ISLSCP II: Land and Water Masks at Multiple Resolutions

ISLSCP II data provides fixed land/water masks and cell percentages compiled from a 1-km base mask. The dataset includes seven zip files containing masks, land outline overlays, and coordinate grids, all provided at three spatial resolutions: 0.25, 0.5, and 1-degree on a common Earth grid. It was produced by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Goddard Space Flight Center in support of the Earth Observing System.

Use Cases

• Defining land/water boundaries in climate models based on the provided fixed masks.
• Calculating the percentage of land or water within grid cells for hydrological analysis.
• Creating visual overlays for maps using the land outline files.
• Aligning other geospatial datasets to a common Earth grid using the provided latitude/longitude coordinate files.

Strengths

• Provides data at three standard spatial resolutions (0.25, 0.5, and 1-degree) for flexibility in analysis.
• Originates from authoritative NASA institutions (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Goddard Space Flight Center).
• Includes both raster mask data and vector-like outline overlays for different applications.

Limitations

• Source platforms conflict on the last updated date (1995 vs. 2026), casting doubt on data freshness.
• Column names and exact row/record counts are not provided in the available metadata.
• Documentation is implied but its completeness and accessibility are unclear from the descriptions.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), specifically the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC).

Collection Method

Compiled from a 1-km land/water mask in support of NASA's Earth Observing System.

Freshness

2026-04-10 02:04:16.182026 (conflicts with a 1995 date from another source)

Geography

Global, on a common Earth grid.