GFSAD Crop Mask: Global Cropland Extent Map for 2010 at 1 km Resolution

NASA's MEaSUREs program created this global cropland map by integrating data from Landsat, AVHRR, SPOT, and MODIS satellites, along with climate and ground reference data. The GFSAD1KCM product provides a five-class disaggregated map for a nominal year of 2010, based on data ranging from 2007 through 2012. This dataset is part of the Global Food Security Support Analysis Data initiative.

Use Cases

• Modeling global food security based on cropland extent and distribution.
• Analyzing land-use change over time based on the integrated remote sensing inputs.
• Validating regional agricultural statistics using the satellite-derived crop mask.
• Assessing climate impacts on agriculture based on the included 50-year precipitation and 20-year temperature data.

Strengths

• Integrates multiple high-quality input sources, including Landsat, AVHRR, SPOT, and MODIS remote sensing data.
• Derived from four major published studies (Thenkabail et al., Pittman et al., Yu et al., Friedl et al.).
• Includes secondary data layers such as elevation and multi-decade climate records.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The product is based on data from 2007-2012, which may limit contemporary analysis.
• Known issues are referenced but require consulting a separate user guide for details.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Created by integrating remote sensing, climate, elevation, ground reference, and country statistics data.

Time Range

Nominal year 2010, based on data from 2007 through 2012.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 02:14:12.790283; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global