Analysis and Applications of GlobeLand30: A Review

Abstract

GlobeLand30, donated to the United Nations by China in September 2014, is the first wall-to-wall 30 m global land cover (GLC) data product. GlobeLand30 is widely used by scientists and users around the world. This paper provides a review of the analysis and applications of GlobeLand30 based on its data-downloading statistics and published studies. An average accuracy of 80% for full classes or one single class is achieved by third-party researchers from more than 10 countries through sample-based validation or comparison with existing data. GlobeLand30 has users from more than 120 countries on five continents, and from all five Social Benefit Areas. The significance of GlobeLand30 is demonstrated by a number of published papers dealing with land-cover status and change analysis, cause-and-consequence analysis, and the environmental parameterization of Earth system models. Accordingly, scientific data sharing in the field of geosciences and Earth observation is promoted, and fine-resolution GLC mapping and applications worldwide are stimulated. The future development of GlobeLand30, including comprehensive validation, continuous updating, and monitoring of sustainable development goals, is also discussed.