An interagency perspective on improving consistency and transparency of land use and land cover mapping

Abstract

Geospatial products of land use and land cover are broadly used in many applications. The Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics (MRLC) Consortium, a group of Federal agencies with a common need for remote sensing data and derivative products, have developed a suite of a geospatial land use and land cover products, with broad use across a variety of applications. Increasingly, other Federal and non-Federal entities have produced additional land use and land cover datasets. With different mapping methodologies, thematic legends and definitions, and intended purposes, the broad array of available products can cause confusion in the user community. This document provides (1) the current status of U.S. Federal land use and land cover products (as of May 2024), (2) existing synergies and integration among these federally produced land use and land cover products, (3) inherent challenges of creating a single consistent framework, and (4) strategies for collectively tackling these challenges to improve coordination and collaboration among data producers and facilitate the adoption of land use and land cover products for greenhouse gas monitoring and a variety of other applications.

Citation

Sohl, Terry; Schleeweis, Karen; Herold, Nate; Lang, Megan; La Puma, Inga P.; Wickham, James; Mueller, Rick; Rigge, Matthew; Dewitz, Jon; Brown, Jesslyn F.; Ingebritsen, Jeffrey; Ellenwood, James; Wengert, Ellen; Rowe, Jordan; Flanagan, Patrick; Kachergis, Emily; Garthwaite, Iris; Wu, Zhuoting. 2025, An interagency perspective on improving consistency and transparency of land use and land cover mapping. Circular 1549. Reston, VA: U.S. Geological Survey. 47 p.