F e d e r a l D e p o s i t o r y L i b r a r y P r o g r a m ADMINISTRATIVE NOTES Newsletter of the Federal Depository Library Program ------------------------------------------------------------------------ October 15, 2000 GP 3.16/3-2:21/14 (Vol. 21, no. 14) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Online National Land Cover Dataset Now Available The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, has produced a National Land Cover Dataset (NLCD) for the conterminous United States. At 30-meter resolution, the NLCD is the most detailed land cover information ever compiled at a national level. The NLCD contains 21 categories of land cover information that can be used for a variety of State and regional applications, including watershed management, environmental studies, transportation modeling, and land management. The first datasets available are for States east of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. These files have been put through an accuracy assessment process and are in "final" status; the file names for these State datasets reflect this. "Preliminary" datasets for western States, which have not yet been checked for accuracy, are also online. "Final" datasets for the remaining States will become available in the next six months. The NLCD is based on 1992 Landsat Thematic Mapper imagery and is part of the USGS Land Cover Characterization Program. In addition to the satellite data, scientists at USGS used a variety of supporting information such as topography, census, agricultural statistics, soil characteristics, and wetlands data to determine and label the land cover type for each 30-meter pixel. The NLCD was designed to be compatible with the earlier Land Use/Land Cover data set compiled from 1970's and 1980's aerial photography. NLCD data are free online in 8-bit binary, single band files or for sale on CD-ROM in GeoTIFF format. For information about the NLCD visit the National Land Cover Characterization website . To view, order a CD, or download, select "View & Order NLCD Products." Click on the map or choose from the menu to get the appropriate information for the given State. "Readme" files containing instructions for bringing the data into common GIS software packages and information on classification, legend, and geographic coordinates are included on the website.