Chesapeake Basin Land Use Classification from 1970s LANDSAT Imagery

LANDSAT satellite images from 1977-1979 were used to map land use across the Chesapeake Basin. The Chesapeake Bay Program processed this imagery to categorize land into nine types, including forest, cropland, pasture, and residential areas. This dataset was created to support modeling of nutrient loadings into the bay.

Use Cases

• Classify land use categories (e.g., forest, cropland, pasture) from satellite-derived imagery for environmental modeling.
• Analyze the distribution of agricultural practices (cropland with/without winter cover) across sub-basin units.
• Model historical nutrient loadings by correlating land use types (commercial industrial, residential densities) with sub-basin geography.
• Compare land use patterns from the late 1970s to modern classifications to assess long-term environmental change in the Chesapeake region.

Strengths

• Data covers a multi-year period (1977-1979) for seasonal agricultural analysis.
• Land use is categorized into nine specific classes, providing detailed classification.

Limitations

• Data is temporally stale, with the last update in June 1979.
• The dataset's exact size (rows/columns), file format, and sample data are unknown.
• Access procedures described in the source are historically complex and time-consuming.

Provenance

Source

EPA Chesapeake Bay Program Computer Center, via NASA EarthData (SCIOPS).

Collection Method

LANDSAT imagery processed using USGS Level I Land Cover Classification on an ERRSAC Hewlett-Packard 3000 computer with IDIMS and GES software.

Time Range

1977 to 1979 (imagery from April, May, June).

Freshness

1979-06-01

Geography

Chesapeake Basin, United States.