What is land use and land cover in GIS?
The terms land use and land cover are often used interchangeably, but each term has its own unique meaning. Land cover refers to the surface cover on the ground like vegetation, urban infrastructure, water, bare soil etc. Land use is the description of how people utilize the land for the socio-economic activities.
What is land use land cover data?
Overview. Land Use Land Cover (LULC) maps of an area provide information to help users to understand the current landscape. Annual LULC information on national spatial databases will enable the monitoring of temporal dynamics of agricultural ecosystems, forest conversions, surface water bodies, etc. on annual basis .
What is land use land cover change?
Land use and land cover change (LULCC) is the conversion of different land use types and is the result of complex interactions between humans and the physical environment[9]. LULCC is a major driver of global change and has a significant impact on ecosystem processes, biological cycles and biodiversity[7, 10, 11].
Why is land use land cover important?
They play an important role in agricultural policy making. Moreover, land-cover data are used as basic information for sustainable management of natural resources; they are increasingly needed for the assessment of impacts of economic development on the environment.
How do I download land use data from Copernicus?
To download the data go directly to the Download tab and begin the process (this will require you to login). Additionally you are also able to access the on-line map viewer and the web services of the product.
What is the relationship between land use and land cover?
Land use means the purpose to which the land cover is committed. Some land uses, such as agriculture, have a characteristic land cover pattern. These usually appear in land cover classifications. Other land uses, such as nature conservation, are not readily discriminated by a characteristic land cover pattern.
What is the USGS National land cover database?
The USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center National Land Cover Database team in collaboration with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has produced the most comprehensive remote-sensing based quantification of western United States shrublands to date.
How often is the national land cover database ( NLCD ) updated?
EROS is central to the creation of the National Land Cover Database (NLCD), which is updated every five years and stands as the definitive land cover database for the United States.
Where can I find Forest Service boundary data?
New National Monument boundary data – Recently, new national monuments have been designated on Forest Service lands. Boundaries of the national monuments can be found on the Downloadable data page in the dataset titled: “National Forest Lands with Nationally Designated Management or Use Limitations”.
What do you need to know about fsgeodata clearinghouse?
FSGeodata Clearinghouse. The USDA Forest Service Geodata Clearinghouse is an online collection of digital data related to forest resources. Through the Clearinghouse you can find datasets related to forests and grasslands, including boundaries and ownership, natural resources, roads and trails, as well as datasets related to State…
