Annual Land Disturbance Classification for Alberta Energy Pilot Area

2009-2010 Landsat imagery was used to classify vegetation loss from anthropogenic disturbances in a specific Alberta pilot region. The Alberta Energy Regulator created this dataset in 2014 to assess surface change from energy exploration, forestry, and agriculture. It contains vegetation loss data categorized into 9 distinct classes.

Use Cases

• Quantify vegetation loss from oil and gas infrastructure using the 'exposed land/cut blocks/harvested areas' class.
• Monitor vegetation recovery patterns by analyzing changes between the 2009 and 2010 imagery classifications.
• Assess spatial distribution of different disturbance types, such as 'developed areas' versus 'agricultural areas', across the pilot region.
• Establish a baseline for surface impact by comparing the 9 land disturbance classes against future imagery.

Strengths

• Provides 9 specific land disturbance classes for detailed analysis.
• Covers a defined geographic area spanning multiple townships and towns in Alberta.
• Uses authoritative Landsat multispectral imagery from two consecutive years (2009, 2010).

Limitations

• Temporal coverage is limited to a two-year period (2009-2010), which may be outdated for current analysis.
• The dataset focuses solely on vegetation loss, not providing a complete land use/land cover picture.
• Specific sample size (row/pixel count) and spatial resolution are not provided.

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

2009-2010.

Freshness

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Geography

Alberta, Canada, from Twp. 52, Rge. 7, W 5th Mer. to Twp. 70, Rge. 5, W 6th Mer., covering towns including Edson, Fox Creek, Mayerthorpe, Whitecourt, Swan Hills, and Valleyview.