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The
North American Land Cover Summit (NALCS) was held from September 20-22,
2006 at the National Academy of Sciences, Washington D.C. in order to assess
national land cover monitoring efforts across the continent and identify
areas of possible collaboration. Jointly sponsored by the U.S. Geological
Survey (USGS), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), and the Association
of American Geographers (AAG), the Summit was attended by scientists and
administrators from Canada, Mexico, Australia, Germany, and the United States
whose organizational affiliation included governmental agencies, universities,
non-governmental organizations, and the United Nations. Summit participants
assessed critical issues for improving land cover applications, identified
institutional needs and gaps in technical capabilities, reviewed innovative
uses of land cover information, and noted opportunities for interagency
and international collaboration.
This AAG Special Issue volume consists of selected papers presented at the
Summit - with a few relevant additions – and summaries of the conference
breakout sessions. This peer-reviewed compilation provides an overview of
the land cover monitoring efforts and environmental assessments being performed
across the North American continent, as well as examples of continental-scale
monitoring efforts in Europe and Australia.
-Jonathan H. Smith, Introduction, pp. 1-2
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