Decadal Land Cover Classifications for India at 100m Resolution

NASA provides a land use and land cover classification dataset for India at 100-meter resolution for three decadal years: 1985, 1995, and 2005. The data were derived from a synthesis of Landsat and IRS satellite imagery, ground truth surveys, and visual interpretation. Classifications follow the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme scheme.

Use Cases

• Analyzing decadal shifts in urban, agricultural, and forested areas using IGBP classification codes.
• Modeling environmental impacts by tracking changes in water bodies and barren land over 20 years.
• Validating regional climate or hydrological models with spatially explicit land cover data.
• Assessing conservation efforts by monitoring changes in woody savannas and grasslands.

Strengths

• Provides consistent 100-meter resolution data across three time points spanning two decades.
• Integrates multiple data sources, including Landsat TM/ETM+, IRS LISS sensors, and ground surveys.
• Follows a standardized international classification scheme (IGBP).

Limitations

• Key metadata like row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable across all platforms.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates exist between sources (2005 vs. 2026), creating uncertainty about metadata maintenance.
• The license is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' without clear terms.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Derived from Landsat 4/5 TM/ETM+/MSS, IRS Resourcesat LISS-I/LISS-III data, ground truth surveys, and visual interpretation.

Time Range

1985, 1995, 2005

Freshness

2026-03-13 03:11:46.032400

Geography

India