The USGS Land Cover Institute (LCI)



Welcome to the Land Cover Institute Information

Welcome to the USGS Land Cover Institute! The USGS Land Cover Institute Bulletin Board is a focal point for coordinating applications and knowledge of land use and land cover information.

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General Land Cover and Land Use and/or USGS LCI Questions
This forum will facilitate the discussion for questions regarding all aspects of land cover and land use.

    Last Post: 08 30 07 arrow

    Kempthorne Comments on White House Report Calling for New National Land Imaging Program


    posted: 08 30 07
    White House Report Calls for New National Land Imaging Program[u]

    The White House announced on August 14 the release of a plan for a national land-imaging program. The plan will serve as the framework for continuing the collection of moderate resolution multispectral remote-sensing data for the globe.

    Access the press release

    Science article: Crisis in Earth Observation


    posted: 04 13 07
    Crisis Earth Observation Article [PDF]

    Extent of NLCD
    Contiguous US or are Alaska and Hawaii included?

    posted: 12 12 06
    Hi Chris,

    Thanks for the info! It would have been nice if the new NLCD could have published Hawaii and Alaska first, but I guess 2007 is only a few weeks away.

    Cheers,

    Laura

    posted: 12 12 06
    Laura,

    There will be a National Land Cover Dataset 2001 (NLCD01) for the conterminous US, Hawaii and Alaska. The conterminous dataset is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2006. Hawaii and Alaska will be complete in 2007. No firm date has yet been set on these two remaining states.

    You may be interested to know that NOAA has produced a land cover map of Hawaii as part of the C-CAP project (Coastal Change Analysis Program).

    http://www.csc.noaa.gov/crs/lca/ccap.html

    However, the land cover classes defined are not the same as those used in the 2001 MRLC product.

    The National Land Cover Database 1992 has only been completed for the conterminous US.

    If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.


    Chris Barnes
    Land Cover Institute Specialist
    Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC)
    Contractor to the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science
    47914 252nd Street
    Sioux Falls, SD 57198-0001
    Work: (605) 594-6917
    Fax: (605) 594-6529
    barnes@usgs.gov
    http://landcover.usgs.gov/
    posted: 12 11 06
    It looks as if the NLCD only covers the contiguous US. Is this true...are Alaska and Hawaii excluded?


    Thanks,

    Laura Blackburn
    USDA Forest Service

    high resolution land cover


    posted: 08 04 06
    The USGS LCI is interested in providing access to, and scientific and technical support for all scales of quality land cover data.

    We encourage you to use this bulletin board to facilitate contact with researches throughout the USGS and its partners whom may be working in your field.

    If you are trying to determine collaborative interest on a specific research topic, do not hesitate to use the USGS LCI bulletin board or email barnes@usgs.gov for further assistance.

    posted: 08 02 06
    Is the LCI looking into high resolution land cover- mapping techniques, classification schemas, etc? I know national and global land cover is important but there is a call for this type of data in many research areas e.g. carbon fluxes in urban areas, vegetation mapping of invasive species, etc.

    Is there a way to get involved with other researchers along these lines at the LCI?

    Landsat Level Data
    Information about Landsat Quality Data

    posted: 06 27 06
    On April 21, 2006 the Department of Interior (DOI) U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) finalized procurement plans for the selection of a Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) Science Team. This was in response to a December 2005 memo released from the Executive Office of the President detailing a near term data continuity objective for continuing the Landsat legacy.

    The Departments of Commerce, Defense, the Interior and NASA are taking the following near-term actions to proceed with the LDCM:

    • Proceed with the NPOESS program without incorporating a Landsat-type instrument;

    • NASA will acquire a single Landsat data continuity mission in the form of a free-flyer spacecraft to collect the required land surface data and deliver its data to the Department of the Interior (DOI) / United States Geological Survey (USGS);

    • DOI, through the USGS, will be responsible for the operations of the Landsat data continuity mission and for the collection, archiving, processing, and distribution of the land surface data to U.S. Government and other users; and

    • The detailed roles and responsibilities of DOI and NASA for this near-term Landsat data continuity mission will be ratified by the two agencies and will be commensurate with the final acquisition approach and selection. The agencies will seek to implement an approach for this mission in a manner that does not preclude a long-term solution for continuity of Landsat-type data.

    Approximate launch date for the LDCM (Landsat 8) is scheduled for the year 2009 /2010.

    For more information and up-to-date press releases please visit http://ldcm.usgs.gov/

    posted: 06 23 06
    I am increasingly worried (I assume as others are) that Landsat 5 will finally "kick the bucket" and we will be left with no equivalent satellite imagery source at such a reasonable rate, quality, etc... Can anyone address what might be in store for those of us who rely on that satellite for imagery. Are there plans for a "Landsat 8" I really hope so, because with the scan line failure of L7 we have been living on the edge for a couple of years.

    Any information would be greatly appreciated.


Looking for Land Cover/ Land Use Data?
This forum is to assist those seeking to discover if any land cover data exists in an area of their interest, or if any land cover studies have been perform there in the past.

    Last Post: 03 18 08 arrow

    New Human Footprint Data Now Available


    posted: 03 18 08
    CIESIN has released an updated version of The Human Footprint, a data set that aims to measure the extent of human influence on the Earth's surface. First produced in 2002 by CIESIN with the Wildlife Conservation Society, this new version of The Human Footprint uses updated data on human population density, land transformation, human access, electrical power infrastructure, and settlements. Urban boundaries are drawn from CIESIN’s urban population data (Global Rural-Urban Mapping Project (GRUMP)), which is a more recent (circa 2000) and is also a better representation of urban boundaries than what was used in the first version. The population density data (Global Population of the World (GPWv3)), produced by the NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC) operated by CIESIN, also have a number of improvements over the data used in the earlier version. The roads data are more complete, particularly concerning roads in Africa and Latin America; a greater number of navigable rivers is included; and more extensive land cover data are used.

    Data available for download include the Human Influence Index, Human Footprint, and the Last of the Wild data sets.


    See: http://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/wildareas/

    ENTRI Releases Conference of Party Decision Search Tool--October 2007


    posted: 10 12 07
    Responding to the need for tracking the many decision documents approved by the Parties to environmental treaties, the Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC) has produced a Conference of Party (COP) Decision Search Tool as an add-on to its Environmental Treaties and Resource Indicators (ENTRI) project.

    The search tool is powered by a Google appliance, and includes controlled “metadata” (coding of each decision document) to enable powerful advanced searches by date, COP number, or title of document. All decision documents are harvested and converted to PDF for consistency, but for reference purposes the original URL is listed.

    The tool currently includes decision documents from the first to the most recent COPs for ten agreements: Basel (transboundary wastes), CBD, CITES, CMS, FCCC, Kyoto Protocol, Montreal Protocol, Ramsar, UNCCD, and Vienna (ozone). Users can search across all ten or limit the search to subsets.
    To explore the tool, go to http://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/gsametasearch/cop_start.jsp

    Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change
    CIESIN Releases New Web portal for Global-Scale Data

    posted: 10 04 07
    CIESIN RELEASES NEW WEB PORTAL FOR GLOBAL-SCALE DATA

    CIESIN has released a new state-of-the-art Web portal, the World Data Center (WDC) for Human Interactions in the Environment, at http://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/wdc/index.jsp.

    CIESIN’s WDC provides leading-edge search and data visualization tools and easy access to global-scale data and associated information on key themes related to human-environment interactions, including population, climate, conservation, poverty, hazards, health, and sustainability.

    Features of the site include:

    i) A new mapping tool that lets users customize, save, and share maps based on SEDAC- and distributed data sets for the user’s region and theme of interest
    ii) The ability to search easily for global data sets on specific topics using the GeoNetwork-based distributed catalog search tool developed by FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations)
    iii) An extensive map gallery of images, easy to download for use in documents and presentations
    iv) Thematic portals that include updated news and information on recently-released data sets, data sources, and articles or reports based on important data
    CIESIN’s WDC is one of 51 data centers of the The World Data Center system of the International Council for Science (ICSU).The CIESIN WDC, established in 1995, was the first WDC to focus on data at the intersection of the natural and social sciences.

    Historical land use data for Chesapeake Bay region (MD & VA)?


    posted: 09 26 06
    A good start would perhaps be the Urban Dynamics research Program, which analyzed land use change in urban environments.

    The URL for the webpage is http://landcover.usgs.gov/LCI/urban/intro.php

    A USGS circular was also printed http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/2004/circ1252/

    The USGS also has a website devoted to the Chesapeake Bay region http://chesapeake.usgs.gov/


    If you require further assistance please email barnes@usgs.gov

    posted: 09 14 06
    I'm working on a Flash animation showing various changes in the Chesapeake Bay region over the past few hundred years. So far, I've found a great resource for historical shoreline changes for the Maryland Tidewater Area. I'm still looking for similar data for the VA Tidewater Area. In addition, I'm looking for any historic land use data for the area so we can show changes in population, agriculture, forest, wetlands, etc. over time.

    Any suggestions?


Processing Land Cover Data
This forum is for members to post questions or comments in regards to importing, processing and producing outputs of land cover data.

    Last Post: 10 04 07 arrow

    A question on inconsistent value counts after converting National Land Cover .img data file to ESRI Grid.


    posted: 10 04 07
    Question

    I downloaded the area 11 landcover img data from the NLCD FTP site. After coverting it into ESRI Grid format, all the value counts in the result raster layer changed. I noticed the total pixel count in the result raster layer is the correct one, 989193999, a product of 35089 columns and 28191 rows. However, the file landcover11_3k_022007.img shows a total of 9321788742 pixels (nearly 10 times of the former) after I added it directly to ArcMap. Could you please explain to me the reason for this difference and/or how the value counts in the .img file are calculated?

    Answer

    The histogram is off because the statistics were computed for the entire U.S., not the areas that were cut out. For this resason they were not then recomputeed when subseted. If you recompute the stats before you export, you'll see they are the same.

    National Land Cover Database 2001 Article April 2007


    posted: 07 25 07
    Access the National Land Cover Database 2001 Article

    Should I be able to directly compare land cover from NLCD 92 with land cover from NLCD 2001?


    posted: 07 26 06
    Direct comparison is not recommended. Each data set was mapped with different methods and slightly different classes. While the two NLCD products are designed to be similar, the slight differences in classification, combined with the final accuracy of the mapping (from 70-80%), result in two distinct products. The typical result of direct comparison will result in a change map showing differences between mapping methods rather than real change on the ground. The NLCD mapping team is completing a product that highlights areas of potential change between the two eras of land cover using the original TM imagery. This product will soon be available on the web site for areas of completed landcover.

    For more information please visit www.mrlc.gov



Land Cover - Natural Disasters
This forum is for members to discuss tools, techniques and land cover data that may assist in natural disaster management.

    Last Post: 06 14 07 arrow

    Tornadoes Leave Path of Destruction Visible from Space


    posted: 06 14 07
    A series of tornadoes ripped across central and northeast Wisconsin on the evening of June 7, 2007, leaving a path of destruction visible from space.


    Access the story on the NASA website.

    NOAA - Pre and Post Hurricanr Katrina Land Cover Data


    posted: 06 13 07
    In response to Hurricane Katrina, the NOAA Coastal Services Center created land cover and change data for the areas impacted by Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico region according to Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP) standards. This 2006 C-CAP land cover data product complements the Gulf of Mexico C-CAP land cover products for 1996, 2001, and 2005.


    Access the Gulf Coast Land Cover



Land Cover – Water
This forum is for members to discuss tools, techniques and land cover data for water applications.

    Last Post: 08 27 07 arrow

    Nordic Ice Age Data


    posted: 08 27 07
    This product contains ice edge coordinates for the Nordic Seas from 1750 through 2002 for months March through August.


    Access the data set



Land Cover – Agriculture/ Forestry
This forum is for members to discuss tools, techniques and land cover data for agriculture/ forestry applications.

    Last Post: 05 25 06 arrow

    crop classif
    suggestions

    posted: 05 25 06
    PCA is not all that useful for most multispectral analyses -- most bands in Landsat are chosen to carry unique information so you'll end up with 7 PCA bands. Given the speed of computers nowadays, data compression isn't much of an issue. Just use the raw spectral data!

    ESRI isn't the most ideal tool for doing RS analyses -- if price is an issue, check out the open source GRASS GIS. If you have some $$$, invest in a "real" RS package such as ENVI, Imagine or Geomatica.

    --j

    posted: 05 23 06
    I use ESRI and wonder how (much success) folks have classified Modis, Landsat, Spot, Ikonos satellite images. I am interested in using times series within a year. Had success doing PCA to shrink data layers and then doing classification?
    Cheers, jb


Available Land Cover Data Sets – North America
This forum facilities members to announce the availability of new or existing North American land cover data that may not be already listed on the Get Land Cover Data links web page. The USGS LCI is interested in providing links to all quality available datasets.

    Last Post: 08 15 07 arrow

    New USGS Map Locater and Downloader Delivers Topo Maps Online


    posted: 08 15 07
    The USGS has launched the new USGS Map Locator and Downloader, a Web tool designed to deliver topographic maps easier, faster and less expensively than before.

    Using open source software and the Google Maps programming interface, the Map Locator and Downloader allows customers to find the topographic maps they need, by searching zip code, address, or navigating on an interactive map. Users can pan, zoom, change the map to see satellite imagery or a seamless USGS topographic map view, order printed maps or download a scanned map image in GeoPDF® format.

    "This product was a major priority for us since 20 percent of the people who visit the USGS homepage are looking for maps," said USGS Director Mark Myers. "This is the beginning of a whole new approach to serving our customers."

    Downloading maps allows users to view the map prior to purchase and doesn't require customers to pay the shipping and handling fees associated with hard map products.

    The launch of the Map Locator and Downloader is the first step in a plan to update the USGS Store (http://store.usgs.gov), which is expected to be completed early in 2008. To date, customers have downloaded about 40,000 maps; traffic is currently about 16,000 downloads per month. For more information on the Map Locator and Downloader contact Denver Makle at (703) 648—4732 or dmakle@usgs.gov.

    NEON Announce Core Sites Across the USA


    posted: 06 04 07
    Access the NEON Core Sites News Announcement

    GIRAS Landuse/Landcover data - UPDATED URL!


    posted: 05 02 07
    Please note the updated URL for:

    GIRAS Landuse/Landcover data for the Conterminous United States by quadrangles at scale 1:250,000


    EPA has removed these .e00 files from the web. Fortunately, we just published an updated version of GIRAS files (as shapefiles and raster, and with metadata polygons) on the USGS website.

    Access the new link.

    U.S.-Canadian Science Pact to Improve Monitoring of Land Cover, Biodiversity, Climate Change


    posted: 04 13 07
    Access this news release.

    Land Cover Database Details State of the Land: Lower 48 described with Census-like accuracy


    posted: 04 13 07
    The U.S. Geological Survey and the federal interagency Multi‑Resolution Land Characteristics Consortium (MRLC) recently announced the completion of a massive database that describes the land surface condition of each 30-meter cell of land in the conterminous United States. Nearly six such cells - each 98 feet long and wide - would fit on a football field. The 2001 National Land Cover Database (NLCD 2001) and its products are available at http://www.mrlc.gov/.

    Land cover is broadly defined as the biophysical pattern of natural vegetation, agriculture, and urban areas. It is shaped by both natural processes and human influences. NLCD 2001 data portrays 16 classes of land cover in the lower 48 states, the percent of tree canopy, and the degree of surface imperviousness in urban areas.

    "Just as the U.S. Census is fundamental in assessing patterns of national population growth, we also require an authoritative, periodic review of land conditions ‑ a Census of the Nation's Land Resources ‑ to understand how people and the land interact," said USGS Director Mark Myers. "The National Land Cover Database gives us that. It's a versatile, balanced look at the state of the land."

    Based on satellite imagery taken in 2001, the broad, yet precise database was constructed in a six‑year collaborative effort by the 11 MLRC agencies (www.mrlc.gov). The range and accuracy of information in the database enables managers of public and private lands, urban planners, agricultural experts, and scientists with many different interests (for instance, climate change or invasive species) to identify critical characteristics of the land for a wide variety of investigations.

    "With a growing population of more than 300 million people and the challenging prospect of climate change, comprehensive information about the condition of our land resources becomes more and more vital," said Barbara Ryan, USGS Associate Director for Geography. "Land cover information is essential for understanding a wide variety of issues: for example, ecosystem status and health; spatial patterns of biodiversity; land use planning; and land management policy."

    NLCD 2001 is a second generation effort to update the Nation's land cover information. The first NLCD was completed in 2000 with imagery acquired around the year 1992. Information from NLCD 1992 has been used in thousands of applications in the private, public, and academic sectors ‑ applications that range from helping to site cell phone towers to tracking how diseases spread.

    The national consistency of NLCD information makes possible the sweeping, contextual analysis of national land perspectives, such as the Heinz Center's State of the Nation's Ecosystems, the Environmental Protection Agency's Draft Report on the Environment, the USGS National Water Quality Assessment, and the Landfire Program (a federal interagency program to predict and mitigate wildfire). Complete, updated coverage of NLCD 2001 data for Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico is expected to be available by December 2007.

    NLCD products are web enabled for download from the MRLC website at www.mrlc.gov. USGS is currently working with private software developers to create publicly available, user friendly tools that can be used to conduct web-based geospatial analyses of NLCD. Future nationwide updates of NLCD 2001 will continue to monitor land cover change across the Nation.

    Status and Trends of Eastern United States Land Cover


    posted: 11 27 06
    As part of a national assessment of U.S. land change, the USGS recently completed an analysis of 20 Eastern U.S. ecoregions. The total overall amount of Eastern U.S. land change between 1973 and 2000 was 12.5 percent.

    Click here to read the complete analysis for all 20 ecoregions.

    Southwest Regional Gap Analysis Land Cover Data Now Available


    posted: 11 27 06
    The Southwest Regional Gap Analysis Project (SWReGAP) was initiated in 1999 as a multi-institutional cooperative effort to map and assess biodiversity for a five-state region (AZ, CO, NV, NM, UT) comprising approximately 560,000 square miles in the southwestern U.S. Through coordination from the U.S. Geological Survey's Gap Analysis Program (GAP) and the collaborative efforts of participating state institutions, a seamless land cover product was completed in September 2004. These data and related datasets are made available to the public with 'provisional' status by the SWReGAP consortium of institutions responsible for their development.

    Click here to access the website and download data.

    Annual Grasses (cheatgrass, red brome, etc) in Nevada plus overlap
    a raster index of annual grass cover from Landsat

    posted: 05 31 06
    The Nevada Natural Heritage Program has completed an index of ground cover for annual grasses in Nevada (primarily exotic species: Bromus tectorum, B. rubens, Schismus barbatus). Coverage spills over into surrounding states (Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, and California) where landsat coverage allows though modeling and assessment data were limited in those states. The grid and report are available at http://heritage.nv.gov/reports.htm

    -Eric Peterson, Ph. D.
    Vegetation Ecologist
    Dept. Conservation and Natural Resources
    Nevada Natural Heritage Program



Available Land Cover Data Sets – Central America
This forum facilities members to announce the availability of new or existing North American land cover data that may not be already listed on the Get Land Cover Data links web page. The USGS LCI is interested in providing links to all quality available datasets.

    Last Post: 06 14 07 arrow

    The Nature Conservancy (TNC) establishes an internet map server for the Caribbean


    posted: 06 14 07
    As part of a joint effort, TNC and the USGS National Center for EROS have paired to implement one of the first on-line map applications for the Caribbean under the IABIN-DGF umbrella. The content for this internet map server has been provided by TNC and partners agencies in the Caribbean, the development has been undertaken jointly by EROS and TNC, and the IMS hosting is provided by EROS. Thus far TNC has launched two applications: one for the Caribbean region and one for the Dominican Republic. They can be viewed at http://edcw2ks42.cr.usgs.gov/website/tnc_dr/viewer.htm, and http://edcw2ks42.cr.usgs.gov/website/tnc_cerp/viewer.htm

    TNC and EROS will soon launch similar on-line applications for Jamaica, Grenada, and Puerto Rico.

    Caribbean Vegetation Mapping Report


    posted: 06 14 07
    Access the Caribbean Vegetation Mapping Report.

    Caribbean Vegetation Atlas


    posted: 06 14 07
    This Atlas is a "preliminary" collection of vegetation maps for the islands of the Caribbean, consisting of existing vegetation maps that were collected during a regional map assessment mission. Once the new set of vegetation maps is developed, a "revised" Atlas will be made available.


    Access the Caribbean Vegetation Atlas website.

    GeoCafe - An Information Tool for the Coffee Market


    posted: 06 14 07
    The GeoCafe project offers innovative on-line information tools in support of specialty coffee production, certification, and marketing. It offers online coffee map services and coffee search tools that help coffee traders locate the type of bean they are looking for. Coupled with aerial photos and an assorted set of images, you can use the GeoCafe to make "virtual" visits to coffee farms and coffee regions without leaving the comfort of your living room or office.

    The GeoCafe has been developed with funding from the USAID Quality Coffee Program and it is implemented by the USGS National Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS), CATIE and ICAFE (Costa Rica), ANACAFE (Guatemala), and IDIAF and CODOCAFE (Dominican Republic)."


    Access the GeoCafe website.



Available Land Cover Data Sets – Europe
This forum facilities members to announce the availability of new or existing European land cover data that may not be already listed on the Get Land Cover Data links web page. The USGS LCI is interested in providing links to all quality available datasets.

    Last Post: 12 21 06 arrow

    Update of UK Land Cover


    posted: 12 21 06
    The UK plans to update its national land cover cover data set with a target summer of 2007.

    The Centre for Ecology and Hydrology ( http://www.ceh.ac.uk/index.html ) is developing an advanced object-based image analysis system to perform the production. The spatial framework will be based on a generalised version of Ordnance Survey (the UK national mapping agency) digital cartography supplimented by other digital cartography and image segmentation. The land cover label for each object will be based on a statistical classification of a range of EO data sources and knowledge based enhancements. The attached image gives examples of the Land Cover Map 2007 in comparison with its predecessor Land Cover Map 2000.

    Information on LCM2000 can be found at http://www.ceh.ac.uk/sections/seo/lcm2000_home.html. A site will soon be available for LCM2007.

    Any thoughts, comments or enquiries would be very welcome.

    Regards,
    Geoff Smith
    gesm@ceh.ac.uk
    drgmsmith@aol.com

    Acknowledgement: Images derived from OS and CEH data.
    View the graphic [JPG]



Available Land Cover Data Sets – Africa
This forum facilities members to announce the availability of new or existing African land cover data that may not be already listed on the Get Land Cover Data links web page. The USGS LCI is interested in providing links to all quality available datasets.

    Last Post: 11 02 06 arrow

    New national maps of the Democratic Republic of Congo


    posted: 11 02 06
    In January 2006, 3 maps of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) were published in paper and digital format at the 1:2 000 000 and 1:3 000 000. Funded by the scientific belgian policy, the Fonds pour la formation dans l'Industrie et dans l'Agriculture (FRIA), these 3 new national maps have been officially handed to the congolese government at Kinshasa the 14 of March 2006 and at Tervuren (Belgium) the 30 of March 2006.

    Visit the website http://www.enge.ucl.ac.be/cartes-RDC/index_EN.html



Available Land Cover Data Sets – Asia
This forum facilities members to announce the availability of new or existing Asian land cover data that may not be already listed on the Get Land Cover Data links web page. The USGS LCI is interested in providing links to all quality available datasets.

    Last Post: 04 13 07 arrow

    Land Cover Change Article in the Washington Post


    posted: 04 13 07
    Access the article.



Feedback/ Suggestions
Please post your feedback and suggestions in regards to any improvements the USGS LCI web site.

    Last Post: 02 14 07 arrow

    Land cover for secondary educators


    posted: 02 14 07
    I'm a high school teacher of Advanced Placement Environmental Science and Ecology. I'd like help in finding land cover and other data that could be used without the benefit of a GIS program which my school currently does not have. I do have a copy of ArcView 3.x that I may be able to install on some computers at school. Are there suggestions for using the many maps and data sets out there (e.g., on this web site) without software to manipulate them?

    thanks,

    Billy Goodman
    Passaic Valley High School
    Little Falls, NJ 07424
    pvbgoodman@yahoo.com

    Land cover for secondary educators


    posted: 02 14 07
    I'm a high school teacher of Advanced Placement Environmental Science and Ecology. I'd like help in finding land cover and other data that could be used without the benefit of a GIS program which my school currently does not have. I do have a copy of ArcView 3.x that I may be able to install on some computers at school. Are there suggestions for using the many maps and data sets out there (e.g., on this web site) without software to manipulate them?

    thanks,

    Billy Goodman
    Passaic Valley High School
    Little Falls, NJ 07424
    pvbgoodman@yahoo.com

    Spell Check?


    posted: 06 01 06
    Thank you for your comments to the LCI Bulletin Board.

    In answer to you comments;

    1) I am afraid there is no spell checker to activate on the site. A suggestion is to type up your post in a word document then cut and paste it into the bulletin board.

    2) To reduce the amount of unwanted email in member’s inboxes, we encourage all registered members who are interested in a specific forum to choose "Subscribe to this forum" from the options menu. Thus, when new posts are sent an email will be automatically sent to their inbox.

    We appreciate your comments and participation in enhancing the USGS LCI site.

    posted: 05 31 06
    Nice boards! I run one myself and know that it can be challenging to organize and format the display - you've done well. I hope this takes off... another challenge when the user base is rather small.

    My spelling can be horrific at times, so I'm wondering if there might be a spell checker that you could enable? (or am I just missing the button on here somewhere?)

    Having the "email notification of replies" on by default might be handy too, though I haven't gone through the user settings yet to see if it is available there. Since the user base for my own boards is very small, I've been trying to find a way that email digests can be sent out periodically... a reminder to users that the boards exist as well as notification of current topics... something else you may want to look into.

    Thanks!

    Eric Peterson, Ph.D.
    Vegetation Ecologist
    Dept. Conservation and Natural Resources
    Nevada Natural Heritage Program

    Job postings?


    posted: 05 23 06
    Hey guys, great start! You might want to add a bulletin board section for geospatial job postings!



Land Cover Conference Announcements
This forum is available for members to post upcoming conventions or conferences that may be of interest to land cover scientists. You may also want to check the bulletin board calendar that may have additional conference announcements not listed here.

    Last Post: 06 16 08 arrow

    NASA ASCENDS


    posted: 06 16 08
    NASA ASCENDS - Active Sensing of CO2 Emissions over Nights, Days, and Seasons
    Science Definition and Planning Workshop
    July 23-25, 2008
    University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan

    ** Pre-registration and poster abstract submission deadline: July 14, 2008.

    ** Deadline for guaranteed lodging rates: June 22, 2008.

    In its Decadal Survey "Earth Science and Applications from Space: National Imperatives for the Next Decade and Beyond", the National Research Council of the U.S. National Academies recommended a mission to produce global atmospheric column CO2 measurements without seasonal, latitudinal, or diurnal bias using simultaneous laser remote sensing of CO2 and O2. The goal of an Active Sensing of CO2 Emissions over Nights, Days, and Seasons (ASCENDS) mission is to enhance understanding of the role of CO2 in the global carbon cycle with three science objectives:

    1. Quantify global spatial distributions of atmospheric CO2 on scales of weather models in the 2010-2020 era;

    2. Quantify current global spatial distribution of terrestrial and oceanic sources and sinks of CO2 on 1° x 1° grids at weekly resolution; and

    3. Provide a scientific basis for future projections of CO2 sources and sinks through data-driven enhancements of Earth system process modeling.

    NASA is convening a community workshop July 23-25, 2008 at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan to refine the ASCENDS mission, particularly in terms of its scientific goals, objectives, and requirements. The goals of this science definition and planning workshop are to:

    * Discuss and refine the science goals for active CO2 measurements from space,

    * Discuss the merits and limitations of potential measurement strategies to achieve these science goals,

    * Define and refine the links between the open science questions and the measurement requirements,

    * Identify requirements for technological development to insure mission success,

    * Identify and prioritize science requirements, summarize open questions, and recommend further studies needed to further the readiness of the ASCENDS mission.

    Workshop proceedings and findings will be summarized in a report outlining the state of the science and technology for active sensing of CO2 and recommendations for further studies and planning to ready ASCENDS for Phase A mission planning and development.

    Workshop participants must register and submit poster abstracts on the Internet at: http://cce.nasa.gov/ascends/index.htm. There is no registration fee. Your early registration insures adequate facilities. The Web site provides lodging and other logistics information. Future communications about this workshop will be distributed only to those registered for the meeting.

    Inquiries about the ASCENDS Workshop can be directed to Ken Jucks or to Bill Emanuel.

    ASCENDS Workshop Steering Committee: Anna Michalak, Charles Miller, Ed Browell, Berrien Moore, Jim Abshire, and Gary Spiers.

    Ken Jucks
    ASCENDS Program Scientist
    Earth Science Division
    Science Mission Directorate
    Mail Suite 3B74
    NASA Headquarters
    Washington, DC 20546
    e-mail: Kenneth.W.Jucks@nasa.gov
    phone: 202-358-0476
    fax: 202-358-3098

    Bill Emanuel
    OCO Program Scientist
    NASA Headquarters
    Science Mission Directorate
    300 E Street, SW -- Suite 5H79
    Washington, DC 20546
    Phone: (202) 358-0559
    Mobile: (202) 577-5540
    E-Mail: william.emanuel@nasa.gov

    Spatial Landscape Modelling: From Dynamic Approaches to Functional Evaluations


    posted: 12 18 07
    What: Spatial Landscape Modelling: From Dynamic Approaches to Functional Evaluations

    When: Tuesday 3rd June 2008 - Thursday 5th June 2008

    Where: University of Toulouse Le Mirail, Maison de la Recherche, Toulouse, France.


    IMPORTANT DATES

    Abstract deadline submission : March 2008
    Abstract status : April 2008
    Deadline registration : May 2008
    Final Program : June 2008, 1st

    Access the conference website for more information


    Social Challenges of Global Change


    posted: 10 10 07
    What:Social Challenges of Global Change - The Open Meeting 2008. IHDP's 7th International Science Conference on the Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change

    When: 15th October - 19th October 2008

    Where: New Delhi, India

    Access the conference web site or contact Lis Mullin: mullin@ihdp.unu.edu

    6th International Human Dimensions Workshop


    posted: 10 10 07
    What:6th International Human Dimensions Workshop.

    When: 12th October - 15th October 2008

    Where:New Delhi, India

    Access the conference web site or or contact Lis Mullin:mullin@ihdp.unu.edu

    International Conference - Studying, Modeling and Sense Making of Planet Earth


    posted: 10 10 07
    What:International Conference - Studying, Modeling and Sense Making of Planet Earth

    When:1st June - 6th June 2008

    Where: University of the Aegean, Mytilene, Lesvos, Greece


    Access the conference web site

    The Committee on Data for Science and Technology (CODATA)


    posted: 10 04 07
    The Following annoucement was received from Dave Clark, Secretary, ICSU Panel on World Data Centers.

    Dear Friends,

    Planning is underway for the 21st International CODATA Conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, 5-8 October 2008. We are now putting out the Call for Papers, Call for Session Organizers, and Request for CODATA Prize Nominations. Please use the appropriate link below to find instructions for submissions.

    Call for Papers
    http://www.codata.org/08conf/callforpapers.html

    Call for Session Organizers
    http://www.codata.org/08conf/callforsessionorganizers.html

    Prize Nominations
    http://www.codataweb.org/2008prize/prizenom.html

    International Conference on Studying, Modeling and Sense Making of Planet Earth


    posted: 08 17 07
    What: International Conference on Studying, Modeling and Sense Making of Planet Earth

    When: Sun Jun 1 - Fri Jun 6, 2008

    Where:Mytilene, Lesvos, Greece


    Access the conference website

    International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium
    IGARSS 2008

    posted: 08 15 07
    What: International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium

    When: 7th July - 11th July 2008

    Where: Boston, Massachusetts. USA

    Access IGARRS website

    Global Land Project (GLP) - IGBP/IHDP Program, GLP - Invitation to get involved


    posted: 08 13 07
    The Global Land Project (GLP) invites you to join its network and get involved!

    Dear Colleagues,

    We are pleased to inform you that the joint IGBP-IHDP Global Land Project (GLP) website is now fully functional on www.globallandproject.org.
    The Global Land Project represents the joint research effort of IGBP (International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme) and IHDP (International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change) to improve the understanding of land system dynamics in the context of Earth System functioning.
    The website includes the GLP science plan, details on how to get involved by applying for endorsement of projects, as well as a database entry form where you can sign up to be part of the GLP network and receive information such as newsletters.

    We aim to re-connect researchers that were active in the predecessor projects to GLP (GCTE - Global Change and Terrestrial Ecosystems and LUCC - Land Use/Cover Change) and to attract new interest by:

    1) Making them aware that GLP is now fully functional (including endorsement of projects) with an International Project Office (IPO) in Copenhagen/Denmark, and

    2) Asking people to sign up on our webpage to create an up to date directory of people who have an interest in, or a desire to be associated with, research as described in the GLP science plan (http://www.globallandproject.org/report_53.pdf).

    If you sign up to be part of the GLP network you will receive 2 newsletters per year, as well as a very limited number of email-updates with relevant news and information.

    With best regards and hopes for future cooperation

    Anette Reenberg & Tobias Langanke

    Dr. Tobias Langanke
    International Project Office
    Global Land Project (GLP)
    Department of Geography
    Geocenter Copenhagen, Oster Voldgade 10
    DK-1350 Copenhagen K., Denmark

    Tel.: +45 35 32 25 08
    Fax: +45 35 32 25 01
    E-mail: tla@geogr.ku.dk
    Skype: tobias_langanke
    www.geogr.ku.dk
    www.globallandproject.org

    Association of American Geographers -Annual and Regional Meeting Announcements


    posted: 07 10 06
    What is the AAG?

    The Association of American Geographers (AAG) is a scientific and educational society founded in 1904. For 100 years the AAG has contributed to the advancement of geography. Its 7,500+ members from 62 countries share interests in the theory, methods, and practice of geography, which they cultivate through the AAG's Annual Meeting, two scholarly journals (Annals of the Association of American Geographers and The Professional Geographer), and the monthly AAG Newsletter. (AAG, 2006)

    Annual Meeting Information http://www.aag.org/annualmeetings/SF2007/index.cfm


    Regional Meeting Information http://www.aag.org/Regions/Regionmap.html



Job Announcements
This forum is for members to post land cover related job vacancies within the USGS and/or other agencies or institutions.

    Last Post: 02 15 08 arrow

    USGS Job Announcements


    posted: 02 15 08
    For all the latest job availabilities across the USGS please access http://www.usgs.gov/ohr/



USGS Land Cover Institute Communication and Outreach Materials
Documents that describe the Land Cover Institute and it's functions. Feel free to print out these documents and distribute at conferences and symposiums.

    Last Post: 04 13 07 arrow

    Land Cover Institute Brochure


    posted: 04 13 07
    LCI Brochure [PDF]

    Land Cover Institute Fact sheet


    posted: 04 13 07
    LCI Factsheet [PDF]



Land Cover - Climate Change
This forum is to facilitate discussion and to highlight recent developments with land cover and climate change interactions.

A forum to place other interesting news and information.
This forum is for members to post other interesting news and information stories.

    Last Post: 02 15 08 arrow

    2008 PhD Summer School on Earth System Governance, 24-31 August, VU University Amsterdam
    CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

    posted: 02 15 08
    DEADLINE 15 March 2008-- First Announcement

    'PhD Summer School on Earth System Governance'

    Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 24-31 August 2008

    The Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM) of the VU University
    Amsterdam welcomes applications for the 2008 European PhD Summer School on
    Earth System Governance (SENSE course S460).

    The 2008 PhD Summer School on Earth System Governance aims to help students
    to better understand the causes of global change in an integrated manner
    and at the same time to develop options for the governance of a transition
    to more sustainable development paths at the national and global levels. It
    brings together insights from the modeling, integrated assessment, and
    sustainability science communities and from the social science, governance-
    oriented research communities.

    The 2008 PhD Summer School on Earth System Governance will be held from 24-
    31 August 2008 at the Institute for Environmental Studies of the VU
    University Amsterdam. The Summer School is jointly organised by the IVM
    Department of Environmental Policy Analysis (EPA) and the Research School
    for Socio-Economic and Natural Sciences of the Environment (SENSE).
    Financial support by the Climate changes Spatial Planning Programme (KvR)
    is gratefully acknowledged.

    We will cover the basic costs of the summer school for all participants,
    including a travel subsidy for non-Dutch participants, accommodation,
    lunch, tea and coffee, the teaching materials and a number of social
    events. The admission fee is EUR150 for European participants and EUR100
    for non-European participants.

    In addition to participating in the lectures and class discussions, a
    number of students have the opportunity to present their current research
    to a group of distinguished experts for intense discussion. If you want
    your work to be discussed in a PhD masterclass, please attach an abstract
    of your paper to the application material.

    For further information on the curriculum, the core faculty and
    organizational details, please visit http://glogov.org/?pageid=74

    To apply, please send a letter of motivation and a full CV to
    Kenneth.Hansen@ivm.vu.nl until 15 March 2008. Applicants will be notified
    no later than 15 April 2008.

    Sincerely,

    Dr Philipp Pattberg
    Academic Director, European Summer School Series on Earth System Governance
    (ESG)

    Dr Sofia Frantzi
    Coordinator, 2008 Summer School on Earth System Governance (ESG)

    Roberts Environmental Center Claremont McKenna College -- Sustainability Reporting Rating Press Release


    posted: 01 09 08
    Claremont, CA (9 January 2008)-The Roberts Environmental Center analyzes the environmental and social reporting of the world's largest companies and publishes the results of up to 30 companies at a time in industrial sector reports. We rank the companies for overall quality of reporting and assign letter grades. Prior to final publication the companies are given an opportunity to point out any omissions or misunderstandings on the part of the Center's analysts, and to post additional material to their web sites for re-analysis prior to assigning the final letter grades. Many companies take advantage of this opportunity. The following are the summaries of the reports published on January 8, 2007: Pharmaceuticals, Food Services, Entertainment, Railroads, and Consumer Foods.

    2007 Pharmaceuticals Sector
    Sanofi-Aventis (France) and Novartis (Switzerland) get grades of A+.
    Pfizer (US), Bristol-Myers Squibb (US), Abbott Laboratories (US), and GlaxoSmithKline (UK) round out the A list. Six additional American firms received grades of B.

    2007 Food Services Sector
    McDonalds (US) gets and A+, closely followed by Starbucks (A).
    Jack in the Box (US), Sodexho Alliance (France), Wendys International (US) and Darden Restaurants (US) get grades of B.

    2007 Consumer Food, Food Production, and Beverages Sectors
    Groupe Danone (France) gets the only A grade.
    Compared to its reporting the next closest firms: PepsiCo (US), Unilever (UK), Nestle (Switzerland), Tyson Foods (US), Anheuser-Busch (US), Inbev (Belgium), and Coca Cola (US), all got grades of B.

    2007 Entertainment Sector
    Time Warner (US) gets an A+, followed by Walt Disney (US) with an A-.
    No other firm came close, with only Clear Channel Communications (US) and Viacom (US) getting only Cs.

    2007 Railroads Sector
    Four of the six railroads in this sector--East Japan Railway, CSX (US), Deutsche Bahn (Germany), and Burlington Northern Santa Fe (US) received grades of A.
    Union Pacific (US) and SNCF (France) received Bs. Even the best scores, however, were about half of those found in other sectors.

    These findings were initially based on the information available on the web sites of all the companies in the general merchandisers sector of the 2006 Fortune Global 500 and Fortune 1000 lists as of May, 2007. All firms were allowed to post additional information to their web sites to increase their scores after reviewing the first draft.

    About the Roberts Environmental Center
    The Roberts Environmental Center, a research institute at Claremont McKenna College, is the leading analyst of corporate environmental and sustainability reporting, with free online analysis of more than 1,400 corporate reports. Students from all five of the Claremont Colleges study and work in the Roberts Center and this research is a joint effort among the center's faculty, research associates, and students. All analyses are available online at http://www.roberts.cmc.edu/ with more added weekly. Claremont McKenna College is currently ranked as the 10th best liberal arts college in the United States by U. S. News and World Report.

    Previous sector reports are available at http://www.roberts.cmc.edu/PSI/SectorReports.asp .

    Going Beyond Managing Only Environmental Crises


    posted: 11 14 07
    Creating the necessary conditions for a sustainable and secure future,
    understanding and managing human affairs in sustainable, secure and
    peaceful ways.

    Ottawa, Canada-November 12, 2007-The Institute for Human Conceptual and
    Mental Development (IHCMD) announces the release of its report "Beyond
    Managing Environmental Crises: Creating the Necessary Conditions for a
    Sustainable, Peaceful and Secure Future."

    The report, going beyond conventional measures and understanding of the
    ecological crisis set out in a recent series of high-profile reports,
    discusses creating the conditions necessary for a sustainable and secure
    future. Dealing with environmental problems at the human level, in terms of
    how we understand and manage human existence and development. Not
    addressing them only at the socio-cultural level, in political, economic,
    scientific and technological terms.

    Conventional measures and understanding, the report argues, while
    necessary, they are insufficient to deal with growing environmental
    problems. Dealing only with environmental symptoms and consequences, the
    human effects on the environment, they are only short and medium-term
    measures. They fail to address the human causes, deep-rooted problems and
    developments behind the ecological crisis.

    Conventional measures, according to the report, need to take place within
    the context of long-term development changing how we understand and manage
    human affairs. On their own conventional measures only buy time for a way
    of understanding and managing human existence and development that is not
    sustainable.

    How we traditionally and today understand and manage human existence and
    development contradicts and conflicts with the natural conditions of
    existence, causing persisting and growing problems and difficulties for the
    individual, society and the natural environment. It leads to changes in
    natural developments that in the long-term will render the natural
    environment of the Earth uninhabitable for the human species.

    Essentially, we meet non-material mental needs in material ways, exploiting
    and consuming natural resources beyond actual human material needs. We try
    to create in the world around us in socio-cultural and physical-material
    terms what by nature we must establish in the mind and mental existence,
    interfering in nature and the natural environment beyond what is necessary
    to manage human existence.

    The problem is we fail to understand and manage the mind and mental
    existence, where we consciously exist and act, where problems and
    difficulties have their roots and beginnings. We fail to understand and
    manage where individually we are in charge and in control, where we must
    actively be engaged and take responsibility for what takes place and what
    we do.

    A sustainable and secure future, the report points out, requires
    establishing the necessary internal mental conditions, not creating the
    ideal external conditions in the world around us. It requires understanding
    and managing human affairs, human existence and development, at the level
    and within the context of understanding and managing, in the first
    instance, the mind and mental existence.

    The report is available and can be downloaded from the IHCMD website, at
    http://www.ihcmd.org.

    Learning For Sustainability website


    posted: 08 30 07
    The LearningForSustainability website -
    http://learningforsustainability.net - has been substantially revised and
    updated over the past three months. This site focusses on sustainability
    issues such as environmental change, and provides an on-line guide for
    government agency staff, NGOs and other community leaders working to
    support multi-stakeholder learning processes. Here this support is used to
    refer to building the capacity of those many individuals in agencies and
    communities that directly or indirectly take the lead in initiating and
    supporting the many social process strands that support a learning society.
    The "social learning for sustainability" pages provides links to key
    information sources on each strand - networking, dialogue, adaptive
    management, knowledge management and evaluation. A short introduction to
    each section outlines the nature of the resource links provided, and
    provides pointers to other topic areas which are closely related in use.

    Other pages provide links to guides, manuals and checklists that address
    issues such as participation and engagement. These pages can be found under
    the "toolkits, checklists and guides" heading. Collectively these pages
    highlight that we can learn common human dimensions lessons across
    different sectors, such as the HIV/AIDS sector, public health, and
    protected natural areas.

    A new section on "research methods and approaches" points to resources on
    underpinning social research methods including systems thinking,
    interdisciplinarity and action research. One page lists on-line resources
    for both post-graduate research students (PhD and Masters) and their
    supervisors. Topics include thinking about the supervisory team, as well as
    tips for structuring and writing a thesis or dissertation.

    The LearningForSustainability.net site also manages additional pages on
    finding volunteering and job opportunities. These are directly accessible
    from the main site indexing system. As with the rest of the site these
    sections bring links to lot of on-line resources together in one easy to
    access site, each link is annotated to provide a guide to its contents.

    Please feel free to pass this posting on to colleagues and friends who may
    be interested in this content.

    Regards
    Will
    --------------------------------------------------------

    Dr. Will Allen
    LearningForSustainability.net - http://learningforsustainability.net/
    - Supporting dialogue, collective action and reflection for sustainable
    development
    E-mail: will@learningforsustainability.net

    USGS EarthNow Viewer Now Online


    posted: 06 14 07
    Landsat satellites have been acquiring images of the Earth's land surface since 1972. Currently there are more than 2 million Landsat images in the National Satellite Land Remote Sensing Data Archive.

    The EarthNow! viewer displays live downlinks from Landsats 5 & 7 as they overpass Sioux Falls, South Dakota. If there is no live downlink, the last 10 scenes are played randomly.


    Access the EarthNow! Landsat Image Viewer.

    For more information about Landsat visit http://landsat.usgs.gov

    Seadragon Technology & Photosynth Application -- Future Visualization Technology for USGS?


    posted: 06 14 07
    The video demo cited below exposes new software that may be applicable to R/S visualization techniques.

    Also try the Microsoft Labs Photosynth consumer application. This is potentially very interesting to the USGS for a whole host of reasons; how many ways can you think of to apply this visualization technology in the field, in the lab, in our information discovery and delivery systems, etc., etc., etc.?)

    Access the video demo.

    http://labs.live.com/photosynth/

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