Annual Cultivated Extent and Agricultural Land Use Expansion across the Central Grasslands of North America, 1996-2021

This dataset provides annual cropland extent across the central grasslands of North America from 1996 to 2021 at 30-meter resolution. The data captures both "active" cropland (areas under cultivation in a given year) and "cumulative" cropland (accumulated footprint of all land cultivated through that year). Using deep learning methods applied to Landsat imagery and vegetation data, we mapped cropland dynamics across Canada, Mexico, and the United States, revealing significant patterns of agricultural expansion and land-use change.

Key Features:
- 26 annual layers (1996-2021)
- 30-meter spatial resolution
- Dual bands: active cropland and cumulative cropland footprint
- Coverage includes Great Plains, Prairie Pothole Region, and portions of Chihuahuan Desert
- Bias-corrected area estimates
- Validated against multiple national datasets and reference samples

This comprehensive dataset enables monitoring of agricultural expansion, assessment of conservation needs, and analysis of land-use change patterns across North American grasslands. It provides critical information for understanding both immediate impacts of active cultivation and longer-term legacy effects of historical agricultural use.

The data are provided as annual GeoTIFF files with two bands representing active and cumulative cropland extent. These data support diverse applications in land management, conservation planning, and research on grassland ecosystem change.