Skip to main content
Dataset Overview | National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)

NOAA's Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP) land cover change data for the Continental and Coastal United States and Hawaii from 1975 to 2016 (NCEI Accession 0121254)

browse graphicPreview graphic
The NOAA Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP) produces national standardized land cover and change products for the coastal regions of the U.S. C-CAP products inventory coastal intertidal areas, wetlands, and adjacent uplands with the goal of monitoring changes in these habitats, on a one-to-five year repeat cycle. C-CAP data exists nationwide for the coastal regions of the lower 48 states for 1996, 2001, 2006, 2010 and 2016, and in selected locations for 1975, 1985 and 1992. These maps are developed utilizing Landsat Thematic Mapper imagery, and can be used to track changes in the landscape through time. This trend information gives important feedback to managers on the success or failure of management policies and programs and aid in developing a scientific understanding of the Earth system and its response to natural and human-induced changes. This understanding allows for the prediction of impacts due to these changes and the assessment of their cumulative effects, helping coastal resource managers make more informed regional decisions. NOAA C-CAP is a contributing member to the Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics consortium and C-CAP products are included as the coastal expression of land cover within the National Land Cover Database.
  • Cite as: Herold, Nate (2014). NOAA's Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP) land cover change data for the Continental and Coastal United States and Hawaii from 1975 to 2016 (NCEI Accession 0121254). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0121254. Accessed [date].
gov.noaa.nodc:0121254
Download Data
  • HTTPS (download)
    Navigate directly to the URL for data access and direct download.
  • FTP (download)
    These data are available through the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). FTP is no longer supported by most internet browsers. You may copy and paste the FTP link to the data into an FTP client (e.g., FileZilla or WinSCP).
Distribution Formats
  • GeoTIFF
  • xml
Ordering Instructions Contact NCEI for other distribution options and instructions.
Distributor NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
+1-301-713-3277
NCEI.Info@noaa.gov
Dataset Point of Contact NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
ncei.info@noaa.gov
Time Period 1975-01-01 to 2016-12-31
Spatial Bounding Box Coordinates
West: -161.383
East: -66
South: 18.45
North: 50.05
Spatial Coverage Map
General Documentation
Associated Resources
Publication Dates
  • publication: 2014-08-27
  • revision: 2022-06-16
Data Presentation Form Digital table - digital representation of facts or figures systematically displayed, especially in columns
Dataset Progress Status Complete - production of the data has been completed
Historical archive - data has been stored in an offline storage facility
Data Update Frequency As needed
Supplemental Information
In this accession, NCEI has archived multiple versions of these data. The latest (and best) version of these data has the largest version number.

Attributes for this product are as follows:
0 Background,
1 Unclassified (Cloud, Shadow, etc),
2 High Intensity Developed,
3 Medium Intensity Developed,
4 Low Intensity Developed,
5 Developed Open Space,
6 Cultivated Land,
7 Pasture/Hay,
8 Grassland,
9 Deciduous Forest,
10 Evergreen Forest,
11 Mixed Forest,
12 Scrub/Shrub,
13 Palustrine Forested Wetland,
14 Palustrine Scrub/Shrub Wetland,
15 Palustrine Emergent Wetland,
16 Estuarine Forested Wetland,
17 Estuarine Scrub/Shrub Wetland,
18 Estuarine Emergent Wetland,
19 Unconsolidated Shore,
20 Bare Land,
21 Open Water,
22 Palustrine Aquatic Bed,
23 Estuarine Aquatic Bed,
24 Tundra,
25 Snow/Ice
Purpose C-CAP is dedicated to the development, distribution, and application of land cover and change data for the coastal regions of the U.S. This effort is being conducted in close coordination with state coastal management agencies, the interagency Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics (MRLC) consortium, and the National Land Cover Database (NLCD).
Use Limitations
  • accessLevel: Public
  • Distribution liability: NOAA and NCEI make no warranty, expressed or implied, regarding these data, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. NOAA and NCEI cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in these data. If appropriate, NCEI can only certify that the data it distributes are an authentic copy of the records that were accepted for inclusion in the NCEI archives.
  • Data set is not for use in litigation. While efforts have been made to ensure that these data are accurate and reliable, NOAA, cannot assume liability for any damages, or misrepresentations, caused by any inaccuracies in the data. NOAA makes no warranty, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty.
Dataset Citation
  • Cite as: Herold, Nate (2014). NOAA's Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP) land cover change data for the Continental and Coastal United States and Hawaii from 1975 to 2016 (NCEI Accession 0121254). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0121254. Accessed [date].
Cited Authors
Contributors
Resource Providers
Points of Contact
Publishers
Theme keywords NODC DATA TYPES THESAURUS NODC OBSERVATION TYPES THESAURUS WMO_CategoryCode
  • oceanography
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords National Land Cover Database Classification System
  • Background
  • Bare Land
  • Cultivated Land
  • Deciduous Forest
  • Developed Open Space
  • Estuarine Aquatic Bed
  • Estuarine Emergent Wetland
  • Estuarine Forested Wetland
  • Estuarine Scrub/Shrub Wetland
  • Evergreen Forest
  • Grassland
  • High Intensity Developed
  • Low Intensity Developed
  • Medium Intensity Developed
  • Mixed Forest
  • Open Water
  • Palustrine Aquatic Bed
  • Palustrine Emergent Wetland
  • Palustrine Forested Wetland
  • Palustrine Scrub/Shrub Wetland
  • Pasture/Hay
  • Scrub/Shrub
  • Snow/Ice
  • Tundra
  • Unclassified (Cloud, Shadow, etc)
  • Unconsolidated Shore
Originator Keywords
  • CCAP
  • Land Cover Analysis
  • Remotely Sensed Imagery/Photos
Data Center keywords NODC COLLECTING INSTITUTION NAMES THESAURUS NODC SUBMITTING INSTITUTION NAMES THESAURUS Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Data Center Keywords
Platform keywords NODC PLATFORM NAMES THESAURUS Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Platform Keywords Originator Platform Keywords
  • Earth Observation Satellites > LANDSAT
Instrument keywords NODC INSTRUMENT TYPES THESAURUS Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Instrument Keywords Originator Instrument Keywords
  • Earth Remote Sensing Instruments > Passive Remote Sensing > Photon/Optical Detectors > Cameras > CAMERAS
Place keywords NODC SEA AREA NAMES THESAURUS Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords Originator Place Names
  • Alabama
  • California
  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Louisiana
  • Maine
  • Maryland
  • Massachusetts
  • Michigan
  • Minnesota
  • Mississippi
  • New Hampshire
  • New Jersey
  • New York
  • North Carolina
  • Ohio
  • Oregon
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
  • South Carolina
  • Texas
  • U.S.
  • U.S. Coastal Zone
  • Vermont
  • Virginia
  • Washington
  • Wisconsin
Project keywords NODC PROJECT NAMES THESAURUS Originator Project Keywords
  • Coastal Change Analysis Program
Keywords NCEI ACCESSION NUMBER
Use Constraints
  • Cite as: Herold, Nate (2014). NOAA's Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP) land cover change data for the Continental and Coastal United States and Hawaii from 1975 to 2016 (NCEI Accession 0121254). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0121254. Accessed [date].
  • Recommended Citation. NOAA Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP) Regional Land Cover Database. Data collected 1975-present. Charleston, SC: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office for Coastal Management. Data accessed at www.coast.noaa.gov/landcover.
Access Constraints
  • Use liability: NOAA and NCEI cannot provide any warranty as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of furnished data. Users assume responsibility to determine the usability of these data. The user is responsible for the results of any application of this data for other than its intended purpose.
Fees
  • In most cases, electronic downloads of the data are free. However, fees may apply for custom orders, data certifications, copies of analog materials, and data distribution on physical media.
Lineage information for: dataset
Processing Steps
  • 2014-08-27T13:58:04Z - NCEI Accession 0121254 v1.1 was published.
  • 2022-06-16T20:55:02Z - NCEI Accession 0121254 was revised and v2.2 was published.
    Rationale: Updates were received for this dataset. These updates were copied into the data/0-data/ directory of this accession. These updates may provide additional files or replace obsolete files. This version contains the most complete and up-to-date representation of this archival information package. All of the files received prior to this update are available in the preceding version of this accession.
Output Datasets
Lineage information for: repository
Processing Steps
  • 2015-04-22T00:00:00 - NOAA created the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) by merging NOAA's National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC), and National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), including the National Coastal Data Development Center (NCDDC), per the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015, Public Law 113-235. NCEI launched publicly on April 22, 2015.
Acquisition Information (collection)
Instrument
  • camera
  • radiometer
Platform
  • Landsat 5
  • Landsat 7
Last Modified: 2023-10-17T20:16:46Z
For questions about the information on this page, please email: ncei.info@noaa.gov