The total change in acreage represents the gain or loss of a particular category or subcategory. For example, total marsh area in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina decreased 156 acres from 1990 to 1995 while developed land in Mount Pleasant increased 306 acres during the same time period. City Boundaries Land cover and change analysis data can be a powerful visual tool allowing coastal resource managers to see where land cover changes are occurring. For example, the image to the left represents the 1990 to 1995 change analysis data within the Town of Mt. Pleasant's city boundary. Areas that are black or gray represent land cover that did not change during the five-year period.
Colored areas represent land cover that changed during the five-year period.
The bright green boxes enclose two relatively large areas of change. This change data captured the changes to this land as it was being prepared for development. Both areas are now housing developments. The change analysis data do an excellent job of highlighting areas of change, and the land cover data can also be used to determine total land cover for a county or city. Included on this CD-ROM are the land cover data for 1990 and 1995 as well as the 1990 to 1995 change analysis data.