Esri Releases Latest Land Cover Map with Improved AI Modeling
Land use/land cover maps (LULC) contextualize and quantify the impacts of earth processes and human activities on the environment. Organizations around the world are now using these tools to make political and agricultural decisions on issues such as sustainable development.
In continued support of these users and their goals, Esri, the world’s leading provider of location information, has partnered with Impact Observatory to release a global land use/land cover map of the world based on the most recent 10-meter Sentinel-2 satellite data for each year since 2017. According to the latest 2022 data released earlier this year, the artificial intelligence (AI) model for classification has been improved, making the maps more consistent over time.
Year-on-year changes detected in the LULC time series charts can be key indicators for analysts and decision makers. The AI model that performs the global classification has been optimized to reduce model inadequacy, class ambiguity, and sensitivity to seasonal variations. The result is increased confidence that detected changes represent meaningful changes in the real world.
“Users are working with maps that accurately reflect events and Earth processes that take place in the real world,” said Sean Breyer, Esri program manager for ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World. “We’re constantly updating our land cover map with new data and features, and this latest enhancement ensures that anyone viewing changes over time can be confident that what they are seeing reflects the natural world.”
With scheduled annual releases, users have the opportunity to make annual comparisons of global land cover today and in the future. This is particularly important for organizations such as national government resource agencies, who use this data to prioritize land planning and set budget allocations. Governments, companies and scientists can now make these data comparisons more reliably.
Esri developed its Sentinel-2 10-meter land use/land cover time series using European Space Agency (ESA) Sentinel-2 imagery hosted on the Microsoft Planetary Computer and machine learning workflows developed by Esri Silver partner Impact Observatory became.
“With support from Esri, Impact Observatory has continued to improve on these fully automated maps of the world, which have already been independently rated as the most accurate global land cover maps available,” said Steve Brumby, CEO of Impact Observatory. “These maps provide important insights into the large-scale patterns of our changing planet.”
The LULC global time series is available online to more than 10 million geographic information system (GIS) software users through Esri’s ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World, the leading repository of geographic information and services, including maps and apps. It can also be viewed in the Sentinel-2 Land Cover Explorer, a dynamic, ready-to-use online application that allows anyone, anywhere, to easily observe changes.
To explore Esri’s updated and improved land cover map online now, visit livingatlas.arcgis.com/landcoverexplorer.
About the Impact Observatory
Impact Observatory is a mission-driven technology company that provides artificial intelligence (AI)-based algorithms and on-demand data for sustainability and environmental risk analysis to governments, nonprofits, corporations and marketplaces. Impact Observatory is committed to making geospatial data more accessible and affordable for everyone. Founded in Washington, DC in 2020, the Impact Observatory’s mission is to empower global decision-makers to be superheroes on the planet with the timely, actionable, science-based insights they need to succeed. Learn more at Impactobservatory.com.
About Esri
Esri, the global leader in geographic information system (GIS), location intelligence, and mapping software, helps customers unlock the full potential of data to improve operational and business outcomes. Founded in 1969 in Redlands, California, USA, Esri software is used by hundreds of thousands of organizations worldwide, including Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, nonprofit institutions, and universities. Esri has regional offices, international distributors, and partners providing local support in over 100 countries on six continents. With its pioneering commitment to geospatial technology and analytics, Esri creates the most innovative solutions that use a geographic approach to solve some of the world’s most complex problems by putting them in the crucial location context. Visit us at esri.com.
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Jo Ann Pruchniewski
Public Relations, Esri
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