The 2007 Land Use/Land Cover dataset is the fourth such data set that the NJDEP has produced. The initial land use/land cover layer 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, the third based on photography captured in the spring of 2002, and this latest update based on photography captured in the spring of 2007.

As with all previous layers, the 2007 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 four 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, note that these LULC data are intended to be used as resource data sets. 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 wetlands delineations in these data are for screening purposes. The Land Use Regulatory Program (LURP) of the NJDEP determines the extent and final determination of wetlands in the State of New Jersey on a case by case basis. Please read the material referenced below for an additional discussion of this issue.

Additional information concerning Wetlands data:

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