melcd

Citation:

Citation Information:

Originator:
Maine Library of Geographic Information (MLGI), Maine Department of Environmental Protection (MEDEP), Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MEIFW), Maine Department of Transportation (MEDOT), Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Drinking Water Program (MEDHHSDWP) and the Maine State Planning Office (MESPO) with the Maine GIS Executive Council (GISEC), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Space Imaging (SI), and Sanborn
Publication Date: 20060523
Title: melcd
Geospatial Data Presentation Form: remote-sensing image
Series Information:

Series Name: Maine GIS
Issue Identification: SDE server; Internet Data Catalog

Publication Information:

Publication Place: Augusta ME
Publisher: Maine Office of Geographic Information Systems (MEGIS)

Online Linkage: \\CSU-EIA1PCGIS2\D$\melcd_data\mosaic_final_20060505\Final_MeLCD_05_01_2006.img
Online Linkage: http://megis.maine.gov/catalog/

Description:

Abstract:
MELCD is a land cover map for Maine primarily derived from Landsat Thematic Mapper 5 and 7 imagery, from the years 1999-2001. This imagery constitutes the basis for the National Land Cover Dataset (NLCD 2001) and the NOAA Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP). This land cover map was refined to the State of Maine requirements using SPOT 5 panchromatic imagery from 2004. The Landsat imagery used was for three seasons: early spring (leaf-off), summer, and early fall (senescence) and was collected with a spatial resolution of 30 m. The SPOT 5 panchromatic imagery was collected at a spatial resolution of 5 m during the spring and summer months of 2004. The map was developed in two distinct stages, the first stage was the development of a state wide land cover data set consistent with the NOAAC-CAP land cover map. The second stage was: a) the update to 2004 conditions, b) a refinement of the classification system to Maine specific classes and, c) a refinement of the spatial boundaries to create a polygon map based on 5 m imagery.
Purpose: Quantify land cover features boundaries at a 5 meter spatial resolution over the State of Maine.
Supplemental Information:
Image analysis techniques used in production of the map were a combination of supervised classification using Classification and Regression Tree (CART) algorithms and spatial modeling. The use of three Landsat image dates provided the ability to discriminate specific elements of the landscape. For example; the spring imagery was useful for the classification of wetlands and the separation of conifers and broadleaf species and the fall imagery was useful for the discrimination of broadleaf species. After the creation of the NOAA C-CAP base map, Sanborn used image segmentation to refine the spatial boundaries of the land cover classes, using a merge of the Landsat leaf on imagery and the SPOT 5 imagery. The segments produced by this process were labeled using automated methods to build the final Maine land cover dataset (MeLCD). After the completion of the classification, the map was extensively reviewed by Sanborn analysts and specific classes were modeled and edited by hand to remove class confusion.
Time Period of Content:

Time Period Information:

Range of Dates/Times:

Beginning Date: 4/1995
Ending Date: 10/2004

Currentness Reference: ground condition

Status:

Progress: Complete
Maintenance and Update Frequency: None planned

Spatial Domain:

Bounding Coordinates:

West Bounding Coordinate: -71.243367
East Bounding Coordinate: -66.777043
North Bounding Coordinate: 47.464123
South Bounding Coordinate: 42.907923

Keywords:

Theme:

Theme Keyword Thesaurus: ISO Keyword Thesaurus
Theme Keyword: imageryBaseMapsEarthCover

Theme:

Theme Keyword Thesaurus: Maine GIS Thesaurus-Theme
Theme Keyword: landuse
Theme Keyword: landcover

Place:

Place Keyword Thesaurus: Maine GIS Thesaurus-Place
Place Keyword: Maine
Place Keyword: United States

Stratum:

Stratum Keyword Thesaurus: GCMD Parameter Keyword
Stratum Keyword: land surface
Stratum Keyword: radiance or imagery

Access Constraints:
Secondary distribution by permission only. Please see Maine Office of Geographic Information Systems (MEGIS) License Agreement at http://megis.maine.gov/ . Any secondary distribution must have this documentation appended.
Use Constraints:
Users must assume responsibility in determining the usability of this data for their purposes. Digital maps retain the accuracy of their source materials. The best use of data mapped at scales of 1:500,000 and 1:250,000 is in statewide planning and studies; at 1:100,000 in regional planning and studies; at 1:62,500 and 1:24,000 in detailed studies and local planning; and at 1:12,000 and 1:5,000 or larger scales in parcel level studies and detailed local planning. In the use of Maine GIS data, please check sources, scale, accuracy, currentness and other available information. Please confirm that you are using the correct copy of both data and metadata from the Maine GIS Data Catalog. The Maine Office of Geographic Information Systems (MEGIS) provides notice of updates and corrections directly to the Maine GIS Technical Group and to Maine GIS Users, through the MEGISTECH and MEGISUSER list servers. To subscribe please contact MeGIS through the Maine Office of Information Technology (OIT) Customer Support Center (CSC) at (207) 624-7700. To request correction of, or provide updates to Maine GIS data, please use the contact information contained in the metadata. Updates, corrections, and feedback, incorporated in the Maine GIS database are made in accordance with "Data Standards for Maine Geographic Information Systems", 2002 and coordinated by MEGIS in consultation with the Maine GIS Executive Council.
Point of Contact:

Contact Information:

Contact Organization Primary:

Contact Organization: Sanborn

Contact Position: GIS / RS Analyst
Contact Address:

Address Type: mailing and physical address
Address: 455 E Eisenhower Parkway
City: Ann Arbor
State or Province: MI
Postal Code: 48108
Country: USA

Contact Voice Telephone: 734 213-1060
Contact Facsimile Telephone: 734 213-1085
Hours of Service: 0800 - 1600 (Monday - Friday) EST
Contact Instructions: Sanborn Solutions - www.sanborn.com

Data Set Credit: Credit should always be given to the data source and/or originator when the data is transferred or printed.
Security Information:

Security Classification: Unclassified

Native Data Set Environment:
Microsoft Windows 2000 Version 5.0 (Build 2195) Service Pack 4; ESRI ArcCatalog 9.2.0.1147 and Maine Office of Information Technology (OIT) Oracle 9i, Maine Office of Geographic Information Systems (MEGIS), Maine GIS SDE, SDEUSER, SDE.DEFAULT; Maine GIS Internet Data Catalog http://megis.maine.gov/catalog

Attribute Accuracy:

Attribute Accuracy Report:
The MeLCD accuracy database was assembled through a combination of photo interpretation and field verified ground visits. The final accuracy database consists of a total of 1617 points. Table below shows the break out of how the accuracy assessment database was compiled.
Point Type Number of Points
Sanborn Supplied Field Sites 315
State of Maine Supplied Field Sites 190
Sanborn Photointerpreted Sites 390
State of Maine Photointerpreted Sites 722

Photointerpreted Site Total 1112
Field Site Total 505
Accuracy Site Total 1617

Initially, approximately 1500 reference data sample points were selected at random in order to assist the State of Maine field crews in selecting field sites and destination planning. Field sites were visited by the State of Maine field crews in the late summer of 2005. Both photointerpreted and field sites were checked to ensure that each represented a homogenous feature on the SPOT imagery so that the points conformed to the MeLCD MMU requirements. The minimum mapping unit (MMU) used for the Accuracy Assessment refers to the requirement that an Accuracy Assessment point must fall in the center of a 0.89 acre area that consists of one and only one cover type. If these criteria are not met it will result in confusion/error caused by positional/spatial accuracy of the map rather than the thematic accuracy of the map.

Fuzzy interpretations were made and added to the database when warranted and agreed to by the State of Maine, i.e. when the interpretations from the DOQQs were ambiguous. 15% of the interpretations, or 237 out of 1617. If any of the fuzzy accuracy assessment calls matched the map, then that sample would be considered a positive match. This fuzzy accuracy assessment methodology is represented in the error matrices shown in this report.

Quantitative Attribute Accuracy Assessment:

Attribute Accuracy Value: 75%
Attribute Accuracy Explanation:
Overall accuracy The use of fuzzy accuracy assessment methodologies are considered to be a necessary part of accuracy assessment or any sort of categorical interpretation (Congalton and Green, 1999). The MeLCD classification scheme was designed to be mutually exclusive. A given feature or area can be classified into one and only one class. Labeling of the ground features into one class can be difficult to make a positive determination from aerial photography and from the ground as well. Gopal and Woodcock (1994) state that "The assumption underlying fuzzy set theory is that the transition from membership to non-membership is seldom a step function". Therefore, a 100% Alder/Willow wetland can be easily labeled Shrub wetland and a 100% Cattail wetland can be called Emergent Wetland, a 49% shrub and 51% emergent wetland would be difficult to label definitively (Congalton and Green, 1999). In the Maine classification system, the same current status on the ground could have resulted from different causes, and as a result be classified differently. An example of this is the Heavy Cut class. An observer unaware of previous management could classify an area as shrub/scrub. That area could also be labeled as forest regeneration (based on a significant increase in canopy (1995 - 2001)) or heavy cut (based on significant decrease in canopy (1995-2001) unless the observer verified the previous conditions. Thus the need for a fuzzy accuracy assessment is pivotal to the true understanding of the accuracy of the map. (Congalton, R.G., Kass Green 1999. "Assessing the Accuracy of Remotely Sensed Data: Principles and Practices." CRC Press.;Gopal, S., Woodcock, C. 1994. Theory and methods for accuracy assessment of thematic maps using fuzzy sets. PERS. V60, N2, pp 181.)
Quantitative Attribute Accuracy Assessment:

Attribute Accuracy Value: dependency
Attribute Accuracy Explanation:
The use of the error or confusion matrix, allows the user of the map to understand the individual map accuracies of each land cover class which are plainly described along with errors of omission (errors of exclusion) and commission (errors of inclusion) (Congalton and Green, 1999). Additionally, per class accuracies are stated as a User's and Producer's percentage. User's accuracy is defined as the proportion of pixels assigned to a class that are correctly classified. The producer's accuracy is the proportion of the land in each class was correctly identified. For example, the producer's accuracy of the Pasture/Hay is reported as 74.6% while its user's accuracy is reported as 66.7%. Meaning that although 3 times in 4 the map correctly identifies Pasture/Hay, only 2 times in 3 will the area on the map that is mapped as Pasture/Hay actually be Pasture/Hay on the ground. The other 1 out of 3 times it would probably be cultivated crops or grassland/herbaceous. (Congalton, R.G., Kass Green 1999. "Assessing the Accuracy of Remotely Sensed Data: Principles and Practices." CRC Press.)
Quantitative Attribute Accuracy Assessment:

Attribute Accuracy Value: unknown
Attribute Accuracy Explanation:
It also must be noted that observations on the clear cut class (cut between 2001 - 2004) and forest regeneration class can not be made due to the lack of sufficient number of reference points to predict the class's accuracy with a reasonable degree of certainty. It is generally accepted that a minimum number of 30 points per class are needed to reliably predict the accuracy of any particular class. The low number of samples for these classes is due to either very few areas of that particular class exist, or that areas of the particular class were geographically clustered in a small area and not distributed over the state. While the accuracies for the above classes can not be predicted with certainty, their reference data are still reported as a factor in the maps overall accuracy.
Completeness Report: MELCD is complete.
Positional Accuracy:

Horizontal Positional Accuracy:

Horizontal Positional Accuracy Report: Horizontal accuracy is based on the accuracy of the underlying SPOT 5 data, which is < 15m error 95% of the time.
Quantitative Horizontal Positional Accuracy Assessment:

Horizontal Positional Accuracy Value: 15
Horizontal Positional Accuracy Explanation: Horizontal accuracy is based on the accuracy of the underlying SPOT 5 data, which is < 15m error 95% of the time.

Lineage:

Source Information:

Source Citation:

Citation Information:

Originator: Spot Image Corporation (SPOTCORP)
Publication Time: Unknown
Title: (SPOT) SPOT Satellites and Geospatial Products
Geospatial Data Presentation Form: remote-sensing image
Series Information:

Series Name: SPOT Satellites
Issue Identification: SPOT 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Other Citation Details:
Four SPOT (Satellite Pour l'Observation de la Terre) satellites have been launched since 1986. Each satellite carries two electro-optical sensors. The panchromatic sensor acquires single-band imagery in 10-meter spatial resolution, while the multispectral sensor captures 20-meter imagery in three wavelengths-visible green, visible red, and near infrared. On March 23, 1998, SPOT4 was launched with two additional capabilities: image acquisition in the middle infrared wave length band, and the "Vegetation" sensor for daily monitoring of the entire Earth at 1km resolution. The "adjustable viewing angles" on the sensors allow SPOT to acquire side-to-side stereoscopic imagery for three-dimensional surface viewing. This also allows SPOT to acquire repeat imagery of any point on the earth every day. On board recorders store image data for later transmission when the satellites are out of ground station receiving range. SPOT 1, 2 and 4 continue providing commercial service. SPOT 5, scheduled for launch in 2001, includes major advancements: panchromatic imagery with 2.5 meter resolution in a 60x60 kilometer scene size; a "fore-aft" sensor suite for stereo image acquisition to produce high-quality digital elevation models; additional imaging modes -5m panchromatic, 10m multispectral/4 band, 120 km swath width. SPOT Image Corporation; Background Information; Satellites and Geospatial Products; MK020SHE RVS000 11/10/99
Type of Source Media: filmstrip
Source Time Period of Content:

Time Period Information:

Range of Dates/Times:

Beginning Date: 1986
Beginning Time: Unknown
Ending Date: Present
Ending Time: Unknown

Source Currentness Reference: ground condition

Source Citation Abbreviation: spot05
Source Contribution: This land cover map was refined to the State of Maine requirements using NOAA Coastal Change Analysis Program (CCAP) SPOT 5 panchromatic imagery from 2004.

Source Information:

Source Citation:

Citation Information:

Originator: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) EROS Data Center (EDC)
Publication Date: 19970514
Title: doqq
Series Information:

Series Name: USGS Aerial Photography
Issue Identification: Digital Orthophoto Quadrangles

Publication Information:

Publication Place: Menlo Park, CA USA
Publisher:
U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Geological Survey

Other Citation Details:
1:12000 A digital orthophoto is a computer-generated image of an aerial photograph in which the image displacement caused by terrain relief and camera tilt has been removed.

A digital orthophoto can be incorporated into any geographic information system (GIS) that can manipulate raster images. It can function as a cartographic base for displaying, generating, and modifying associated digital planimetric data. Other applications include vegetation and timber management, routing and habitat analysis, environmental impact assessments, emergency evacuation planning, flood analysis, soil erosion assessment, facility management, and groundwater and watershed analysis. The accuracy and extraordinary detail provided by the digital orthophoto allow users to evaluate their data for accuracy and completeness, make real-time modifications to their data, and even generate new files.


DOQQ is a mosaic of digital orthophoto quarter quadrangles stored in a Maine Office of Geographic Information Systems (MEGIS) Oracle/ArcSDE environment. The digital orthophoto quarter quadrangles that form the mosaic are available for download from the Maine GIS Internet Data Catalog in compressed MrSID format in 7.5 minute quadrangle map extent. Compression with LizardTech's MrSID software creates two files a .sid image and an .sdw file georeferencing file, approximate size of the download is 12MB, one sixteenth of the uncompressed DOQQ image.

Online Linkage: http://megisims.state.me.us/website/orthomap/viewer.htm

Source Scale Denominator: 12000
Type of Source Media: online
Source Time Period of Content:

Time Period Information:

Range of Dates/Times:

Beginning Date: 5/7/1996
Beginning Time: Unknown
Ending Date: 6/10/1999
Ending Time: Unknown

Source Currentness Reference: ground condition

Source Citation Abbreviation: doqq
Source Contribution: Fuzzy interpretations were made and added to the database when warranted and agreed to by the State of Maine, i.e. when the interpretations from the DOQQs were ambiguous.

Source Information:

Source Citation:

Citation Information:

Originator: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) EROS Data Center (EDC)
Publication Date: 19820716
Publication Time: Unknown
Title: (LANDSATTM) Landsat Thematic Mapper Imagery
Geospatial Data Presentation Form: remote sensing image
Series Information:

Series Name: National Satellite Land Remote Sensing Data Archive
Issue Identification: LANDSAT

Publication Information:

Publication Place: Sioux Falls SD
Publisher: U.S. Geological Survey EROS Data Center

Other Citation Details:
On July 23, 1972, NASA launched the first in a series of satellites designed to provide repetitive global coverage of the Earth's land masses. When operational orbit was achieved, it was designated ERTS-1(later rename Landsat 1). The satellite ceased to operate on January 6, 1978, more than 5 years after its launch date. The second in this series of Earth resources satellites (designated ERTS-B renamed Landsat 2) was launched January 22, 1975. Three additional Landsats were launched in 1978, 1982, and 1984 (Landsats 3, 4, and 5 respectively). Each successive satellite system had improved sensor and communications capabilities. Landsat data have been used by government, commercial, industrial, civilian, and educational communities in the U.S. and worldwide. They are being used to support a wide range of applications in such areas as global change research, agriculture, forestry, geology, resources management, geography, mapping, water quality, and oceanography. Landsat data have potential applications for monitoring the conditions of the Earth's land surface. The images can be used to map anthropogenic and natural changes on the Earth over periods of several months to more than 15 years. The types of changes that can be identified include agricultural development, deforestation, natural disasters, urbanization, and the development and degradation of water resources. Landsats 4 and 5 carry both the multispectral (MSS) and the thematic mapper (TM) sensors; however, routine collection of MSS data was terminated in late 1992. The MSS and TM sensors primarily detect reflected radiation from the Earth surface in the visible and near-infrared (IR) wavelengths, but the TM sensor provides more radiometric information than the MSS sensor. The TM sensor has a spatial resolution of 30 meters for the visible, near-IR, and mid-IR wavelengths and a spatial resolution of 120 meters for the thermal-IR band. Paths 10 through 13 and Rows 27 through 30 cover Maine.
Online Linkage: http://edc.usgs.gov/Webglis/glisbin/guide.pl/glis/hyper/guide/landsat_tm

Source Time Period of Content:

Time Period Information:

Range of Dates/Times:

Beginning Date: 7/26/1982
Beginning Time: Unknown
Ending Date: Present
Ending Time: Unknown

Source Currentness Reference: publication date

Source Citation Abbreviation: landsattm
Source Contribution: The MELCD land cover map was primarily derived from Landsat Thematic Mapper 5 and 7 imagery, from the years 1999-2001.

Process Step:

Process Description:
MELCD is a land cover map for Maine primarily derived from Landsat Thematic Mapper 5 and 7 imagery, from the years 1999-2001. This imagery constitutes the basis for the National Land Cover Dataset (NLCD 2001) and the NOAA Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP). This land cover map was refined to the State of Maine requirements using SPOT 5 panchromatic imagery from 2004. The Landsat imagery used was for three seasons: early spring (leaf-off), summer, and early fall (senescence) and was collected with a spatial resolution of 30 m. The SPOT 5 panchromatic imagery was collected at a spatial resolution of 5 m during the spring and summer months of 2004. The map was developed in two distinct stages, the first stage was the development of a state wide land cover data set consistent with the NOAAC-CAP land cover map. The second stage was: a) the update to 2004 conditions, b) a refinement of the classification system to Maine specific classes and, c) a refinement of the spatial boundaries to create a polygon map based on 5 m imagery.

Image analysis techniques used in production of the map were a combination of supervised classification using Classification and Regression Tree (CART) algorithms and spatial modeling. The use of three Landsat image dates provided the ability to discriminate specific elements of the landscape. For example; the spring imagery was useful for the classification of wetlands and the separation of conifers and broadleaf species and the fall imagery was useful for the discrimination of broadleaf species. After the creation of the NOAA C-CAP base map, Sanborn used image segmentation to refine the spatial boundaries of the land cover classes, using a merge of the Landsat leaf on imagery and the SPOT 5 imagery. The segments produced by this process were labeled using automated methods to build the final Maine land cover dataset (MeLCD). After the completion of the classification, the map was extensively reviewed by Sanborn analysts and specific classes were modeled and edited by hand to remove class confusion.

Process Date: 20041111
Process Contact:

Contact Information:

Contact Organization Primary:

Contact Organization: Sanborn

Contact Position: GIS / RS Analyst
Contact Address:

Address Type: mailing and physical address
Address: 455 E Eisenhower Parkway
City: Ann Arbor
State or Province: MI
Postal Code: 48108
Country: USA

Contact Voice Telephone: 734 213-1060
Contact Facsimile Telephone: 734 213-1085
Hours of Service: 0800 - 1600 (Monday - Friday) EST
Contact Instructions: Sanborn Solutions - www.sanborn.com

Cloud Cover: 0

Direct Spatial Reference Method: Raster

Horizontal Coordinate System Definition:

Planar:

Grid Coordinate System:

Grid Coordinate System Name: Universal Transverse Mercator 1983
Universal Transverse Mercator:

UTM Zone Number: 19
Transverse Mercator:

Scale Factor at Central Meridian: 0.9996
Longitude of Central Meridian: -69
Latitude of Projection Origin: 0
False Easting: 500000
False Northing: 0

Planar Coordinate Information:

Planar Coordinate Encoding Method: Coordinate Pair
Coordinate Representation:

Abscissa Resolution: 5
Ordinate Resolution: 5

Geodetic Model:

Horizontal Datum Name: North American Datum of 1983
Ellipsoid Name: Geodetic Reference System 80
Semi-major Axis: 6378137
Denominator of Flattening Ratio: 298.257

Detailed Description:

Entity Type:

Entity Type Label: MELCD
Entity Type Definition: value attribute table
Entity Type Definition Source: Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI)

Attribute:

Attribute Label: Count

Attribute:

Attribute Label: Value
Attribute Definition: Classification
Attribute Domain Values:

Enumerated Domain:

Enumerated Domain Value: 0
Enumerated Domain Value Definition Source: MELCD
Enumerated Domain Value: 1
Enumerated Domain Value Definition Source: MELCD
Enumerated Domain Value: 2
Enumerated Domain Value Definition:
2 Developed High Intensity-Includes highly developed areas where people reside or work in high numbers. Impervious surfaces account for 80 to 100 percent of the total cover.
Characteristic land cover features: Large commercial/industrial complexes and associated parking, commercial strip development, large barns, hangars, interstate highways, and runways.

Enumerated Domain Value Definition Source: MELCD
Enumerated Domain Value: 3
Enumerated Domain Value Definition:
3 Developed Medium Intensity-Includes areas with a mixture of constructed materials and vegetation. Impervious surfaces account for 50 to 79 percent of the total cover.
Characteristic land cover features: Small buildings such as single family housing units, farm outbuildings, and large sheds.

Enumerated Domain Value Definition Source: MELCD
Enumerated Domain Value: 4
Enumerated Domain Value Definition:
4 Developed Low Intensity-Includes areas with a mixture of constructed materials and vegetation. Impervious surfaces account for 21 to 49 percent of total cover.
Characteristic land cover features: Same as Medium Intensity Developed with the addition of streets and roads with associated trees and grasses. If roads or portions of roads are present in the imagery they are represented as this class in the final land cover product.

Enumerated Domain Value Definition Source: MELCD
Enumerated Domain Value: 5
Enumerated Domain Value Definition:
5 Developed Open Space-Includes areas with a mixture of some constructed materials, but mostly vegetation in the form of lawn grasses. Impervious surfaces account for less than 20 percent of total cover.
Characteristic land cover features: Parks, lawns, athletic fields, golf courses, and natural grasses occurring around airports and industrial sites.

Enumerated Domain Value Definition Source: MELCD
Enumerated Domain Value: 6
Enumerated Domain Value Definition:
6 Cultivated Land-Areas used for the production of annual crops. Crop vegetation accounts for greater than 20 percent of total vegetation. This class also includes all land being actively tilled.
Characteristic land cover features: Crops (corn, soybeans, vegetables, tobacco, and cotton), orchards, nurseries, and vineyards.

Enumerated Domain Value Definition Source: MELCD
Enumerated Domain Value: 7
Enumerated Domain Value Definition:
7 Pasture/Hay-Areas of grasses, legumes, or grass-legume mixtures planted for livestock grazing or the production of seed or hay crops, typically on a perennial cycle and not tilled. Pasture/hay vegetation accounts for greater than 20 percent of total vegetation.
Characteristic land cover features: Crops such as alfalfa, hay, and winter wheat.

Enumerated Domain Value Definition Source: MELCD
Enumerated Domain Value: 8
Enumerated Domain Value Definition:
8 Grassland/Herbaceous-Areas dominated by grammanoid or herbaceous vegetation, generally greater than 80 percent of total vegetation. These areas are not subject to intensive management such as tilling, but can be utilized for grazing.
Characteristic land cover features: Prairies, meadows, fallow fields, clear-cuts with natural grasses, and undeveloped lands with naturally occurring grasses.

Enumerated Domain Value Definition Source: MELCD
Enumerated Domain Value: 9
Enumerated Domain Value Definition:
9 Deciduous Forest-Areas dominated by trees generally greater than 5 meters tall and greater than 20 percent of total vegetation cover. More than 75 percent of the tree species shed foliage simultaneously in response to seasonal change.
Characteristic species: Maples (Acer), Hickory (Carya), Oaks (Quercus), and Aspen (Populus tremuloides).

Enumerated Domain Value Definition Source: MELCD
Enumerated Domain Value: 10
Enumerated Domain Value Definition:
10 Evergreen Forest-Areas dominated by trees generally greater than 5 meters tall and greater than 20 percent of total vegetation cover. More than 75 percent of the tree species maintain their leaves all year. Canopy is never without green foliage.
Characteristic species: Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris), slash pine (Pinus ellioti), shortleaf pine (Pinus echinta), loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), and other southern yellow (Picea); various spruces and balsam fir (Abies balsamea); white pine (Pinus strobus), red pine (Pinus resinosa), and jack pine (Pinus banksiana); hemlock (Tsuga canadensis); and such western species as Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), ponderosa pine (Pinus monticola), Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis), Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmanni), western red cedar (Thuja plicata), and western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla).

Enumerated Domain Value Definition Source: MELCD
Enumerated Domain Value: 11
Enumerated Domain Value Definition:
11 Mixed Forest-Areas dominated by trees generally greater than 5 meters tall, and greater than 20 percent of total vegetation cover. Neither deciduous nor evergreen species are greater than 75 percent of total tree cover.
Enumerated Domain Value Definition Source: MELCD
Enumerated Domain Value: 12
Enumerated Domain Value Definition:
12 Scrub-Shrub-Areas dominated by shrubs less than 5 meters tall with shrub canopy typically greater than 20 percent of total vegetation. This class includes tree shrubs, young trees in an early successional stage, or trees stunted from environmental conditions.
Characteristic species: Those listed in 9 and 10 as well as chaparral species such as chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum), chaparral honeysuckle (Lonicera interrupta), scrub oak (Quercus beberidifolia), sagebrush (artemisia tridentate), and manzanita (Arctostaphylos spp.).

Enumerated Domain Value Definition Source: MELCD
Enumerated Domain Value: 13
Enumerated Domain Value Definition:
13 Forested Wetland-Includes all tidal and nontidal wetlands dominated by woody vegetation greater than or equal to 5 meters in height, and all such wetlands that occur in tidal areas in which salinity due to ocean-derived salts is below 0.5 percent. Total vegetation coverage is greater than 20 percent.
Characteristic species: Tupelo (Nyssa), Cottonwoods (Populus deltoids), Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum), American elm (Ulmus Americana), Ash (Fraxinus), and Tamarack.

Enumerated Domain Value Definition Source: MELCD
Enumerated Domain Value: 15
Enumerated Domain Value Definition:
15 Wetlands-Palustrine Scrub-Shrub, Palustrine Emergent, Estuarine Scrub-Shrub, Estuarine Emergent Palustrine Scrub-Shrub-Characteristic species: Alders (Alnus spp.), willows (Salix spp.), buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis), red osier dogwood (Cornus stolonifera), honeycup (Zenobia pulverenta), spirea (Spiraea douglassii), bog birch (Betula pumila), and young trees such as red maple (Acer rubrum) and black spruce (Picea mariana).

Palustrine Emergent Wetland-Characteristic species: Cattails (Typha spp.), sedges (Carex spp.), bulrushes (Scirpus spp.), rushes (Juncus spp.), saw grass (Cladium jamaicaense), and reed (Phragmites australis).

Estuarine Scrub-Shrub Wetland-Characteristic species: Sea-myrtle (Baccharis halimifolia) and marsh elder (Iva frutescens).

Estuarine Emergent Wetland-Characteristic species: Cordgrass (Spartina spp.), needlerush (Juncus roemerianus), narrow leaved cattail ( Typha angustifolia), southern wild rice (Zizaniopsis miliacea), common pickleweed (Salicornia virginica), sea blite (Suaeda californica), and arrow grass (Triglochin martimum).

Enumerated Domain Value Definition Source: MELCD
Enumerated Domain Value: 16
Enumerated Domain Value Definition: 16 Road/Runway-Developed Hight Intensity Sub-type includes some of Maine's major highways and most airports with paved runways.
Enumerated Domain Value Definition Source: MELCD
Enumerated Domain Value: 19
Enumerated Domain Value Definition:
19 Unconsolidated Shore-Unconsolidated material such as silt, sand, or gravel that is subject to inundation and redistribution due to the action of water. Characterized by substrates lacking vegetation except for pioneering plants that become established during brief periods when growing conditions are favorable. Erosion and deposition by waves and currents produce a number of landforms representing this class.
Characteristic land cover features: Beaches, bars, and flats.

Enumerated Domain Value Definition Source: MELCD
Enumerated Domain Value: 20
Enumerated Domain Value Definition:
20 Bare Land (rock/sand/clay)-Barren areas of bedrock, desert pavement, scarps, talus, slides, volcanic material, glacial debris, sand dunes, strip mines, gravel pits, and other accumulations of earth material. Generally, vegetation accounts for less than 10 percent of total cover.
Characteristic land cover features: Quarries, strip mines, gravel pits, dunes, beaches above the high-water line, sandy areas other than beaches, deserts and arid riverbeds, and exposed rock.

Enumerated Domain Value Definition Source: MELCD
Enumerated Domain Value: 21
Enumerated Domain Value Definition:
21 Open Water-All areas of open water, generally with less than 25 percent cover of vegetation or soil.
Characteristic land cover features: Lakes, rivers, reservoirs, streams, ponds, and ocean.

Enumerated Domain Value Definition Source: MELCD
Enumerated Domain Value: 22
Enumerated Domain Value Definition:
22 Blueberry Field-This type is composed of agricultural fields dominated by the production of low-bush blueberries. Multiple structural forms include: burned field, pruned field, early season with leaves, and late season with leaves and fruit set (Yardborough, 1996). This type is most common in eastern Maine and occurs primarily on acidic gravel soils.
Enumerated Domain Value Definition Source: MELCD
Enumerated Domain Value: 23
Enumerated Domain Value Definition:
23 Clear-Cut-This type includes areas harvested from forest with greater than 90% canopy cover removal and expected to regenerate into forest. This class is structurally similar to Crops/Ground with minimal biomass present, but the satellite imagery or other data indicated that the areas were previously forested.
Characterization conditional: Forest loss must have occurred after 1995.

Enumerated Domain Value Definition Source: MELCD
Enumerated Domain Value: 24
Enumerated Domain Value Definition:
24 Light Partial Cut-This type is composed of forestland where less than 50% of the overstory canopy has been removed through harvesting. Harvesting may have occurred previously. May include improvement thinning, light shelterwood and light selection harvests.
Characterization conditional: Forest loss must have occurred after 1995.

Enumerated Domain Value Definition Source: MELCD
Enumerated Domain Value: 25
Enumerated Domain Value Definition:
25 Heavy Partial Cut-This type includes forestland where greater than 50% of the overstory canopy has been removed through harvesting. Harvesting may have occurred previously. May include heavy shelter wood and heavy selection harvests.
Characterization conditional: Forest loss must have occurred after 1995.

Enumerated Domain Value Definition Source: MELCD
Enumerated Domain Value: 26
Enumerated Domain Value Definition:
26 Forest Regeneration-Forested areas previously harvested that have begun to regenerate to forest are included in this type. Seedling to sapling sized trees are expected, possibly with some residual trees present. Species present will vary based on the original site composition, harvesting techniques and site disturbance, and the presence of advance regeneration at the time of harvesting. These sites will return to mature forests.
Characterization conditional: Forest loss and subsequent re-growth must have occurred after 1995.

Enumerated Domain Value Definition Source: MELCD
Enumerated Domain Value: 27
Enumerated Domain Value Definition:
27 Alpine/Tundra-Treeless cover beyond the latitudinal limit of the boreal forest in poleward regions and above the elevation range of the boreal forest in high mountains. In the United States, tundra occurs primarily in Alaska, several areas of the western high mountain ranges, and isolated enclaves in the high mountains of New England and northern New York.
Enumerated Domain Value Definition Source: MELCD

Range Domain:

Range Domain Minimum: 0
Range Domain Maximum: 27

Overview Description:

Entity and Attribute Overview:
MELCD is a raster whose pixel values represent the classification of areas into 23 classifications: developed high intensity; road/runway; developed medium intensity; developed low intensity; developed open space; cultivated land; blueberry field; pasture/hay; grassland/herbaceous; deciduous forest; evergreen forest; mixed forest; scrub-shrub; forested wetland; wetland; unconsolidated shore; bare land; open water; clear-cut; light partial cut (post 1995); heavy partial cut (post 1995); forest regeneration (post 1995); alpine/tundra.

Distributor:

Contact Information:

Contact Organization Primary:

Contact Organization: (MEGIS) Maine Office of Geographic Information Systems

Contact Position: GIS Coordinator
Contact Address:

Address Type: mailing address
Address: State House Station 145
City: Augusta
State or Province: ME
Postal Code: 04333-0145
Country: USA

Contact Voice Telephone: (207) 624-7700
Contact Facsimile Telephone: (207) 287-3842
Hours of Service: Monday through Friday 0800 - 1700 EST

Resource Description: Downloadable Data
Distribution Liability:
Users must assume responsibility to determine the usability of this data for their purposes. Although these data have been processed successfully on a computer system at the Maine Office of Geographic Information Systems, no warranty expressed or implied is made by MEGIS regarding the utility of the data on any other system, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. Neither the Maine Office of Geographic Information Systems, nor any of its contributors, is liable for misuse of the data, for damage, for transmission of viruses, or for computer contamination through the distribution of these data sets.
Standard Order Process:

Digital Form:

Digital Transfer Information:

Format Name: GeoTIFF
Format Specification: Tagged Image File Format
Format Information Content:
TIFF image format is in widespread use in the desktop publishing world. It serves as an interface to several scanners and graphic arts packages. TIFF supports black-and-white, grayscale, pseudo color, and true color images, all of which can be stored in a compressed or decompressed format. TIFF images may contain georeferencing information in header tags, or a .tfw file, defined by the GeoTIFF standard. ArcGIS currently supports GeoTIFF tags.
File Decompression Technique:
Data available from this website is in .zip compressed format. WinZip is a Windows based, PKZip-compatible compression utility. You will need a program like this to extract the data. A link to a trial copy WinZip software is available at http://megis.maine.gov/links/.
Digital Transfer Option:

Online Option:

Access Instructions:
These data are available to Internet browsers for download from the Maine GIS Internet Data Catalog. Data available from this website is in .zip compressed format. WinZip is a Windows based, PKZip-compatible compression utility. You will need a program like this to extract the data. A link to a trial copy WinZip software is available at http://megis.maine.gov/software.asp. If you are not already a GIS user, free software for viewing these files is available from Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI). See http://megis.maine.gov/links/ for a link to ArcExplorer 9.x .
Digital Transfer Option:

Online Option:

Access Instructions: Where file size and Internet access permit, data requests can be made available via File Transfer Protocol (FTP).

Fees: Data may be downloaded from Maine GIS Internet Data Catalog at no charge.
Turnaround: Data is available for immediate download from the Maine GIS Internet Data Catalog.

Standard Order Process:

Available Time Period:

Time Period Information:

Range of Dates/Times:

Beginning Date: 11/11/2004
Ending Date: Present

Distributor:

Contact Information:

Contact Organization Primary:

Contact Organization: (MEGIS) Maine Office of Geographic Information Systems

Contact Position: GIS Coordinator
Contact Address:

Address Type: mailing address
Address: State House Station 145
City: Augusta
State or Province: ME
Postal Code: 04333-0145
Country: USA

Contact Voice Telephone: (207) 624-7700
Contact Facsimile Telephone: (207) 287-3842
Hours of Service: Monday through Friday 0800 - 1700 EST

Distribution Liability: Users must assume responsibility to determine the usability of this data for their purposes.
Standard Order Process:

Digital Form:

Digital Transfer Information:

Format Name: ARCSDE
Format Version Number: ArcSDE 9.x
Format Information Content: Oracle 9i

Digital Transfer Option:

Online Option:

Access Instructions: Please contact the Maine Office of GIS (MEGIS) for access instructions.

Fees: Access is available through Maine's wide area network; WAN users may contact the Maine Office of Information Technology, Maine Office of Geographic Information Systems (MEGIS) for a login.

Metadata Date: 5/9/2006
Metadata Review Date: 5/23/2006
Metadata Future Review Date:
Metadata Contact:

Contact Information:

Contact Organization Primary:

Contact Organization: Sanborn

Contact Position: GIS / RS Analyst
Contact Address:

Address Type: mailing and physical address
Address: 455 E Eisenhower Parkway
City: Ann Arbor
State or Province: MI
Postal Code: 48108
Country: USA

Contact Voice Telephone: 734 213-1060
Contact Facsimile Telephone: 734 213-1085
Hours of Service: 0800 - 1600 (Monday - Friday) EST
Contact Instructions: Sanborn Solutions - www.sanborn.com

Metadata Standard Name: FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata
Metadata Standard Version: FGDC-STD-001-1998
Metadata Time Convention: local time
Metadata Security Information:

Metadata Security Classification: Unclassified

Metadata Extensions:

Online Linkage: http://www.esri.com/metadata/esriprof80.html
Profile Name: ESRI Metadata Profile