ISSAQUAH, Wash., Aug. 18, 2015— EarthDefine, a provider of high-resolution spatial data products, has created a seamless tree canopy dataset that maps Minnesota’s trees in unprecedented detail.
The Minnesota SpatialCover Tree Canopydataset maps trees with 98% accuracy and 30 times the resolution of existing state level datasets for Minnesota. This 1-meter resolution dataset will enable users to accurately measure and understand tree cover at regional and local levels, especially in mixed urban and agricultural landscapes.
EarthDefine used the Minnesota tree cover data to create an interactive map of tree canopy for all cities in Minnesota that can be used to quickly compare woody vegetation between different cities. Another map of per capita tree cover in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan region illustrates how the data can be used to understand urban forest patterns in relation to a city’s demographics. The Minnesota tree data can help planners assess urban tree canopy for any city in the state and also supports other applications like biomass estimation, wildfire risk monitoring, studying interactions between public health and tree cover, quantification of ecosystem services and improved modeling of stormwater flows.
EarthDefine used multiple terabytes of color infrared imagery flown in the summer of 2013 along with three-dimensional point cloud data from LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) available for most ofMinnesota to create the seamless tree cover dataset. The LIDAR data was also used to create a Canopy Height Model (CHM) datasetthat maps canopy heights across 73 counties in the state.
EarthDefine has previously released high-resolution tree canopy datasets that provide statewide coverage for Indiana and California. EarthDefine will continue to grow its SpatialCover Tree Canopy data product to cover more states over the next year by building on the best available orthoimagery and LIDAR data. For more information on EarthDefine products, please visit www.earthdefine.com.