GIS in Action 2024

The NOAA Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP) has been an authoritative source for land cover data and change products for the coastal areas of our nation for decades. Land cover is a foundational data set that provides valuable information for a range of applications, including land use planning, disaster risk reduction, and climate adaptation. However, it is expensive to develop and requires expertise to produce consistent and reliable data. Over the last few years, with the help of technological advances and expanded funding, NOAA has been working to establish an operational, higher resolution land cover product line, allowing for more site-specific, local applications than previously possible.

NOAA’s C-CAP program recently released over 1.5 million square miles of 1 meter land cover data for the entire coastal zone, including Alaska and the territories. There will be two phases of product releases. The first phase includes foundational layers - impervious, canopy, and water - for the contiguous US, Alaska, and Pacific and Caribbean territories. The second phase will involve updating these products to include the full C-CAP land cover classification scheme and subsequent change analysis.

This presentation will provide an overview of the data, an update on the schedule for future releases, example applications (e.g., stormwater runoff modeling, restoration planning, Community Rating System mapping activities, risk analysis), and share opportunities to collaborate.