Southern California Association of Governments - Land Use Mapping
AIS created the original land use (LU) data layer in 1990 for the Southern California Aerial Land Use Consortium, an organization consisting of public and quasi-public agencies, headed by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG). Subsequently,
SCAG has taken over sole management of the LU data and they have contracted AIS to perform region-wide updates to the LU dataset in 1993, 2000, and 2005.
The region-wide land use (LU) dataset covers the SCAG region, which encompasses the majority of Southern California and includes Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura counties.
All of the LU datasets were completed using ESRI GIS software, and starting in 2000, the updates were performed using computer interactive photo interpretation techniques and digital natural color imagery. For each update, the existing LU data was compared against the most current digital imagery at the time of the update and analyzed for change. Polygon attributes and boundaries were revised by the photo interpreters to reflect current conditions using custom .NET tools developed by AIS programming staff. Hard to identify photo signatures were flagged for on-site visits performed by AIS field survey teams to ensure the accuracy of the interpretations.