Identification_Information:

  Citation:

    Citation_Information:

      Originator: 

        Canada Centre for Remote Sensing (CCRS), Earth Sciences Sector, Natural Resources

        Canada

      Originator: 

        Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad (CONABIO)

      Originator: Comisión Nacional Forestal (CONAFOR)

      Originator: Insituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (INEGI)

      Originator: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 

      Publication_Date: 2010

      Title: 2005 Land Cover of North America at 250 meters

      Edition: 1.0

      Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: Raster digital data

      Publication_Information:

        Publication_Place: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

        Publisher: Canada Centre for Remote Sensing (CCRS)

      Publication_Information:

        Publication_Place: Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA

        Publisher: U.S. Geological Survey

      Publication_Information:

        Publication_Place: Mexico City, Mexico

        Publisher: INEGI

      Publication_Information:

        Publication_Place: Montréal, Québec, Canada

        Publisher: Commission for Environmental Cooperation

      Online_Linkage: 

  Description:

    Abstract:

      The 2005 North American Land Cover data set was produced as part of the North 

      American Land Change Monitoring System (NALCMS), a trilateral effort between 

      the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, the United States Geological Survey, and 

      three Mexican organizations including the National Institute of Statistics and 

      Geography (Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Geografia), National Commission for 

      the Knowledge and Use of the Biodiversity (Comisión Nacional Para el Conocimiento y 

      Uso de la Biodiversidad) and the National Forestry Commission of Mexico (Comisión 

      Nacional Forestal).  The collaboration is facilitated by the Commission for 

      Environmental Cooperation, an international organization created by the Canada, 

      Mexico, and United States governments under the North American Agreement on 

      Environmental Cooperation to promote environmental collaboration between the three 

      countries.

      The general objective of NALCMS is to devise, through collective effort, a 

      harmonized multi-scale land cover monitoring approach which ensures high accuracy 

      and consistency in monitoring land cover changes at the North American scale and 

      which meets each country’s specific requirements.  The data set of 2005 Land Cover 

      of North America at a resolution of 250 meters is the first step toward this goal.

      The initial data set used to generate land cover information over North America was 

      produced by the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing from observations acquired by the 

      Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS/Terra).  All seven land 

      spectral bands were processed from Level 1 granules into top-of-atmosphere 

      reflectance covering North America at a 250-meter spatial and 10-day temporal 

      resolution. 

      In order to generate a seamless and consistent land cover map of North America, 

      national maps were generated for Canada by the CCRS; for Mexico by INEGI, CONABIO, 

      and CONAFOR; and for the United States by the USGS.  Each country used specific 

      training data and land cover mapping methodologies to create national data sets.  

      This North America data set was produced by combining the national land cover 

      data sets.   

      This land cover data set is considered provisional until a formal accuracy 

      assessment is conducted.  

    Purpose:

      Information on land cover across North America provided by this data set is 

      valuable for a range of audiences, including international organizations such as 

      the United Nations Environment Programme, nongovernmental conservation 

      organizations, land managers, and scientific researchers.  The continental scale 

      land cover data generated under NALCMS can be used to address issues such as 

      climate change, carbon sequestration, biodiversity loss, and changes in ecosystem 

      structure and function, by helping users to better understand the dynamics and 

      continental-scale patterns of North America’s changing environment.  

      The North American Atlas data are intended for geographic display and analysis at 

      the national and continental level.  These data should be displayed and analyzed at 

      scales appropriate for 1:10,000,000-scale data.  No responsibility is assumed by 

      Natural Resources Canada, Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía, the U.S. 

      Geological Survey, or the Commission for Environmental Cooperation in the use of 

      these data. 

    Supplemental_Information:

      For more information on NALCMS, see 

http://www.cec.org/Page.asp?PageID=924&SiteNodeID=565

      For more information on MODIS, see http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/

      The following table describes the display of land cover classification in the 

      .img file:

      >Value  Class                                     RGB values

      >----------------------------------------------------------------------------

      >1      Temperate or sub-polar needleleaf forest  0     0.24  0

      >2      Sub-polar taiga needleleaf forest         0.58  0.61  0.44

      >3      Tropical or sub-tropical broadleaf 

      >         evergreen forest                        0     0.39  0

      >4      Tropical or sub-tropical broadleaf 

      >         deciduous forest                        0.12  0.67  0.02

      >5      Temperate or sub-polar broadleaf 

      >         deciduous forest                        0.08  0.55  0.24

      >6      Mixed forest                              0.36  0.46  0.17

      >7      Tropical or sub-tropical shrubland        0.7   0.62  0.18

      >8      Temperate or sub-polar shrubland          0.7   0.54  0.2

      >9      Tropical or sub-tropical grassland        0.91  0.86  0.37

      >10     Temperate or sub-polar grassland          0.88  0.81  0.54

      >11     Sub-polar or polar shrubland-lichen-moss  0.61  0.46  0.33

      >12     Sub-polar or polar grassland-lichen-moss  0.73  0.83  0.56

      >13     Sub-polar or polar barren-lichen-moss     0.25  0.54  0.45

      >14     Wetland                                   0.42  0.64  0.54

      >15     Cropland                                  0.9   0.68  0.4

      >16     Barren lands                              0.66  0.67  0.68

      >17     Urban                                     0.86  0.13  0.15

      >18     Water                                     0.3   0.44  0.64

      >19     Snow and Ice                              1     0.98  1

      >

      The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) is an international organization 

      created by Canada, Mexico, and the United States of America under the North 

      American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC).  The CEC was established 

      to address regional environmental concerns, help prevent potential trade and 

      environmental conflicts, and to promote the effective enforcement of environmental 

      law.  The Agreement complements the environmental provisions of the North American 

      Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).  Further information on the CEC is available from 

http://www.cec.org/ or from 

      >Commission for Environmental Cooperation

      >393, rue St-Jacques Ouest

      >Bureau 200

      >Montréal (Québec)

      >H2Y 1N9 Canada

      >

      >Telephone: 1 514 350 4300

      >Facsimile: 1 514 350 4314

      >Electronic mail: info@cec.org

      >

      The following references provide additional information on processing methodologies 

      and may be referenced in the process steps, below.

      Beaubien, J., Cihlar, J., Simard, G., and Latifovic, R. (1999). Land cover from 

      multiple thematic mapper scenes using a new enhancement-classification methodology. 

      Journal of Geophysical Research, 104:27909 – 27920.

      Cihlar, J., Xiao, Q., Beaubien, J., Fung, K., & Latifovic, R. (1998) Classification 

      by progressive generalization: a new automated methodology for remote sensing 

      multichannel data. International Journal of Remote Sensing 19:2685-2704.

      Khlopenkov, K., & Trichtchenko, A. (2008). Implementation and evaluation of 

      concurrent gradient search method for reprojection of MODIS level 1B imagery. IEEE 

      Transaction on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, 46:2016–2027.

      Latifovic, R., and Olthof, I. 2004. Accuracy assessment using sub-pixel fractional 

      error matrices of global land cover products derived from satellite data. Remote 

      Sensing of Environment, 90:153-165

      Latifovic, R., Zhu, Z., Cihlar, J., Giri, C., & Olthof, I. (2004). Land cover 

      mapping of North and Central America - Global Land Cover 2000. Remote Sensing of 

      Environment, 89:116-127.

      Luo, Y., Trishchenko, A., & Khlopenkov, K. (2008). Developing clear-sky, cloud and 

      cloud shadow mask for producing clear-sky composites at 250-meter spatial 

      resolution for the seven MODIS land bands over Canada and North America. Remote 

      Sensing of Environment, Volume 112:4167-4185.

      Trichtchenko, A., Luo Y., & Khlopenkov, K. (2006). A method for downscaling MODIS 

      land channels to 250m spatial resolution using adaptive regression and 

      normalization, Proceedings of SPIE – The International Society for Optical 

      Engineering v.6366 (2006) art. no. 636607. 8 pp.

  Time_Period_of_Content:

    Time_Period_Information:

      Range_of_Dates/Times:

        Beginning_Date: 200501

        Ending_Date: 200512

    Currentness_Reference: Ground condition

  Status:

    Progress: Complete

    Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: Annually

  Spatial_Domain:	

    Bounding_Coordinates:

      West_Bounding_Coordinate: 170

      East_Bounding_Coordinate: -50

      North_Bounding_Coordinate: 84

      South_Bounding_Coordinate: 14

  Keywords:

    Theme:

      Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: GCMD Science keywords

      Theme_Keyword: Land Surface > Land Use/Land Cover > Land Cover 

      Theme_Keyword: Land Surface > Surface Radiative Properties > Reflectance 

    Theme:

      Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ISO 19115 Topic Category

      Theme_Keyword: imageryBaseMapsEarthCover

    Theme:

      Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: None

      Theme_Keyword: Remote sensing

      Theme_Keyword: Land cover

      Theme_Keyword: MODIS

      Theme_Keyword: Reflectance

    Place:

      Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: None

      Place_Keyword: Mid-latitude

      Place_Keyword: Western Hemisphere

      Place_Keyword: Northern Hemisphere

      Place_Keyword: North America

      Place_Keyword: NAFTA

      Place_Keyword: North America Free Trade Agreement

      Place_Keyword: Canada

      Place_Keyword: Mexico

      Place_Keyword: United States

  Access_Constraints: None.

  Use_Constraints:

    None.  Acknowledgement of Natural Resources Canada, Instituto Nacional de Estadística 

    y Geografía, and the U.S. Geological Survey is required in products derived from 

    these data.  Acknowledgement of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation would be 

    appreciated in products derived from these data.

  Point_of_Contact:

    Contact_Information:

      Contact_Organization_Primary:

        Contact_Organization: Canada Centre for Remote Sensing

        Contact_Person: Rasim Latifovic

      Contact_Address:

        Address_Type: Mailing and physical address

        Address: 588 Booth Street

        City: Ottawa

        State_or_Province: Ontario

        Postal_Code: K1A 0Y7

        Country: Canada

      Contact_Voice_Telephone: 1 613 947 1816

      Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 1 613 947 1383

      Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: Rasim.Latifovic@nrcan.gc.ca

  Point_of_Contact:

    Contact_Information:

      Contact_Organization_Primary:

        Contact_Organization: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (INEGI)

      Contact_Position: Director of Natural Resources and Environment Information

      Contact_Address: 

        Address_Type: Mailing and physical address

        Address: Av. Héroe de Nacozari Sur 2301. Fraccionamiento Jardines del Parque.

        City: Aguascalientes

        State_or_Province: Aguascalientes

        Postal_Code: 20270

        Country: Mexico

      Contact_Voice_Telephone: 52 449 442 47 29

      Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 52 449 442 41 76

      Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: francisco.jimenez@inegi.org.mx

      Hours_of_Service: 0800 - 1600 (-6h GMT)

  Point_of_Contact:

    Contact_Information:

      Contact_Organization_Primary:

        Contact_Organization: U.S. Geological Survey

      Contact_Address:

        Address_Type: Mailing and physical address

        Address: USGS, Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) 

        Address: 47914 252nd Street

        City: Sioux Falls

        State_or_Province: South Dakota

        Postal_Code: 57198-0001

        Country: USA

      Contact_Voice_Telephone: 1 605 594 2843

      Contact_TDD/TTY_Telephone: 1 605 594 6933

      Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 1 605 594 6589

      Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: hossain@usgs.gov

Data_Quality_Information:

  Attribute_Accuracy:

    Attribute_Accuracy_Report: 

      Canada: 

      An accuracy assessment was performed over Canada at the 12-class IGBP 

level. Reference samples were randomly selected within areas of available high resolution imagery. A total of 838 samples were acquired. 

      Each sample was interpreted and assigned a primary label, a secondary label and a 

      confidence level.  The primary label referred to the most likely class assigned to 

      a pixel according to the interpreter, while the secondary label referred to a 

      second class that could also be considered acceptable in cases where ambiguity 

      existed in the interpretation or where more than one label could be deemed correct.  

      Examples of the latter occurred mainly along transition zones where two classes 

occurred almost equally within a 250 m pixel. The confidence level was assigned   based on the ease with which the land cover was visually interpreted and on the number of classes present in the 250m pixel.  A high confidence was assigned to pixels where the high-resolution Google Earth image 

      was acquired at an appropriate time of year for the class in question (for example, 

      summer to fall for deciduous), and where one class clearly dominated the land cover 

      within the pixel.  

      For the primary label only, overall accuracy was nearly 59% with a Kappa of 0.54.  

      Overall accuracy increased to 69% and the Kappa increased to 0.65 when considering 

      either the primary or secondary label as being correct.  For primary labels 

      interpreted with high confidence, representing 365 of 838 reference samples, 

      overall accuracy increased again to 75% with a Kappa of 0.72.  The increase in 

      classification accuracy with high reference-data interpretation confidence was a 

      function of greater land cover homogeneity within the reference data footprint and 

      less ambiguity largely due to reference image quality.  

      Mexico: 

      No formal accuracy assessment has been performed over Mexico, 

      however, land cover proportions and distributions agree well with independent land 

      cover and land use estimations of the “Mapa de Vegetación y Uso de Suelo”, Serie 

      III of 2007 by INEGI.  

      USA: 

      No formal accuracy assessment has been performed over United States, 

      however, land cover proportions agree well with independent land cover estimates 

      from the 2001 National Land Cover Database published by the USGS at 30m cell size.  

      A formal assessment will be performed at a later date.  For the United States, 

      information on land cover data quality was generated through cross-validation 

      estimates from the Decision Tree algorithm used for classification and prediction.  

      The regression tree algorithm employed for this product offers a cross-validation 

      option for assessing classification and prediction reliability.  Cross-validation 

      can provide relatively reliable estimates for land cover predictions if the 

      reference data used for cross-validation are collected based on a statistically 

      valid sampling design.  Users should be cautioned that these cross-validation 

      results provide users with only first-order estimates of data quality, and should 

      not be considered a formal accuracy assessment.  

      This land cover data set is considered provisional until a formal accuracy 

      assessment can be conducted.  

    Quantitative_Attribute_Accuracy_Assessment:

      Attribute_Accuracy_Value: 70

      Attribute_Accuracy_Explanation:  

        The above listed value is the overall accuracy obtained for the Canada land cover 

        data using the reference data set.  

    Quantitative_Attribute_Accuracy_Assessment:

      Attribute_Accuracy_Value: 69

      Attribute_Accuracy_Explanation:  

        The above listed value is the overall accuracy obtained for the United States 

        land cover data using a cross-validation estimate from the decision tree model.  

    Quantitative_Attribute_Accuracy_Assessment:

      Attribute_Accuracy_Value: 85

      Attribute_Accuracy_Explanation:  

        The above listed value is the overall accuracy obtained for the Mexican land 

        cover data using a subset of 20% of the training samples from the decision tree 

        model.  

  Logical_Consistency_Report: 

    No tests for logical consistency have been performed on this data set.

  Completeness_Report:

    Data completeness reflects the content of the original MODIS data.  

  Lineage:

    Source_Information: 

      Source_Citation:

        Citation_Information:

          Originator: 

            Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, Earth Sciences Sector, Natural Resources 

            Canada

          Publication_Date: 2008

          Title: MODIS Level 1B 250m swath data, 5-min granules

          Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: Raster digital data     

          Publication_Information:

            Publication_Place: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

            Publisher: NASA

          Online_Linkage: http://ladsweb.nascom.nasa.gov/

      Type_of_Source_Media: Online

      Source_Time_Period_of_Content:

        Time_Period_Information:

          Single_Date/Time:

            Calendar_Date: 2005

        Source_Currentness_Reference: Ground condition

      Source_Citation_Abbreviation: MOD02QKM

      Source_Contribution: Spatial and attribute information

    Source_Information: 

      Source_Citation:

        Citation_Information:

          Originator: 

            Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, Earth Sciences Sector, Natural Resources 

            Canada

          Publication_Date: 2008

          Title: MODIS Level 1B 500m swath data, 5-min granules

          Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: Raster digital data     

          Publication_Information:

            Publication_Place: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

            Publisher: NASA

          Online_Linkage: http://ladsweb.nascom.nasa.gov/

      Type_of_Source_Media: Online

      Source_Time_Period_of_Content:

        Time_Period_Information:

          Single_Date/Time:

            Calendar_Date: 2005

        Source_Currentness_Reference: Ground condition

      Source_Citation_Abbreviation: MOD02HKM

      Source_Contribution: Spatial and attribute information

    Source_Information: 

      Source_Citation:

        Citation_Information:

          Originator: 

            Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, Earth Sciences Sector, Natural Resources 

            Canada

          Publication_Date: 2008

          Title: MODIS Level 1 Geolocation information, 1km swath data, 5-min granules

          Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: Raster digital data     

          Publication_Information:

            Publication_Place: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

            Publisher: NASA

          Online_Linkage: http://ladsweb.nascom.nasa.gov/

      Type_of_Source_Media: Online

      Source_Time_Period_of_Content:

        Time_Period_Information:

          Single_Date/Time:

            Calendar_Date: 2005

        Source_Currentness_Reference: Ground condition

      Source_Citation_Abbreviation: MOD03

      Source_Contribution: Spatial and attribute information

    Source_Information: 

      Source_Citation:

        Citation_Information:

          Originator: 

            Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, Earth Sciences Sector, Natural Resources 

            Canada

          Publication_Date: 2009

          Title: MODIS Monthly composites

          Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: Raster digital data     

      Type_of_Source_Media: Internal files

      Source_Time_Period_of_Content:

        Time_Period_Information:

          Single_Date/Time:

            Calendar_Date: 2009

        Source_Currentness_Reference: Date of data compilation

      Source_Citation_Abbreviation: NA Monthly composites

      Source_Contribution: Spatial and attribute information

    Source_Information: 

      Source_Citation:

        Citation_Information:

          Originator: Various

          Publication_Date: Unknown

          Title: Ancillary data 

          Other_Citation_Details: 

            The following data sets were used to aid cluster labelling:

            >Data set                           Source

            >--------------------------------------------------------------------------

            >Water Fraction Map of Canada       http://www.geobase.ca

            >  assembled from the National 

            >  Topographic Data Base (NTDB)

            >

            >Canada Digital Elevation Data,     http://www.geobase.ca

            >  Level 1 

            >

            >National Road Network, Canada      http://www.geobase.ca

            >

            >Satellite database for the land    CCRS

            >  cover of Canada is a sample 

            >  of LANDSAT TM/ETM+ scenes 

            >  representing the distribution 

            >  of land cover across Canada.

            >

            >Earth Observation for Sustainable  http://eosd.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca

            >  Development (EOSD) of  Forests

            >  Land Cover Classification

            >

            >National Land and Water            http://www4.agr.gc.ca/AAFC-AAC/display- 

            >  Information System (NLWIS)       afficher.do?id=1227635802316&lang=eng

            >  Land Cover for agricultural 

            >  regions of Canada, circa 2000 

            >

            >Circa-2000 Northern Land Cover     http://geogratis.cgdi.gc.ca

            >  of Canada

            >

            >Classification of Agricultural     Agricultural Financial Services 

            >  Lands in Alberta, Saskatchewan     Corporation Saskatchewan Crop 

            >  and the Peace Region of            Insurance Corporation 

            >  British Columbia                   British Columbia Ministry of 

            >                                     Agriculture and Lands (Business 

            >                                     Risk management Division)

            >

            >Northern Treeline (Timoney         http://data.arcticatlas.org

            >  et al., 1992)

            >

            >North American Regional            http://nomads.ncdc.noaa.gov

            >  Reanalysis, Daily Dataset

            >  Degree days

            >

            >Fire data base                     CCRS

            >

            >Ground truth data                  CCRS

          Publication_Information:

            Publication_Place: Various

            Publisher: Various

      Type_of_Source_Media: Various

      Source_Time_Period_of_Content:

        Time_Period_Information:

          Single_Date/Time:

            Calendar_Date: 2009

        Source_Currentness_Reference: Date of acquisition

      Source_Citation_Abbreviation: Canada ancillary data

      Source_Contribution: Attribute information

    Source_Information: 

      Source_Citation:

        Citation_Information:

          Originator: Various

          Publication_Date: Unknown

          Title: Ancillary data 

          Other_Citation_Details: 

            The following data sets were used to aid cluster labelling:

            >Data set                           Source

            >--------------------------------------------------------------------------

            >Total days of precipitation per    CONAFOR

            >  year (1970 – 2000) 

            >

            >Total of evaporation per year in   CONAFOR

            >  mm (1970 – 2000) 

            >

            >Maximum temperature average per    CONAFOR

            >  year in °C (1970 – 2000)

            >

            >Monthly average temperature per    CONAFOR

            >  year in °C (1970 – 2000)

            >

            >Minimum monthly average            CONAFOR

            >  temperature per year in °C

            >  (1970 – 2000)

            >

            >Digital Elevation Model of         CONAFOR

            >  Mexico 250m

            >

            >Classification of Agricultural     Colegio de Posgraduados

            >  Lands Mexico                       (COLPOS)

            >                                   Secretaría de Agricultura,

            >                                     Ganadería, Desarrollo Rural,

            >                                     Pesca y Alimentación de 

            >                                     México (SAGARPA)

            >

            >Ground truth data for forested     CONAFOR

            >  areas in Mexico

            >

            >Urban areas in Mexico              INEGI

            >

            >Mapa de Uso de Suelo y Vegetacion  INEGI

            >

          Publication_Information:

            Publication_Place: Various

            Publisher: Various

      Type_of_Source_Media: Various

      Source_Time_Period_of_Content:

        Time_Period_Information:

          Single_Date/Time:

            Calendar_Date: 2009

        Source_Currentness_Reference: Date of acquisition

      Source_Citation_Abbreviation: Mexico ancillary data

      Source_Contribution: Attribute information

    Source_Information: 

      Source_Citation:

        Citation_Information:

          Originator: NASA

          Publication_Date: 2008

          Title: Landsat data

          Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: Raster digital data     

          Publication_Information:

            Publication_Place: Washington, DC

            Publisher: NASA

      Type_of_Source_Media: Online

      Source_Time_Period_of_Content:

        Time_Period_Information:

          Single_Date/Time:

            Calendar_Date: 2005

        Source_Currentness_Reference: Ground condition

      Source_Citation_Abbreviation: Landsat

      Source_Contribution: Attribute information

    Source_Information: 

      Source_Citation:

        Citation_Information:

          Originator: U.S. Geological Survey

          Publication_Date: 2008

          Title: DEM (250m) composed of 1 band of Continuous Variable Type

          Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: Raster digital data     

          Publication_Information:

            Publication_Place: Reston, VA

            Publisher: U.S. Geological Survey

      Type_of_Source_Media: Online

      Source_Time_Period_of_Content:

        Time_Period_Information:

          Single_Date/Time:

            Calendar_Date: 2005

        Source_Currentness_Reference: Ground condition

      Source_Citation_Abbreviation: DEM

      Source_Contribution: Attribute information

    Source_Information: 

      Source_Citation:

        Citation_Information:

          Originator: Canada Centre for Remote Sensing 

          Publication_Date: Unknown

          Title: 2005 Land Cover Map of North America at 250m: Canada

          Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: Raster digital data     

          Publication_Information:

            Publication_Place: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

            Publisher: Canada Centre for Remote Sensing 

      Type_of_Source_Media: Internal file

      Source_Time_Period_of_Content:

        Time_Period_Information:

          Single_Date/Time:

            Calendar_Date: 2005

        Source_Currentness_Reference: Ground condition

      Source_Citation_Abbreviation: CCRS_NLCD

      Source_Contribution: Spatial and attribute information

    Source_Information: 

      Source_Citation:

        Citation_Information:

          Originator: 

            Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad (CONABIO)

          Originator: Comisión Nacional Forestal (CONAFOR)

          Originator: Insituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (INEGI)

          Publication_Date: Unknown

          Title: Land Cover Map of Mexico for 2005 at 250m 

          Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: Raster digital data     

          Publication_Information:

            Publication_Place: Mexico City, Mexico

            Publisher: Insituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía 

      Type_of_Source_Media: Iternal file

      Source_Time_Period_of_Content:

        Time_Period_Information:

          Single_Date/Time:

            Calendar_Date: 2005

        Source_Currentness_Reference: Ground condition

      Source_Citation_Abbreviation: INEGI_NLCD

      Source_Contribution: Spatial and attribute information

    Source_Information: 

      Source_Citation:

        Citation_Information:

          Originator: U.S. Geological Survey

          Publication_Date: Unknown

          Title: 2005 North American Land Cover Database for the United States  

          Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: Raster digital data     

          Publication_Information:

            Publication_Place: Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA

            Publisher: U.S. Geological Survey

      Type_of_Source_Media: Internal file

      Source_Time_Period_of_Content:

        Time_Period_Information:

          Single_Date/Time:

            Calendar_Date: 2005

        Source_Currentness_Reference: Ground condition

      Source_Citation_Abbreviation: USGS_NLCD

      Source_Contribution: Spatial and attribute information

    Process_Step:

      Process_Description:

        A series of monthly MODIS composites were produced prior to the compilation of 

        land cover data for each country.

        Input data used in land cover mapping were generated from the following original 

        Level 1B MODIS data (collection 5): a) MOD02QKM - Level 1B 250m swath data, 5-min 

        Granules; b) MOD02HKM - Level 1B 500m swath data, 5-min granules; c) MOD03 – 

        Level 1 Geolocation information, 1km swath data, 5-min granules.  All input data 

        are available from the NASA Level 1 and Atmosphere Archive and Distribution 

        System (LAADS), http://ladsweb.nascom.nasa.gov/

        The MODIS 500m land channels (B3-B7) were downscaled to 250m spatial resolution 

        as described by Trishchenko et al. (2006) and then re-projected into Lambert 

        Azimuthal Equal Area projection using software developed at the CCRS (Khlopenkov 

        et al., 2008). Two original 250m MODIS channels and five downscaled 250m MODIS 

        land channels were assembled into North-America-wide 1  10-day composites following 

        the methods developed in Luo et al., (2008).  

        MODIS 10-day composites were further processed to reduce data noise due to 

        different viewing conditions and remaining cloud and atmosphere contamination.  A 

        temporal rank filter was applied, calculated as the maximum of minimum values for 

        two overlapping moving windows.  For this implementation, a window size of three 

        ten-day composites was used with one pixel overlap between windows.  After rank 

        filtering, a procedure to detect residual spikes in the data was applied based on 

        a neighbourhood comparison.  Within a moving window of 3 composites, if the 

        neighbouring pixels were both above or below the centre pixel by 25%, the centre 

        pixel was linearly interpolated from its neighbours.  The filtered 10-day 

        composites were averaged to generate monthly composites.  The processed data set 

        contained 12 monthly composites of channels 1 (B1, VIS) and 2 (B2, near-infrared 

        NIR) at 250m spatial resolution and five channels designed for land applications 

        (bands B3 to B7) resampled to 250m spatial resolution. 

      Source_Used_Citation_Abbreviation: MOD02QKM

      Source_Used_Citation_Abbreviation: MOD02HKM

      Source_Used_Citation_Abbreviation: MOD03

      Process_Date: 2009

      Source_Produced_Citation_Abbreviation: NA Monthly composites

    Process_Step:

      Process_Description:

        Canadian land cover was generated following the procedure described in Latifovic 

        et al. (2004) which combines the Enhanced Classification Method (ECM, Beaubien et 

        al.,  1999) and Classification by Progressive Generalization (CPG, Cihlar et al., 

        1998 and  Latifovic et al., 1999).  The principal characteristic of this 

        classification approach is the preservation of image information and 

        incorporation of human contextual reasoning for land cover labeling.  It includes 

        the following generalization steps: 1) initial clustering, 2) cluster 

        agglomeration based on spectral similarity and cluster size , 3) cluster 

        agglomeration based on thematic similarity, and 4) cluster labeling.  Initial 

        clusters were generated using the K-mean classifier with bands 1, 2, and 6 from a 

        2005 summer composite created by averaging composites for July and August.  

        Several ancillary GIS layers and other land cover products over regions of Canada 

        were consulted to refine and improve land cover labeling. 

      Source_Used_Citation_Abbreviation: NA Monthly composites

      Source_Used_Citation_Abbreviation: Canada ancillary data

      Process_Date: 2009

      Source_Produced_Citation_Abbreviation: CCRS_NLCD

    Process_Step:

      Process_Description:

        For Mexico, the monthly composites of MODIS-Terra top-of-the-atmosphere (TOA) 

        surface radiance data for the first seven spectral bands and the Normalized 

        Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) were employed for the land cover 

        classification process.  For each spectral band and the NDVI, the mean, standard 

        deviation, minimum, maximum, and range between minimum and maximum were computed 

        over the year, half-year, four-month, and quarter-year periods.  This resulted in 

        400 metrics derived from MODIS data.  In addition, ancillary data were employed 

        including a digital elevation model and derivatives such as slope and aspect, 

        mean, maximum and minimum temperature; total of precipitation and days with 

        precipitation; and the number of green days.

        Sample data were derived from various sources, including data of the Mexican 

        Forest Inventory, detailed cropland data, urban cover, and additional digitized 

        points from reference sources;  20% of the samples were exclusively used for 

        validation.

        The land cover type identification was achieved using a Decision Tree Classifier 

        (DTC).  C5.0 classification trees were generated for the training data.  Because 

        exclusively continuous variables were employed, the tree only contains binary 

        splits.  Boosting with ten iterations was employed.  The trees were applied to 

        the data and the confidences were computed which were used as weights for 

        combining the individual classifications.  Several classifications were generated 

        based on combinations of 1) input data - monthly TOA reflectances, generated 

        metrics and ancillary data; and 2) complete or subset data sets of training data.  

        Visual and statistical assessments were carried out to obtain the final 

        classification.  A distance layer was generated based on an ecoregions map to 

        combine results of the different classifications; only selected classifications 

        were selected for regions where they performed better visually and statically.  

        Finally, a water mask was superimposed; the mask was derived from the “Mapa de 

        Uso de Suelo y Vegetacion” from INEGI.

      Source_Used_Citation_Abbreviation: NA Monthly composites

      Source_Used_Citation_Abbreviation: Mexico ancillary data

      Process_Date: 2009

      Source_Produced_Citation_Abbreviation: INEGI_NLCD 

    Process_Step:

      Process_Description:

        United States classification was achieved by use of a classification and 

        decision tree method (DT) using a combination of Landsat imagery and ancillary 

        data (DEM).  The specific DT program employed is called C5, which implements a 

        gain ratio criterion in tree development and pruning (Quinlan, 1993).  C5 also 

        implemented several advanced features that can aid and improve land cover 

        classification, including boosting and cross-validation.  Boosting is a technique 

        for improving classification accuracy, while cross-validation can provide a 

        certain level of estimation regarding the land cover classification quality.  In 

        addition, C5 can generate a confidence estimate for each classified pixel and 

        record the associated classification logic in a text file that can be readily 

        interpreted and incorporated into a metadata system.  To conduct the land cover 

        classification using DT, a large quantity of training data was required.  For 

        North America mapping , training data were collected from several combined 

        sources including NLCD 2001 land cover, GAP land cover, NOAA Coastal Change and 

        Analysis land cover, LANDFIRE  land cover and other data sources.

        Following the development of the best classification through decision tree 

        modeling, additional steps (described in an unpublished technical document; see 

        the USGS point of contact if additional information is needed) were required to 

        complete the final land cover product.  Finally, visual inspection of the 

        classification was made with areas/pixels that were wrongly classified delineated 

        first as an "area of interest" (AOI); subsequently, limited manual editing was 

        done to eliminate the classification error within the AOI. 

      Source_Used_Citation_Abbreviation: NA Monthly composites

      Source_Used_Citation_Abbreviation: Landsat

      Source_Used_Citation_Abbreviation: DEM

      Process_Date: 2009

      Source_Produced_Citation_Abbreviation: USGS_NLCD 

    Process_Step:

      Process_Description:

        To produce the seamless land cover map of North America, the three national 

        land cover products (Canada, Mexico, USA) were edge matched along the borders 

        using an object-oriented segmentation technique.  Land cover regions that crossed 

        borders were reclassified using the majority class segment. 

      Source_Used_Citation_Abbreviation: CCRS_NLCD

      Source_Used_Citation_Abbreviation: USGS_NLCD

      Source_Used_Citation_Abbreviation: INEGI_NLCD

      Process_Date: 2009

Spatial_Data_Organization_Information:

  Direct_Spatial_Reference_Method: Raster

  Raster_Object_Information:

    Raster_Object_Type: Pixel

    Row_Count: 43070

    Column_Count: 35000

Spatial_Reference_Information:

  Horizontal_Coordinate_System_Definition:

    Planar:

      Map_Projection:

        Map_Projection_Name: Lambert Azimuthal Equal Area

        Lambert_Azimuthal_Equal_Area:

          Longitude_of_Projection_Center: -100.00

          Latitude_of_Projection_Center: 45.00

          False_Easting: 0.0

          False_Northing: 0.0

      Planar_Coordinate_Information:

        Planar_Coordinate_Encoding_Method: Row and column

        Coordinate_Representation:

          Abscissa_Resolution: 250.0

          Ordinate_Resolution: 250.0

        Planar_Distance_Units: Meters

    Geodetic_Model:

      Horizontal_Datum_Name: None 

      Ellipsoid_Name: Sphere  

      Semi-major_Axis: 6370977

      Denominator_of_Flattening_Ratio: 1.0

Entity_and_Attribute_Information:  

  Detailed_Description:

    Entity_Type:

      Entity_Type_Label: Land cover classification grid cell

      Entity_Type_Definition: 

        Any of the data elements in the 2005 North American land cover file

      Entity_Type_Definition_Source: North American Atlas GIS Group 

    Attribute:

      Attribute_Label: Land cover classification grid cell value

      Attribute_Definition: The value is an indication of the land cover class

      Attribute_Definition_Source: North American Atlas GIS Group

      Attribute_Domain_Values:

        Enumerated_Domain:

          Enumerated_Domain_Value: 1

          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: Temperate or sub-polar needleleaf forest.

          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: 

            North American Atlas GIS Group

      Attribute_Domain_Values:

        Enumerated_Domain:

          Enumerated_Domain_Value: 2

          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: Sub-polar taiga needleleaf forest.

          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: 

            North American Atlas GIS Group

      Attribute_Domain_Values:

        Enumerated_Domain:

          Enumerated_Domain_Value: 3

          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: 

            Tropical or sub-tropical broadleaf evergreen forest.

          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: 

            North American Atlas GIS Group

      Attribute_Domain_Values:

        Enumerated_Domain:

          Enumerated_Domain_Value: 4

          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: 

            Tropical or sub-tropical broadleaf deciduous forest.

          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: 

            North American Atlas GIS Group

      Attribute_Domain_Values:

        Enumerated_Domain:

          Enumerated_Domain_Value: 5

          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: 

            Temperate or sub-polar broadleaf deciduous forest.

          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: 

            North American Atlas GIS Group

      Attribute_Domain_Values:

        Enumerated_Domain:

          Enumerated_Domain_Value: 6

          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: Mixed forest.

          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: 

            North American Atlas GIS Group

      Attribute_Domain_Values:

        Enumerated_Domain:

          Enumerated_Domain_Value: 7

          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: Tropical or sub-tropical shrubland.

          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: 

            North American Atlas GIS Group

      Attribute_Domain_Values:

        Enumerated_Domain:

          Enumerated_Domain_Value: 8

          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: Temperate or sub-polar shrubland.

          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: 

            North American Atlas GIS Group

      Attribute_Domain_Values:

        Enumerated_Domain:

          Enumerated_Domain_Value: 9

          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: Tropical or sub-tropical grassland.

          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: 

            North American Atlas GIS Group

      Attribute_Domain_Values:

        Enumerated_Domain:

          Enumerated_Domain_Value: 10

          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: Temperate or sub-polar grassland.

          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: 

            North American Atlas GIS Group

      Attribute_Domain_Values:

        Enumerated_Domain:

          Enumerated_Domain_Value: 11

          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: Sub-polar or polar shrubland-lichen-moss.

          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: 

            North American Atlas GIS Group

      Attribute_Domain_Values:

        Enumerated_Domain:

          Enumerated_Domain_Value: 12

          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: Sub-polar or polar grassland-lichen-moss.

          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: 

            North American Atlas GIS Group

      Attribute_Domain_Values:

        Enumerated_Domain:

          Enumerated_Domain_Value: 13

          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: Sub-polar or polar barren-lichen-moss.

          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: 

            North American Atlas GIS Group

      Attribute_Domain_Values:

        Enumerated_Domain:

          Enumerated_Domain_Value: 14

          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: Wetland.

          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: 

            North American Atlas GIS Group

      Attribute_Domain_Values:

        Enumerated_Domain:

          Enumerated_Domain_Value: 15

          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: Cropland.

          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: 

            North American Atlas GIS Group

      Attribute_Domain_Values:

        Enumerated_Domain:

          Enumerated_Domain_Value: 16

          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: Barren lands.

          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: 

            North American Atlas GIS Group

      Attribute_Domain_Values:

        Enumerated_Domain:

          Enumerated_Domain_Value: 17

          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: Urban and built-up.

          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: 

            North American Atlas GIS Group

      Attribute_Domain_Values:

        Enumerated_Domain:

          Enumerated_Domain_Value: 18

          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: Water.

          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: 

            North American Atlas GIS Group

      Attribute_Domain_Values:

        Enumerated_Domain:

          Enumerated_Domain_Value: 19

          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: Snow and ice.

          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: 

            North American Atlas GIS Group

Distribution_Information:

  Distributor:

    Contact_Information:

      Contact_Organization_Primary:

        Contact_Organization: 

          Commission for Environmental Cooperation

      Contact_Address:

        Address_Type: Mailing address

        Address: 393, rue St-Jacques Ouest, Bureau 200

        City: Montréal

        State_or_Province: Québec

        Country: Canada

        Postal_Code: H2Y 1N9

      Contact_Voice_Telephone: 1 514 350 4300

      Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 1 514 350 4314

      Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: 

  Distributor:

    Contact_Information:

      Contact_Organization_Primary:

        Contact_Organization: Canada Centre for Remote Sensing

      Contact_Position: Scientist

      Contact_Address:

        Address_Type: Mailing and physical address

        Address: CCRS/NRCan

        Address: 588 Booth Street

        City: Ottawa

        State_or_Province: ON

        Postal_Code: K1A 0Y7

        Country: Canada

      Contact_Voice_Telephone: 1 613 947 1816

      Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 1 613 947 1383

      Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: Rasim.Latifovic@nrcan.gc.ca

      Hours_of_Service: 0900 - 1700 ET, M - F (-5h EST/-4h EDT GMT)

  Distributor:

    Contact_Information:

      Contact_Organization_Primary:

        Contact_Organization: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (INEGI)

      Contact_Position: Director of Natural Resources and Environment Information

      Contact_Address:

        Address_Type: Mailing and physical address

        Address: Av. Héroe de Nacozari Sur 2301. Fraccionamiento Jardines del Parque.

        City: Aguascalientes

        State_or_Province: Aguascalientes

        Postal_Code: 20270

        Country: Mexico

      Contact_Voice_Telephone: 52 449 442 47 29 

      Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 52 449 442 41 76

      Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: francisco.jimenez@inegi.org.mx

      Hours_of_Service: 0800 - 1600 (-6h GMT)

  Distributor:

    Contact_Information:

      Contact_Organization_Primary:

        Contact_Organization: U.S. Geological Survey

      Contact_Address:

        Address_Type: Mailing and physical address

        Address: USGS, Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS)

        Address: 47914 252nd Street

        City: Sioux Falls

        State_or_Province: SD

        Postal_Code: 57198-0001

        Country: USA

      Contact_Voice_Telephone: 1 605 594 2843

      Contact_TDD/TTY_Telephone: 1 605 594 6933

      Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 1 605 594 6589

      Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: hossain@usgs.gov

      Hours_of_Service: 0800 - 1600 CT, M - F (-6h CST/-5h CDT GMT)

  Distribution_Liability:

    Although these data have been processed successfully on computer systems at the CCRS, 

    INEGI, USGS, and the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, no warranty expressed 

    or implied is made by these agencies regarding the utility of the data on any other 

    system, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty.  Use of 

    trademarks or formats does not constitute endorsement by these agencies.  No 

    responsibility is assumed by the CCRS, INEGI, USGS, or the CEC in the use of these 

    data.

  Standard_Order_Process:

    Digital_Form:

      Digital_Transfer_Information:

        Format_Name: IMG

      Digital_Transfer_Option:

        Online_Option:

          Computer_Contact_Information:

            Network_Address:

              Network_Resource_Name: http://www.cec.org/naatlas/

              Network_Resource_Name: http://landcover.usgs.gov/NALCMS/

              Network_Resource_Name: http://www.inegi.org.mx

              Network_Resource_Name: ftp://ccrs.nrcan.gc.ca/NALCMS/

    Digital_Form:

      Digital_Transfer_Information:

        Format_Name: TIFF

      Digital_Transfer_Option:

        Online_Option:

          Computer_Contact_Information:

            Network_Address:

              Network_Resource_Name: http://www.cec.org/naatlas/

              Network_Resource_Name: http://landcover.usgs.gov/NALCMS/

              Network_Resource_Name: http://www.inegi.org.mx

              Network_Resource_Name: ftp://ccrs.nrcan.gc.ca/NALCMS/

    Digital_Form: 

      Digital_Transfer_Information: 

        Format_Name: GRID

      Digital_Transfer_Option:

        Online_Option:

          Computer_Contact_Information:

            Network_Address:

              Network_Resource_Name: http://www.cec.org/naatlas

    Digital_Form: 

      Digital_Transfer_Information: 

        Format_Name: MXD

      Digital_Transfer_Option:

        Online_Option:

          Computer_Contact_Information:

            Network_Address:

              Network_Resource_Name: http://www.cec.org/naatlas

    Digital_Form: 

      Digital_Transfer_Information: 

        Format_Name: GeoPDF

      Digital_Transfer_Option:

        Online_Option:

          Computer_Contact_Information:

            Network_Address:

              Network_Resource_Name: http://www.cec.org/naatlas

    Digital_Form: 

      Digital_Transfer_Information: 

        Format_Name: KMZ

      Digital_Transfer_Option:

        Online_Option:

          Computer_Contact_Information:

            Network_Address:

              Network_Resource_Name: http://www.cec.org/naatlas

    Fees: 

      Gratuit-Free

Metadata_Reference_Information:

  Metadata_Date: 20100315

  Metadata_Contact:

    Contact_Information:

      Contact_Organization_Primary:

        Contact_Organization: Commission for Environmental Cooperation

      Contact_Address:

        Address_Type: Mailing address

        Address: 393, rue St-Jacques Ouest, Bureau 200

        City: Montréal

        State_or_Province: Québec

        Country: Canada

        Postal_Code: H2Y 1N9

      Contact_Voice_Telephone: 1 514 350 4300

      Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 1 514 350 4314

      Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: 

  Metadata_Contact: 

    Contact_Information:

      Contact_Organization_Primary:

        Contact_Organization: Canada Centre for Remote Sensing

        Contact_Person: Rasim Latifovic

      Contact_Address:

        Address_Type: Mailing address

        Address: CCRS/NRCan

        Address: 588 Booth Street

        City: Ottawa

        State_or_Province: ON

        Postal_Code: K1A 0Y7

        Country: Canada

      Contact_Voice_Telephone: 1 613 947 1816

      Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 1 613 947 1383

      Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: Rasim.Latifovic@nrcan.gc.ca

      Hours_of_Service: 0900 - 1700 ET, M - F (-5h EST/-4h EDT GMT)

  Metadata_Contact: 

    Contact_Information:

      Contact_Organization_Primary:

        Contact_Organization: INEGI

      Contact_Address:

        Address_Type: Mailing address

        Address: Av. Héroe de Nacozari Sur 2301. Fraccionamiento Jardines del Parque.

        City: Aguascalientes

        State_or_Province: Aguascalientes

        Postal_Code: 20270

        Country: Mexico

      Contact_Voice_Telephone: 52 449 442 47 29

      Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 52 449 442 41 76

      Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: francisco.jimenez@inegi.org.mx

      Hours_of_Service: 0800 - 1600 (-6h GMT)

  Metadata_Contact: 

    Contact_Information:

      Contact_Organization_Primary:

        Contact_Organization: U.S. Geological Survey

        Contact_Person: S M Nazmul Hossain

      Contact_Address:

        Address_Type: Mailing address

        Address: USGS/EROS

        Address: 47914 252nd Street

        City: Sioux Falls

        State_or_Province: SD

        Postal_Code: 57198-0001

        Country: USA

      Contact_Voice_Telephone: 1 605 594 2843

      Contact_TDD/TTY_Telephone: 1 605 594 6933

      Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 1 605 594 6589

      Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: hossain@usgs.gov

      Hours_of_Service: 0800 - 1600 CT, M - F (-6h CST/-5h CDT GMT)

  Metadata_Standard_Name: FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata

  Metadata_Standard_Version: FGDC-STD-001-1998