Abstract:
VegScape is a web-based geospatial application that delivers interactive vegetation indices so that users can explore, visualize, query, and disseminate current vegetative cover maps and data without the need for specialized expertise, software, or high end computers. New satellite-based data are loaded on a weekly basis during the growing season. One can compare year-to-year change since the year 2000, compare conditions at a given times to mean, median and ratio vegetative cover, and can overlay a crop mask to help identify crop land versus non-crop land, among many functions. Vegetation indices, such as the NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), and mean, median, and ratio comparisons to prior years have proven useful for assessing crop condition and identifying the land area impacted by floods, drought, major weather anomalies, and vulnerabilities of early/late season crops. The National Aeronautics Space Administration's MODIS satellite is used for this project and provides imaging at 250 meter (15 acres) per pixel resolution. Additionally, the data can be directly exported to Google Earth for mashups or delivered to other applications via web services.
NASS developed the VegScape web services in cooperation with the Center for Spatial Information Science and Systems, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA.
VegScape users can explore, visualize, query, and disseminate current vegetative cover maps and data without the need for specialized expertise, software, or high end computers. New satellite-based data are loaded on a weekly basis during the growing season. One can compare year-to-year change since the year 2000, compare conditions at a given times to mean, median and ratio vegetative cover, and can overlay a crop mask to help identify crop land versus non-crop land, among many functions. Vegetation indices, such as the NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), and mean, median, and ratio comparisons to prior years have proven useful for assessing crop condition and identifying the land area impacted by floods, drought, major weather anomalies, and vulnerabilities of early/late season crops.
Supplemental_Information:
The data is available free for viewing and download through VegScape at <https://nassgeodata.gmu.edu/VegScape/>.
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ISO 19115 Topic Category
Theme_Keyword: farming, 001
Theme_Keyword: environment, 007
Theme_Keyword: imageryBaseMapsEarthCover, 010
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
Theme_Keyword: Earth Science > Biosphere > Vegetation > Vegetation Index
Theme_Keyword:
Earth Science > Biosphere > Terrestrial Ecosystems > Agricultural Lands
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Instrument Keywords
Theme_Keyword: MODIS > Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
Theme_Keyword: vegetative condition
Theme_Keyword: vegetation indices
Theme_Keyword: vegetation index
Theme_Keyword: NDVI
Theme_Keyword: VCI
Theme_Keyword: crop mask
Theme_Keyword: cropland
Theme_Keyword: agriculture
Theme_Keyword: MODIS
Theme_Keyword: VegScape
Place:
Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords
Place_Keyword: Continent > North America > United States of America
Place:
Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
Place_Keyword: United States
Place_Keyword: USA
Place_Keyword: CONUS
Temporal:
Temporal_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
Temporal_Keyword: 2000-ongoing on a daily, weekly, and biweekly basis
The data offered on the VegScape website is provided to the public as is and is considered public domain and free to redistribute. The USDA NASS does not warrant any conclusions drawn from these data.
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization: USDA NASS, Spatial Analysis Research Section
Contact_Person: USDA NASS, Spatial Analysis Research Section staff
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical address
Address: 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Room 5029 South Building
City: Washington
State_or_Province: District of Columbia
Postal_Code: 20250-2001
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: 800-727-9540
Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 855-493-0447
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: SM.NASS.RDD.GIB@usda.gov