SAFARI 2000: Southern African Land Cover from AVHRR, 1987

SAFARI 2000 Land Cover from AVHRR, 1-Deg, 1987 is a southern African subset of a global land cover classification product. The dataset is based on Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data from 1987, processed to a one-degree resolution and classified into eleven cover types representing major world biomes. It provides a coarse-resolution, supervised classification of vegetation and land cover for the region.

Use Cases

• Regional land cover change analysis based on the 1987 temporal snapshot.
• Biome distribution modeling using the eleven supervised classification cover types.
• Validation of higher-resolution land cover products using this coarse-resolution baseline.
• Study of vegetation patterns via the underlying Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) composites.

Strengths

• Based on a supervised classification of eleven distinct cover types, providing a structured biome representation.
• Derived from satellite-based AVHRR data, offering a consistent, remotely-sensed source.
• Available in multiple formats (ASCII GRID, binary), enhancing accessibility for different tools.

Limitations

• Conflicting metadata: one platform lists a last updated date of 2026, while another indicates the underlying data is from 1987, creating uncertainty about versioning.
• Coarse one-degree spatial resolution limits detailed, localized analysis.
• Sparse column metadata and unknown row counts hinder precise technical assessment.

Provenance

Source

University of Maryland Laboratory for Global Remote Sensing Studies (LGRSS), via the Global Land Cover Facility (GLCF).

Collection Method

Supervised classification of maximum monthly AVHRR NDVI composites from 1987, averaged to one-degree resolution.

Time Range

1987

Freshness

The underlying observational data is from 1987, though metadata was updated on one platform in 2026.

Geography

Southern Africa (subset of global coverage).