GLC2000:: a new approach to global land cover mapping from Earth observation data

A new global land cover database for the year 2000 (GLC2000) has been produced by an international partnership of 30 research groups coordinated by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre. The database contains two levels of land cover information-detailed, regionally optimized land cover legends for each continent and a less thematically detailed global legend that harmonizes regional legends into one consistent product. The land cover maps are all based on daily data from the VEGETATION sensor on-board SPOT 4, though mapping of some regions involved use of data from other Earth observing sensors to resolve specific issues. Detailed legend definition, image classification and map quality assurance were carried out region by region. The global product was made through aggregation of these. The database is designed to serve users from science programmes, policy makers, environmental convention secretariats, non-governmental organizations and development-aid projects. The regional and global data are available free of charge for all non-commercial applications from http://www.gvm.jrc.it/glc2000.