Posted on June 3, 2026
NOAA is releasing new, higher-resolution land cover maps for coastal Alabama, Mississippi, Northeastern Ohio, Rhode Island, and the Puget Sound in Washington. The data will be made available through the Digital Coast website and will provide these communities with better information for decisions related to stormwater management, water quality assessments, urban heat and tree canopy/cover projects, wetland restoration, modeling, flood mitigation and more.
The new mapping represents a large jump in visual resolution, from 30 meters to 1 meter, and is 900 times more detailed than what was produced 10 years ago. The greatly enhanced platform can help decision-makers in the U.S. document key geographic and landscape features at various locations on the Earth’s surface. By comparing maps from one year to another, communities can track how their land use is changing.
“This high-resolution land cover data is a powerful new tool for science-based decision-making,” said Nicole LeBoeuf, assistant administrator of NOAA’s National Ocean Service. “The information – which is 900 times greater in detail – gives local planners the precision needed to assess critical risks, such as water quality and storm protection, and to identify priority wetlands for preservation so they can meet local challenges head on.”
Land cover maps document on-the-ground features, from forests and wetlands to impervious surfaces, like buildings and roads. They are some of NOAA’s most used datasets. Coastal management and land use planners depend upon this information for evaluating landscape features, from forests and wetlands to sealed surfaces such as buildings and roads. This newest update will provide up to 20 land cover categories, including a variety of wetland types.
NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management has provided regional coastal land cover for decades through its Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP). This mapping is valuable for comparing changes over time down to the county level. NOAA’s new localized data will enhance the degree to which planners can evaluate smaller communities.
Similar NOAA maps have helped municipalities understand a wide variety of land use changes in the past, such as the causes of local sand dune erosion and the potential success or failure of future wetland restoration near lakes. It can even identify gaps in broadband coverage, an important resource for many rural communities where internet connectivity is challenging. The data can enable better, more efficient planning as well as cost savings.
“These new maps are a great resource for state and local communities who often don’t have the resources needed for this type of mapping,” said Nate Herold, data development lead and physical scientist in NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management. “Rather than the coarser data of the past – which has limits to its application and usage – these more precise products offer communities a wealth of opportunities.”
Future updates are also planned for other regions of the country.
