Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics Consortium (MRLC)

NLCD 2006

NLCD 2001

Retrofit Land Cover Change

NLCD 1992

National Land Cover Database 2006 (NLCD2006)

National Land Cover Database 2006 (NLCD2006) is a 16-class land cover classification scheme that has been applied consistently across the conterminous United States at a spatial resolution of 30 meters. NLCD2006 is based primarily on the unsupervised classification of Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper+ (ETM+) circa 2006 satellite data. NLCD2006 also quantifies land cover change between the years 2001 to 2006. The NLCD2006 land cover change product was generated by comparing spectral characteristics of Landsat imagery between 2001 and 2006, on an individual path/row basis, using protocols to identify and label change based on the trajectory from NLCD2001 products. It represents the first time this type of 30 meter resolution land cover change product has been produced for the conterminous United States. A formal accuracy assessment of the NLCD2006 land cover change product is planned for 2011.

Generation of NLCD2006 products helped to identify some issues in the NLCD2001 land cover and percent developed imperviousness products only (there were no changes to the NLCD2001 percent canopy). These issues were evaluated and corrected, necessitating a reissue of NLCD2001 products (NLCD2001 Version 2.0) as part of the NLCD2006 release. A majority of the NLCD2001 updates occurred in coastal mapping zones where NLCD2001 was published prior to the completion of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP) 2001 land cover products. NOAA C-CAP 2001 land cover has now been seamlessly integrated with NLCD2001 land cover for all coastal zones. NLCD2001 percent developed imperviousness was also updated as part of this process.

Preferred NLCD2006 citation: Fry, J., Xian, G., Jin, S., Dewitz, J., Homer, C., Yang, L., Barnes, C., Herold, N., and Wickham, J., 2011. Completion of the 2006 National Land Cover Database for the Conterminous United States, PE&RS, Vol. 77(9):858-864.

Other MRLC Program Publications for NLCD2006

Wickham, J.D., Stehman, S.V., Gass, L., Dewitz, J., Fry, J.A., and Wade, T.G. 2013. Accuracy assessment of NLCD 2006 land cover and impervious surface, Remote Sensing of Environment, Vol. 130, pp. 294-304.

Xian, G., Homer, C.G., Bunde, B., Danielson, P., Dewitz, J.A., Fry, J.A., and Pu, R., 2012, Quantifying urban land cover change between 2001 and 2006 in the Gulf of Mexico region: Geocarto International, v. 27, no. 6, p. 479-497.

Xian, G., Homer, C., Dewitz, J., Fry, J., Hossain, N., and Wickham, J., 2011. The change of impervious surface area between 2001 and 2006 in the conterminous United States. Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing, Vol. 77(8): 758-762.

Xian, G, Homer, C, and Fry, J. 2009. Updating the 2001 National Land Cover Database land cover classification to 2006 by using Landsat imagery change detection methods. Remote Sensing of Environment, Vol. 113, No. 6. pp. 1133-1147.

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