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Multi-Resolution Land
Characteristics (MRLC) Consortium
Great Lakes Regional Data Exchange
Land Cover / Land Use
Chicago, IL
April 27, 2005
Steve Raber
NOAA Coastal Services Center
Outline
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MRLC Overview
The National Land Cover Database (NLCD)
Partners and contributions
NOAA Coastal Change Analysis Program (CCAP)
• Future plans
MRLC Consortium
History
• Formed in 1993
• Multi-agency (federal)
• Original members: USGS, EPA, NOAA,
USFS
• Administered by USGS EROS Data Center
Original objective: To leverage resources
toward the purchase of Landsat 5 imagery for
the conterminous U.S. … for use in the
development of land cover products.
MRLC Consortium
Background 1990’s
• National LC mapping programs of the 1990’s
– Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP); NOAA Coastal
Services Center; focus on critical coastal habitats
– Gap Analysis Program (GAP); National Biological Survey (NBS),
later USGS; focused on maintaining bio-diversity
– National Land Cover Data (NLCD); directed by USGS and EPA;
focused on comprehensive (wall-to-wall) mapping of the US
• Minimal cross-agency collaboration except for
purchase of imagery
• NLCD 1992 mapping (aka “MRLC ’92”) kicked-off
• MRLC members added in mid-1990’s: NASA, BLM
MRLC Consortium
NLCD 1992
• USGS / EPA focused
– wall-to-wall land cover mapping of conterminous U.S.
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Minimal participation by other agencies
Circa 1992 imagery – best available (single scenes)
Mapping based on EPA regions
Traditional image processing methods
– Significant subjectivity
• Some contracts awarded
• Work completed circa 2000
MRLC Consortium
NLCD 1992 Lessons Learned
• Successful mapping effort
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Proved wall-to-wall mapping could be accomplished
Image archive developed
Pre-processing refined
Partnerships with industry fostered
National awareness built
Broad-based user community fostered
• Accuracy assessment conducted by EPA
– Decent results at Anderson Level 1 (~70 % accurate)
• Mixed reviews from users
• Consistency and repeatability issues and concerns
– Need for better approach in future identified
NLCD 2001
True MRLC Collaboration
Circa 2001
• C-CAP, GAP, and NLCD all utilizing similar
classification schemes, yet doing their own thing
• MRLC Consortium presents opportunities
– Vision to bring mapping programs into alignment
– Landsat costs at all-time low (unprecedented)
– Promising new semi-automated techniques
• Improve repeatability, consistency, and accuracy
• USGS EROS Data Center (EDC)
– Promotes vision for National Land Cover “Database”
– Partnership model to accomplish all mapping
– Other mapping programs contribute while maintain own
identity
MRLC / NLCD 2001
New Purpose = Win / Win
• Leverage each agency’s strengths
• Slight modifications to each classification scheme (CCAP, GAP, NLCD)
• Work toward own objectives, while developing the
NLCD
• Improved quality
– Adoption of new semi-automated techniques - maintains
consistency / repeatability
– Mapping zones based on eco-regions
– Three-season imagery
NLCD 2001
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Water
– Open Water
– Perennial Ice/Snow
Developed
– Developed, Open Space
– Low Intensity
– Medium Intensity
– High Intensity
Forests
– Deciduous
– Evergreen
– Mixed
Barren(Rock/Sand/Clay)
Non-Vascular
– Lichens*
– Moss*
Classification Scheme
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Shrubland
– Dwarf Shrub*
– Shrub
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Grasslands/Herbaceous
– Herbaceous
– Sedge Herbaceous*
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Agriculture
– Pasture/Hay
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Cultivated Crops
Wetlands
– Woody Wetlands
– Emergent Herbaceous
Wetlands
MRLC Expanded
Partners Meeting, March 2005
• US Geological Survey (USGS)
– EDC; Collin Homer, MRLC Chair
– GAP
– NAWQA
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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
US Forest Service (USFS)
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
National Park Service (NPS)
US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFW)
National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
US Office of Surface Mining (OSM)
NLCD 2001 - Status
Capturing Coastal Changes
Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP)
• Conceived in the late 1980’s
• Implemented as a NOAA program in the mid 1990’s
via grants and cooperative agreements
• Project-based mapping until 2000
Original objective: To improve scientific
understanding of the linkages between coastal
wetland habitats, adjacent uplands, and living
marine resources
C-CAP Re-tooling
Aligning with MRLC / NLCD
• 1999 -- C-CAP review identified the need to:
• Leverage other national efforts
• Focus on applications – customer orientation
• Standardize, create consistency, timely delivery
• 2000 -- collaborative discussions with USGS
and MRLC
• Classification and techniques modified to
accommodate NLCD
C-CAP Geography
C-CAP Classification Scheme
Focus on the Coast
Water
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Wetlands
Open Water
Perennial Ice / Snow
Developed,
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Open Space
Developed, Low Intensity
Developed, Medium Intensity
Developed, High Intensity
Forest
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Deciduous
Evergreen
Mixed
Bare Land
Shrubland
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Dwarf Shrub
Scrub / Shrub
Grassland
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Palustrine Forested
Palustrine Scrub / Shrub
Palustrine Emergent
Estuarine Forested
Estuarine Scrub / Shrub
Estuarine Emergent
Unconsolidated Shore
Aquatic Bed
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Estuarine Aquatic Bed
Palustrine Aquatic Bed
Agriculture
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Cultivated land
Pasture / Hay
Alaska Only
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Sedge / Herbaceous
Lichens
Moss
C-CAP Philosophy
Focus on the Coast
• Focus on:
– Coastal habitats and resources
– Change detection and analysis
– Accuracy and quality
• Minimize duplication of effort
• Guided by user input and interactions
• Target audience: resource managers and decisionmakers
• Partnerships are critical
• Work with private industry
– Day-to-day technical mapping
– Faster, better, and more consistent
C-CAP Status
“Coastal NLCD”
2004 Contracts
2005-2006 Contracts
NLCD Zones
Looking Forward
• First priority
– Complete national baseline of land cover and
change data, in collaboration with MRLC
– Focus on the user community / constituency –
outreach and coordination
• Develop high-resolution solutions
• Pursue regional updates every five years
(with caveats …)
• Continue integrating into broader NOAA and
National Map initiatives
For more information …
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
C-CAP: www.csc.noaa.gov/landcover
MRLC: www.mrlc.gov
EPA (MRLC): www.epa.gov/mrlc/about