Land Use Mapping Project

Land-use data at state-level resolution came from the USDA's Major Land Uses database (USDA, 1996), aggregated into the four general land-use categories described below. The model was used to generate maps of land use in 1992 for the conterminous U.S. at 0.5 degree spatial resolution. Two different parameterization schemes were used to spatially interpolate land use from land cover, based on the state-level land use census data: 1) a National Parameterization, and 2) a Regional Parameterization.

For the National Parameterization, a single parameterization relating aggregate land cover and state-level land use. For the Regional Parameterization, a separate parameterization was used for each of seven different regions. The seven regions include: Northeast, Southeast, East North-central, West North-central, Southern Plains, Mountain, and Pacific.

These regions are substantially different in terms of land use and land cover. In both cases, the results are a nationally gridded map at 0.5 degrees of land use categories for cropland, pasture/range, forest, and other land use; the other land use category is also further spilt into three additional subcategories (forested, non-forested, non-vegetated). This project is currently being extended to other regions of the globe, and for other time periods, where both land use census data and image-derived land cover data are available.

Available Datasets: 1) US Land Use - 1992 National Parameterization 2) US Land Use - 1992 Regional Parameterization Each dataset has 4 major land use categories and 3 subcategories of the Other major land use category.