Historical U.S. Irrigation Maps and Data from NRI Surveys

NASA Earthdata hosts irrigation analysis products from the National Resources Inventory. The dataset includes maps and tables depicting irrigation systems and changes in cropland irrigation areas, primarily from 1992 and 1997 surveys. The data was compiled by SCIOPS and last updated in October 1998.

Use Cases

• Analyze changes in irrigation areas over time using the 1992 and 1997 map series.
• Compare irrigation system types such as pressure and gravity systems across different cropland regions.
• Recreate historical irrigation maps by joining the provided pipe-delimited data files with GIS coverages.

Strengths

• Includes two distinct temporal snapshots from 1992 and 1997 for change analysis.
• Data files are provided in a standard, pipe-delimited ASCII text format for interoperability.

Limitations

• Data is over 25 years old and may not reflect current irrigation patterns.
• Summary tables and data files are noted as unavailable for all maps, limiting completeness.

Provenance

Source

NASA Earthdata, sourced from the National Resources Inventory (NRI) surveys.

Collection Method

Derived from agricultural survey data and compiled into analysis products (maps, charts, tables).

Time Range

Primary data from 1992 and 1997.

Freshness

Last updated in 1998; no update frequency specified.

Geography

Croplands within the United States.