Asia Forest Cover Map from 1995 AVHRR Imagery

Five distinct land cover classes categorize Asian forests circa 1995, including closed forest, open forest, and other wooded land. The U.S. Geological Survey EROS Data Center produced this map using monthly AVHRR composite images. Data was finalized and published in 1996.

Use Cases

• Classify land cover into categories like 'Closed Forest' or 'Other Wooded Land' for regional ecological assessments.
• Analyze the spatial distribution of 'Open or Fragmented Forest' to study habitat connectivity.
• Use the 'Water' and 'Other Land Cover' classes as baselines for change detection studies against newer imagery.
• Map the extent of forest classes to estimate historical carbon storage potential in Asian biomes.

Strengths

• Provides a consistent five-class land cover legend for the entire Asian region.
• Based on circa 1995 AVHRR satellite imagery processed with a specific hybrid compositing technique.

Limitations

• Data represents a single snapshot from 1995 and does not reflect current conditions.
• The classification is derived from AVHRR imagery, which has lower spatial resolution than modern sensors.

Provenance

Source

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) EROS Data Center (EDC)

Collection Method

Hybrid maximum-NDVI and minimum-red compositing technique applied to monthly AVHRR composite images.

Time Range

circa 1995

Freshness

1996-12-31

Geography

Asia