2015 Maryland Cropland Data Layer

Identification_Information:

Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator:

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Research and Development Division (RDD), Geospatial Information Branch (GIB), Spatial Analysis Research Section (SARS)

Publication_Date: 20160212
Title: 2015 Maryland Cropland Data Layer | NASS/USDA
Edition: 2015 Edition
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: raster digital data
Publication_Information:

Publication_Place:

USDA, NASS Marketing and Information Services Office, Washington, D.C.

Publisher: USDA, NASS

Other_Citation_Details:

NASS maintains a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) section on the CDL website at <https://www.nass.usda.gov/Research_and_Science/Cropland/SARS1a.php>. The data is available free for download through CropScape at <https://nassgeodata.gmu.edu/CropScape/>. The data is also available free for download through the Geospatial Data Gateway at <https://datagateway.nrcs.usda.gov/>. See the 'Ordering Instructions' section of this metadata file for detailed Geospatial Data Gateway download instructions.

***2015 Maryland Cropland Data Layer specific information*** The processing for the Maryland CDL differed from the other CDLs in that Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey were grouped and treated as one classification.

Online_Linkage: <https://nassgeodata.gmu.edu/CropScape/MD>

Description:

Abstract:

The USDA, NASS Cropland Data Layer (CDL) is a raster, geo-referenced, crop-specific land cover data layer. The 2015 CDL has a ground resolution of 30 meters. The CDL is produced using satellite imagery from the Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS sensor and the Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC) DEIMOS-1 and UK2 sensors collected during the current growing season.

Some CDL states used additional satellite imagery and ancillary inputs to supplement and improve the classification. These additional sources can include the United States Geological Survey (USGS) National Elevation Dataset (NED) and the imperviousness and canopy data layers from the USGS National Land Cover Database 2011 (NLCD 2011).

Agricultural training and validation data are derived from the Farm Service Agency (FSA) Common Land Unit (CLU) Program. The most current version of the NLCD is used as non-agricultural training and validation data.

Please refer to the 'Supplemental_Information' Section of this metadata file for a complete list of all imagery, ancillary data, and training/validation data used to generate this state's CDL.

The strength and emphasis of the CDL is agricultural land cover. Please note that no farmer reported data are derivable from the Cropland Data Layer.

Purpose:

The purpose of the Cropland Data Layer Program is to use satellite imagery to (1) provide acreage estimates to the Agricultural Statistics Board for the state's major commodities and (2) produce digital, crop-specific, categorized geo-referenced output products.

Supplemental_Information:

If the following table does not display properly, then please visit the following website to view the original metadata file <https://www.nass.usda.gov/Research_and_Science/Cropland/metadata/meta.php>.

USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service, 2015 Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey Cropland Data Layers

CLASSIFICATION INPUTS:
DEIMOS-1 DATE 20150506 PATH/ROW 88C
DEIMOS-1 DATE 20150523 PATH/ROW 96D
DEIMOS-1 DATE 20150616 PATH/ROW AB9
DEIMOS-1 DATE 20150629 PATH/ROW B76
DEIMOS-1 DATE 20150720 PATH/ROW CAB
DEIMOS-1 DATE 20150723 PATH/ROW CD3
DEIMOS-1 DATE 20150812 PATH/ROW DFC
DEIMOS-1 DATE 20150816 PATH/ROW E38
DEIMOS-1 DATE 20150901 PATH/ROW F18
DEIMOS-1 DATE 20150905 PATH/ROW F52
DEIMOS-1 DATE 20150919 PATH/ROW 021

LANDSAT 8 OLI/TIRS DATE 20150418 PATH 016 ROW(S) 29-43
LANDSAT 8 OLI/TIRS DATE 20150504 PATH 016 ROW(S) 29-43
LANDSAT 8 OLI/TIRS DATE 20150506 PATH 014 ROW(S) 29-36
LANDSAT 8 OLI/TIRS DATE 20150522 PATH 014 ROW(S) 29-36
LANDSAT 8 OLI/TIRS DATE 20150529 PATH 015 ROW(S) 29-43
LANDSAT 8 OLI/TIRS DATE 20150607 PATH 014 ROW(S) 29-36
LANDSAT 8 OLI/TIRS DATE 20150614 PATH 015 ROW(S) 29-43
LANDSAT 8 OLI/TIRS DATE 20150623 PATH 014 ROW(S) 29-36
LANDSAT 8 OLI/TIRS DATE 20150707 PATH 016 ROW(S) 29-43
LANDSAT 8 OLI/TIRS DATE 20150716 PATH 015 ROW(S) 29-43
LANDSAT 8 OLI/TIRS DATE 20150725 PATH 014 ROW(S) 29-36
LANDSAT 8 OLI/TIRS DATE 20150801 PATH 015 ROW(S) 29-43
LANDSAT 8 OLI/TIRS DATE 20150803 PATH 013 ROW(S) 27-36
LANDSAT 8 OLI/TIRS DATE 20150808 PATH 016 ROW(S) 29-43
LANDSAT 8 OLI/TIRS DATE 20150817 PATH 015 ROW(S) 29-43
LANDSAT 8 OLI/TIRS DATE 20150826 PATH 014 ROW(S) 29-36
LANDSAT 8 OLI/TIRS DATE 20150918 PATH 015 ROW(S) 29-43

USGS, NATIONAL ELEVATION DATASET
USGS, NATIONAL LAND COVER DATASET 2011 IMPERVIOUSNESS
USGS, NATIONAL LAND COVER DATASET 2011 TREE CANOPY
USDA, NASS AG MASK BASED ON 2010-2014 CDLS (INTERNAL USE DATA LAYER)

UK-DMC-2 DATE 20150418 PATH/ROW 2C9
UK-DMC-2 DATE 20150504 PATH/ROW 382
UK-DMC-2 DATE 20150610 PATH/ROW 4DF
UK-DMC-2 DATE 20150716 PATH/ROW 64F
UK-DMC-2 DATE 20150822 PATH/ROW 798
UK-DMC-2 DATE 20150828 PATH/ROW 7C4
UK-DMC-2 DATE 20150901 PATH/ROW 7DE
UK-DMC-2 DATE 20150904 PATH/ROW 7F3
UK-DMC-2 DATE 20150914 PATH/ROW 82B
UK-DMC-2 DATE 20150917 PATH/ROW 839

TRAINING AND VALIDATION:
USDA, FARM SERVICE AGENCY 2015 COMMON LAND UNIT DATA
USGS, NATIONAL LAND COVER DATASET 2011

NOTE: The final extent of the CDL is clipped to the state boundary
even though the raw input data may encompass a larger area.

Time_Period_of_Content:

Time_Period_Information:

Range_of_Dates/Times:

Beginning_Date: 20140101
Ending_Date: 20151231

Currentness_Reference: 2015 growing season

Status:

Progress: Complete
Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: None planned

Spatial_Domain:

Bounding_Coordinates:

West_Bounding_Coordinate: -79.5198
East_Bounding_Coordinate: -75.0490
North_Bounding_Coordinate: 39.7192
South_Bounding_Coordinate: 37.9270

Keywords:

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ISO 19115 Topic Category
Theme_Keyword: farming, 001
Theme_Keyword: environment, 007
Theme_Keyword: imageryBaseMapsEarthCover, 010

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
Theme_Keyword:

Earth Science > Biosphere > Terrestrial Ecosystems > Agricultural Lands

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

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: None

Theme_Keyword: crop cover
Theme_Keyword: cropland
Theme_Keyword: agriculture
Theme_Keyword: land cover
Theme_Keyword: crop estimates
Theme_Keyword: DEIMOS-1
Theme_Keyword: UK-DMC 2
Theme_Keyword: Landsat
Theme_Keyword: CropScape

Place:

Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords
Place_Keyword: Continent > North America > United States of America > Maryland

Place:

Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
Place_Keyword: Maryland
Place_Keyword: MD

Temporal:

Temporal_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
Temporal_Keyword: 2015

Access_Constraints: None
Use_Constraints:

The USDA, NASS Cropland Data Layer is provided to the public as is and is considered public domain and free to redistribute. The USDA, NASS does not warrant any conclusions drawn from these data. If the user does not have software capable of viewing GEOTIF (.tif) file formats then we suggest using the CropScape website <https://nassgeodata.gmu.edu/CropScape/> or the freeware browser ESRI ArcGIS Explorer <https://www.esri.com/>.

Point_of_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Organization_Primary:

Contact_Organization: USDA, NASS, Spatial Analysis Research Section
Contact_Person: USDA, NASS, Spatial Analysis Research Section staff

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: mailing and physical address
Address: 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Room 5029 South Building
City: Washington
State_or_Province: District of Columbia
Postal_Code: 20250-2001
Country: USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 800-727-9540
Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 855-493-0447
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: SM.NASS.RDD.GIB@usda.gov

Data_Set_Credit: USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service
Security_Information:

Security_Classification_System: None
Security_Classification: Unclassified
Security_Handling_Description: None

Native_Data_Set_Environment:

Microsoft Windows XP; ERDAS Imagine Versions 2011 <https://www.hexagongeospatial.com/>; ESRI ArcGIS Version 10.3 <https://www.esri.com/>; Rulequest See5.0 Release 2.10 <http://www.rulequest.com/>; NLCD Mapping Tool v2.08 <https://www.mrlc.gov/>.

ERDAS Imagine is used in the pre- and post- processing of all raster-based data. ESRI ArcGIS is used to prepare the vector-based Farm Service Agency (FSA) Common Land Unit (CLU) training and validation data. Rulequest See5.0 is used to create a decision-tree based classifier. The NLCD Mapping Tool is used to apply the See5.0 decision-tree via ERDAS Imagine. This is a departure from older versions of the CDL that were created using in-house software (Peditor) based upon a maximum likelihood classifier approach. Check this section and the 'Process Description' section of the specific state and year metadata file to verify what methodology was used.

Data_Quality_Information:

Attribute_Accuracy:

Attribute_Accuracy_Report:

If the following table does not display properly, then please visit this internet site <https://www.nass.usda.gov/Research_and_Science/Cropland/metadata/meta.php> to view the original metadata file.

USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service, 2015 Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey Cropland Data Layers
AGRICULTURAL ACCURACY REPORT

Crop-specific covers only  *Correct  Accuracy   Error   Kappa
-------------------------   -------  --------  ------   -----
OVERALL ACCURACY**          422,603     80.2%   19.8%   0.746


Cover                    Attribute  *Correct  Producer's  Omission            User's  Commission  Cond'l
Type                          Code    Pixels   Accuracy     Error   Kappa   Accuracy      Error    Kappa
----                          ----    ------   --------     -----   -----   --------      -----    -----
Corn                             1    146952     93.78%     6.22%   0.925     84.84%     15.16%    0.820
Sorghum                          4      1284     48.71%    51.29%   0.486     71.10%     28.90%    0.710
Soybeans                         5    114948     87.53%    12.47%   0.854     79.93%     20.07%    0.769
Sweet Corn                      12       994     55.28%    44.72%   0.552     81.14%     18.86%    0.811
Barley                          21       280     19.53%    80.47%   0.195     40.23%     59.77%    0.401
Winter Wheat                    24      4753     43.08%    56.92%   0.426     63.26%     36.74%    0.628
Dbl Crop WinWht/Soybeans        26     97815     84.63%    15.37%   0.826     84.48%     15.52%    0.824
Rye                             27       201     12.22%    87.78%   0.122     45.58%     54.42%    0.455
Oats                            28       191     38.90%    61.10%   0.389     67.02%     32.98%    0.670
Millet                          29         4     23.53%    76.47%   0.235     30.77%     69.23%    0.308
Speltz                          30         1     20.00%    80.00%   0.200     25.00%     75.00%    0.250
Rape Seed                       34        30     48.39%    51.61%   0.484     81.08%     18.92%    0.811
Alfalfa                         36      2511     59.97%    40.03%   0.598     73.27%     26.73%    0.732
Other Hay/Non Alfalfa           37     19109     77.04%    22.96%   0.765     76.96%     23.04%    0.764
Dry Beans                       42      1871     78.91%    21.09%   0.789     85.71%     14.29%    0.857
Potatoes                        43       499     73.82%    26.18%   0.738     82.34%     17.66%    0.823
Other Crops                     44        88     29.33%    70.67%   0.293     56.77%     43.23%    0.568
Sweet Potatoes                  46       166     50.76%    49.24%   0.508     56.85%     43.15%    0.568
Misc Vegs & Fruits              47         0       n/a       n/a     n/a       0.00%    100.00%    0.000
Watermelons                     48      1438     86.11%    13.89%   0.861     87.63%     12.37%    0.876
Cucumbers                       50       194     43.99%    56.01%   0.440     49.11%     50.89%    0.491
Peas                            53       241     70.06%    29.94%   0.701     96.02%      3.98%    0.960
Tomatoes                        54       151     38.82%    61.18%   0.388     72.60%     27.40%    0.726
Herbs                           57         0       n/a       n/a     n/a       0.00%    100.00%    0.000
Clover/Wildflowers              58         0      0.00%   100.00%   0.000      0.00%    100.00%    0.000
Sod/Grass Seed                  59      1556     70.28%    29.72%   0.702     83.97%     16.03%    0.839
Switchgrass                     60         6     40.00%    60.00%   0.400     85.71%     14.29%    0.857
Fallow/Idle Cropland            61      2665     37.96%    62.04%   0.376     53.73%     46.27%    0.534
Cherries                        66         0       n/a       n/a     n/a       0.00%    100.00%    0.000
Peaches                         67       320     71.27%    28.73%   0.713     81.01%     18.99%    0.810
Apples                          68       109     43.25%    56.75%   0.432     71.24%     28.76%    0.712
Grapes                          69         2      6.25%    93.75%   0.062     50.00%     50.00%    0.500
Christmas Trees                 70        20     15.38%    84.62%   0.154     27.78%     72.22%    0.278
Triticale                      205        79     25.24%    74.76%   0.252     73.15%     26.85%    0.731
Carrots                        206         0       n/a       n/a     n/a       0.00%    100.00%    0.000
Asparagus                      207         0      0.00%   100.00%   0.000      0.00%    100.00%    0.000
Cantaloupes                    209         0      0.00%   100.00%   0.000       n/a        n/a      n/a
Broccoli                       214         0       n/a       n/a     n/a       0.00%    100.00%    0.000
Peppers                        216       257     46.39%    53.61%   0.464     70.41%     29.59%    0.704
Nectarines                     218         0       n/a       n/a     n/a       0.00%    100.00%    0.000
Greens                         219        28     36.36%    63.64%   0.364     80.00%     20.00%    0.800
Plums                          220         0       n/a       n/a     n/a       0.00%    100.00%    0.000
Squash                         222       146     41.60%    58.40%   0.416     60.58%     39.42%    0.606
Dbl Crop WinWht/Corn           225     11389     42.20%    57.80%   0.412     69.24%     30.76%    0.684
Dbl Crop Oats/Corn             226        89     25.65%    74.35%   0.256     78.76%     21.24%    0.788
Pumpkins                       229        95     48.22%    51.78%   0.482     69.34%     30.66%    0.693
Dbl Crop WinWht/Sorghum        236       505     50.80%    49.20%   0.508     71.03%     28.97%    0.710
Dbl Crop Barley/Corn           237      2204     26.56%    73.44%   0.263     64.65%     35.35%    0.644
Dbl Crop Soybeans/Oats         240        23     14.56%    85.44%   0.146     67.65%     32.35%    0.676
Blueberries                    242      1560     86.96%    13.04%   0.869     90.33%      9.67%    0.903
Cabbage                        243         0       n/a       n/a     n/a       0.00%    100.00%    0.000
Radishes                       246       144     52.17%    47.83%   0.522     90.00%     10.00%    0.900
Eggplants                      248         1      1.45%    98.55%   0.014     20.00%     80.00%    0.200
Gourds                         249         0      0.00%   100.00%   0.000       n/a        n/a      n/a
Cranberries                    250         0       n/a       n/a     n/a       0.00%    100.00%    0.000
Dbl Crop Barley/Soybeans       254      7684     52.15%    47.85%   0.517     75.22%     24.78%    0.748

*Correct Pixels represents the total number of independent validation pixels correctly identified in the error matrix.
**The Overall Accuracy represents only the FSA row crops and annual fruit and vegetables (codes 1-61, 66-80, 92 and 200-255).
FSA-sampled grass and pasture. Non-agricultural and NLCD-sampled categories (codes 62-65, 81-91 and 93-199) are not included in the Overall Accuracy.

The accuracy of the non-agricultural land cover classes within the Cropland Data Layer is entirely dependent upon the USGS, National Land Cover Database (NLCD 2011). Thus, the USDA, NASS recommends that users consider the NLCD for studies involving non-agricultural land cover. For more information on the accuracy of the NLCD please reference <https://www.mrlc.gov/>.

Quantitative_Attribute_Accuracy_Assessment:

Attribute_Accuracy_Value:

Classification accuracy is generally 85% to 95% correct for the major crop-specific land cover categories. See the 'Attribute Accuracy Report' section of this metadata file for the detailed accuracy report.

Attribute_Accuracy_Explanation:

The strength and emphasis of the CDL is crop-specific land cover categories. The accuracy of the CDL non-agricultural land cover classes is entirely dependent upon the USGS, National Land Cover Database (NLCD 2011). Thus, the USDA, NASS recommends that users consider the NLCD for studies involving non-agricultural land cover.

These definitions of accuracy statistics were derived from the following book: Congalton, Russell G. and Kass Green. Assessing the Accuracy of Remotely Sensed Data: Principles and Practices. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press, Inc. 1999. The 'Producer's Accuracy' is calculated for each cover type in the ground truth and indicates the probability that a ground truth pixel will be correctly mapped (across all cover types) and measures 'errors of omission'. An 'Omission Error' occurs when a pixel is excluded from the category to which it belongs in the validation dataset. The 'User's Accuracy' indicates the probability that a pixel from the CDL classification actually matches the ground truth data and measures 'errors of commission'. The 'Commission Error' represent when a pixel is included in an incorrect category according to the validation data. It is important to take into consideration errors of omission and commission. For example, if you classify every pixel in a scene to 'wheat', then you have 100% Producer's Accuracy for the wheat category and 0% Omission Error. However, you would also have a very high error of commission as all other crop types would be included in the incorrect category. The 'Kappa' is a measure of agreement based on the difference between the actual agreement in the error matrix (i.e., the agreement between the remotely sensed classification and the reference data as indicated by the major diagonal) and the chance agreement which is indicated by the row and column totals. The 'Conditional Kappa Coefficient' is the agreement for an individual category within the entire error matrix.

Logical_Consistency_Report:

The Cropland Data Layer (CDL) has been produced using training and independent validation data from the Farm Service Agency (FSA) Common Land Unit (CLU) Program (agricultural data) and United States Geological Survey (USGS) National Land Cover Database 2011 (NLCD 2011). More information about the FSA CLU Program can be found at <https://www.fsa.usda.gov/>. More information about the NLCD can be found at <https://www.mrlc.gov/>. The CDL encompasses the entire state unless noted otherwise in the 'Completeness Report' section of this metadata file.

Completeness_Report: The entire state is covered by the Cropland Data Layer.
Positional_Accuracy:

Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy:

Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy_Report:

The Cropland Data Layer retains the spatial attributes of the input imagery. The Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS imagery was obtained via download from the USGS Global Visualization Viewer (Glovis) website <https://glovis.usgs.gov/>. Please reference the metadata on the Glovis website for each Landsat scene for positional accuracy. The majority of the Landsat data is available at Level 1T (precision and terrain corrected). The DEIMOS-1 and DMC-UK 2 imagery used in the production of the Cropland Data Layer is orthorectified to a radial root mean square error (RMSE) of approximately 10 meters.

Lineage:

Source_Information:

Source_Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator: Elecnor Deimos Imaging
Title: DEIMOS-1
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: remote-sensing image
Publication_Information:

Publisher: Astrium GEO Information Services
Publication_Place: Elecnor Deimos Imaging, Valladolid, Spain

Publication_Date: 2015
Other_Citation_Details:

The DEIMOS-1 satellite sensor operates in three spectral bands at a spatial resolution of 22 meters. Additional information about DEIMOS-1 data can be obtained at <https://www.deimos-imaging.com/>. Refer to the 'Supplemental Information' Section of this metadata file for specific scene date, path, row and quadrants used as classification inputs.

The DEIMOS-1 imagery was resampled to 30 meters to match the Landsat spatial resolution. The resample used cubic convolution, rigorous transformation.

Source_Scale_Denominator: 22 meter
Type_of_Source_Media: online download
Source_Time_Period_of_Content:

Time_Period_Information:

Range_of_Dates/Times:

Beginning_Date: 20141001
Ending_Date: 20151231

Source_Currentness_Reference: ground condition

Source_Citation_Abbreviation: Deimos-1
Source_Contribution: Raw data used in land cover spectral signature analysis

Source_Information:

Source_Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator: DMC International Imaging
Title: UK-DMC 2
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: remote-sensing image
Publication_Information:

Publisher: Astrium GEO Information Services
Publication_Place: DMC International Imaging, Guildford, Surrey UK

Publication_Date: 2015
Other_Citation_Details:

The UK-DMC 2 satellite sensor operates in three spectral bands at a spatial resolution of 22 meters. Additional information about UK-DMC 2 data can be obtained at <http://www.dmcii.com/>. Refer to the 'Supplemental Information' Section of this metadata file for specific scene date, path, row and quadrants used as classification inputs.

The UK-DMC 2 imagery was resampled to 30 meters to match the Landsat spatial resolution. The resample used cubic convolution, rigorous transformation.

Source_Scale_Denominator: 22 meter
Type_of_Source_Media: online download
Source_Time_Period_of_Content:

Time_Period_Information:

Range_of_Dates/Times:

Beginning_Date: 20141001
Ending_Date: 20151231

Source_Currentness_Reference: ground condition

Source_Citation_Abbreviation: UK-DMC 2
Source_Contribution: Raw data used in land cover spectral signature analysis

Source_Information:

Source_Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator:

United States Geological Survey (USGS), Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS)

Title:

Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager and Thermal Infrared Sensor (OLI/TIRS)

Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: remote-sensing image
Publication_Information:

Publisher: USGS, EROS
Publication_Place: Sioux Falls, South Dakota 57198-001

Publication_Date: 2015
Other_Citation_Details:

The Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS data are free for download through the following website <https://glovis.usgs.gov/>. Additional information about Landsat data can be obtained at <https://www.usgs.gov/centers/eros>. Refer to the 'Supplemental Information' Section of this metadata file for specific scene date, path and rows used as classification inputs.

Source_Scale_Denominator: 30 meter
Type_of_Source_Media: online download
Source_Time_Period_of_Content:

Time_Period_Information:

Range_of_Dates/Times:

Beginning_Date: 20141001
Ending_Date: 20151231

Source_Currentness_Reference: ground condition

Source_Citation_Abbreviation: Landsat 8
Source_Contribution: Raw data used in land cover spectral signature analysis

Source_Information:

Source_Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator:

United States Geological Survey (USGS) Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Data Center

Title: The National Elevation Dataset (NED)
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: remote-sensing image
Publication_Information:

Publisher: USGS, EROS Data Center
Publication_Place: Sioux Falls, South Dakota 57198 USA

Publication_Date: 2009
Other_Citation_Details:

The USGS NED Digital Elevation Model (DEM) is used as an ancillary data source in the production of the Cropland Data Layer. More information on the USGS NED can be found at <https://www.usgs.gov/core-science-systems/national-geospatial-program/national-map>. Refer to the 'Supplemental Information' Section of this metadata file for the complete list of ancillary data sources used as classification inputs.

Source_Scale_Denominator: 30 meter
Type_of_Source_Media: online
Source_Time_Period_of_Content:

Time_Period_Information:

Single_Date/Time:

Calendar_Date: unknown

Source_Currentness_Reference: ground condition

Source_Citation_Abbreviation: NED
Source_Contribution:

spatial and attribute information used in land cover spectral signature analysis

Source_Information:

Source_Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator:

United States Geological Survey (USGS) Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Data Center

Title: National Land Cover Database 2011 (NLCD 2011)
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: remote-sensing image
Publication_Information:

Publisher: USGS, EROS Data Center
Publication_Place: Sioux Falls, South Dakota 57198 USA

Publication_Date: 2014
Other_Citation_Details:

The NLCD 2011 was used as ground training and validation for non-agricultural categories. Additionally, the USGS NLCD 2011 Imperviousness and Tree Canopy layers were used as ancillary data sources in the Cropland Data Layer classification process. More information on the NLCD 2011 can be found at <https://www.mrlc.gov/>. Refer to the 'Supplemental Information' Section of this metadata file for the complete list of ancillary data sources used as classification inputs. Preferred NLCD2006 citation: "Fry, J., Xian, G., Jin, S., Dewitz, J., Homer, C., Yang, L., Barnes, C., Herold, N., and Wickham, J., 2012. Completion of the 2006 National Land Cover Database for the Conterminous United States, PE&RS, Vol. 77(9):858-864."

Source_Scale_Denominator: 30 meter
Type_of_Source_Media: online
Source_Time_Period_of_Content:

Time_Period_Information:

Single_Date/Time:

Calendar_Date: unknown

Source_Currentness_Reference: ground condition

Source_Citation_Abbreviation: NLCD
Source_Contribution: Raw data used in land cover spectral signature analysis

Source_Information:

Source_Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator:

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Farm Service Agency (FSA)

Title: USDA, FSA Common Land Unit (CLU)
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: vector digital data
Publication_Information:

Publisher: USDA, FSA Aerial Photography Field Office

Publication_Place: Salt Lake City, Utah 84119-2020 USA

Publication_Date: 2015
Other_Citation_Details:

Access to the USDA, Farm Service Agency (FSA) Common Land Unit (CLU) digital data set is currently limited to FSA and Agency partnerships. During the current growing season, producers enrolled in FSA programs report their growing intentions, crops and acreage to USDA Field Service Centers. Their field boundaries are digitized in a standardized GIS data layer and the associated attribute information is maintained in a database known as 578 Administrative Data. This CLU/578 dataset provides a comprehensive and robust agricultural training and validation data set for the Cropland Data Layer. Additional information about the CLU Program can be found at <https://www.fsa.usda.gov/>.

Source_Scale_Denominator: 4800
Type_of_Source_Media: online
Source_Time_Period_of_Content:

Time_Period_Information:

Single_Date/Time:

Calendar_Date: unknown

Source_Currentness_Reference: ground condition, updated annually

Source_Citation_Abbreviation: FSA CLU
Source_Contribution:

spatial and attribute information used in the spectral signature training and validation of agricultural land cover

Process_Step:

Process_Description:

OVERVIEW: The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Cropland Data Layer (CDL) Program is a unique agricultural-specific land cover geospatial product that is produced annually in participating states. The CDL Program builds upon NASS' traditional crop acreage estimation program and integrates Farm Service Agency (FSA) grower-reported field data with satellite imagery to create an unbiased statistical estimator of crop area at the state and county level for internal use. It is important to note that the internal acreage estimates produced using the CDL are not simple pixel counting. It is more of an 'Adjusted Census by Satellite.'

SOFTWARE: ERDAS Imagine is used in the pre- and post- processing of all raster-based data. ESRI ArcGIS is used to prepare the vector-based training and validation data. Rulequest See5.0 is used to create a decision tree based classifier. The NLCD Mapping Tool is used to apply the See5.0 decision-tree via ERDAS Imagine.

DECISION TREE CLASSIFIER: This Cropland Data Layer used the decision tree classifier approach. Using a decision tree classifier is a departure from older versions of the CDL which were created using in-house software (Peditor) based upon a maximum likelihood classifier approach. Decision trees offer several advantages over the more traditional maximum likelihood classification method. The advantages include being: 1) non-parametric by nature and thus not reliant on the assumption of the input data being normally distributed, 2) efficient to construct and thus capable of handling large and complex data sets, 3) able to incorporate missing and non-continuous data, and 4) able to sort out non-linear relationships.

GROUND TRUTH: As with the maximum likelihood method, decision tree analysis is a supervised classification technique. Thus, it relies on having a sample of known ground truth areas in which to train the classifier. Older versions of the CDL (prior to 2006) utilized ground truth data from the annual June Agricultural Survey (JAS). Beginning in 2006, the CDL utilizes the very comprehensive ground truth data provided from the FSA Common Land Unit (CLU) Program as a replacement for the JAS data. The FSA CLU data have the advantage of natively being in a GIS and containing magnitudes more of field level information. Disadvantages include that it is not truly a probability sample of land cover and has bias toward subsidized program crops. Additional information about the FSA data can be found at <https://www.fsa.usda.gov/>. The most current version of the NLCD is used as non-agricultural training and validation data.

INPUTS: The CDL is produced using satellite imagery from the Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS sensor and the Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC) DEIMOS-1 and UK2 sensors collected during the current growing season. The DEIMOS-1 and UK-DMC 2 imagery was resampled to 30 meters using cubic convolution, rigorous transformation to match the traditional Landsat spatial resolution. Some CDL states used additional satellite imagery and ancillary inputs to supplement and improve the classification. These additional sources can include the United States Geological Survey (USGS) National Elevation Dataset (NED) and the imperviousness and canopy data layers from the USGS National Land Cover Database 2011 (NLCD 2011). Please refer to the 'Supplemental_Information' Section of this metadata file for a complete list of all imagery and ancillary data used to generate this state's CDL.

ACCURACY: The accuracy of the land cover classifications are evaluated using independent validations data sets generated from the FSA CLU data (agricultural categories) and the NLCD 2011 (non-agricultural categories). The Producer's Accuracy is generally 85% to 95% correct for the major crop-specific land cover categories. See the 'Attribute Accuracy Report' section of this metadata file for the full accuracy report.

PUBLIC RELEASE: The USDA, NASS Cropland Data Layer is considered public domain and free to redistribute. The official website is <https://www.nass.usda.gov/Research_and_Science/Cropland/SARS1a.php>. The data is available free for download through CropScape <https://nassgeodata.gmu.edu/CropScape/> and the Geospatial Data Gateway <https://datagateway.nrcs.usda.gov/>. See the 'Ordering Instructions' section of this metadata file for detailed download instructions. Please note that in no case are farmer reported data revealed or derivable from the public use Cropland Data Layer.

Process_Date: 2015
Process_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Organization_Primary:

Contact_Organization: USDA, NASS, Spatial Analysis Research Section
Contact_Person: USDA, NASS, Spatial Analysis Research Section staff

Contact_Address:

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 800-727-9540
Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 855-493-0447
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: SM.NASS.RDD.GIB@usda.gov

Cloud_Cover: 0

Spatial_Data_Organization_Information:

Indirect_Spatial_Reference: Maryland
Direct_Spatial_Reference_Method: Raster
Raster_Object_Information:

Raster_Object_Type: Pixel
Row_Count: 6956

Column_Count: 12773

Spatial_Reference_Information:

Horizontal_Coordinate_System_Definition:

Planar:

Map_Projection:

Map_Projection_Name:

Albers Conical Equal Area as used by mrlc.gov (NLCD)

FOR GEOSPATIAL DATA GATEWAY USERS: Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM), Spheriod WGS84, Datum WGS84. Due to technical restrictions, the online data available free for download through the Geospatial Data Gateway <https://datagateway.nrcs.usda.gov/> can only be offered in UTM. The UTM Zones are as follows: Zone 11 - California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Washington; Zone 12 - Arizona, Montana, Utah; Zone 13 - Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming; Zone 14 - Kansas, North Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas; Zone 15 - Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri; Zone 16 - Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Tennessee; Zone 17 - Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia; Zone 18 - Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont; Zone 19 - Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island. However, the official Cropland Data Layer available at <https://nassgeodata.gmu.edu/CropScape/> includes the data in its native Albers Conical Equal Area coordinate system.

Albers_Conical_Equal_Area:

Standard_Parallel: 29.500000
Standard_Parallel: 45.500000
Longitude_of_Central_Meridian: -96.000000
Latitude_of_Projection_Origin: 23.000000
False_Easting: 0.000000
False_Northing: 0.000000

Planar_Coordinate_Information:

Planar_Coordinate_Encoding_Method: row and column
Coordinate_Representation:

Abscissa_Resolution: 30
Ordinate_Resolution: 30

Planar_Distance_Units: meters

Geodetic_Model:

Horizontal_Datum_Name: North American Datum of 1983
Ellipsoid_Name: Geodetic Reference System 80
Semi-major_Axis: 6378137.000000

Denominator_of_Flattening_Ratio: 298.257223563

Entity_and_Attribute_Information:

Overview_Description:

Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:

The Cropland Data Layer (CDL) is produced using agricultural training data from the Farm Service Agency (FSA) Common Land Unit (CLU) Program and non-agricultural training data from the most current version of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) National Land Cover Database (NLCD). The strength and emphasis of the CDL is crop-specific land cover categories. The accuracy of the CDL non-agricultural land cover classes are entirely dependent upon the NLCD. Thus, the USDA, NASS recommends that users consider the NLCD for studies involving non-agricultural land cover.

Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation:

 ***NOTE: The 1997-2013 CDLs were recoded and re-released in January 2014 to better represent pasture and grass-related categories. A new
 category named Grass/Pasture (code 176) collapses the following historical CDL categories: Pasture/Grass (code 62), Grassland Herbaceous
 (code 171), and Pasture/Hay (code 181). This was done to eliminate confusion among these similar land cover types which were not always
 classified definitionally consistent from state to state or year to year and frequently had poor classification accuracies. This follows
 the recoding of the entire CDL archive in January 2012 to better align the historical CDLs with the current product. For a detailed list
 of the category name and code changes, please visit the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) section at <https://www.nass.usda.gov/Research_and_Science/Cropland/sarsfaqs2.php>.


 Data Dictionary: USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service, 2015 Cropland Data Layer

 Source: USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

 The following is a cross reference list of the categorization codes and land covers.
 Note that not all land cover categories listed below will appear in an individual state.

 Raster
 Attribute Domain Values and Definitions: NO DATA, BACKGROUND 0

 Categorization Code   Land Cover
         "0"       Background

 Raster
 Attribute Domain Values and Definitions: CROPS 1-20

 Categorization Code   Land Cover
           "1"       Corn
           "2"       Cotton
           "3"       Rice
           "4"       Sorghum
           "5"       Soybeans
           "6"       Sunflower
          "10"       Peanuts
          "11"       Tobacco
          "12"       Sweet Corn
          "13"       Pop or Orn Corn
          "14"       Mint

 Raster
 Attribute Domain Values and Definitions: GRAINS,HAY,SEEDS 21-40

 Categorization Code   Land Cover
          "21"       Barley
          "22"       Durum Wheat
          "23"       Spring Wheat
          "24"       Winter Wheat
          "25"       Other Small Grains
          "26"       Dbl Crop WinWht/Soybeans
          "27"       Rye
          "28"       Oats
          "29"       Millet
          "30"       Speltz
          "31"       Canola
          "32"       Flaxseed
          "33"       Safflower
          "34"       Rape Seed
          "35"       Mustard
          "36"       Alfalfa
          "37"       Other Hay/Non Alfalfa
          "38"       Camelina
          "39"       Buckwheat

 Raster
 Attribute Domain Values and Definitions: CROPS 41-60

 Categorization Code   Land Cover
          "41"       Sugarbeets
          "42"       Dry Beans
          "43"       Potatoes
          "44"       Other Crops
          "45"       Sugarcane
          "46"       Sweet Potatoes
          "47"       Misc Vegs & Fruits
          "48"       Watermelons
          "49"       Onions
          "50"       Cucumbers
          "51"       Chick Peas
          "52"       Lentils
          "53"       Peas
          "54"       Tomatoes
          "55"       Caneberries
          "56"       Hops
          "57"       Herbs
          "58"       Clover/Wildflowers
          "59"       Sod/Grass Seed
          "60"       Switchgrass

 Raster
 Attribute Domain Values and Definitions: NON-CROP 61-65

 Categorization Code   Land Cover
          "61"       Fallow/Idle Cropland
          "63"       Forest
          "64"       Shrubland
          "65"       Barren

 Raster
 Attribute Domain Values and Definitions: CROPS 66-80

 Categorization Code   Land Cover
          "66"       Cherries
          "67"       Peaches
          "68"       Apples
          "69"       Grapes
          "70"       Christmas Trees
          "71"       Other Tree Crops
          "72"       Citrus
          "74"       Pecans
          "75"       Almonds
          "76"       Walnuts
          "77"       Pears

 Raster
 Attribute Domain Values and Definitions: OTHER 81-109

 Categorization Code   Land Cover
          "81"       Clouds/No Data
          "82"       Developed
          "83"       Water
          "87"       Wetlands
          "88"       Nonag/Undefined
          "92"       Aquaculture

 Raster
 Attribute Domain Values and Definitions: NLCD-DERIVED CLASSES 110-195

 Categorization Code   Land Cover
         "111"       Open Water
         "112"       Perennial Ice/Snow
         "121"       Developed/Open Space
         "122"       Developed/Low Intensity
         "123"       Developed/Med Intensity
         "124"       Developed/High Intensity
         "131"       Barren
         "141"       Deciduous Forest
         "142"       Evergreen Forest
         "143"       Mixed Forest
         "152"       Shrubland
         "176"       Grassland/Pasture
         "190"       Woody Wetlands
         "195"       Herbaceous Wetlands

 Raster
 Attribute Domain Values and Definitions: CROPS 195-255

 Categorization Code   Land Cover
         "204"       Pistachios
         "205"       Triticale
         "206"       Carrots
         "207"       Asparagus
         "208"       Garlic
         "209"       Cantaloupes
         "210"       Prunes
         "211"       Olives
         "212"       Oranges
         "213"       Honeydew Melons
         "214"       Broccoli
         "215"       Avocados
         "216"       Peppers
         "217"       Pomegranates
         "218"       Nectarines
         "219"       Greens
         "220"       Plums
         "221"       Strawberries
         "222"       Squash
         "223"       Apricots
         "224"       Vetch
         "225"       Dbl Crop WinWht/Corn
         "226"       Dbl Crop Oats/Corn
         "227"       Lettuce
         "229"       Pumpkins
         "230"       Dbl Crop Lettuce/Durum Wht
         "231"       Dbl Crop Lettuce/Cantaloupe
         "232"       Dbl Crop Lettuce/Cotton
         "233"       Dbl Crop Lettuce/Barley
         "234"       Dbl Crop Durum Wht/Sorghum
         "235"       Dbl Crop Barley/Sorghum
         "236"       Dbl Crop WinWht/Sorghum
         "237"       Dbl Crop Barley/Corn
         "238"       Dbl Crop WinWht/Cotton
         "239"       Dbl Crop Soybeans/Cotton
         "240"       Dbl Crop Soybeans/Oats
         "241"       Dbl Crop Corn/Soybeans
         "242"       Blueberries
         "243"       Cabbage
         "244"       Cauliflower
         "245"       Celery
         "246"       Radishes
         "247"       Turnips
         "248"       Eggplants
         "249"       Gourds
         "250"       Cranberries
         "254"       Dbl Crop Barley/Soybeans

2015 Maryland Cropland Data Layer | NASS/USDA

Metadata: