The 2002 Land Use Land Cover dataset is the third iteration conducted by the NJDEP to capture the state of the land use and natural land cover statewide in a digital GIS file. The initial land use land cover GIS file was based on aerial photography captured in the spring of 1986. The second iteration of the land use data was based on photography captured in 1995, with this latest series based on photography captured in the spring of 2002.

As with both previous layers, the 2002 data were produced by visually interpreting color infrared photography. Through this process, photo-interpreters examine each image, and based on their knowledge of photo signatures, classify the image into various land use/ land cover categories. The classifications are converted into a land use/land cover GIS digital file, with each delineated polygon representing a distinct land use/land cover type.

All three land use/land cover data sets contain important land use data used in a wide variety of environmental analyses. Every effort has been made to insure that all land use data sets are as accurate as possible. However LULC data are not intended to substitute for on the ground jurisdictional boundaries. Users of all data sets should refer to the links included below for more information that will help them understand the mapping process and appropriate uses and limitations of the data.

Freshwater wetlands were first mapped under the New Jersey Freshwater Wetlands Mapping Program and were incorporated into the land use land cover datasets. The freshwater wetlands delineations in these data are for screening purposes only and are not regulatory. The Land Use Regulatory Program (LURP) of the NJDEP determines the extent and final determination of freshwater wetlands in the State of New Jersey.

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