This map compares information on current land cover derived from two different sources of satellite imagery, at different spatial resolutions. The area shown is part of the Superior National Forest in northeastern Minnesota. Total area occupied by the various forest types is similar between the two maps, but at the finer spatial resolution, patterns of distribution are shown more clearly.

The TM-MSS map was developed through a supervised classification of a Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) scene and several dates of Landsat Multispectral Scanner (MSS) imagery for the same area. It has an approximate spatial resolution of 30 meters. The work was conducted at the University of Minnesota, Natural Resources Research Institute (Wolter et al. 1995). The AVHRR map shows current land cover at 1 kilometer resolution. It is based on AVHRR satellite data collected in 1990, and processed by the Southern Forest Experiment Station, USDA-Forest Service.

Click here to see results of a comparison of total forest type acreages based on the two systems.