprocessing Postcategorization Land Cover and the Role of the Classification System Advanced Sensors Case Study: Great Lakes Wetland Characterization and Indicator Development Moving Forward with the Landscape Perspective Determining Ecological Functions of Wetlands with Landscape Characterization Gathering Information Management Considerations and Maximizing Tools Planning Considerations Features of Interest Wetland Risks and Impacts Case Study: Habitat Risk Assessments in the Lower Mississippi River Basin Using Metrics and Indicators Resource Applications of Results References Appendix: Mississippi River and Surrounding Landscape IndexTRONG>References Appendix: Mississippi River and Surrounding Landscape Index.