# Covertype

[Browse datasets](<../../>) 

`uci:covertype@1` · Registry `1.4.0`. Default version in this registry. 

Forest cover types for 581,012 cells measuring 30 by 30 meters in four wilderness areas of the Roosevelt National Forest in northern Colorado. The 54 cartographic features comprise 10 quantitative measurements, four binary wilderness indicators, and 40 binary soil-type indicators. Cover\_Type codes 1 through 7 denote spruce/fir, lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine, cottonwood/willow, aspen, Douglas-fir, and krummholz, respectively. 

<a id="dimensions-and-tasks"></a>

## Dimensions and tasks

| Task | Type | Split | Samples | Predictors |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| default | classification | — | 581,012 | 54 |

Predictor counts follow each task's feature selection and exclude targets and identifiers. Sample counts are reported separately for each split. 

<a id="retrieve"></a>

## Retrieve

These examples pin both the dataset version and the registry's exact index. An uncached dataset requires network access to its source. The CLI retrieves verified artifacts. The language clients also decode them. 

<a id="python"></a>

### Python

```python
from datamonger import Registry, fetch_data

registry = Registry(
    release="1.4.0",
    index_sha256="ef83679266af9fcbb9ea194acdfb9bb6c380b440a574fc2ee7292899c5102909",
    index_url="https://github.com/jolars/datamonger/releases/download/registry-v1.4.0/index.json",
)
data = fetch_data("uci:covertype@1", registry=registry)
```

<a id="r"></a>

### R

```r
library(datamonger)

registry <- registry_selector(
  release = "1.4.0",
  index_sha256 = "ef83679266af9fcbb9ea194acdfb9bb6c380b440a574fc2ee7292899c5102909",
  index_url = "https://github.com/jolars/datamonger/releases/download/registry-v1.4.0/index.json"
)
data <- fetch_data("uci:covertype@1", registry = registry)
```

<a id="julia"></a>

### Julia

```julia
using Datamonger

registry = registry_selector(
    "1.4.0",
    "ef83679266af9fcbb9ea194acdfb9bb6c380b440a574fc2ee7292899c5102909",
    "https://github.com/jolars/datamonger/releases/download/registry-v1.4.0/index.json",
)
data = fetch_data("uci:covertype@1"; registry=registry)
```

<a id="cli"></a>

### CLI

```sh
cat > datamonger-registry.json <<'JSON'
{
  "index_sha256": "ef83679266af9fcbb9ea194acdfb9bb6c380b440a574fc2ee7292899c5102909",
  "index_url": "https://github.com/jolars/datamonger/releases/download/registry-v1.4.0/index.json",
  "release": "1.4.0",
  "schema_version": 1
}
JSON
datamonger --selector datamonger-registry.json fetch 'uci:covertype@1'
```

<a id="representation-and-variables"></a>

## Representation and variables

Tabular data with a dense representation. Decoder: `delimited-text` version 1. 

| Component | Kind | Type | Shape |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Elevation | vector | int64 | 581,012 |
| Aspect | vector | int64 | 581,012 |
| Slope | vector | int64 | 581,012 |
| Horizontal\_Distance\_To\_Hydrology | vector | int64 | 581,012 |
| Vertical\_Distance\_To\_Hydrology | vector | int64 | 581,012 |
| Horizontal\_Distance\_To\_Roadways | vector | int64 | 581,012 |
| Hillshade\_9am | vector | int64 | 581,012 |
| Hillshade\_Noon | vector | int64 | 581,012 |
| Hillshade\_3pm | vector | int64 | 581,012 |
| Horizontal\_Distance\_To\_Fire\_Points | vector | int64 | 581,012 |
| Wilderness\_Area1 | vector | int64 | 581,012 |
| Wilderness\_Area2 | vector | int64 | 581,012 |
| Wilderness\_Area3 | vector | int64 | 581,012 |
| Wilderness\_Area4 | vector | int64 | 581,012 |
| Soil\_Type1 | vector | int64 | 581,012 |
| Soil\_Type2 | vector | int64 | 581,012 |
| Soil\_Type3 | vector | int64 | 581,012 |
| Soil\_Type4 | vector | int64 | 581,012 |
| Soil\_Type5 | vector | int64 | 581,012 |
| Soil\_Type6 | vector | int64 | 581,012 |
| Soil\_Type7 | vector | int64 | 581,012 |
| Soil\_Type8 | vector | int64 | 581,012 |
| Soil\_Type9 | vector | int64 | 581,012 |
| Soil\_Type10 | vector | int64 | 581,012 |
| Soil\_Type11 | vector | int64 | 581,012 |
| Soil\_Type12 | vector | int64 | 581,012 |
| Soil\_Type13 | vector | int64 | 581,012 |
| Soil\_Type14 | vector | int64 | 581,012 |
| Soil\_Type15 | vector | int64 | 581,012 |
| Soil\_Type16 | vector | int64 | 581,012 |

Showing 30 of 55 components. The [complete registry record](<../../../assets/7ea5f3f18412605fd8f209f6444cabdaa2b417a5a6c964788dafda9935e5a6c0.bin>) contains every variable name and task binding. 

<a id="preprocessing"></a>

## Preprocessing

<a id="upstream"></a>

### Upstream

Status: documented. 

The provider documents unscaled data with no missing values. The original study used the first 11,340 records for training, the next 3,780 for validation, and the last 565,892 for testing. The upstream CSV contains the full table; this entry retains its source order and does not materialize separate split artifacts. 

**feature-encoding.** The provider represents wilderness area and soil type using four and 40 binary indicator columns, respectively. 

Parameters: absence: 0; presence: 1; soil\_columns: Soil\_Type1 through Soil\_Type40; wilderness\_columns: Wilderness\_Area1 through Wilderness\_Area4. 

Evidence: [https://archive.ics.uci.edu/dataset/31/covertype](<https://archive.ics.uci.edu/dataset/31/covertype>), [https://archive.ics.uci.edu/ml/machine-learning-databases/covtype/covtype.info](<https://archive.ics.uci.edu/ml/machine-learning-databases/covtype/covtype.info>) 

<a id="datamonger"></a>

### Datamonger

Status: none. 

Datamonger decodes the provider artifact without additional statistical preprocessing. 

Evidence: spec/decoders/delimited-text-v1.md 

<a id="provenance-and-citation"></a>

## Provenance and citation

Provider: UCI Machine Learning Repository. Upstream name: Covertype. Retrieved: 2026-10-26. 

[Original source](<https://archive.ics.uci.edu/dataset/31/covertype>) 

Authors: Jock Blackard. 

Blackard, J. (1998). Covertype \[Dataset\]. UCI Machine Learning Repository. [https://doi.org/10.24432/C50K5N](<https://doi.org/10.24432/C50K5N>). 

Cite the UCI dataset DOI and retain the copyright notice for Jock A. Blackard and Colorado State University, as requested in covtype.info. 

<a id="license"></a>

## License

CC-BY-4.0 

[License information](<https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/>) 

The UCI landing page at [https://archive.ics.uci.edu/dataset/31/covertype](<https://archive.ics.uci.edu/dataset/31/covertype>) states that the dataset is licensed under CC BY 4.0. The original covtype.info permits unlimited reuse with retention of the copyright notice for Jock A. Blackard and Colorado State University. 

<a id="artifacts"></a>

## Artifacts

Total download: 72.2 MiB. Sizes describe the distributed files, including any compression. 

| Artifact | Format | Compression | Size | Distribution | Preservation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| data | csv | none | 72.2 MiB | upstream-only | unknown |

[data: upstream](<https://archive.ics.uci.edu/static/public/31/data.csv>) 

<a id="versions-in-this-registry"></a>

## Versions in this registry

[1](<1>) (default) 

<a id="registry-record"></a>

## Registry record

Download the [complete registry record](<../../../assets/7ea5f3f18412605fd8f209f6444cabdaa2b417a5a6c964788dafda9935e5a6c0.bin>), [registry selector](<../../../assets/34c66958a7fbdc23b69bacece50c1f1e9a097760400133967cecb6086963cdb1.bin>), or [full registry index](<https://github.com/jolars/datamonger/releases/download/registry-v1.4.0/index.json>). 

Index SHA-256: `ef83679266af9fcbb9ea194acdfb9bb6c380b440a574fc2ee7292899c5102909`.