Geology
Quaternary and bedrock geology layers were obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Ontario Ministry of Northern Development and Mines. The datasets were harmonized and aggregated up to common quaternary and bedrock geology classes that cover the entire Great Lakes Basin.
Land use & cover
Land use/cover has been harmonized for the 8 Great Lakes states in the U.S. and the province of Ontario. Data was obtained from USGS National Land Cover Database (NLCD) and Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (OMNRF). The 2 countries collect imagery for land cover at differing temporal scales, we were able to complete harmonized, bi-national land cover composites for 2000/2001 and 2011/2012. In the U.S. the land cover product includes developed imperiousness data layer. Land cover/use data are also available summarized by watershed.
download land use & cover for 2000/2001
download land use & cover for 2010/2011
Population & roads
Population census and road locations data are available from the U.S. Census Bureau and Statistics Canada. We harmonized population county and computed density for the 2000/2001 and 2010/2011 censuses. Population census data are also available summarized by watershed. Road locations and type were obtained from the same data sources, since both agencies maintain road information at similar spatial resolutions. Road locations for the entire Great Lakes Basin and road density by watershed available.
Soils
The Natural Resources Conservation Service and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada develop and maintain soils database. We obtained the data and harmonized common classes for the Great Lakes Basin for soil slope, drainage, and rooting depth.