Rangeland Condition Monitoring Assessment and Projection (RCMAP) Herbaceous Fractional Component Time-Series Across Western North America from 1985-2023

The RCMAP (Rangeland Condition Monitoring Assessment and Projection) dataset quantifies the percent cover of rangeland components across western North America using Landsat imagery from 1985-2023. The RCMAP product suite consists of ten fractional components: annual herbaceous, bare ground, herbaceous, litter, non-sagebrush shrub, perennial herbaceous, sagebrush, shrub, tree, and shrub height in addition to the temporal trends of each component. Several enhancements were made to the RCMAP process relative to prior generations. First, high-resolution training was revised using an improved neural-net classifier and modelling approach. These data serve as foundation to the RCMAP approach. The training database was further improved by incorporating additional datasets. Next, the Landsat compositing approach was improved to better capture the range of conditions from across each year and through time. These composites are based on Collection 2 Landsat data with improved geolocation accuracy and dynamic range. Finally, the Canadian portion of the sagebrush biome was included, which expanded the study area by 29,199 km2. Processing efficiency has been increased using open-source software and USGS High-Performance Computing (HPC) resources. The mapping area included eight regions which were subsequently mosaicked. These data can be used to answer critical questions regarding the influence of climate change and the suitability of management practices. Component products can be downloaded https://www.mrlc.gov/data.