Who created the CDL datasets?
Originally, field preparation and digitizing work were performed in NASS Field Offices, and the remote sensing analysis performed by the Remote Sensing Section later called the Spatial Analysis Research Section (SARS) of NASS. However, in 1997 SARS entered into a data sharing partnership with USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service and USDA’s Farm Service Agency. The agreement provided access to Landsat 5 coverage in the states selected for the project by SARS. The first states covered with the data sharing partnership were Arkansas, North Dakota and South Dakota. Improvements in hardware along with software enhancements made program expansion possible for the 1999 growing season. NASS Research & Development Division solicited additional states to find outside cooperators/partners to provide an analyst and hardware to perform duties associated with the Acreage Estimation Program. The Illinois and Mississippi State Field Offices were able to obtain partnership agreements with external State
