Land Use and Land Cover

Chapter 20
Introduction
 Land use – defined by economic terms
 Land cover – visible features
 Both are important and are really
inseparable
 We depend on accurate LU/LC data for
scientific and administrative purposes
Intro
 What are some examples of why
knowledge of LU/LC is important?
Predictive Land Use Modeling
 A Basin-Scale Econometric Model for
Projecting Future Amazonian Landscapes was
developed to predict forest loss associated
with development scenarios in the Amazon
basin.
• Given the scenarios, projections follow from results of
econometric modeling based on economic theory and
detailed local observation (led by Alexander Pfaff of
Columbia University).
 As an example, this image shows a situation in
which deforestation precedes road-building.
• It depicts in red several settlement roads in 1988;
• deforested areas, as of 1988, are shown by the yellow
polygons extending beyond the roads.
 Since the roads now pass through these old
deforested areas, the figure suggests reverse
causality, in which deforestation actually leads
to road-building.
• This situation is probably common in areas of
smallholder colonization.
Air Photos
 Most LU/LC data are derived from air
photos
• Used as early as 1930 by the TVA
 USGS later developed a classification
system
USGS Classification System
 A Land Use And Land Cover Classification
System For Use With Remote Sensor Data
• By JAMES R. ANDERSON, ERNEST E. HARDY,
JOHN T. ROACH, and RICHARD E. WITMER
• Geological Survey Professional Paper 964
• A revision of the land use classification system as
presented in U.S. Geological Survey Circular 671
Classification Typical data characteristics
Level
I LANDSAT (formerly ERTS) type of data

II High-altitude data at 40,000 ft (12,400 m) or

above (less than l:8O,OOO scale)
III Medium-altitude data taken between 10,000
and 40,000 ft (3,100 and 12,400 m)
(1:20,000 to 1:80,000 scale)
IV Low-altitude data taken below 10,000 ft
(3,100 m) (more than 1:20,000 scale)
Level I Level II
1 Urban or Built-up Land 11 Residential
12 Commercial and Services
13 Industrial
14 Transportation, Communications,
and Utilities
15 Industrial and Commercial
Complexes
16 Mixed Urban or Built-up Land
17 Other Urban or Built-up Land
2 Agricultural Land 21 Cropland and Pasture

22 Orchards, Groves,
Vineyards, Nurseries, and
Ornamental Horticultural
Areas
23 Confined Feeding
Operations
24 Other Agricultural Land
3 Rangeland 31 Herbaceous Rangeland

32 Shrub and Brush Rangeland

33 Mixed Rangeland

4 Forest Land 41 Deciduous Forest Land

42 Evergreen Forest Land

43 Mixed Forest Land

Visual Interpretation
 Interpreters look at imagery and draw
boundaries to mark categories
• Use the numeric symbols of the classification
system
 Remember chapter 5 about visual
interpretation cues
Visual Interpretation
 Cropped agricultural land is
recognized by systematic division of
fields into rectangles or circles, with
smooth even textures.
• Tone varies with growth stage
 Pasture is usually more irregular in
shape, a mottled texture, medium tone
with possibly some isolated patches of
trees
Visual Interpretation
 Transportation is often seen as linear
patterns that cut across the landscape,
and by distinctive loops of interchanges
Visual Interpretation
 Some parcels are delineated as multiple
purpose
• Airports – include runways, hangars,
terminals, roads, etc.
Land Use Change by Visual
Interpretation
 Two maps representing the same region
are prepared for different dates, to depict
land use/land cover
• Must use the same classification system
• One can’t be “forest” if the other splits into “pine”
and “deciduous”
• Must be compatible with respect to scale,
geometry, and level of detail
• Should be able to identify points on both maps
Historical and Environmental
Analysis
 Aerial photos are helpful where
hazardous materials may have been
used/abandoned
• Disposal sites include ponds, lagoons,
landfills, etc.
• These may now be in populated areas due to
urban sprawl
Other LU/LC classification
systems
 The Anderson system described earlier
is a general-purpose classification
system
• Land Utilization Survey of Britain
• TVA land use
• New York Land Use and Natural Resources
Survey
Other LU/LC classification
systems
 Special Purpose Classification Systems
• Wetlands Classification (Cowardin, 1979)
Land-Cover Mapping by Image
Classification
 Appears straightforward, but many
factors are hidden
• Selection of images – what season, what
dates are of most significance
• Processing – accurate registration and
atmospheric corrections
• Subsetting needs to be done carefully
• Classification algorithm – needs to be
chosen based on region
• “grow” homogenous training fields
Land-Cover Mapping by Image
Classification
 Assignment of spectral classes to
informational classes – “deciduous
forest” may require spectral classes that
reflect slope aspect.
 Display and symbolization –
consistency of color choices
Digital Compilation of Land-Use
 Probably no one set of techniques works
in all situations. Digital change (Jensen
1996)
• Image algebra – image subtraction where
values near zero are no change, usually
applied to single band
• Must select threshold for change/no change
• Image ratios can also be applied
Digital Compilation of Land-Use
• Postclassification comparisons –
independent classification of scenes which
are then compared
• Accurate classification is required
• Multidate composites – assemble all bands
from multiple dates into a single composite.
The entire set is then analyzed by principle
components or other techniques
• Pretty unwieldy
Digital Compilation of Land-Use
• Spectral change vector analysis – examines a
pixel’s position in multispectral data space. If the pixel
occupies roughly the same position in the two data
sets, it has not changed.
• Binary change mask – classify first date, do image
algebra on original images from both dates, create a
binary mask representing only changed/unchanged
pixels. Classify the second date, but use only the
pixels identified as changed in the mask.
Digital Compilation of Land-Use
• On-screen digitization – software is used to
view both images side-by-side and visually
interpret them.
• Change detection by image display –
corresponding bands from different dates are
used as separate overlays in RGB display
Broad-scale Land-Cover studies
 AVHRR and other data has been used to
look at continental or hemispheric
changes over time
 LULC
 Multiresolution Land Characteristics
 Gap Analysis