1997 LAND USE/LAND COVER DATA
Several state agencies, led by DelDOT, funded a project to create GIS layers showing land use and land cover based on interpretation of 1997 digital orthophotography. The work was performed by EarthData International and coordinated by DelDOT. The cost was shared among DelDOT, DNREC, Agriculture, DEDO, DSHA and WILMAPCO. The 1997 data sets have been been updated and replaced by a data set created using 2002 orthophotography.
The 1997 land use and land cover data was analyzed to produce a land use change report: Gross Land Use Changes in Delaware, 1992 to 1997 (PDF).
The 1997 data sets are available in ESRI Shapefile and *.E00 export formats. They are cut at the county level. Land uses are coded using the Anderson et al Land Classification System.
- New Castle County -- nccoshp.zip or nccoe00.zip
- Kent County -- kentshp.zip or kente00.zip
- Sussex County -- ssxshp.zip or ssxe00.zip
For ease of use, we have prepared set of tools for using these files with ArcView GIS. These are available in one ZIPPED file -- lulctool.zip. This file includes a linkable database file (lulccode.dbf) relating the Anderson numerical codes to the text land use descriptions. We have also created several ArcView 3.x Legend files (AVL) that use traditional land use color codes from the planning profession (yellow for residential, red for commercial, etc.). These must be used in conjunction with the database file. One (lulc_gen.avl) is a generalized legend that shows all uses within major categories (All residential is yellow, all commercial is red, etc). A second (lulc_det.avl) is a more detailed version, showing different types of land uses within major categories, using different shades and fills. A third (topolike.avl) is a legend that limits display to several land cover categories (forest, water, wetlands, etc.) and that attempts to mimic some of the details that might appear on a USGS topographic map.
Additional notes on the 1997 Land Use/Land Cover data are also available. They explain some minor anomalies and changes discovered in the process of analysis.
