Impervious surfaces in Boone, Missouri 2024 generated by EarthDefine's Impervious Model

EarthDefine Impervious Map

Nationwide at 60cm. All impervious surfaces. Produced to order using the latest available imagery.

EarthDefine's Impervious Map is the most detailed and up-to-date mapping of impervious surfaces across the contiguous United States. It captures built-up surfaces, buildings, roads, sidewalks, parking lots, airports and more, as a single impervious class at 60cm resolution. We produce it to order for any area you need, using the latest available imagery.

60cm
resolution
94.9%
urban-area accuracy
2500x
finer than legacy 30m data
Impervious juxtapose: Kansas City NAIP

Kansas City, KS · NAIP imagery

Impervious juxtapose: Kansas City impervious

EarthDefine Impervious Map

Our proprietary AI advantage

We developed a robust AI model that consistently classifies impervious cover in aerial imagery across the continental US. It classified over 120 terabytes of high-resolution colour-infrared imagery spanning more than 3.1 million square miles to create the Impervious Map.

Why we outperform government & commercial data

The National Land Cover Database (NLCD) is the only other nationwide impervious dataset, but at 30-metre resolution on a five-year cycle it is not suited to precise, current analyses. Our map classifies impervious cover at 2500 times the spatial resolution, using the latest available imagery, capturing even driveways and sidewalks, and resolving surfaces partially obscured by tree cover or shadow so road connectivity and structures stay accurate.

Impervious juxtapose: Salem OR NLCD

NLCD · 30m impervious

Impervious juxtapose: Salem OR EarthDefine

EarthDefine · 60cm impervious

Accuracy standards that drive industry adoption

The Impervious Map has an overall accuracy of 94.9% in census-defined urban areas. Accuracy was assessed using 48,000 random points (1,000 per state).

Professional-grade change detection

The Impervious Map AI model can map impervious cover from aerial imagery of previous years. For most of the US we have historical imagery back to ~2010, so multiple snapshots can be derived for change analysis.

Ready-to-integrate solutions

High-resolution impervious-cover data is a key environmental indicator useful for many applications.

  • calculating stormwater runoff volume, modelling water quality and flood risk
  • developing a TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load) using impervious cover as a surrogate for runoff pollutants
  • understanding urban heat islands
  • developing stormwater management plans
  • improving mapping of urban and rural populations through dasymetric mapping
  • measuring non-point-source pollution and downstream water quality
  • assessing stream-bank stability and streambed sedimentation
  • understanding relationships between land-use types and imperviousness

See impervious surfaces in the free samples

Browse free samples

Data coverage and freshness

We produce the Impervious Map to order for any area of the contiguous United States, using the latest available imagery.

Need more frequent updates? Ask about satellite updates for your area.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the Impervious Map include?

A 60cm raster of impervious surfaces, buildings, roads, sidewalks, parking lots and more, mapped as a single class.

How accurate is it?

94.9% accuracy in urban areas, and even higher accuracy in rural areas.

What is it used for?

Stormwater runoff and water-quality modelling, urban heat-island analysis, TMDL studies, and dasymetric population mapping.

How often is it updated?

We produce the Impervious Map to order using the latest available imagery for your area.

Can I get more frequent updates?

Yes. We can update the Impervious Map for your area every six months or annually using commercial satellite imagery. We can also use satellite imagery you’ve purchased after checking that it works with our models. Satellite updates cost more than our standard data, and using your own imagery may add to the cost depending on the validation required. Pricing is per project, with a $1,000 minimum order. Contact us to discuss timing.

Can I download a free sample?
How much does it cost?

Pricing is per project, with a $1,000 minimum order. We produce the data to order, and delivery timing depends on the size of your area. Send us your area of interest for a quote and delivery estimate.

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Map impervious surfaces across your area of interest

Talk to our team about Impervious Map coverage for your region, or download a free sample to evaluate the data yourself.

Speak to a Data Expert Download a free sample