Land Cover Classification: Check Land Use for Any Location
Knowing what covers the ground at a specific location is essential for urban planning, environmental assessment, agriculture, and real estate. Is it forest? Cropland? Built-up area? Wetland? PixelGust provides instant land cover classification for any coordinates on Earth using the ESA WorldCover 2021 dataset at 10-meter resolution.
Quick start: Open PixelGust, click any location, and enable the Environment panel. The land cover class is displayed alongside NDVI and evapotranspiration data.
ESA WorldCover Classes
The ESA WorldCover 2021 dataset classifies every 10m pixel of the Earth's surface into one of 11 land cover categories:
| Class | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Tree Cover | Areas with >15% tree canopy | Forests, woodlands, orchards |
| Shrubland | Shrub-dominated areas | Mediterranean scrub, tundra |
| Grassland | Natural or managed grass | Pastures, savannas, meadows |
| Cropland | Agricultural land | Wheat fields, rice paddies |
| Built-up | Artificial surfaces | Cities, roads, industrial areas |
| Bare/Sparse | Little or no vegetation | Deserts, rock outcrops, beaches |
| Snow/Ice | Permanent snow or ice | Glaciers, ice caps |
| Water | Open water bodies | Lakes, rivers, reservoirs |
| Wetland | Herbaceous wetlands | Marshes, bogs, floodplains |
| Mangroves | Mangrove forests | Coastal mangrove ecosystems |
| Moss/Lichen | Moss or lichen covered | Arctic tundra, alpine zones |
Why Land Cover Data Matters
Urban Planning and Zoning
City planners use land cover data to understand current land use patterns, identify sprawl trends, and plan zoning changes. The 10-meter resolution of WorldCover is detailed enough to distinguish individual building clusters from surrounding green spaces.
Environmental Impact Assessment
Environmental consultants need land cover data for baseline assessments. Before a construction project, you must document the existing land cover type, identify sensitive habitats (wetlands, forests), and assess the impact of land use change.
Agriculture
Identifying cropland versus natural vegetation helps agricultural analysts estimate cultivated area, track deforestation for farming, and plan crop rotation. Combined with NDVI data, land cover classification provides a complete picture of agricultural activity.
Real Estate
The surrounding land cover directly affects property value. Properties near green spaces (tree cover, parks) typically command higher prices. Properties near industrial built-up areas may have lower values. Land cover data provides objective context for property evaluation.
Insurance
Insurers use land cover data to assess risk. Properties surrounded by dense vegetation may face higher wildfire risk. Properties on wetlands face flood risk. Built-up areas have different risk profiles than rural areas.
Polygon Mode: Area Statistics
For larger areas, use PixelGust's polygon mode to draw a boundary and get a statistical breakdown of land cover within that area. This shows you the percentage of each land cover class within your polygon, which is invaluable for site assessments and planning applications.
Check Land Cover for Any Location
ESA WorldCover 2021 at 10m resolution. Free, instant classification worldwide.
Open DashboardData Source
ESA WorldCover 2021 is produced by the European Space Agency using Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 satellite imagery. It provides a global land cover map at 10-meter resolution with 11 land cover classes, achieving an overall accuracy of approximately 75%. It is freely available and updated periodically.