A Land-use/Land Cover Classification of Baltimore City in 1927

Land-use and land cover classifications are typically created using
automated methods to analyze modern, spatially explicit color aerial
imagery. However, creating classifications from black and white
historical aerial imagery presents a number of challenges that require
a combination of more traditional, manual techniques and approaches. A
georectified mosaic of 93 aerial images was digitized in ArcGIS to
create a land-use/land cover classification. The analyzed area covered
585 km2 (226
mi2) including all of Baltimore City, and
an area immediately adjacent to the city known at the time as the
Metropolitan District of Baltimore County. A combination of 8 land-use
and land cover classes were used: Agriculture, Barren, Built (Other),
Forest, Grass/Shrubland, Industrial, Residential, and Water. This
geospatial data set captures a moment of dynamic expansion in the
city, just prior to the Great Depression and can be used to examine
relationships between property ownership and forest patch dynamics
across time. These insights may help inform future environmental
planning, conservation, management, and stewardship goals for
Baltimore City forest patches, and other cities throughout the region.