MODIS MCD12C1: Global Land Cover Type Maps at 0.05 Degrees, 2001-2022

MODIS/Terra+Aqua combined land cover data provides yearly global maps at 0.05-degree resolution from 2001 to 2022. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration product includes three classification schemes and sub-pixel land cover proportions. Version 6.1 incorporates calibration improvements and a minor fix to the UMD Land Cover Class.

Use Cases

• Modeling global climate and carbon cycles based on yearly land cover classifications.
• Analyzing long-term land use change trends based on the 22-year temporal coverage.
• Validating higher-resolution land cover products using the aggregated sub-pixel proportion layers.
• Assessing surface albedo and energy balance for climate models using the IGBP and LAI classification schemes.

Strengths

• 22 years of consistent yearly data from 2001 to 2022.
• Provides three distinct classification schemes (IGBP, UMD, LAI) for flexibility.
• Includes sub-pixel class proportions and quality assessment layers for each scheme.
• Spatial resolution of 0.05 degrees (approximately 5,600 meters) for global coverage.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Known issues are documented in a separate user guide and external website, requiring additional review.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Spatially aggregated and reprojected version of the tiled MCD12Q1 satellite data product.

Time Range

2001 to 2022

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-12 23:22:32.134820; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global