RAP 3.0

On January 01, 2022 the Rangeland Analysis Platform updated cover and biomass datasets to version 3.0.

Why a new version?
RAP updates occur every two years. The 2022 update was moved up due to the deprecation of Landsat Collection 1, which occurred December 31, 2021.

What is new in version 3.0?
Primary changes include:

  • Use of Landsat Collection 2
  • Addition of the National Park Service Northern Colorado Plateau Network (NCPN) monitoring data for cover training
  • Identify agriculture, development, and water
  • Addition of the eastern states

Cover versions

Cover 1.0 Cover 2.0 Cover 3.0
Model Random Forest Convolutional Neural Network Convolutional Neural Network
Data 31,300 plots 57,792 plots 74,966 plots
Landsat measurements 3; seasonal averages 12; 64 day averages 12; 64 day averages
Predictors 40; variable per group 10; Landsat based 10; Landsat based
Uncertainty - pixel-level -
Prediction pipeline Google Earth Engine Google Earth Engine & AI Platform Google Earth Engine & AI Platform


Cover error metrics

Vegetation cover Annual forb and grass Perennial forb and grass Shrub Tree Litter Bare ground
Mean absolute error (%) cover 3.0 7.0 10.2 6.2 2.6 5.7 6.5
Root mean square error (%) cover 3.0 11.0 14.0 8.8 6.7 7.8 9.6
Mean absolute error (%) cover 2.0 7.0 10.3 5.8 2.8 5.7 6.7
Root mean square error (%) cover 2.0 11.0 14.0 8.3 6.8 7.9 9.8
Mean absolute error (%) cover 1.0 7.8 11.1 6.9 4.7 - 7.3
Root mean square error (%) cover 1.0 11.8 14.9 9.9 8.5 - 10.6


Biomass
Biomass 3.0 uses cover 3.0 for functional group partitioning. Minor alterations were made to improve biomass partitioning and estimates.


What will happen with cover and biomass 2.0?
Cover and biomass 2.0 data can be downloaded at http://rangeland.ntsg.umt.edu/data/rap/ and are also archived at Zenodo.

How often will RAP be updated?
Major version updates (e.g., 2.0 to 3.0) will be assessed on a two year cycle, and will occur if there are significant changes, i.e., model changes, additional features, etc. The entire time period will be produced to ensure consistency. Previous major versions will be produced and maintained for one year after updating.