This interactive web map provides access to geospatial data produced by the DOE Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC).

Navigation

Click or touch the map to navigate. Zoom capabilities are activated via mouse scroll, touchscreen pinch, or the +/- buttons in the top right corner of the screen. Press the button to open this information panel.

Base Maps

Different background imagery is selectable from the “Base Maps” tab of the control panel box, located in the upper-left corner of the screen. Options include a reference map, satellite imagery, or dark background.

Reference Data

Within the “Reference Data” tab of the control panel, click on any data layer group to expand it and then select the checkbox(es) of specific data layer(s) you wish to view.

• Information about each dataset and how it was created or defined is available by clicking on the info button to the right of each layer group.

GLBRC Data Layers

Within the “GLBRC Data Layers” tab of the control panel, click on any data layer group to expand it and then select the checkbox(es) of specific data layer(s) you wish to view.

• Information about each dataset and how it was created or defined is available by clicking on the info button to the right of each layer group.
• To download a raster file (.tif) of a specific dataset, use the download button to the right of the layer. Access is currently limited to GLBRC-authorized users for select datasets.

Data Use & Contact

The atlas and all downloadable data are copyrighted and can only be used with GLBRC permission. Permissions requests, questions, and suggestions for improvements are all encouraged and can be directed to the Atlas team via Tyler Lark (lark@wisc.edu).

Copyright (c) 2021 Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center

This application and material is based upon work supported by the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Biological and Environmental Research under Award Number DE-SC0018409.

Description: PAD-US is America’s official national inventory of U.S. terrestrial and marine protected areas that are dedicated to the preservation of biological diversity and to other natural, recreation and cultural uses, managed for these purposes through legal or other effective means. PAD-US also includes the best available aggregation of federal land and marine areas provided directly by managing agencies, coordinated through the Federal Geographic Data Committe Federal Lands Working Group.

Link to the latest version:PAD-US Data Download

Definition: Capability class is the broadest category in the land capability classification system. Class codes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 are used to represent both irrigated and non-irrigated land capability classes.

Description: Land capability class is defined by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and accessible via the gridded National Soil Survey Geographic Database (gNATSGO). The classes are defined as follows:

• Class 1 soils have slight limitations that restrict their use.
• Class 2 soils have moderate limitations that reduce the choice of plants or require moderate conservation practices.
• Class 3 soils have severe limitations that reduce the choice of plants or require special conservation practices, or both.
• Class 4 soils have very severe limitations that restrict the choice of plants or require very careful management, or both.
• Class 5 soils have little or no hazard of erosion but have other limitations, impractical to remove, that limit their use mainly to pasture, range, forestland, or wildlife food and cover.
• Class 6 soils have severe limitations that make them generally unsuited to cultivation and that limit their use mainly to pasture, range, forestland, or wildlife food and cover.
• Class 7 soils have very severe limitations that make them unsuited to cultivation and that restrict their use mainly to grazing, forestland, or wildlife.
• Class 8 soils and miscellaneous areas have limitations that preclude their use for commercial plant production and limit their use to recreation, wildlife, or water supply or for esthetic purposes

Definitions:

Former cropland = Land in a natural land cover as of 2015 and that has a prior history of cropping or other disturbance.

Intact (undisturbed) habitat = Land in a natural land cover as of 2015 that has no prior history of cropping or other disturbance.

Description: This dataset was developed from maps of undisturbed (previously uncultivated) land that were derived from USDA crop history data using an automated, simplified approach based on Bauman et al. 2016 and extended to the North Central United States. Former cropland areas are those which are currently in a natural land cover (grassland, forest, wetland, or shrubland) and not undisturbed.

This dataset is further described in a manuscript under preparation for publication. For more information contact lark@wisc.edu.

Definition: Formerly cropped land where cultivation ceased anytime between 1991 and 2014, inclusive.

Description: This dataset uses remotely sensed satellite imagery to map the annual history of cultivation 1986-2018 and identifies the areas that were cropped for at least 5 years and subsequently abandoned (i.e. ceased cultivation) anytime between 1991 and 2014, inclusive. Fields identified as abandoned met the following criteria:

• Likely cultivated for 5 years followed by 5 years of non-cultivation. Likely cultivated detected as a mean cultivation probability >50% over the 5-year window and non-cultivation of <50%. Fallow land, pasture, and grassy hay were considered non-cultivated
• At most 1 individual year with <50% cultivation probability during the 5 years prior to abandonment and at most 1 individual year with >50% cultivation probability during the 5 years after abandonment
• Remained uncultivated for the most recent 3 years assessed (2016, 2017, 2018)
• Was not converted to urban use or a water body as of 2016

Pixel values in the dataset range from 1991 to 2014, representing the year of abandonment (value 0 is the background). If land was recultivated and underwent a subsequent abandonment event, the most recent abandonment event is recorded.

Development of this dataset was led by Dr. Yanhua Xie and is further described in Xie et al. (2024).

Definition: Land that entered, was removed from, or intermittently in production between 2008 and 2016.

Description: This dataset reflects land that was recently converted to from crop production or cropped intermittently between 2008 and 2016. These marginal locations produce yields that are significantly lower than those of other croplands, and thus may be well suited for production of perennial biomass feedstocks. Data are from Lark et al. (2020), with additional supporting data layers and descriptions available for download at the repository here.

Description: These datasets reflects areas that are currently, intermittently and/or formerly irrigated. Those fields which are no longer irrigated or irrigated only intermittently may be potentially available and well suited for growing drought resistant bioenergy crops. Annual irrigation extent and frequency data are based on the methods of Xie and Lark (2021). Former and intermittently irrigated layers are described in Xie, Gibbs, and Lark (2021). Additional supporting data layers and descriptions can be downloaded from the repository here.

1997-2017 irrigation frequency The number of years irrigated during 1997-2017. Values represent the irrigation frequency, i.e. the number of years a field was irrigated (out of 21 total) between 1997 and 2017.

Former Irrigation Not irrigated anytime in 2015-2017, but irrigated at least 3 times prior.

Intermittent Irrigation Irrigated at least once for both 1997-1999 and 2015-2017, and irrigation frequency ≤ 18.

Definition: Land that is not cropped as of 2017 and that has a NRCS land capability class rating of 5,6,7, or 8.

Description: The general approach for identifying this land is based upon the methods of Gelfand et al. (2013) but has been updated and extended for the conterminous United States. Cropland extent was determined using the USDA Cropland Data Layer for 2017. Land capability class is defined by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and accessible via the gridded National Soil Survey Geographic Database (gNATSGO). The classes are defined as follows:

• Class 1 soils have slight limitations that restrict their use.
• Class 2 soils have moderate limitations that reduce the choice of plants or require moderate conservation practices.
• Class 3 soils have severe limitations that reduce the choice of plants or require special conservation practices, or both.
• Class 4 soils have very severe limitations that restrict the choice of plants or require very careful management, or both.
• Class 5 soils have little or no hazard of erosion but have other limitations, impractical to remove, that limit their use mainly to pasture, range, forestland, or wildlife food and cover.
• Class 6 soils have severe limitations that make them generally unsuited to cultivation and that limit their use mainly to pasture, range, forestland, or wildlife food and cover.
• Class 7 soils have very severe limitations that make them unsuited to cultivation and that restrict their use mainly to grazing, forestland, or wildlife.
• Class 8 soils and miscellaneous areas have limitations that preclude their use for commercial plant production and limit their use to recreation, wildlife, or water supply or for esthetic purposes