The terms "land use" and "land cover" (LULC) are often used simultaneously to describe maps that provide information about the types of features found on the earth's surface (land cover) and the human activity that is associated with them (land use). In some cases, a hybrid approach results in both land cover and land use being mapped together. These maps are produced from remotely sensed data (satellite images and aerial photography) at scales that are amenable to planning, environmental assessment, and development studies.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is compiling a base series of digital land use/land cover maps for the country that can be used by themselves or with other data sets developed in the program. Land cover is also sometimes interpreted regionally or locally by other organizations, for particular purposes.

•  LULC Classification System
•  Scale, Format, and Software Requirements
•  LULC Maps in Wisconsin  
•  Wisconsin Land Economic Inventory / Bordner Survey
•  Bordner Survey Images and KML Downloads
•  WISCLAND: The Future of Land Cover Mapping in Wisconsin
•  Other Types of LULC Maps
•  Obtaining LULC Maps
•  Wisland Landcover Viewer

LULC Classification System
The USGS has developed a land cover classification system in cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), the Association of American Geographers (AAG), and the International Geographical Union (IGU). For a detailed description of this system, see USGS Professional Paper 964, A Land Use and Land Cover Classification System for Use with Remote Sensor Data. This system is commonly referred to as the "Anderson Classification".

The nine general categories of the classification system are:

1.Urban or built-up land;
2.Agricultural land;
3.Rangeland;
4.Forest land;
5.Water;
6.Wetland;
7.Barren land;
8.Tundra;
9.Perennial snow and ice.

UNESCO, part of the United Nations, has developed a worldwide land cover classification scheme which is generally convertible into Anderson classes, although some merging or splitting may be required in some landscapes.

Other classification approaches have been developed and used across the country, although many are based on the Anderson system.

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Scale, Format, and Software Requirements
Most USGS LULC maps are compiled at scales of 1:250,000 (1"= 4 miles) or 1:100,000 (1"= 1.6 miles). The smallest area mapped for urban classes, bodies of water, quarries and some agricultural areas is 10 acres. A minimum mapping unit of 40 acres is used for all other categories. Maps are available in two formats. Both are digital format overlays that are registered to the 1:250,000 and 1:100,000 scale base maps.

Map data are processed through the Geographic Information Retrieval and Analysis System (GIRAS) to produce data tapes in both vector polygon and thematic grid cell formats. The vector polygon format displays land cover information as points, lines, and areas. The thematic grid cell format divides the map into 10 acre cells, each identified with attribute codes for land cover/land use and associated map data. Digital data produced from these maps are stored in the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinate system.

Software packages have been developed by the USGS's National Mapping Program to compile and execute the program that displays and manipulates LULC data. These programs are available on magnetic tape or floppy disk. A Cartographic Applications Software factsheet is also available on request. The best way to obtain specific information on LULC maps of the area you may be interested in is to contact any Earth Science Information Center (ESIC).

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LULC Maps of Wisconsin
Digital LULC maps are available for most of Wisconsin at the 1:250,000 scale (1"= 4 miles). These maps are referenced by individual quadrangle, which is generally named for the largest town or city in the multi-county area. Most of the Wisconsin series includes associated data such as political units, hydrologic units, and census by county. This series was developed from 1971-1982, and has not been updated. For more information about Wisconsin LULC maps, contact the Mid-Continent Mapping Center.

These digital USGS maps have been converted into ARC/INFO format by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WisDNR).

Wisconsin Land Economic Inventory / Bordner Survey
(access images and download sample KML files)

The Wisconsin Land Economic Inventory, popularly known as the Bordner Survey, is a valuable collection of land use and land cover maps from the years 1927 to 1947. This massive surveying and cartographic effort resulted in a highly detailed picture of the state’s land resources at a historical crossroads, the Depression era, and provided an abundance of material for future land use planning. Over sixty years after completion the collection remains in non-georeferenced form and is curated by the Wisconsin Historical Society Library-Archives Division, with holdings in Steenbock Library and the Robinson Map Library in Science Hall—all analog maps—and digitized versions in the University of Wisconsin Digital Collections. This study explores one method of both GIS- and script-based map preparation and Web 2.0-style visualization in the proprietary freeware Google Earth as a springboard for potential future work and to spark interest in the WLEI map collection, with a focus on several diverse, relevant study areas selected from unique Wisconsin ecological landscapes.

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WISCLAND: The Future of Land Cover Mapping in Wisconsin
Formed in 1993, WISCLAND (the Wisconsin Initiative for Statewide Cooperation on Land cover Analysis and Data) is an organization whose goal is the development of a broad geographic information database for the state of Wisconsin. WISCLAND brings together many agencies and individuals in a collaborative effort to streamline data gathering and dissemination of land information.

WISCLAND is an outgrowth of earlier efforts aimed at evaluating remote sensing data in terms of the program needs of various organizations, planning for the technical and institutional aspects of a comprehensive statewide land cover mapping program, and establishing an information sharing network. These efforts have included numerous organizations involved in land and water resources management issues, and this group of organizations have formed WISCLAND. Its initial program goals include statewide rural land cover interpretation, urban land use mapping, and development of digital orthophotography coverage for the state. Multiple remote sensing data sets (aerial photography, orthophotography, and satellite imagery) are being used and future products will be increasingly tailored to specific user needs.

One recent product of WISCLAND is the Wisconsin Land Cover Map finished in 1999. The map depicts the state of Wisconsin via 13 types of land cover, from open water and wetland to deciduous forest and farm fields. Additional information about the status and activities of WISCLAND can be found on the WISCLAND home page, maintained by the WisDNR.

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Other Types of LULC Maps
Traditionally land cover maps were compiled manually from aerial photography, topographic maps, and field studies. Common products were vegetation maps and specialized maps that pertain to parks and nature or wildlife preserves. While early land cover maps were more time consuming to compile, they form an integral part of our knowledge about the state's ecology and development. See Vegetation Maps and Wetland Maps for more about these types of maps.

Land use mapping is a relatively common activity of cities, counties, and regional planning commissions, and is related to planning mapping and zoning mapping. However, land use mapping has generally been erratically accomplished due to its high costs including acquisition of fresh aerial photography and painstaking visual interpretation.

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Obtaining LULC Maps
For more information about Wisconsin LULC maps contact the Mid-Continent Mapping Center or the Wisconsin DNR's office who is responsible for converting digital USGS maps into ARC/INFO format.

The best way to obtain information on LULC maps specific to your area of interest is to contact any Earth Science Information Center (ESIC).