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Geospatial data for object-based high-resolution classification of conifers within greater sage-grouse habitat across Nevada and a portion of northeastern California (ver. 2.0 July 2018)

Metadata Updated: December 11, 2025

These products were developed to provide scientific and correspondingly spatially explicit information regarding the distribution and abundance of conifers (namely, singleleaf pinyon (Pinus monophylla), Utah juniper (Juniperus osteosperma), and western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis)) in Nevada and portions of northeastern California. Encroachment of these trees into sagebrush ecosystems of the Great Basin can present a threat to populations of greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus). These data provide land managers and other interested parties with a high-resolution representation of conifers across the range of sage-grouse habitat in Nevada and northeastern California that can be used for a variety of management and research applications. We mapped conifer trees at 1 x 1 meter resolution across the extent of all Nevada Department of Wildlife Sage-grouse Population Management Units plus a 10 km buffer. Using 2010 and 2013 National Agriculture Imagery Program digital orthophoto quads (DOQQs) as our reference imagery, we applied object-based image analysis with Feature Analyst software (Overwatch, 2013) to classify conifer features across our study extent. This method relies on machine learning algorithms that extract features from imagery based on their spectral and spatial signatures. Conifers in 6230 DOQQs were classified and outputs were then tested for errors of omission and commission using stratified random sampling. Results of the random sampling were used to populate a confusion matrix and calculate the overall map accuracy of 84.3 percent. We provide 5 sets of products for this mapping process across the entire mapping extent: (1) a shapefile representing accuracy results linked to our mapping subunits; (2) binary rasters representing conifer presence or absence at a 1 x 1 meter resolution; (3) a 30 x 30 meter resolution raster representing percentage of conifer canopy cover within each cell from 0 to 100; (4) 1 x 1 meter resolution canopy cover classification rasters derived from a 50 meter radius moving window analysis; and (5) a raster prioritizing pinyon-juniper management for sage-grouse habitat restoration efforts. The latter three products can be reclassified into user-specified bins to meet different management or study objectives, which include approximations for phases of encroachment. These products complement, and in some cases improve upon, existing conifer maps in the western United States, and will help facilitate sage-grouse habitat management and sagebrush ecosystem restoration. These data support the following publication: Coates, P.S., Gustafson, K.B., Roth, C.L., Chenaille, M.P., Ricca, M.A., Mauch, Kimberly, Sanchez-Chopitea, Erika, Kroger, T.J., Perry, W.M., and Casazza, M.L., 2017, Using object-based image analysis to conduct high-resolution conifer extraction at regional spatial scales: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2017-1093, 40 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20171093. References: ESRI, 2013, ArcGIS Desktop: Release 10.2: Environmental Systems Research Institute. Overwatch, 2013, Feature Analyst Version 5.1.2.0 for ArcGIS: Overwatch Systems Ltd.

Access & Use Information

Public: This dataset is intended for public access and use. License: No license information was provided. If this work was prepared by an officer or employee of the United States government as part of that person's official duties it is considered a U.S. Government Work.

Downloads & Resources

Dates

Metadata Created Date September 13, 2025
Metadata Updated Date December 11, 2025

Metadata Source

Harvested from DOI USGS DCAT-US

Additional Metadata

Resource Type Dataset
Metadata Created Date September 13, 2025
Metadata Updated Date December 11, 2025
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Maintainer
Identifier http://datainventory.doi.gov/id/dataset/usgs-59160b60e4b044b359e32e67
Data Last Modified 2020-08-27T00:00:00Z
Category geospatial
Public Access Level public
Bureau Code 010:12
Metadata Context https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema/catalog.jsonld
Metadata Catalog ID https://ddi.doi.gov/usgs-data.json
Schema Version https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema
Catalog Describedby https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema/catalog.json
Harvest Object Id 8c700e01-b99d-4833-8ffe-640ade7544ad
Harvest Source Id 2b80d118-ab3a-48ba-bd93-996bbacefac2
Harvest Source Title DOI USGS DCAT-US
Metadata Type geospatial
Source Datajson Identifier True
Source Hash 4056d2d8d6a5ad0ae91ba8bb6e04331b850696963ae5404ddf39229b1733ac6f
Source Schema Version 1.1

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