GLOBE Observer Land Cover: Getting Started

Nearly every aspect of our lives is fundamentally tied to the land on which we live. The homes that shelter us are resting on the land. Cities offer locations that bring people together; farms feed us; forests help to keep us cool, provide us with oxygen, building materials, and the joys of recreation; rivers and lakes yield fresh water to drink; and different kinds of land cover provide habitats for a diversity of wildlife. When land covers change, our health and well-being, economies, and environments are all affected.

Citizens using GLOBE Observer can observe land cover in much greater detail and more frequently than scientists can using satellite data alone. Furthermore, some types of land cover such as crops or some kinds of urban areas can be difficult to define based on satellite data alone, and citizen scientists’ observations can help.

GLOBE Observer data aren’t just for scientists. Everyone can have access to this data to understand land cover change. Furthermore, since GLOBE Observer is a global community with ties in education, citizens who make observations help to strengthen education in Earth science around the world.

See https://observer.globe.gov/