North American Land Change Monitoring System
The North American Land Change Monitoring System (NALCMS) is a collaborative initiative between Canada, Mexico, and the United States to monitor land cover - the observed physical cover on the surface of the Earth - and its change over time.
Pictorial Map of Land Cover Diversity in North America (Open in a new window)
The maps produced under this initiative represent land cover in 2005, 2010, and land cover change from 2005-2010 based on Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite imagery monthly composites at 250 m spatial resolution. Nineteen land cover classes were defined using the Land Cover Classification System (LCCS) standard developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of United Nations. To gain a better understanding of the CEC’s Land Cover Classification System, click here to access a pictorial map that allows users to visualize different land cover classes across North America.
NALCMS products can be used for a variety of applications, including: carbon sequestration analysis, wildlife habitat mapping, ecosystem monitoring, environmental planning, weather forecasting, water quality assessments and biofuels production potential.
SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS
IMPORTANT LINKS
- Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics Consortium (MRLC)
- USGS Land Cover Institute
- Canada Centre for Remote Sensing
- MODIS website
- Landsat website
- NALCMS – CONABIO
- Portal de Geoinformación (CONABIO)
NALCMS PARTNERS
