Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) maps are an increasingly important tool for decision makers at local, regional and national government levels around the world. These maps help inform policy and land management decisions around issues such as sustainability by contextualizing and quantifying the impacts of land processes and human activity on the environment.
Esri, the world leader in mapping and location intelligence, has now released a new online application, Sentinel-2 Land Cover Explorer. The app is structured around a web-based version of its own high-resolution global land cover map, derived from European Space Agency (ESA) Sentinel-2 satellite imagery. The application is easy to access and uses the same geographic information system (GIS) technology behind the land cover map. The original Sentinel-2 app, map, and imagery are part of the company’s ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World.
“GIS not only provides the capabilities needed to produce and share data and maps like LULC, it also enables users to gain and disseminate insights from such data,” said Sean Breyer, Esri program manager for ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World . “Generating this information is essential, and the Sentinel-2 Land Cover Explorer will be invaluable in helping decision makers gain critical information about land use, especially as sustainability becomes an urgent global concern.”
Change analysis is critical to a deeper understanding of LULC maps, and Sentinel-2 Land Cover Explorer provides several ways to detect and report changes, including visual change analysis; statistical analysis of changes; visual change validation; and pivot charts for percentage changes and trends over time. Other features offered by the app include the following:
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ArcGIS Living Atlas Image Services
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The ability to take data offline (in-app download mode)
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Analysis tools in ArcGIS Online
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ArcGIS developer tools and resources
In 2021, in partnership with Impact Observatory and Microsoft, Esri released the first global land cover map generated by artificial intelligence (AI). It then evolved into the annual LULC time series map available today, which includes nine major land cover categories. Annual updates allow year-to-year comparisons to detect changes in vegetation and plantations, forest expanses, uncovered surfaces and urban areas. With the recent addition of the 2022 update, the annual land cover time series now includes global coverage from 2017 to 2022.
Sentinel-2 Land Cover Explorer is a dynamic, turnkey application with an intuitive user experience. To explore the app online now, visit livingatlas.arcgis.com/landcoverexplorer.
About Esri
Esri, the world market 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 deployed in more than 350,000 organizations worldwide and in more than 200,000 institutions in the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Esri has local partnerships and distributors in more than 100 countries on six continents, including Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and universities. With its pioneering commitment to geospatial information technology, Esri develops the most innovative solutions for digital transformation, Internet of Things (IoT) and advanced analytics. Visit our website at esri.com.
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Contact:
Jo Ann Pruchniewski
Esri Public Relations
Cell: 301-693-2643
Email: [email protected]
Source: BUSINESS WIRE