AVHRR-Derived Land Cover Map of the Former Soviet Union

A 15-kilometer resolution geospatial dataset maps land cover across the Former Soviet Union. It contains sixty distinct land cover classes, with a specific focus on forest types accounting for 38 of those classes. The dataset was produced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and covers the period from 1984 to 1993.

Use Cases

• Stratifying the FSU into general land cover sub-regions for higher-resolution satellite study.
• Analyzing the distribution of 38 distinct forest cover classes across the region.
• Providing a baseline geospatial layer for historical land cover change detection from 1984 to 1993.
• Supporting regional environmental modeling that requires coarse-resolution land cover classification.

Strengths

• Contains a detailed classification scheme with 60 total land cover classes.
• Offers specific focus on forest ecosystems with 38 dedicated forest cover classes.
• Provides a decadal time series of land cover data spanning from 1984 to 1993.
• Created by a authoritative source, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Limitations

• The dataset has a coarse spatial resolution of 15 kilometers, limiting fine-scale analysis.
• There is a conflict in the 'last updated' metadata, with one source showing 1993 and another showing 2026, casting doubt on data currency.
• Specific column names and the exact data structure within the files are not described on the platforms.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Derived from AVHRR (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer) satellite data.

Time Range

1984 to 1993

Freshness

2026-03-13 22:33:57.392759

Geography

Land area of the Former Soviet Union