The GlobeLand30 dataset represents a significant achievement of China's National High-Tech Research and Development Program (863 Program) project on global land cover mapping and key technologies research using remote sensing. This dataset comprises ten primary land cover types: cultivated land (耕地), forest (森林), grassland (草地), shrubland (灌木地), wetland (湿地), water bodies (水体), tundra (苔原), artificial surfaces (人造地表), bare land (裸地), and glaciers/permanent snow (冰川和永久积雪).
Land cover and its changes serve as indispensable fundamental information and critical parameters for environmental change studies, national/global geographical monitoring, and sustainable development planning. Existing global land cover datasets with resolutions ranging from 1 km to 300 m fall short of current demands, necessitating higher-resolution datasets. GlobeLand30, developed by China, represents the world's first 30-meter resolution global land cover dataset, offering richer spatial distribution details of global surface features. It enables more precise characterization of human-induced land use activities and associated landscape patterns.
The GlobeLand30 datasets for 2000 and 2010 support land cover change monitoring and analysis. Developed by the same research team using consistent classification methods, these datasets ensure high consistency, guaranteeing objectivity and accuracy in data analysis.
With authorization from the National Geomatics Center of China, CnOpenData has incorporated the 30-meter Global Land Cover Data into its public data repository for academic access. For data downloads, please visit the National Geospatial Information Catalog Service System.
This page is sourced from the National Geospatial Information Catalog Service System at www.webmap.cn.
Types and Codes
Geographical Statistics
GlobeLand30 provides comprehensive spatial distribution information on land cover characteristics, including geographical locations, distribution ranges, and landscape patterns. According to 2010 GlobeLand30 statistics, forests constitute the largest proportion of global land cover at 28.54%. The remaining nine types, ranked by area, are: grassland (23.31%), bare land (14.59%), cultivated land (14.35%), shrubland (7.00%), tundra (4.67%), wetland (2.50%), water bodies (2.34%), glaciers/permanent snow (1.81%), and artificial surfaces (0.90%).
Three statistical metrics are defined for global water analysis: Total Global Surface Water Area (Area-LSW), Continental Water Area Ratio (%)(WR-LSW), and Water-to-Land Surface Ratio (Water Rate)(%). Analysis of 2010 GlobeLand30 water data reveals a global surface water area of 3,676,700 km2, accounting for 2.73% of the global terrestrial surface.
Application Value
GlobeLand30 holds significant application value in global climate change research and sustainable development planning. For instance, it enables quantitative analysis of land cover changes, spatial distribution mapping of global carbon pools, assessment of deforestation/reforestation processes, monitoring of urbanization trends, and decision-making support for global food security through cultivated land change studies.
Global forest carbon pools are estimated at 861 PgC, with 55% stored in tropical rainforests, 32% in boreal forests, and 14% in temperate forests. The spatial distribution patterns of these carbon pools over the past decade are directly observable through GlobeLand30 data.