Six different automated classifiers, three of which were suggested by previous studies, were tested on a special data base of DMSP SSC (near IR channel, 1.51 to 1.63 micrometers) and OLS (visible channel, 0.4 to 1.0 micrometers, and IR channel, 10.2 to 12.8 micrometers). The classifiers were used to distinguish water clouds, ice clouds, snow cover, and other cloud-free surfaces. A test sample of 433 known cases was found with the aid of the AFGL man-Computer Interactive Data Access System.