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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

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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
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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
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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

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Dataset Platforms Instruments Temporal Extent Location Keywords Spatial Extent Data Format
SENTINEL-1B_SLC Sentinel-1B C-SAR 2016-04-25 to 2021-12-24 N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180
Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) Literature Database, v1, 2014-2019 MODELS Computer 2014-01-01 to 2019-12-31 GLOBAL N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 Excel
SHIFT: AVIRIS-NG Full-Resolution True Color Images B-200 AVIRIS-NG 2022-02-24 to 2022-05-17 CALIFORNIA N: 34.8992 S: 34.357 E: -119.478 W: -120.643 multiple
SHIFT: Wetland Spectra, Salinity, and Fractional Cover, Devereux Slough, CA, 2022 MODELS, FIELD SURVEYS, B-200 Computer, SOIL SAMPLER, AVIRIS-NG 2007-05-26 to 2024-05-30 CALIFORNIA N: 34.4311 S: 34.4039 E: -119.861 W: -119.894 multiple
Siberian Boreal Forest Aboveground Biomass and Fire Scar Maps, Russia, 1969-2007 FIELD INVESTIGATION, Terra, LANDSAT-7, LANDSAT-5, LANDSAT STEEL MEASURING TAPE, MODIS, ETM+, TM, MSS 1969-07-01 to 2007-07-26 N: 69.8981 S: 64.7678 E: 166.474 W: 156.612 GeoTIFF
SISTER: Experimental Workflows, Product Generation Environment, and Sample Data, V004 NOAA Twin Otter, NASA ER-2 AVIRIS 2011-05-13 to 2018-01-26 COLORADO, CALIFORNIA, HAWAII N: 39.0817 S: 21.2023 E: -107.962 W: -158.055 multiple
SNF Forest Cover by Species/Strata FIELD INVESTIGATION VISUAL OBSERVATIONS 1976-01-01 to 1986-12-31 N: 48.1697 S: 47.6575 E: -91.7658 W: -92.5058 ASCII
Stocks of Surface Soil Organic Carbon Fractions, Great Plains Region, USA, 2007-2010 LABORATORY, FIELD INVESTIGATION, MODELS CARBON ANALYZERS, SOIL SAMPLER, Computer 2007-05-01 to 2010-10-01 N: 45.8303 S: 31.2183 E: -94.4349 W: -111.932 multiple
Sub-global Scenarios that Extend the Global SSP Narratives: Literature Database, Version 1, 2014-2021 MODELS Computer 2014-01-01 to 2021-12-31 GLOBAL N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 Excel
U.S. EPA National Priorities List (NPL) Sites Point Data with CIESIN Modifications, Version 2 MODELS Computer 2014-02-27 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AMERICAN SAMOA, GUAM, NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS, VIRGIN ISLANDS N: 64.823 S: -14.3601 E: 151.78372 W: -176.6525 Excel, PNG, PDF, WMS
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