Post-Deforestation Land Use in Mato Grosso from MODIS Data

2001-2005 data provides areal estimates of large deforestation events (>25 ha) in Mato Grosso, Brazil, and classifies subsequent land use as cropland, cattle pasture, or not in production. The dataset was produced by the Brazilian Institute for Space Research (INPE) under the PRODES program, with land use classifications derived from MODIS NDVI and EVI time-series analyzed via a decision-tree classifier. It consists of five annual ESRI shapefiles covering the post-deforestation period from 2002 to 2005.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the conversion rate of deforested land to cropland versus pasture using the classified land-use polygons.
• Tracking the spatial distribution and size of deforestation events exceeding 25 hectares from 2001-2004.
• Studying vegetation recovery or land abandonment via the 'not in production' classification in years following clearance.
• Calibrating regional land-use change models with ground-truthed, MODIS-derived phenology metrics.

Strengths

• Provides multi-year, annual land-use classification for 2002-2005 following deforestation events.
• Uses a defined, reproducible method based on MODIS NDVI/EVI time-series and a decision-tree classifier.
• Focuses on large, significant deforestation events with a minimum size threshold of 25 hectares.
• Cross-platform presence on NASA EarthData and Data.gov signals established credibility and reuse.

Limitations

• Exact row/feature count and dataset size are unknown across all sources.
• Sources conflict on the last update date: one lists 2005-07-31, while others list 2026-03-13 (likely a metadata refresh).
• Column names and specific attribute schema within the shapefiles are not provided.

Provenance

Source

Brazilian Institute for Space Research (INPE), Program for the Estimation of Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon (PRODES).

Collection Method

Deforestation events identified by PRODES; post-deforestation land use classified using MODIS NDVI/EVI annual time-series analyzed with a decision-tree classifier.

Time Range

2001-2005

Freshness

2026-03-13 01:02:11.920245

Geography

Mato Grosso, Brazil.