Water Photointerpretation Keys

Click on one of the three water sub-classes to view the keys. To find out more about the class hierarchy refer to the VCGI LULC codes.

Anderson et al. (1976):
The delineation of water areas depends on the scale of data presentation and the scale and resolution characteristics of the remote sensor data used for interpretation of land use and land cover. (Water as defined by the Bureau of the Census includes all areas within the land mass of the United States that persistently are water covered, provided that, if linear, they are at least 1/8 mile (200 m) wide and, if extended, cover at least 40 acres (16 hectares) .) For many purposes, agencies need information on the size and number of water bodies smaller than Bureau of the Census minimums. These frequently can be obtained from small-scale remote sensor data with considerable accuracy.