North American Land Change Monitoring System
NALCMS products can be used for a variety of applications, including: carbon sequestration analysis, wildlife habitat mapping, ecosystem monitoring, environmental planning, water quality assessments, and evaluation of biofuels production potential.
The maps produced under this initiative represent land cover in 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020, and are based on either Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite imagery monthly composites at 250 m spatial resolution; Landsat 7-8; or RapidEye satellite imagery at 30 m spatial resolution.
The NALCMS’ nineteen land cover classes are based on the Land Cover Classification System (LCCS) standard developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.
Map Files
Land Cover Change 30m, 2015-2020 (Landsat)
2023
Land Cover
North American Land Cover, 2020 (Landsat, 30m)
2023
Land Cover
Land Cover Change 30m, 2010-2015 (Landsat)
2020
Land Cover
Land Cover 30m, 2015 (Landsat and RapidEye)
2020
Land Cover
Land Cover, 2010 (Landsat, 30m)
2020
Land Cover
Land Cover Change, 2005-2010 (MODIS, 250m)
2013
Land Cover
Land Cover, 2010 (MODIS, 250m)
2013
Land Cover
Land Cover, 2005 (MODIS, 250m)
2013
Land Cover
Tools
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 that presents continental land cover and monitors its changes over time.
Publications
Here are scientific publications by North American Land Change Monitoring System experts:
IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observation and Remote Sensing
Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing
Remote Sensing of Land Use and Land Cover: Principles and Applications