LandCover 2007 Howard County MD

High resolution land cover dataset for Howard County, MD. Seven land cover classes were mapped: (1) tree canopy, (2) grass/shrub, (3) bare earth, (4) water, (5) buildings, (6) roads, and (7) other paved surfaces. The minimum mapping unit for the delineation of features was set at 96.83 square feet. The primary sources used to derive this land cover layer were NAIP 2007 with a resolution of 3.28 square feet, 2004 LiDAR with a 3.28 square foot resolution, this LiDAR data was processed into an nDSM and an intensity layer which were both used in the classification. Ancillary data sources included GIS roads (Road_Polygon_Update), buildings (Buildings_all) and boundary (Boundary) data provided by Howard County. Other GIS data used in the classification was utility lines (Utility_Lines), railroads (Railroads_poly) created by the Spatial Analysis Lab from NAIP 2007 imagery and LiDAR data. Finally, surface water data (Surface_Water), edited from the National Hydrography Data Set was also used in the classification process. This land cover dataset is considered current as of 2009. Object-based image analysis techniques (OBIA) were employed to extract land cover information using the best available remotely sensed and vector GIS datasets. OBIA systems work by grouping pixels into meaningful objects based on their spectral and spatial properties, while taking into account boundaries imposed by existing vector datasets. Within the OBIA environment a rule-based expert system was designed to effectively mimic the process of manual image analysis by incorporating the elements of image interpretation (color/tone, texture, pattern, location, size, and shape) into the classification process. A series of morphological procedures were employed to insure that the end product is both accurate and cartographically pleasing. No accuracy assessment was conducted, but the dataset was subject to a thorough manual quality control. 33,359 corrections were made to the classification.

Data and Resources

Field Value
access_constraints ["Use Constraints: None", "Access Constraints: None"]
bbox-east-long -76.695639
bbox-north-lat 39.369614
bbox-south-lat 39.102794
bbox-west-long -77.187081
contact-email joneildu@uvm.edu
coupled-resource []
dataset-reference-date [{"type": "publication", "value": "2009-10-01"}]
frequency-of-update notPlanned
licence ["The USER shall indemnify, save harmless, and, if requested, defend those parties involved with the development and distribution of this data, their officers, agents, and employees from and against any suits, claims, or actions for injury, death, or property damage arising out of the use of or any defect in the FILES or any accompanying documentation. Those parties involved with the development and distribution excluded any and all implied warranties, including warranties or merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose and makes no warranty or representation, either express or implied, with respect to the FILES or accompanying documentation, including its quality, performance, merchantability, or fitness for a particular purpose. The FILES and documentation are provided \"as is\" and the USER assumes the entire risk as to its quality and performance. Those parties involved with the development and distribution of this data will not be liable for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of the use or inability to use the FILES or any accompanying documentation."]
metadata-date 2010-03-04
metadata-language eng; USA
metadata_type geospatial
progress completed
resource-type dataset
responsible-party [{"name": "University of Vermont Spatial Analysis Laboratory", "roles": ["pointOfContact"]}]
spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[-77.187081, 39.102794], [-76.695639, 39.102794], [-76.695639, 39.369614], [-77.187081, 39.369614], [-77.187081, 39.102794]]]}
spatial_harvester true
Groups
  • AmeriGEOSS
  • National Provider
  • North America
Tags
  • 2007
  • amerigeo
  • amerigeoss
  • ckan
  • geo
  • geoss
  • howard-county
  • md
  • national
  • north-america
  • united-states
isopen False
metadata_created 2025-11-22T01:42:15.052755
metadata_modified 2025-11-22T01:42:15.052759
notes High resolution land cover dataset for Howard County, MD. Seven land cover classes were mapped: (1) tree canopy, (2) grass/shrub, (3) bare earth, (4) water, (5) buildings, (6) roads, and (7) other paved surfaces. The minimum mapping unit for the delineation of features was set at 96.83 square feet. The primary sources used to derive this land cover layer were NAIP 2007 with a resolution of 3.28 square feet, 2004 LiDAR with a 3.28 square foot resolution, this LiDAR data was processed into an nDSM and an intensity layer which were both used in the classification. Ancillary data sources included GIS roads (Road_Polygon_Update), buildings (Buildings_all) and boundary (Boundary) data provided by Howard County. Other GIS data used in the classification was utility lines (Utility_Lines), railroads (Railroads_poly) created by the Spatial Analysis Lab from NAIP 2007 imagery and LiDAR data. Finally, surface water data (Surface_Water), edited from the National Hydrography Data Set was also used in the classification process. This land cover dataset is considered current as of 2009. Object-based image analysis techniques (OBIA) were employed to extract land cover information using the best available remotely sensed and vector GIS datasets. OBIA systems work by grouping pixels into meaningful objects based on their spectral and spatial properties, while taking into account boundaries imposed by existing vector datasets. Within the OBIA environment a rule-based expert system was designed to effectively mimic the process of manual image analysis by incorporating the elements of image interpretation (color/tone, texture, pattern, location, size, and shape) into the classification process. A series of morphological procedures were employed to insure that the end product is both accurate and cartographically pleasing. No accuracy assessment was conducted, but the dataset was subject to a thorough manual quality control. 33,359 corrections were made to the classification.
num_resources 1
num_tags 11
title LandCover 2007 Howard County MD