Skip to main content

Land Use/Land Cover Data Access and Tools

NASA data range from global assessments of snow cover albedo to food insecurity cropland extent measurements. Our datasets and tools help researchers translate these interconnected data points into actionable knowledge.

Commonly Used Land Cover/Crop Extent Data at a Glance

Spatial ResolutionSpatial CoverageTemporal ResolutionTemporal CoverageSpectral ResolutionSatellite/
Platform		Sensor(s)/ Model NameObservation or ModelFile Format
500 mGlobal1-2 days2001-202136 bands ranging from 0.4 µm to 14.4 µmTerra and AquaMODISObservationHDF-EOS
30 m, 90 m, 1 kmRegional datasetsMulti-year2007-2016
(varies)		VariesDerived from Landsat dataGFSADObservationGeoTIFF
30 mGlobalYearly2001-2019VariesDerived from Landsat dataGLanCEObservationGeoTIFF

Land Use/Land Cover Data Tools

View All Data Tools
Tool Description Services
RTC Stack Processor The radiometric terrain correction (RTC) stack processor tool facilitates time-series analysis of such phenomena as flooding events, deforestation, or glacier retreat. Analysis, Processing, Search and Discovery, Visualization
VEDA NASA's Visualization, Exploration, and Data Analysis (VEDA) project is an open-source science cyberinfrastructure for data processing, visualization, exploration, and geographic information systems (GIS) capabilities. Access, Analysis, Processing, Visualization, Geoprocessing
Vertex Vertex is a graphical search interface for finding synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data. Search and Discovery, Access, Downloading, Processing, Subsetting
Worldview Worldview offers the capability to interactively browse over 1,200 global, full-resolution satellite imagery layers and download the underlying data. Analysis, Search and Discovery, Visualization, Access, Comparison, Monitoring Natural Events
SHOWING 4 OF 4
Featured Land Use/Land Cover Observation Method: Sentinel-1
Sentinel-1 is a European Space Agency (ESA) satellites designed to acquire Earth-observation measurements and carries a C-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) to provide all-weather, day-and-night imagery of Earth's surface. The platform was launched on April 3, 2014, and images Earth every six days. Sentinel-1 SAR data can reveal the surface roughness of the land, oil and vegetation moisture content, and vegetation density. The dadar data can also be used to determine water surface conditions such as waviness and identify water inundation into inland areas and beneath forest canopies.
Learn More About Sentinel-1
Placeholder image

HLS: Two Together Better than Two Apart

The purpose of the Harmonized Landsat Sentinel-2 (HLS) project led by IMPACT, is to combine two or more data streams into a single data set and increase their value.

Land Use/Land Cover Datasets

View All Datasets
Dataset Platforms Instruments Temporal Extent Location Keywords Spatial Extent Data Format
FLUXNET Research Network Site Characteristics, Investigators, and Bibliography, 2016 GROUND STATIONS, GROUND-BASED OBSERVATIONS ANEMOMETERS, RAIN GAUGES, THERMOMETERS 1991-01-01 to 2016-12-31 N: 78.921 S: -62.2321 E: 175.554 W: -157.409 CSV
Geoecology: County-Level Environmental Data for the United States, 1941-1981 COMPUTERS Computer 1941-01-01 to 1981-12-31 N: 49.3844 S: 24.4981 E: -66.9499 W: -124.763 Text File
Global 1-km Downscaled Urban Land Extent Projection and Base Year Grids by SSP Scenarios, 2000-2100 MODELS Computer 2000-01-01 to 2100-12-31 GLOBAL N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 GeoTIFF, netCDF-4
Global Fire Emissions Indicators, Country-Level Tabular Data: 1997-2015 MODELS Computer 1997-01-01 to 2015-12-31 GLOBAL, AFGHANISTAN, ALBANIA, ALGERIA, AMERICAN SAMOA N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 Excel
Global Fire Emissions Indicators, Grids: 1997-2015 MODELS Computer 1997-01-01 to 2015-12-31 GLOBAL N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 GeoTIFF, PDF, PNG, WMS
Global Food Security-support Analysis Data (GFSAD) Cropland Extent 2010 North America product 30 m V001 LANDSAT-7, DEM, LANDSAT-5 ETM+, TM 2008-01-01 to 2015-12-31 NORTH AMERICA N: 90 S: -0.001078 E: 1.928773 W: -180 GeoTIFF
Global Food Security-support Analysis Data (GFSAD) Cropland Extent 2015 Africa 30 m V001 LANDSAT-8, Sentinel-2A, DEM, LANDSAT-5 OLI, Sentinel-2 MSI, TM 2013-01-01 to 2016-06-30 AFRICA N: 40.10861 S: -50.108476 E: 70.001218 W: -37 GeoTIFF
Global Food Security-support Analysis Data (GFSAD) Cropland Extent 2015 Australia, New Zealand, China, Mongolia 30 m V001 LANDSAT-8, LANDSAT-7, DEM, LANDSAT-5 OLI, ETM+, TM 2013-01-01 to 2016-12-31 AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND, CHINA, MONGOLIA N: 60.095406 S: -62 E: 180 W: 60 GeoTIFF
Global Food Security-support Analysis Data (GFSAD) Cropland Extent 2015 Europe, Central Asia, Russia, Middle East product 30 m V001 LANDSAT-8, LANDSAT-7, DEM, LANDSAT-5 OLI, ETM+, TM 2013-01-01 to 2016-12-31 EUROPE, SOUTHCENTRAL ASIA, RUSSIAN FEDERATION, MIDDLE EAST N: 90 E: 180 W: -180 GeoTIFF
Global Food Security-support Analysis Data (GFSAD) Cropland Extent 2015 South America product 30 m V001 LANDSAT-8, LANDSAT-7, DEM, LANDSAT-5 OLI, ETM+, TM 2013-01-01 to 2016-12-31 SOUTH AMERICA N: 15 S: -60 E: -20 W: -110 GeoTIFF
SHOWING 10 OF 356

Frequently Asked Questions

Earthdata Forum

Our online forum provides a space for users to browse thousands of FAQs about research needs, data, and data applications. You can also submit new questions for our experts to answer.

Submit Questions to Earthdata Forumand View Expert Responses

Earthdata
Forum