Land Cover Viewer Data Layers and Information

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The following data layers are part of the Connecticut Land Cover Viewer and the Long Island Sound Watershed Viewer. Links and details follow.

Connecticut By Town

  • Land Cover (1985, 1990, 1995, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2015)
  • Land Cover Change To (1985-2015)
  • Land Cover Change From (1985-2015)
  • Forest Fragmentation (1985, 2015)

Long Island Sound Watershed By Basin

  • Land Cover (1985, 1990, 1995, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2015)
  • Land Cover Change To (1985-2015)
  • Land Cover Change From (1985-2015)
  • Impervious Surface Estimate by Basin
  • Percent Impervious Change by Basin (1985-2015)
  • Riparian Area
  • Riparian Area Land Cover (1985, 2015)
  • Riparian Area Land Cover Change (1985-2015)

Data Layer Information

Land Cover

Seven dates of land cover are available from each of the following years: 1985, 1990, 1995, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2015.

TIP: The map services contain multiple layers. In the viewer, expand the category in the layer list to see the layers. The last layer is on by default and is the full land cover.

Map Service for Connecticut: Look for the CT Land Cover and Change Category and the layers: CTlandcover1985, CTlandcover1990, CTlandcover1995, CTlandcover2002, CTlandcover2006, CTlandcover2010, CTlandcover2015

Map Service for the lower Long Island Sound Watershed: Look for the Long Island Sound Watershed Land Cover and Change Category and the layers: LISlandcover1985, LISlandcover1990, LISlandcover1995, LISlandcover2002, LISlandcover2006, LISlandcover2010, LISlandcover2015

Land Cover Change To

Changes in land cover between 1985 and 2015 with an emphasis on new developed and turf & grass areas.

Map Service for Connecticut: Look for the CT Land Cover and Change Category and the layer: CTchangeTo1985_2015

Map Service for the lower Long Island Sound Watershed: Look for the Long Island Sound Watershed Land Cover and Change Category and the layer: LISchangeTo1985_2015

Land Cover Change From

Map Service for Connecticut: Look for the CT Land Cover and Change Category and the layer: CTchangeFrom1985_2015

Map Service for the lower Long Island Sound Watershed: Look for the Long Island Sound Watershed Land Cover and Change Category and the layer: LISchangeFrom1985_2015

Forest Fragmentation

The Forest Fragmentation map takes the forest land cover classes (including deciduous forest, coniferous forest, forested wetland and utility right of way) and classifies these areas into patch, edge, perforated or core forest. The analysis was only completed for Connecticut. Learn more.

Map Service for Connecticut: Look for the CT Forest Fragmentation Category and the layer: CTforestfrag1985, CTforestfrag2015

Impervious Surface Estimate by Basin

The layer shows impervious surface estimates created by applying coefficients to the land cover classes. The analysis was performed for each date of land cover using HUC 12 watersheds. 

Map Service: Look for the Long Island Sound Watershed Land Cover and Change Category and the layer: ByBasin. The ByBasin service contains many layers. Look for: 1985 Percent Impervious, 1990 Percent Impervious, 1995 Percent Impervious, 2002 Percent Impervious, 2006 Percent Impervious, 2010 Percent Impervious, 2015 Percent Impervious.

Percent Impervious Change by Basin 1985-2015

The layer shows the change, in percent, of the impervious surface estimates for HUC 12 watersheds.

Map Service: Look for the Long Island Sound Watershed Land Cover and Change Category and the layer: ByBasin. The ByBasin service contains many layers. Look for: Percent Impervious Change 1985-2015.

Riparian Area

The riparian area is a 300 foot zone around streams and waterbodies and tidal marsh complexes. The polygon layers includes the waterbodies and tidal marshes where shorelines were buffered. The lines are streams that were buffered on both side. The Riparian Zone shows the resulting riparian area. The land cover was clipped by this area for land cover analysis in the riparian zone.

Map Service: Look for the Long Island Sound Watershed Riparian Area Land Cover and Change Category and the layer: LIS_riparian. This service contains three layers: Buffered Lines, Buffered Polygons, and 300ft Riparian Zone.

Riparian Area Land Cover

The riparian area is land closest to water in the form of streams, rivers, lakes and tidal marshes. The riparian land cover shows the land cover types within the riparian zone at that date. 

Map Service: Look for the Long Island Sound Watershed Riparian Area Land Cover and Change Category and the layers: LIS_riparian_landcover1985, LIS_riparian_landcover2015

Riparian Area Land Cover Change

he riparian area is land closest to water in the form of streams, rivers, lakes and tidal marshes. The riparian land cover change shows the land cover change between 1985 and 2015 within the riparian zone. 

Map Service: Look for the Long Island Sound Watershed Riparian Area Land Cover and Change Category and the layers: LIS_riparian_change1985-2015

Connecticut by Town

The land cover has been summarized by town. The resulting town maps show trends like which towns have more forest than others and which have experienced more change in a specific land cover class.

Map Service: Look for the CT Land Cover and Change Category and the layer: ByTown. This service has multiple town layers: Forest, Forest Change, Ag Field, Ag Field Change, Developed, Developed Change, Turf and Grass, Turf and Grass Change, Town Stats

Long Island Sound Watershed by Basin

The land cover has been summarized by HUC 12 watershed. The resulting watershed maps show trends like which watersheds have more forest than others and which have experienced more change in a specific land cover class.

Map Service: Look for the Long Island Sound Watershed Land Cover and Change Category and the layer: ByBasin. This service has multiple basin-based layers: Forest, Forest Change, Ag Field, Ag Field Change, Developed, Developed Change, Turf and Grass, Turf and Grass Change, Basin Stats

For citation purposes: University of Connecticut’s Center for Land Use Education and Research. (March 04, 2022). Land Cover Viewer Data Layers and Information. https://clear.uconn.edu/projects/landscape/about/layers/.