University of Illinois

Institute of Natural Resource Sustainability

William Shilts, Executive Director

ILLINOIS NATURAL HISTORY SURVEY

Brian D. Anderson Director

1816 South Oak Street

Champaign, IL 61820-6964

217-333-6830

Assessment and Potential of the 2007 USDA-NASS 

Cropland Data Layer for Statewide Annual 

Land Cover Applications

Don Luman and Tari Tweddale

Joint project between the

Illinois State Geological Survey and Illinois Natural History Survey

Prepared for: Tom Heavisides

Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Office of Realty and Environmental Planning

INHS Technical Report 2008 (49)

Date of issue: 03 December 2008





















PEORIA

TAZEWELL

WOODFORD

Rome

Peoria

Dunlap

Bellevue

West Peoria

East Peoria

Creve Coeur

Bartonville

Peoria Heights

1999-2000 Illinois Land Cover

Class_names

Barren & Exposed Land

Coniferous 

Corn

Deep Marsh

Floodplain Forest

High Density 

Low/Medium Density

Other Agriculture

Other Small Grains & Hay

Partial Canopy/Savannah Upland

Rural Grassland

Seasonally/Temporarily Flooded

Shallow Marsh/Wet Meadow

Shallow Water

Soybeans

Surface Water

Swamp

Upland

Urban Open Space

Winter Wheat

Winter Wheat/Soybeans

0 1 2 3 4 0.5

Miles

1999-2000 Illinois Interagency Land Cover Project - Peoria and Environs

30-meter Landsat 5 TM and Landsat 7 ETM+ Source Imagery
PEORIA

TAZEWELL

WOODFORD

Rome

Peoria

Dunlap

Bellevue

West Peoria

East Peoria

Creve Coeur

Bartonville

Peoria Heights

0 1 2 3 4 0.5

Miles

Illinois 2007 USDA NASS Cropland Data Layer - Peoria and Environs

56-meter ResourceSat-1 AWiFS Source Imagery
PEORIA

TAZEWELL

FULTON

STARK

WOODFORD

MARSHALL

KNOX Rome

Pekin

Peoria

Morton

Dunlap

Tremont

Elmwood

Glasford

Bellevue

Brimfield

Washington Hanna City West Peoria

South Pekin

Princeville

North Pekin

East Peoria

Creve Coeur

Chillicothe

Bartonville

Peoria Heights

Germantown Hills

Marquette Heights

0 2 4 6 8 1

Miles

Illinois 2007 USDA NASS Cropland Data Layer - Peoria and Environs

56-meter ResourceSat-1 AWiFS Source Imagery



1

NLCD 2001 Land Cover Definitions 

Illinois 2007 NASS CDL Non-Agricultural Land Cover 

Code: Category:

111 Open Water 

All areas of open water, generally with less than 25% cover of vegetation or soil. 

121 Developed/Open Space 

Includes areas with a mixture of some constructed materials, but mostly vegetation in 

the form of lawn grasses. Impervious surfaces account for less than 20 percent of total 

cover. These areas most commonly include large-lot single-family housing units, 

parks, golf courses, and vegetation planted in developed settings for recreation, 

erosion control, or aesthetic purposes. 

122 Developed/Low Intensity 

Areas characterized by a high percentage (30 percent or greater) of constructed 

materials (e.g. asphalt, concrete, buildings, etc). Includes areas with a mixture of 

constructed materials and vegetation. Impervious surfaces account for 20-49 percent 

of total cover. These areas most commonly include single-family housing units. 

123 Developed/Medium Intensity 

Areas characterized by a high percentage (30 percent or greater) of constructed 

materials (e.g. asphalt, concrete, buildings, etc). Includes areas with a mixture of 

constructed materials and vegetation. Impervious surfaces account for 50-79 percent 

of the total cover. These areas most commonly include single-family housing units. 

124 Developed/High Intensity 

Areas characterized by a high percentage (30 percent or greater) of constructed 

materials (e.g. asphalt, concrete, buildings, etc). Includes highly developed areas 

where people reside or work in high numbers. Examples include apartment complexes, 

row houses and commercial/industrial. Impervious surfaces account for 80 to100 

percent of the total cover. 

131 Barren 

Areas characterized by bare rock, gravel, sand, silt, clay, or other earthen material, 

with little or no "green" vegetation present regardless of its inherent ability to support 

life. Vegetation, if present, is more widely spaced and scrubby than that in the "green" 

vegetated categories; lichen cover may be extensive. Barren areas of bedrock, desert 

pavement, scarps, talus, slides, volcanic material, glacial debris, sand dunes, strip 

mines, gravel pits and other accumulations of earthen material. Generally, vegetation 

accounts for less than 15% of total cover. 
2

141 Deciduous Forest 

Areas dominated by trees (natural or semi-natural woody vegetation) generally greater 

than 5 meters tall, and greater than 20% of total vegetation cover. More than 75 

percent of the tree species shed foliage simultaneously in response to seasonal change. 

142 Evergreen Forest 

Areas dominated by trees (natural or semi-natural woody vegetation) generally greater 

than 5 meters tall, and greater than 20% of total vegetation cover. More than 75 

percent of the tree species maintain their leaves all year. Canopy is never without 

green foliage. 

143 Mixed Forest 

Areas dominated by trees (natural or semi-natural woody vegetation) generally greater 

than 5 meters tall, and greater than 20% of total vegetation cover. Neither deciduous 

nor evergreen species are greater than 75 percent of total tree cover. 

152 Shrubland 

Areas characterized by natural or semi-natural woody vegetation with aerial stems, 

generally less than 6 meters tall, with individuals or clumps not touching to 

interlocking. Both evergreen and deciduous species of true shrubs, young trees, and 

trees or shrubs that are small or stunted because of environmental conditions are 

included. 

171 Grassland Herbaceous 

Upland areas characterized by natural or semi-natural herbaceous vegetation. Areas 

dominated by grammanoid or herbaceous vegetation, generally greater than 80% of 

total vegetation. These areas are not subject to intensive management such as tilling, 

but can be utilized for grazing. 

181 Pasture/Hay 

Upland areas characterized by natural or semi-natural herbaceous vegetation. Areas of 

grasses, legumes, or grass-legume mixtures planted for livestock grazing or the 

production of seed or hay crops, typically on a perennial cycle. Pasture/hay vegetation 

accounts for greater than 20 percent of total vegetation. 

190 Woody Wetlands 

Areas where the soil or substrate is periodically saturated with or covered with water. 

Areas where forest or shrubland vegetation accounts for greater than 20 percent of 

vegetative cover and the soil or substrate is periodically saturated with or covered with 

water. 

195 Emergent Herbaceous Wetlands 

Areas where the soil or substrate is periodically saturated with or covered with water. 

Areas where perennial herbaceous vegetation accounts for 75-100 percent of the cover 

and the soil or substrate is periodically saturated with or covered with water. 




























Appendix D. Contingency Matrix for 2007 Illinois NASS CDL Non-A

 Reference Data 

Non-Agricultural 

Land Cover Category 

Open 

Water 

Developed/ 

Open Space 

Developed/ 

Low 

Intensity 

Developed/

Medium 

Intensity 

Developed/ 

High 

Intensity 

 Barren Deciduous Forest Evergreen Forest 

Category # 111 121 122 123 124 131 141 (63,143) 142 

Open Water 111 65 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Developed/Open Space 121 0 65 2 1 1 3 0 0 Developed/Low Intensity 122 0 3 72 1 0 0 0 0 Developed/Medium Intensity 123 0 0 1 70 1 0 0 0 Developed/High Intensity 124 0 0 0 2 66 3 0 0 Barren 131 1 0 0 2 11 56 0 0 Deciduous Forest 141 (63,143) 0 0 0 0 0 1 78 1 Evergreen Forest 142 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 70 Grassland Herbaceous 

171 

(62,152,181) 0 10 2 1 0 1 0 0 

Woody Wetlands 190 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 Herbaceous Wetlands 195 (87) 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Reference (Column) Total 73 78 77 77 79 65 80 71 Producer's Accuracy 89.0% 83.3% 93.5% 90.9% 83.5% 86.2% 97.5% 98.6% Omission Error 11.0% 16.7% 6.5% 9.1% 16.5% 13.8% 2.5% 1.4% 

Classified Data 

Conditional Kappa 0.88 0.82 0.93 0.90 0.82 0.85 0.97 0.98 

Non-Agricultural Land Cover Categories Overall Accuracy Assessment Number of Correct Reference Samples 730 Number of Total Reference Samples 824 Overall Percent Correct 88.6% Overall Kappa Statistic 0.87