A Dataset of Cropland Cover on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau during the Qing Dynasty

The agricultural production activities on the Qinghai−Xizang Plateau have a long history, with a geographical range of 25 ° 59 ′ 43.74 ″ N – 39 ° 59 ′ 20.01 ″ N, 73 ° 29 ′ 56.26 ″ E – 104 ° 25 ′ 20.95 ″ E. This dataset estimates the total amount of cultivated land on the Qinghai−Xizang Plateau during the Qing Dynasty based on regional historical literature data, and uses a grid based allocation model that combines human factors and land suitability to allocate the total amount of cultivated land to the grid.

A 1 km × 1 km resolution cultivated land coverage dataset for the Qinghai−Xizang Plateau during the Qing Dynasty was developed. Selecting the Iron Tiger Inventory with county-level cultivated land area statistical data from the Qing Dynasty as a reference, the research results of this dataset were validated, and the validation results showed an error within 15%. The reason for the error may be that there is a deviation between the collected data of human activity sites and the actual historical conditions.