Land Disturbance Classification for Alberta Energy Pilot 2012-2013

Annual Land Disturbance Classification Results of the Play-Based Regulation Pilot Study Area provides a 9-class categorization of vegetation loss and recovery from anthropogenic disturbances. The Alberta Energy Regulator created this dataset using 2012-2013 Landsat imagery and 2013 land cover data. It serves as baseline data for planning and monitoring surface infrastructure impacts in the pilot area.

Use Cases

• Classify pixels into one of 9 disturbance categories (e.g., exposed land, developed areas, grassland) using Landsat spectral bands.
• Monitor vegetation loss from oil and gas infrastructure by analyzing changes in classification between 2012 and 2013.
• Map the spatial extent of different land use types like 'mixed developed areas' or 'agricultural areas' within the pilot region.
• Establish a baseline for surface impact by quantifying areas classified as 'transitional bare surfaces' or 'shrub land'.

Strengths

• Data is derived from authoritative Landsat multispectral imagery for two consecutive years (2012-2013).
• Classification includes 9 distinct land disturbance and land cover categories.
• Covers a defined pilot area spanning multiple townships and towns in Alberta.

Limitations

• Temporal coverage is limited to a two-year period (2012-2013), which may not show long-term trends.
• The classification scheme is specific to anthropogenic disturbances in an energy exploration context, limiting broader land use applications.
• Underlying sample size (number of image pixels) and classification accuracy metrics are not provided.

Provenance

Source

Alberta Energy Regulator (AER), Government of Alberta.

Collection Method

Produced from Landsat multispectral imagery and land use/land cover classification data using remote sensing analysis.

Time Range

2012 to 2013.

Freshness

Dataset metadata was updated in March 2026, but the underlying image data is from 2012-2013.

Geography

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