Data Summary

Philadelphia Land Cover Raster 2008

2008 - City of Philadelphia


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API
REST:

WMS:


ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Web Application: https://metadata.phila.gov/

Data Archive:
Download historic versions of this dataset


ABSTRACT
High resolution land cover dataset for Philadelphia. Seven land cover classes were mapped: (1) tree canopy, (2) grass/shrub, (3) bare earth, (4) water, (5) buildings, (6) roads, and (7) other paved surfaces. The minimum mapping unit for the delineation of features was set at ten square feet. The primary sources used to derive this land cover layer were 2008 Orthophotography and 2008 LiDAR LAS data. Ancillary data sources included GIS data (building footprints, road polygons, and hydrography) provided by City of Philadelphia. This land cover dataset is considered current as of 2008. Object-based image analysis techniques (OBIA) were employed to extract land cover information using the best available remotely sensed and vector GIS datasets. OBIA systems work by grouping pixels into meaningful objects based on their spectral and spatial properties, while taking into account boundaries imposed by existing vector datasets. Within the OBIA environment a rule-based expert system was designed to effectively mimic the process of manual image analysis by incorporating the elements of image interpretation (color/tone, texture, pattern, location, size, and shape) into the classification process. A series of morphological procedures were employed to insure that the end product is both accurate and cartographically pleasing. No accuracy assessment was conducted, but the dataset was subject to a thorough manual quality control. More than 30700 corrections were made to the classification.