High-Resolution Land Cover Data From Ecopia AI Now Publicly Available Through NOAA

January 25, 2024 – Toronto – Today, Ecopia AI (Ecopia) announces that its high-resolution land cover data is now available for use through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s Digital Coast website. This data, funded with $8M from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, provides an unprecedented level of detail for more than 1.5M square miles of land cover across US coastal communities. 

The traditional data offering from NOAA’s Coastal Change and Analysis Program (C-CAP) openly provided 30-meter resolution data to support a wide range of coastal management efforts, including stormwater planning, sea level rise modeling, and similar climate resilience workflows. Powered by Ecopia’s artificial intelligence (AI)-based mapping technology, NOAA’s new C-CAP data delivers a 900X increase in resolution. This new 1-meter resolution dataset enables coastal communities to analyze land cover features in more detail, fueling more precise models and stronger climate resilience decision-making.

“The higher resolution product is something local leaders have been asking about for years, but it is often prohibitively expensive for communities to acquire this type of data,” says Rick Spinrad, Ph.D., NOAA administrator. “Technological advances and funding supplied through the Biden-Harris Administration's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are allowing NOAA to acquire comprehensive land cover data to meet the needs of coastal communities.”

Openly available high-resolution land cover data has been sought after by coastal communities for years, as many private sector solutions are cost-prohibitive. Additionally, such detailed data is not uniformly available across the diverse geographies of the US. NOAA’s new C-CAP data is the first to fully represent Alaska’s coastal areas, which have traditionally been underrepresented in geospatial data offerings even in the private sector. 

“This high-resolution data is leveling the playing field for all coastal states,” says Nate Herold, land cover expert at NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management. “But nowhere are the benefits more obvious than in Alaska. We are very excited to be a part of this project and support Alaska’s efforts to better understand their coastal land cover.”

On January 24, NOAA briefed US congressional leaders on the open availability of the new 1-meter resolution coastal land cover dataset. The briefing included an overview of how constituents can leverage high-resolution land cover data in their communities, as well as plans for future enhancements to the Digital Coast offerings. 

As part of this ongoing work, Ecopia not only provides the openly available 1-meter resolution raster dataset, but also a corresponding vector dataset for NOAA’s own internal analyses. This comprehensive, accurate, and up-to-date land cover data is available for coastal communities and other organizations to purchase as well. In 2023, the State of Washington purchased this vector data across its entire 71,429 square mile area to support various state agencies and municipalities with an authoritative database of geospatial land cover information. 

Ecopia land cover data will serve as a critical tool for a myriad of stakeholders, including conservationists, policymakers, and educators to monitor and conserve critical ecosystems and communities. However, this is just the start of a general push towards industry modernization and equitable access to geospatial data. Resilience planning isn't confined to coastal states, and this type of data across all areas of the US can unlock new opportunities for all communities if made readily available by federal and state stakeholders.

“Ecopia is proud to support NOAA’s C-CAP program and all of the coastal communities that benefit from its data and services,” said Brandon Palin, Senior Director of Public Sector and International Development at Ecopia AI. “The scalability of our AI-powered systems enables us to keep land cover data up-to-date, accurately capturing land use change and providing communities with that critical information as they enhance their understanding of our dynamically changing climate. We are excited to see how this data empowers coastal communities to become more climate resilient through innovative geospatial analytics.”

To access NOAA’s new 1-meter resolution land cover data produced by Ecopia, visit the Digital Coast website. NOAA’s public press release about the availability of this data can be read here.

For more information on Ecopia, click here. To view our HD map samples, click here. 

About NOAA's Office for Coastal Management
“Coastal management” is the term used by communities and organizations working to keep the nation’s coasts safe from storms, rich in natural resources, and economically strong. The national lead for these efforts is NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management, an organization devoted to partnerships, science, and good policy. This agency, housed within NOAA’s National Ocean Service, oversees major initiatives that include the National Coastal Zone Management Program, the Coral Reef Conservation Program, the Digital Coast, and the National Estuarine Research Reserve System. Learn more at coast.noaa.gov

About Ecopia AI 
Ecopia is on a mission to create a digital twin of the Earth. We leverage artificial intelligence to convert high-resolution imagery into high-definition (HD) vector maps. These maps form a digital representation of reality and are embedded into decision-making applications, offering unique insight at scale. Ecopia’s HD vector maps are leveraged for hundreds of commercial and government applications across over 100 countries around the world.