For processing information relevant to polygons coded as 0 in the Update_Status field, please see the "New Hampshire Land Cover Assessment - 2001" metadata record. For processing information relevant to polygons coded as 1 or 2 in the Update_Status field, please see the "Northern New Hampshire Land Cover Reassessment - 2012" report.
Development of the Northern New Hampshire Land Cover Reassessment - 2012 was made possible by financial support from the New Hampshire Space Grant Consortium. Development of the New Hamsphire Land Cover Assessment - 2001 was made possible by financial support from the Cooperative Institute for Coastal and Estuarine Environmental Technology CICEET), USDA Forest Service, NH Department of Resources and Economic Development, NH Department of Fish and Game, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, NH Space Grant, and UNH Cooperative Extension.
Please cite as "New Hampshire GRANIT. 2012. Northern New Hampshire Land Cover Reassessment - 2012. New Hampshire GRANIT, Durham, NH."
CLASS - Code PRODUCER'S ACC. USER'S ACC. Ommission Commission Residential/Commercial/Industrial - 110 86.9% 88.3% Transportation - 140 100.0% 85.0% Row Crops - 211 94.6% 88.3% Hay/Pasture - 212 84.6% 91.7% Orchards - 221 97.4% 92.5% Beech/Oak - 412 68.1% 53.3% Paper Birch/ Aspen - 414 28.6% 28.6% Other Hardwood - 419 53.2% 70.0% White/Red Pine - 421 90.7% 81.7% Spruce/Fir - 422 93.8% 80.4% Hemlock - 423 95.1% 65.0% Pitch Pine - 424 100.0% 97.5% Mixed Forest - 430 39.7% 62.5% Alpine (Krumholz) - 440 100.0% 80.0% Water - 500 100.0% 100.0% Forested Wetland - 610 74.3% 86.7% Open Wetland - 620 88.2% 75.0% Tidal Wetland - 630 100.0% 100.0% Disturbed - 710 90.0% 90.0% Bedrock/ Veg. - 720 100.0% 100.0% Sand Dunes - 730 100.0% 100.0% Other Cleared - 790 82.4% 93.3% Tundra - 800 100.0% 100.0%
When the classification is collapsed to the 17-class level, the overall accuracy is 88.4%, and the User's and Producer's Accuracies are as follows:
CLASS - Code PRODUCER'S ACC. USER'S ACC. Ommission Commission Residential/Commercial/Industrial - 110 86.9% 88.3% Transportation - 140 100.0% 85.0% Crops/Pasture - 211-212 95.0% 95.8% Orchards - 221 97.4% 92.5% Deciduous Forest - 410-419 90.7% 94.8% Coniferous Forest - 420-429 97.3% 81.9% Mixed Forest - 430 39.7% 62.5% Alpine (Krumholz) - 440 100.0% 80.0% Water - 500 100.0% 100.0% Forested Wetland - 610 74.3% 86.7% Open Wetland - 620 88.2% 75.0% Tidal Wetland - 630 100.0% 100.0% Disturbed - 710 90.0% 90.0% Bedrock/ Veg. - 720 100.0% 100.0% Sand Dunes - 730 100.0% 100.0% Other Cleared - 790 82.4% 93.3% Tundra - 800 100.0% 100.0%
So that users can interpret the data most effectively, rules were created to develop broader ("fuzzier") categories of "right" and "wrong" and to assess the accuracy using these fuzzy sets. We applied the linguistic scale developed by Woodcock and Gopal (2000):
(1) Absolutely wrong: This answer is absolutely unacceptable. Very wrong. (2) Understandable but wrong: Not a good answer. There is something about the site that makes the answer understandable, but there is clearly a better answer. This answer would pose a problem for users of the map. Not right. (3) Reasonable or acceptable answer: May not be the best possible answer but it is acceptable; this answer does not pose a problem to the user if it is seen on the map. Right. (4) Good answer: Would be happy to find this answer on the map. Very right. (5) Absolutely right: No doubt about the match. Perfect.
Each accuracy assessment site was given a fuzzy rating (see fuzzyratings.pdf for definitions). The overall accuracy of the 23- class classification increases to 89.1% when the "good answers" are included as "right," and to 92.0% when "reasonable or acceptable answers" are included as well. Please see the project's final report for a full discussion of the accuracy assessment.
For estimation of accuracies using classes from the LC2010 field, the following estimates can be used: The project achieved an overall accuracy of 78.1% for classes that changed between 2001 and 2010. Below is a summary of User's and Producer's Accuracy for each of the change classes (note that we presume the unchanged classes maintain the same accuracy as found in the 2001 study).
CLASS - Code PRODUCER'S ACC. USER'S ACC. Ommission Commission Residential/Commercial/Industrial - 110 100% 98% Forest transition/successional - 320 71% 46% Forest thinning - 340 83% 83% Forest clearcut - 350 83% 64% Other - comprises many codes 71% 96%
When the classification is collapsed to combine the 3 forest change classes, the overall accuracy is 90.8%, and the User's and Producer's Accuracies are as follows:
CLASS - Code PRODUCER'S ACC. USER'S ACC. Ommission Commission Residential/Commercial/Industrial - 110 100% 95% Forest change 99% 86% Other - comprises many codes 71% 96%
Since the forested classes were not re-evaluated, fuzzy accuracies were not calculated.
Developed: 110 Residential, commercial, or industrial 140 Transportation Active agricultural land: 211 Row crops 212 Hay/rotation/permanent pasture 221 Fruit orchards Forest Change: 320 Transitional/successional 340 Forest thinning 350 Forest clearcut Forested: 412 Beech/oak 414 Paper birch/aspen 419 Other hardwoods 421 White/red pine 422 Spruce/fir 423 Hemlock 424 Pitch pine 430 Mixed forest 440 Alpine (Krumholz) Water: 500 Open water Wetlands: 610 Forested wetlands 620 Non-forested wetlands 630 Tidal wetlands Barren Land: 710 Disturbed 720 Bedrock/vegetated 730 Sand dunes 790 Cleared/other open Tundra: 800 Tundra
Beech/oak stands (412) are deciduous stands comprising at least 30% beech and oak. Paper birch/aspen stands (414) are deciduous stands comprising at least 20% paper birch and aspen. Other deciduous stands (419) are deciduous stands not meeting either the beech/oak or paper birch/aspen criteria.
White/red pine stands (421) are coniferous stands in which white and red pine constitute a plurality of the coniferous basal area. Spruce/fir stands (422) are coniferous stands in which spruce and fir constitute a plurality of the coniferous basal area. Hemlock stands (423) are coniferous stands in which hemlock constitutes a plurality of the coniferous basal area. Pitch pine stands (424) are coniferous stands in which pitch pine constitutes a plurality of the coniferous basal area.
Other class definitions are as follows:
Developed (110) - built-up areas. (Note that this class was coded as 100 in early releases of the data.) Active agriculture (200) - hay fields, row crops, plowed fields, etc. Water (500) - lakes, ponds, some rivers or any other open water feature. Wetlands (600) - areas dominated by wetland characteristics defined by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wetlands Inventory. Basically hydric soils, hydrophytic vegetation and the hydrologic conditions that result in water at or near the surface for extended periods of the growing season. Disturbed (710) - gravel pits, quarries or other areas where the earth and vegetation have been altered or exposed. Bedrock/vegetated (720) - exposed bedrock or ledge (usually in the mountains) that may have some forms of stunted vegetation growing in cracks or lichens growing on the surface rock. Sand dunes (730) - areas along the seacoast that are dominated by sand. Cleared/other open (790) - clear cut forest, old agricultural fields that are reverting to forest, etc. Tundra (800) - areas dominated by short vegetation that occurs above tree line in the White Mountains (only mapped on Mt Washington). (Note that this class was previously coded as 810 in early releases of the data.)
The 2012 reassessment includes 3 additional classes: Forest Transition/successional (320) - an area previously clearcut (or otherwise cleared) with regrowth between 5 and 25' in height. Forest Thinning (340) - an area harvested to such an extent that disturbance is visible in the TM image but remaining basal area per/acre is greater than 20 square feet. Forest clearcut (350) - an area harvested to such an extent that the remaining basal area per/acre is less than 20 per acre and any regrowth is less than 5' in height.