Missouri Land Cover Ground Verification

Project Overview - 11/97

The objective of the Missouri Land Cover project is to produce a high quality land cover database for multiple uses. More detailed or more general land cover information can be produced depending on user needs, access to different types of data (satellite images, photos, etc.), and time and personnel availability. We hope this built in flexibility will prove beneficial to a variety of users.

The goal of the current land cover ground verification effort is to provide information to complete a quantifiable statewide classification. The satellite images on which it is based were taken from 1991 to 1993; hence there is a place to note possible changes since then, if known. We have processed and classified the satellite data using photos to identify classes, but now additional information is needed to refine and improve the results. The collection of ground truth data is time intensive and requires input from knowledgeable biologists. Personnel from Missouri Resource Assessment Partnership (MoRAP) agencies are cooperating to provide this valuable information. Your input is greatly appreciated; the following materials have been designed and tested to both maximize their utility and minimize the time and effort required to provide valuable input.

Materials consist of (1) a standard USGS 7.5" quad sheet, (2) a quad sheet with the current draft of the classification with sites for ground checking marked and numbered, (3) a field data recording sheet, and (4) a copy of the the Phase II Land Cover Classess. We ask that you visit the sites marked (just a single location within the site marked - we do not expect that you will walk the site) and fill out the data recording sheet to (1) determine whether the classification as mapped appears correct (Yes or No - if yes provide a more detailed class if possible), (2) if not, determine if a different class from the classification scheme provided appears to fit better, and (3) provide a brief note on the major dominant species and structure of the vegetation. Among these bits of information, your brief note on the dominant species and structure of the vegetation will be most valuable. We expect that the Land Cover Classes will be altered and expanded based on your input.

Please note that you are checking the specific sites as marked, not validating the entire classification for the quad sheet. We understand that you will not be able to visit all sites on the ground due to access difficulty. When sites cannot be accessed, we hope that you can still provide input based on your experience, visual inspection of the site from a distance, logical inference based on surrounding vegetation, etc. The marked and numbered sites correspond with specific, homogeneous classes within our original image classification. Thus, the data collected will be most useful in improving this draft and will help us provide the most accurate, highest quality result possible.

Thank you again for your efforts. Please call David Diamond at (573) 876-1862 or Taisia Gordon (573) 875-5399 ext. 1704 if you have any questions.