National Land Cover Data (NLCD) provides basic information on how the landscape looks and changes over time. Information about what covers the land surface; forest, buildings, water, wetlands, sea, open land, etc. has great value and is something that many actors in the environmental field can use.
On behalf of the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, Metria has carried out the national land cover mapping by collecting and processing extremely large amounts of data from the Sentinel-2 satellite. The optical satellite images were combined with laser data and existing map data, which together formed the basis for a comprehensive national land cover data.
Work has now begun on developing methods to continuously update the NMD so that it forms a dynamic representation of Sweden's landscape. This involves processing large amounts of data, developing new tools based on AI and using new technical platforms for heavy calculations.
Watch the movie produced by the Swedish National Space Board about how we have conducted the national land cover mapping. Here you can also see a movie about the entire project at the Swedish National Space Board.
If you are curious to know more, welcome to watch our webinar "Satellite data makes Sweden dynamic".
Read more articles about National Land Cover Data
Download National Land Cover Data (at the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency)