This document summarizes land cover change analysis tools and data developed by NOAA to improve conservation and restoration efforts in the Great Lakes region. It describes the Coastal Change Analysis Program, which maps land cover every 5 years. Analysis of C-CAP data from 1985 to 2010 found increases in developed and scrubland areas and decreases in agriculture, forest, and grasslands. The document also outlines a land cover atlas, wetland modeling tool, planned water quality tool, and an open-source nonpoint source pollution model.

1. Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management | Coastal Services Center
Land Cover Change Analysis in the
Great Lakes, 1985 to 2010:
Data and Tools to Improve Conservation and Restoration Efforts
Brandon Krumwiede1
Nate Herold2
Jamie Carter1
1The Baldwin Group at NOAA OCRM | CSC
2NOAA OCRM | CSC

2. Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management | Coastal Services Center
What happens on the land, impacts what
happens in the water…
Harmful Algae Bloom, Lake Erie, 2011
Credit: MERIS/NASA; Processed by NOAA/NOS/NCCOS

3. Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management | Coastal Services Center
Overview
• Coastal Change Analysis Program (C‐CAP)
• C‐CAP Trends in the Great Lakes
• Land Cover Atlas
• Wetland Potential Data Model
• Water Quality Assessment Tool (In Development)
• Open‐source Nonpoint Source Pollution and Erosion
Comparison Tool (OpenNSPECT)

4. Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management | Coastal Services Center
Coastal Change Analysis Program
(C‐CAP)

5. Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management | Coastal Services Center
Coastal Change Analysis Program
(C‐CAP)
• NOAA maps 25% of the contiguous U.S.
• Coastal Expression of the NLCD
(National Land Cover Database)
NLCD is 95% C‐CAP in coastal areas
• Added focus on wetlands detail
• Updated every 5 years
• Produced through change detection
and update mapping process
• High Resolution Available*

6. Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management | Coastal Services Center
C‐CAP Development: 2010/2011
as of April 2014
Available Now
(with improvements)
Available Now
(without improvements)
This image cannot currently be displayed.This image cannot currently be displayed.

7. Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management | Coastal Services Center
C‐CAP Development: Great Lakes
1975 1985 1996 2001 2006 2010 2015
Illinois FY15     
Indiana FY15     
Michigan FY15 Pending    
Minnesota FY15     
New York FY15 Pending    
Ohio FY15 Pending    
Pennsylvania FY15 Pending    
Wisconsin FY15     

8. Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management | Coastal Services Center
C‐CAP / NLCD Comparison
NLCD C‐CAP

9. Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management | Coastal Services Center
C‐CAP / NLCD Comparison
NLCD 2006 C‐CAP 2006 (Recolored)
Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge Area, Ohio

10. Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management | Coastal Services Center
C‐CAP Trends in the Great Lakes

11. Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management | Coastal Services Center
C‐CAP Trends in the Great Lakes

12. Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management | Coastal Services Center
C‐CAP Trends in the Great LakesPreliminary Results
Preliminary Results
Developed
Agriculture
Grassland
Forest
Scrub
Wetland
Barren
Open Water
‐3000
‐2000
‐1000
0
1000
2000
3000
Area (km2)
Net Land Cover Change in the Great Lakes
1996 ‐ 2010

13. Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management | Coastal Services Center
C‐CAP Trends in the Great Lakes
Percent Change 96 ‐ 01 01 ‐ 06 06 ‐ 10 96 ‐ 10
Developed 0.31% 0.12% 0.23% 0.66%
Agriculture ‐0.12% ‐0.08% ‐0.13% ‐0.33%
Grassland ‐0.27% 0.12% 0.04% ‐0.11%
Forest ‐0.13% ‐0.24% ‐0.26% ‐0.64%
Scrub 0.17% 0.07% 0.13% 0.37%
Wetland 0.05% 0.00% ‐0.01% 0.04%
Barren 0.05% 0.02% 0.00% 0.06%
Open Water ‐0.05% ‐0.01% 0.00% ‐0.06%

14. Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management | Coastal Services Center
C‐CAP Trends in the Great Lakes
1985

15. Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management | Coastal Services Center
C‐CAP Trends in the Great Lakes
2010

16. Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management | Coastal Services Center
C‐CAP Land Cover Atlas

17. Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management | Coastal Services Center
C‐CAP Land Cover Atlas
• Online Data Viewer (no desktop software required)
• User Friendly Access
• Summarizes general land change trends
• Customizable Analysis
• Now Available:
– 2010 Data
– Watershed Selection

18. Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management | Coastal Services Center
C‐CAP Land Cover Atlas

19. Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management | Coastal Services Center
C‐CAP Land Cover Atlas

20. Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management | Coastal Services Center
C‐CAP Land Cover Atlas

21. Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management | Coastal Services Center
C‐CAP Land Cover Atlas

22. Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management | Coastal Services Center
Wetland Potential Data Model

23. Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management | Coastal Services Center
C‐CAP Data Application:
Potential Wetland Modeling
Background:
• Improve wetland mapping
accuracies
• Use data and methods
extendable nationally
• Align with Federal Geographic
Data Committee (FGDC)
wetland mapping standard
• Provide flexibility for multiple
wetland definitions
• Integrate RS and ancillary
data
Challenges:
•Wetlands are not always wet
•Canopy is not easy to see through
•Landsat is often not the best
scale for wetlands
•Ancillary data has not been
available historically
•Best available data all have
“warts” of their own

24. Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management | Coastal Services Center
Input Data Included:
• National Wetlands Inventory (NWI)
• Gridded Soil Survey Geographic (gSSURGO) Database
• National Hydrography Dataset (NHD)
• National Elevation Data (NED)
• Landsat Imagery
• Existing C‐CAP Land Cover
C‐CAP Data Application:
Potential Wetland Modeling

25. Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management | Coastal Services Center
C‐CAP Data Application:
Potential Wetland Modeling
• Step 1: Create a wetland potential surface from
nationally available / standard data sets.
– Use the strengths of each to overcome the weaknesses of others.
• Step 2: Use this layer to flag and correct the
mapping of wetlands land cover categories.
– Flag uplands that could be wet and wetlands that might not be.

26. Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management | Coastal Services Center
Water Quality Assessment Tool
(In Development)

27. Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management | Coastal Services Center
Water Quality Assessment Tool
Focus Area Analysis & Reporting:
• Impervious Surfaces
• Forest Canopy
• Turf Grass
• Riparian Buffers

28. Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management | Coastal Services Center
Open‐source Nonpoint Source
Pollution and Erosion Comparison
Tool (OpenNSPECT)

29. Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management | Coastal Services Center
Open‐source Nonpoint Source Pollution and
Erosion Comparison Tool (OpenNSPECT)
• Open‐source software
– Map Window 4.x (Windows)
• Data Inputs:
– Land Cover / Use
– Elevation
– Soil
– Rainfall Factor (R‐Factor)
– Precipitation

30. Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management | Coastal Services Center
Resources
Coastal Change Analysis Program
http://www.csc.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/data/ccapregional/
C‐CAP Land Cover Atlas
http://www.csc.noaa.gov/ccapatlas/
Open‐source Nonpoint Source Pollution and Erosion Comparison Tool
http://www.csc.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/tools/opennspect
Water Quality Assessment Tool
Coming Soon!

31. Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management | Coastal Services Center
Thank You!
NOAA Coastal Services Center Contacts:
• Brandon Krumwiede – Great Lakes Geospatial Coordinator
brandon.krumwiede@noaa.gov
• Nate Herold – Physical Scientist, C‐CAP Manager
nate.herold@noaa.gov
• Dave Eslinger – Physical Scientist, OpenNSPECT Project Lead
dave.eslinger@noaa.gov