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.
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.
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.
Layer indicating the top-level classification of land during the 2008-16 study period as one of the following 5 categories:
Layer indicating the year in which pixels classified as cropland expansion were converted from non-cropland to cropland. e.g., a value of 2009 represents land that was converted between the 2008 growing season and the 2009 growing season.
Layer indicating the year in which pixels classified as cropland abandonment were converted from cropland to non-cropland. e.g., a value of 2009 represents land that was still cropped in 2008 and no longer cropped during the 2009 growing season.
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:
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:
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:
Download the dataset?