The AKVEG Database is a cloud-hosted, PostgreSQL database of vegetation field data. The database includes 100 survey and monitoring projects from Alaska and adjacent Canada. Because data are harmonized according to a common schema, they are ready to use in analyses. People have used the data to validate spatial products, classify vegetation, identify important wildlife habitat, and quantify environmental change. The data in the AKVEG Database are the foundation for the AKVEG Maps, which include continuous foliar cover maps of present-day conditions and time-series maps.
The database consists of a private database, which includes restricted access records, and a replicate public database, with private records removed. The public database is free for anyone to use, but database credentials are required to connect to it.
Data Overview
Summary statistics are based on v2.9.0 (2026-05-06) of the private database.
The database contains 701,216 records of vegetation cover from 44,324 site visits. Only 294 of these site visits represent repeat visits; most sites in the database are therefore unique. Vascular plants, bryophytes, and lichens are all represented in the database, though comprehensive surveys on bryophytes and lichens are limited.
In addition to cover data, the database includes measurements of abiotic top cover, soil properties, and other environmental characteristics. The database also includes detailed methodological metadata to help users determine whether a specific project or site visit is appropriate for their application.
Data span from 1975–2025, though 65% of records are from 2005 or later. With respect to spatial distribution, 88% of records are in Alaska. Both ground and aerial surveys are included in the database. Cover estimates using point intercept, ocular estimates, and cover class methods are all represented. The database has strong coverage in boreal and Arctic regions of Alaska; records from temperate regions (such as Southeast Alaska) are more limited.
Resources
- AKVEG Docs: Includes instructions for connecting to the database and Entity-Relationship Diagrams for each of the 13 data tables.
- GitHub code repository: Includes example scripts for connecting to and querying the database in R and Python.
Recommended Citation
Droghini, A., T.W. Nawrocki, A.F. Wells, M.J. Macander, and L.A. Flagstad. 2026. Alaska Vegetation (AKVEG) Database: Standardized, multi-project field and classification data for Alaska. Alaska Geospatial Council, Vegetation Working Group. Available: https://www.akveg.org. Data downloaded on [date of query].