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Annual NLCD Product Suite

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By Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center September 26, 2024

Land Cover

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Land Cover Change

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Confidence Index

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Fractional Impervious Surface

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Impervious Descriptor

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Spectral Change Day of Year

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Annual National Land Cover Database (NLCD) Collection 1.0 includes a suite of six raster land use and land cover science products for the conterminous United States. It covers the period between 1985 and 2023. The Science Product User Guide contains in-depth background and documentation about the Annual NLCD product suite.

The Science Product User Guide contains in-depth background and documentation about the Annual NLCD product suite.

A graphic depicting Annual NLCD Collection 1.0. It displays the 6 products and class caption.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
The six different Annual NLCD science products are Land Cover, Land Cover Change, Land Cover Confidence Index, Fractional Impervious Surface, Impervious Descriptor, and Spectral Change Day of Year. Annual NLCD Collection 1.0 covers 39 years from 1985 to 2023. The Land Cover classes are based on a modified Anderson Level II classification system. 

Annual NLCD Science Products

Land Cover (LndCov): Depicts the predominant thematic land cover class within the mapping year with respect to broad categories of artificial or natural surface cover.  Click here to learn more about the Land Cover product.

 

An image of the land cover classification map from the Annual NLCD
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
The Annual NLCD land cover product depicts the predominant thematic land cover class within the mapping year with respect to broad categories of artificial or natural surface cover.

Land Cover Change (LndChg): Depicts land cover change between one product year and the next. Changes are represented in the latter year.  For more information about the Landcover Change product click here.

A land cover map of change for Annual NLCD
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
The Annual NLCD land cover change product shows the change between the current year’s primary land cover and the prior year’s land cover when there is a change in primary class. 

Land Cover Confidence (LndCnf): Depicts the probability value for the land cover class derived from the classification method. To learn more about the Land Cover Confidence product click here.

An image of a confidence map for Annual NLCD
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
The Annual NLCD land cover confidence product provides the level of confidence that Annual NLCD land cover class per pixel values that matches the training data

Fractional Impervious Surface (FctImp): Depicts the fractional surface area of the map unit (pixel) that is covered with artificial substrate or structures. Click here for more information about the Fractional Impervious Surface product.

 

an image of the annual NLCD fractional surface area.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
The Annual NLCD fractional impervious surface product depicts the fractional surface area of the map unit (pixel) that is covered with artificial substrate or structures. 

Impervious Descriptor (ImpDsc): Depicts categorical data for developed land cover distinguishing roads from urban-non-road.  For more information about the Impervious Descriptor product click here.

An image of the Impervious Descriptor map for the Annual NLCD
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
The Annual NLCD impervious descriptor product generates a raster layer that differentiates between urban and road surfaces. 

Spectral Change Day of Year (SpcChg): Depicts the day-of-year (DOY) on which a significant deviation in Landsat surface reflectance was detected within the calendar year.  More information about the Spectral Change of Year product can be found here.

An image of where there was spectral change occurred in the imagery for Annual NLCD
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
The Annual NLCD spectral change day of year product depicts the day-of-year (DOY) on which a significant deviation in Landsat surface reflectance was detected within the calendar year.

Table below shows the Annual NLCD Collection number, the related Landsat ARD source, the product date range, and the release date of the collection.  

Annual NLCD Landsat ARD Source Product Date Range Release Date
Collection 1.0 Collection 2 Landsat ARD 1985-2023 October 2024

Back to the Annual NLCD landing page.

Annual National Land Cover Database (NLCD) Collection 1.0 includes a suite of six raster land use and land cover science products for the conterminous United States. It covers the period between 1985 and 2023. The Science Product User Guide contains in-depth background and documentation about the Annual NLCD product suite.

The Science Product User Guide contains in-depth background and documentation about the Annual NLCD product suite.

A graphic depicting Annual NLCD Collection 1.0. It displays the 6 products and class caption.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
The six different Annual NLCD science products are Land Cover, Land Cover Change, Land Cover Confidence Index, Fractional Impervious Surface, Impervious Descriptor, and Spectral Change Day of Year. Annual NLCD Collection 1.0 covers 39 years from 1985 to 2023. The Land Cover classes are based on a modified Anderson Level II classification system. 

Annual NLCD Science Products

Land Cover (LndCov): Depicts the predominant thematic land cover class within the mapping year with respect to broad categories of artificial or natural surface cover.  Click here to learn more about the Land Cover product.

 

An image of the land cover classification map from the Annual NLCD
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
The Annual NLCD land cover product depicts the predominant thematic land cover class within the mapping year with respect to broad categories of artificial or natural surface cover.

Land Cover Change (LndChg): Depicts land cover change between one product year and the next. Changes are represented in the latter year.  For more information about the Landcover Change product click here.

A land cover map of change for Annual NLCD
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
The Annual NLCD land cover change product shows the change between the current year’s primary land cover and the prior year’s land cover when there is a change in primary class. 

Land Cover Confidence (LndCnf): Depicts the probability value for the land cover class derived from the classification method. To learn more about the Land Cover Confidence product click here.

An image of a confidence map for Annual NLCD
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
The Annual NLCD land cover confidence product provides the level of confidence that Annual NLCD land cover class per pixel values that matches the training data

Fractional Impervious Surface (FctImp): Depicts the fractional surface area of the map unit (pixel) that is covered with artificial substrate or structures. Click here for more information about the Fractional Impervious Surface product.

 

an image of the annual NLCD fractional surface area.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
The Annual NLCD fractional impervious surface product depicts the fractional surface area of the map unit (pixel) that is covered with artificial substrate or structures. 

Impervious Descriptor (ImpDsc): Depicts categorical data for developed land cover distinguishing roads from urban-non-road.  For more information about the Impervious Descriptor product click here.

An image of the Impervious Descriptor map for the Annual NLCD
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
The Annual NLCD impervious descriptor product generates a raster layer that differentiates between urban and road surfaces. 

Spectral Change Day of Year (SpcChg): Depicts the day-of-year (DOY) on which a significant deviation in Landsat surface reflectance was detected within the calendar year.  More information about the Spectral Change of Year product can be found here.

An image of where there was spectral change occurred in the imagery for Annual NLCD
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
The Annual NLCD spectral change day of year product depicts the day-of-year (DOY) on which a significant deviation in Landsat surface reflectance was detected within the calendar year.

Table below shows the Annual NLCD Collection number, the related Landsat ARD source, the product date range, and the release date of the collection.  

Annual NLCD Landsat ARD Source Product Date Range Release Date
Collection 1.0 Collection 2 Landsat ARD 1985-2023 October 2024

Back to the Annual NLCD landing page.

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