Title

Forest Cover Changes in Victoria from 1972 to 1987 

Alternate title

FCOV500_7287 

Purpose

This layer was used to identify Forest Cover Changes in Victoria from 1972 to 1987. This project was one of the first to utilise satellite data to produce a precise picture of the then current extent of Victoria's forest cover. By comparing satellite imagery from 1972 and 1987 it has been possible to determine the rate of clearing over the 15 year period. This coverage has since been used for strategic planning including the identification of agricultural land use categories. 

Credit

Adam Choma, Peter Woodgate and Peter Black 

Supplemental Information

History: August, 1994 *This layer's name was changed from FOREST500 to FCOV500_7287. *Item VERSION was dropped from the PAT table and the whole AAT Feature Attribute Table dropped due to lack or poor data.. *FOREST-72 and FOREST-87 item nams were changed; now FOREST_72 and FOREST_87 and forest indicators were change from YES/NO to P/A (Present/Absent). *Redundant layers FORCOV500-72 and FORCOV500-87 were removed from the library.. *FOCOV500-90 layer was also archieved as the TREE100_90 contains better data for the same period. Relationship to other Datasets: Several other layers, including LANDUSE250, has used this data. Current Design Issues: This layer design is very simple and requires no further explanation. Future Design Issues: This layer is largely obsolete being replaced by data head in the TREE100 layers series. Related Documents: None Forest Cover Changes in Victoria 1969-1987 (1988); Department of Conservation, Forests and Lands 

Status

Completed  

Horizontal Accuracy

500m  

Code

4283 

Maintenance and update frequency

Unknown  

Topic category

• Biota
• Farming

Classification

Unclassified  

Statement

Dataset Source: 1972/73 and 1986/87 LANDSAT MSS imagery Dataset Originality: Primary 

Description

Collection Method: Satellite - Remote Sensed. 

Description

Public land boundaries were obtained from the Land Conservation Council's (LCC) Public Land Use Map of Victoria, 1988 (scale 1:500 000) and digitised. The 1986/87 forest cover boundaries were manually mapped onto the public land boundaries from the Landsat MSS color transparencies at a scale of 1:500 000 using the KARTOFLEX analogue mapping device and digitised. The 1972/73 forest cover boundaries were then mapped onto the 1986/87 forest cover from the Landsat MSS transparencies using the KARTOFLEX and the cover updated. Due to spatial errors and inaccuracies in the LCC Public Land Use base, forest cover information was "massaged" to fit these boundaries. That is, some of spatial accuracy of the satellite data was lost. 

Classification

Unclassified  

Attribute Quality

Comments

Interpreted forest cover boundaries were checked using a variety of sources. These included existing vegetation maps, softwood plantation records and consultation with individuals familiar with specific areas. There is no statistical estimate of accuracy. 

Positional Accuracy

Comments

Precision: 1 km to 10 km. Determination: Deductive Estimate 

Conceptual Consistency

Comments

The two items FOREST_72 and FOREST_87 are independent. 

Missing Data

Comments

The data set is complete. The data set is complete. 

Excess Data