| Gale TeSelle, Gyde Lund, and Dennie Grossman participated in a joint meeting of the FGDC Vegetation Subcommittee, the Earth Cover Work Group, and the UN-FAO in Rome, Italy. It was decided that someone from the Earth Resources Observation System (EROS) be liasion with the FAO in Rome, Italy. In February, Nick VanDriel (USGS) described the construction and utilization of the Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics Classification system to the ECWG membership. He also described the operation of the National Land Cover & Spatial data clearinghouse to the ECWG membership. The ECWG developed a web enabled questionaire for the purpose of collecting information about existing Federal and State agency earth cover program activities. In April the ECWG's Earth Cover Program and Classification Survey was finalized and used to assist in the development of a common classification system. USGS successfully established a web server for the ECWG, and linked the existing earth cover program information to the web site. During the summer a change in leadership of the ECWG occurred. Dr. Jeri Berc, Acting Director of NRCS' Resources Information Division and Don Lauer, Director of Earth Resources Observation Systems Data Center, USGS became Co-Directors of the Earth Cover Working Group. The ECWG is attempting to determine the amount of Federal funds being invested, by program and agency, to develop, store, or use land cover data. A proposed earth cover classification standard, based on a combination of the UN-FAO Africover system and the FGDC's Vegetative Subcommittee Standard was developed and is being reviewed by ECWG members and their agencies. This proposed standard is designed to be applicable anywhere on earth and useful for broad small scale applications as well as detailed large scale applications. It is also time independent in that it can accomodate instantaneous applications to a normal seasonal time frame. A letter was sent to each of the FGDC members to ascertain who is the representative to the ECWG, and to also request nominations of potential pilot projects from FGDC member agencies to test the proposed earth cover classification system. |
