Land Use and Cover Dynamics in Austin Metropolitan Area Since 1992

Land use and cover patterns for the Austin, Texas metropolitan area are provided at eight time points from 1992 to 2016 with a 30-meter spatial resolution. The dataset was created by researchers analyzing urban form dynamics and published in a 2020 scientific paper. It originates from the ENVIDAT organization and was last updated in 2022.

Use Cases

• Analyze transitions between Urban Morphology Types (UMTs) over the periods 2006–2011 and 2011–2016 to measure urban form dynamics.
• Compare land use/cover classifications from 1992, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2013, and 2016 to identify long-term change patterns.
• Evaluate 'efficient growth' versus 'inefficient growth' in the built environment by correlating UMT changes with planning policy documents.
• Characterize 3D urban morphology using integrated Lidar point cloud data and 30m NLCD land cover classifications.

Strengths

• Provides land cover data across eight distinct years spanning a 24-year period from 1992 to 2016.
• Integrates two primary data sources: multi-temporal Lidar point datasets (2007-2017) and the 30m National Land Cover Database.

Limitations

• The 1992 land cover data uses a different classification system that required reclassification, potentially introducing consistency issues.
• Specific row counts, file sizes, and spatial extents for the dataset are not provided in the description.

Provenance

Source

National Land Cover Database (NLCD) and Lidar point datasets from state agencies and other organizations.

Collection Method

Land use/cover mapping via integration of Lidar data and NLCD, with a protocol for content analysis of strategic plans.

Time Range

1992, 2001, 2004, III 2006, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2016; Lidar data from projects between 2007 and 2017.

Freshness

Data covers up to 2016, with a platform record last updated in 2022.

Geography

Austin metropolitan area, Texas, USA.