Commonalities in Global Land Cover Datasets –
Crosswalking at the Biome Level
Roger Sayre, PhD
Senior Scientist for Ecosystems
Land Change Science Program
U.S. Geological Survey
and
GEO Task Lead GI-14
Global Land Cover Harmonization Side Event
GEO XII Plenary and Ministerial Meeting
Mexico City, 9 NOV
Harmonization in Global Land Cover
1. Classification (Thematic) Resolution
 Differences in number and types of classes
 Land cover vs land use
 Fitness for use as proxies (hazards, ecosystems, productivity, land
conversions, etc.)
2. Spatial and Temporal Resolution
 Low-res
 Moderate-res
 Hi-res
3. User Community Needs vs. Provider Mandates






Biodiversity and Ecosystems
Climate Change
Water
Agriculture
Hazards
Oceans
Example – Global Ecosystem Accounting
GI-14: Global Ecosystem Classification and Mapping
Develop a standardized, robust, and practical global ecosystems
classification and map for the planet’s terrestrial, freshwater, and
marine ecosystems.
Land Cover is an Element of Ecosystems
Bioclimate
Landform
Lithology
Global Ecosystems
Land Cover
Land Cover is a Proxy for Ecosystems
Bioclimate
Landform
Lithology
Global Ecosystems
Land Cover
The UN SEEA Ecosystem Accounting Types
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Urban and Developed
Rainfed Herbaceous Cropland
Irrigated Herbaceous Cropland
Permanent Crops and Plantations
Agricultural Mosaics
Pastures and Natural Grasslands
Forest Tree Cover
Shrubland, Bushland, and Heathland
Sparsely Vegetated Areas
Natural Vegetation Mosaics
Barren Land
Permanent Snow and Glaciers
Wetlands
Inland Water Bodies
Coastal Water Bodies
Sea
The UN SEEA Ecosystem Accounting Types
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Urban and Developed
Rainfed Herbaceous Cropland
Irrigated Herbaceous Cropland
Permanent Crops and Plantations
Agricultural Mosaics
Pastures and Natural Grasslands
Forest Tree Cover
Shrubland, Bushland, and Heathland
Sparsely Vegetated Areas
Natural Vegetation Mosaics
Barren Land
Permanent Snow and Glaciers
Wetlands
Inland Water Bodies
Coastal Water Bodies
Sea
Q: What are these?
A: Biome-level
reporting classes,
representing megascale ecosystems
Harmonization Through Crosswalking
Examples – GEO Ecosystems
Urban and Developed
Rainfed Herbaceous Cropland
Irrigated Herbaceous Cropland
Permanent Crops and Plantations
Agricultural Mosaics
Pastures and Natural Grasslands
Forest Tree Cover
Shrubland, Bushland, and Heathland
Sparsely Vegetated Areas
Natural Vegetation Mosaics
Barren Land
Permanent Snow and Glaciers
Wetlands
Inland Water Bodies
Coastal Water Bodies
Sea
Warm Wet Hills on
Metamorphic Rock with
Mostly Deciduous Forest
Crosswalking Examples – GEO Ecosystems
Urban and Developed
Rainfed Herbaceous Cropland
Irrigated Herbaceous Cropland
Permanent Crops and Plantations
Agricultural Mosaics
Pastures and Natural Grasslands
Forest Tree Cover
Shrubland, Bushland, and Heathland
Sparsely Vegetated Areas
Natural Vegetation Mosaics
Barren Land
Permanent Snow and Glaciers
Wetlands
Inland Water Bodies
Coastal Water Bodies
Sea
Warm Wet Hills on
Metamorphic Rock with
Mostly Deciduous Forest
Cold Dry Plains on
Unconsolidated Sediments
with Shrublands
Crosswalking – ESA Global Land Cover
Urban and Developed
Rainfed Herbaceous Cropland
Irrigated Herbaceous Cropland
Permanent Crops and Plantations
Agricultural Mosaics
Pastures and Natural Grasslands
Forest Tree Cover
Shrubland, Bushland, and Heathland
Sparsely Vegetated Areas
Natural Vegetation Mosaics
Barren Land
Permanent Snow and Glaciers
Wetlands
Inland Water Bodies
Coastal Water Bodies
Sea
Rainfed Croplands
?
Forest or Shrubland,
Closed (>40%),
Broadleaved, Permanently
Flooded, Saline or Brackish
Water
For this application, global ecosystem accounting,
global land cover harmonization may mean:
1. Agreement on the best set of biome classes to be used
 Existing SEEA Ecosystem Types
or
 WWF Major Habitat Types (16 classes)
 NatureServe World Formation Classes (18)
 FAO Global Ecological Zones (20)
 Box and Fujiwara (2005) World Terrestrial Biomes (15)
 others
2. Agreement by global land cover data providers to crosswalk
existing classes to the desired set of biomes
 Crosswalk criteria only, vs.
 Additional attribute included in data provision
Global Land Cover Harmonization – For What?
1. Application-specific (e.g. ecosystem accounting, remote sensing
for essential biodiversity variables (RS4EBV), etc.)
2. GEO/GEOSS SBAs and Tasks








Biodiversity and Ecosystems Sustainability
Disaster Resilience
Energy and Mineral Resource Management
Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture
Infrastructure and Transportation Management
Public Health Surveillance
Sustainable Urban Development
Water Resources Management
3. SDGs