Land Cover Map 2007: UK Habitat Classification from Satellite Imagery

Land Cover Map 2007 (LCM2007) is a parcel-based thematic classification covering the entire United Kingdom, updating earlier maps from 1990 and 2000. It is derived from computer classification of satellite scenes from Landsat, IRS, and SPOT sensors and uses a hierarchical nomenclature corresponding to Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) Broad Habitats. This specific Web Map Service (WMS) provides percentage cover at a 1km resolution for aggregate classes and covers Great Britain.

Use Cases

• Analyzing land cover change over time based on the update from LCM1990 and LCM2000.
• Modeling habitat distribution and connectivity based on the JNCC Broad Habitats classification.
• Assessing percentage land cover composition at a 1km scale for regional environmental planning.
• Integrating land cover data with other geospatial datasets for ecological research, as the map incorporates ancillary data.

Strengths

• Covers the entire United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland in the full product.
• Updates and upgrades two previous national land cover maps (LCMGB 1990 and LCM2000).
• Uses a hierarchical classification system encompassing the entire range of UK habitats.
• Available in multiple formats (vector and raster) with varying levels of detail.

Limitations

• This specific WMS version is for Great Britain only, excluding Northern Ireland.
• Row count and dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after access.

Provenance

Source

Environmental Information Data Centre

Collection Method

Derived from computer classification of satellite scenes (Landsat, IRS, SPOT) and ancillary datasets.

Time Range

2007

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-02 19:19:17.888181; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Great Britain (this WMS version); full LCM2007 covers the entire United Kingdom.