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Irrigated Acreage Delineated from Landsat-Derived Maximum Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) 1975-2010, Walker River Basin Nevada and California

September 7, 2017

These data represent the extent and spatial distribution of irrigated acreage delineated from maximum Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) derived from Landsat scenes in the Walker River Basin, California and Nevada, at five-year intervals from 1975-2010. The field boundaries in this data set are digitized from one-year composite maximum NDVI data derived from atmospherically corrected Landsat 2 Multispectral Scanner (MSS), Landsat 5 MSS, and Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) scenes. NDVI was calculated from the corrected reflectance data for each selected scene during the growing season (May through early October) and a single, composite image of maximum NDVI values was derived for each 5-year interval. Selecting the maximum NDVI value removed low values associated with plant phenology, harvest cycles, and irrigation operations. Initial field boundaries were digitized from the 2010 National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) data and boundary geometries were divided and shaped based on temporal changes in irrigation practices, crop rotations, and other changes identified in the Landsat-derived maximum NDVI data. Each polygon is attributed with an estimated irrigation status of irrigated or non-irrigated. Mapped fields were classified as irrigated dur

Publication Year 2017
Title Irrigated Acreage Delineated from Landsat-Derived Maximum Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) 1975-2010, Walker River Basin Nevada and California
DOI 10.5066/F7XD10MK
Authors Toby L Welborn
Product Type Data Release
Record Source USGS Digital Object Identifier Catalog
USGS Organization Nevada Water Science Center