Accurate and current information on constantly changing acreage and location of crops is critical for environmental, market, and production applications. Agencies, growers and researchers benefit from understanding the impacts of land use, crop location, acreage, and management practices on environmental attributes and resource management. Conversely, environmental factors such as climate change and sensitive habitats increasingly influence how much and where these various crops are grown. For these purposes, as well as many others, a spatial mapping base layer is integral for effective decision-making and other applications.

In response to this need, Land IQ was contracted by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) to develop a comprehensive and accurate spatial land use database for the primary cropping season in 2015 and 2016 within the legal Delta and DWR Delta Service areas comprising approximately 750,000 acres.