Open source software and open educational material on land cover maps intercomparison and validation

Abstract

Land Cover (LC) maps represent key resources to understand, model and address many global and local dynamics affecting our planet. They are usually derived from the classification of satellite imagery, after which a validation or intercomparison process is performed to assess their accuracy. This paper presents the project “Capacity Building for High-Resolution Land Cover Intercomparison and Validation”, an educational initiative funded by the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS) and mainly targeting developing countries. First, with the help of two open surveys, an analysis of the state of the art was performed which assessed the overall good awareness on LC maps and the needs and requirements for validating and comparing them, as well as the rich availability of educational material on this topic. The second task, currently under finalization, is the development of new educational material, based on open source software and released under an open access license, consisting of: an introduction to the GlobeLand30 (GL30) LC map and its online platform; a desktop GIS procedure showing two use cases on GL30 validation; and an application to collect LC data on the field to be used for validation. Finally, this educational material will be tested in practice in three workshops during the second half of the project, two of which held in developing countries: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya.