Global Land Cover Types at 500-Meter Yearly Resolution

MODIS/Terra+Aqua combined data provides yearly global land cover maps at a 500-meter spatial resolution. The product is generated by NASA's LPCLOUD using supervised classification of satellite reflectance data. It includes multiple classification schemes and ancillary property layers for land cover assessment.

Use Cases

• Track global deforestation and afforestation trends using the yearly IGBP or UMD land cover type classifications.
• Model carbon and biogeochemical cycles by integrating the BIOME-BGC or Plant Functional Types (PFT) classification layers.
• Assess surface hydrology and water body changes with the provided Land Water Mask and Land Cover Property Assessment layers.
• Validate regional land cover maps by comparing against the global, consistently classified layers like Land Cover Type 1-5.
• Analyze land use transitions over time by stacking the yearly Land Cover Quality Control (QC) layers to identify stable or changed pixels.

Strengths

• Global spatial coverage enables continent-scale analysis.
• Yearly temporal resolution from 2001 onward supports change detection.
• Provides five distinct classification schemes (IGBP, UMD, LAI, BIOME-BGC, PFT) in one product.
• Includes ancillary assessment layers for land cover properties and quality control.

Limitations

• Training data for the supervised classification algorithm was not updated after 2021, potentially reducing accuracy for later years.
• Spatial resolution of 500 meters may not capture fine-scale land cover heterogeneity.
• Known metadata issues, such as missing 'units' fields, require consulting external user guides.

Provenance

Source

NASA LPCLOUD, derived from MODIS instruments on Terra and Aqua satellites.

Collection Method

Supervised classification of MODIS Terra and Aqua reflectance data, with post-processing using prior knowledge and ancillary information.

Time Range

Yearly intervals from 2001 onward.

Freshness

Yearly updates.

Geography

Global.