1990 AVHRR Land Cover Map of Russian Far East at 1-km Resolution

Eight land cover classes, including five forest types, were mapped for the Primor'ye and Southern Khabarovsk regions using 1990 NOAA AVHRR satellite data. The map was created by NASA to support World Wildlife Fund research on habitats for threatened animal species. This dataset provides a historical baseline for land use in the Far Eastern Siberia region.

Use Cases

• Defining historical habitats and ranges for threatened animal species based on forest and land cover classes.
• Analyzing land cover change by comparing this 1990 baseline with more recent satellite data.
• Validating or supplementing regional forest cover maps using the five distinct forest class labels.
• Conducting regional ecological modeling that requires 1-kilometer resolution land surface data.

Strengths

• Provides a specific historical snapshot from a single year (1990) for change detection.
• Integrates multiple data sources, including the Russian 1990 Forest Cover Map and analyst expertise.
• Focuses on a critical biodiversity region with five distinct forest cover classes for detailed analysis.
• Cross-platform presence on Data.gov and NASA EarthData indicates established scientific use.

Limitations

• Spatial resolution is coarse (1 km) compared to modern land cover products.
• Metadata conflicts exist: Data.gov lists a 2026 update date, while NASA lists 1990, creating uncertainty about provenance.
• Specific column names, row counts, and file sizes are not documented across any source.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Derived from 1990 NOAA AVHRR satellite data, labeled using the Russian 1990 Forest Cover Map and analyst experience.

Time Range

1990

Freshness

1990-08-17 23:59:59.999000

Geography

Primor'ye and Southern Khabarovsk Regions, Russian Far East (Far Eastern Siberia)