IO MONITOR 3m Land Cover

3m Land Cover Classes

Water Channel Extent

Full extent of water under normal circumstances (maximum long-term footprint outside of flooding or other exceptional events). Covers areas like lake beds and arroyos where water might be present regularly, but only seasonally.

Variable Water

Intermittent water flow or standing water, representing seasonal fluctuation in cover, weather events, or human activities. At times this class may occur due to frequent turbidity, algal blooms, ice cover, pollution, or glare.

Persistent Water

Sustained water flow or standing water, representing permanent or sustained seasonal cover.

Dense Trees

Healthy, closely packed tree canopy cover (vegetation over 5m high) with very little to no vegetation or bare ground cover. Defined as a tree prediction with a maximum Normalized Difference Vegetation (NDVI) value greater than or equal to a biome-specific threshold during the given time period.

Sparse Trees

Vegetation that is predominantly tree canopy cover (vegetation over 5m high) with some mixing of other vegetation or bare ground due to relatively thin leaf cover and/or dispersed distribution of trees. In some circumstances this class can also indicate trees gaining/losing leaves or dying/growing during the given time period. Defined as a tree prediction with a maximum NDVI value lower than a biome-specific threshold during the given time period.

Dense Rangeland

Healthy, closely packed vegetation that is predominantly dense, short (under 5m) woody shrubs with very little to no mixed grass or bare ground cover. May contain small isolated trees. Within and around areas classified as built, this class can also include highly manicured lawns or fields. Defined as a rangeland prediction with a maximum NDVI value greater than or equal to a biome-specific threshold during the given time period.

Sparse Rangeland

Vegetation that is some mix of grasses and/or dispersed, short, woody scrub, with or without some bare ground cover. May contain small isolated trees. Defined as a rangeland prediction with a maximum NDVI value less than a biome-specific threshold during the given time period.

Flooded Vegetation

Areas of vegetation with obvious intermixing of water throughout the majority of the given time period; mostly herbaceous (non-woody) vegetation and/or scattered tree (mangrove)/scrub/shrub cover. Thick mangrove, swamp, or seasonal wetland may fall under their next-best-fit vegetation classes if water is not observed during the given time period.

Mixed Vegetation

Mixed types of vegetation, primarily in the vicinity of human structures and settlement.

Active Cropland

Actively growing crops, irrigated pastures, and other vegetation actively managed by humans.

Inactive Cropland

Fallow or otherwise inactive fields, sometimes mixed with small infrastructure in close proximity of active crops.

Other Built

Unidentified impervious surface in relation to buildings/roads.

Building

Built up artificial construction with no vegetation.

Bare Ground

Areas of rock or soil with very sparse to no vegetation for the entire year; large areas of sand with little to no vegetation; examples: exposed rock or soil, desert, dry salt flats, dry lake beds.

Road

Paved surfaces created by humans for transportation, does not include dirt roads.

Snow/Ice

Large, homogenous areas of persistent snow or ice, typically only in mountain areas or high latitudes.

Clouds

No land cover information due to continual cloud cover.