Annual Land Disturbance Classification for Alberta Pilot Area

2005-2006 Landsat imagery was used to classify vegetation loss and recovery in an Alberta oil and gas pilot region. The dataset contains 9 land cover change classes, including exposed land, developed areas, and agricultural zones. It was produced by the Alberta Energy Regulator as part of a 2014 Play-Based Regulation pilot project.

Use Cases

• Classifying vegetation loss into 9 categories (e.g., exposed land, developed areas, agricultural areas) from multispectral imagery.
• Monitoring surface change over time by comparing 2005 and 2006 land use and land cover classifications.
• Assessing anthropogenic disturbance from oil and gas infrastructure using the 'mixed developed areas' and 'developed areas' labels.
• Mapping vegetation recovery patterns using the 'shrub land' and 'grassland' classification categories.

Strengths

• Data derived from Landsat multispectral imagery, a standard source for land cover analysis.
• Classification scheme includes 9 distinct land cover and disturbance categories.
• Covers a defined pilot area spanning multiple townships and towns in Alberta.

Limitations

• Temporal coverage is limited to only two years (2005 and 2006).
• Sample size and spatial resolution are unspecified.
• Data may be geographically biased, focusing solely on a specific Alberta pilot region.

Provenance

Source

Alberta Energy Regulator (AER), Government of Alberta.

Collection Method

Derived from Landsat multispectral imagery and land use/land cover classification data.

Time Range

2005-2006

Freshness

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Geography

Play-Based Regulation pilot area from Twp. 52, Rge. 7, W 5th Mer. to Twp. 70, Rge. 5, W 6th Mer., covering towns including Edson, Fox Creek, Whitecourt.