Six initiatives, including the first outside the Americas, produce collections of annual land cover and land use maps with a resolution of 30 meters. They tell the story of transformations in the landscapes of different biomes
Monday, February 8th, 2021
There are more than 2,500 artificial satellites in operation orbiting the Earth. Many of them record thousands of images of the most diverse points on the planet's surface. A large collection of photographs that is growing all the time and can help us understand the transformations of our landscapes. The MapBiomas Network contributes to organizing some of this information - generated by the Landsat satellites - and making it available through its collections of annual land cover and land use maps, with a resolution of 30 meters, covering different biomes and territories.
As a result of the collaborative and transparent work carried out by MapBiomas since 2015, Brazil now has the most complete series of land cover and land use data and maps ever consolidated for a country.The networked effort involves specialists from different areas and institutions - NGOs, universities and technology companies.And it is replicated beyond the national territory, even on other continentsAnd it is replicated beyond the national territory, even on other continents.
The MapBiomas Network is currently made up of six initiatives that map land cover and land use in Brazil, in the territories of the Pan-Amazon, the Chaco, the Trinational Atlantic Forest, the Trinational Pampa and also in Indonesia."MapBiomas was born with the idea that it could be reproduced in other contexts, other territories, always forming local networks that allow us to better understand what is happening to the planet," says Tasso Azevedo, MapBiomas coordinator.
Each MapBiomas initiative is developed by a group of local partners, who organize their own governance.All the work is collaborative and, thanks to cloud computing, is distributed across several laboratories. "Each of the countries that make up the network has a work team that exploits this expertise on local knowledge. And we [MapBiomas Amazônia] have incorporated everything that MapBiomas Brasil was already doing," says Sandra Ríos, one of the coordinators of MapBiomas Amazônia.
MapBiomas was made possible by major advances in data processing capacity in recent years. Using images made freely available by the Landsat satellites and Google Earth Engine technology, the MapBiomas platforms make it possible to monitor historical series of land cover and land use.
The expansion of the MapBiomas Network has been made possible by sharing experiences and learning, not only from a technical point of view, but also in terms of organization and work dynamics. "One of the biggest challenges was the joint realization between the three countries - Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay - with a multidisciplinary technical team that really worked together continuously to generate all this information," says Fabiana Arévalos, from MapBiomas Chaco.
The MapBiomas Indonesia team also points out that, in addition to technical knowledge, the group's experience in Brazil in institutional relations with companies and the government has helped to build the project in the Asian country. This is the network's first initiative outside the Americas.
The MapBiomas Network exports a methodology that was born in Brazil, consolidating itself as a benchmark for mapping different biomes and working collaboratively to build knowledge and tools to promote sustainable development.
| MapBiomas Network initiatives | |
| MapBiomas Brazil: the most complete historical series of land cover and land use MapBiomas Brasil is now on its fifth collection of maps. Its level of detail makes it possible to map 21 different classes of land cover and land use, such as mangrove areas, flooded fields, swampy areas, cultivable areas, pastures, rivers and lakes. In addition, it is possible to see the evolution of the irrigation area, assess the quality of pastures and map regenerating natural vegetation. All this in a historical series, year after year, since 1985.Website mapbiomas.org. Platform: plataforma.brasil.mapbiomas.orgIn Brazil, you can also find MapBiomas Alert: alerta.mapbiomas.org Geocovid MapBiomas: covid.mapbiomas.org | https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ujyiwa4POfc |
| MapBioma Amazonia covers 847 million hectares, involving 9 countries MapBiomas Pan Amazonia was MapBiomas' first transnational initiative and is in its second data collection with 12 land cover and land use classes since 1985. The unprecedented mapping incorporates the entire biome, involving nine countries (Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana and French Guiana), from the Andes, through the Amazonian plain and up to the transitions with the Cerrado and the Pantanal. Website amazonia.mapbiomas.org/ Platform: plataforma.amazonia.org | https://www.youtube.com/embed/XXaGBvEnDYA |
| MapBiomas Chaco abrange três países, cobrindo o Chaco, os Yungas e fragmentos de outros biomas Depois de Brasil e Pan Amazônia, o MapBiomas Chaco expandiu a rede para o mapeamento do bioma que ocupa a maior parte do Paraguai, cobrindo também o sul da Bolívia e o norte da Argentina. A segunda coleção de mapas do Gran Chaco Americano apresenta uma série histórica de 2000 a 2019, com 14 classes mapeadas. A área mapeada é de 120,6 milhões de hectares, incluindo, além do Chaco, os Yungas e fragmentos de outros biomas. Website chaco.mapbiomas.org Platform: plataforma.chaco.mapbiomas.org | https://www.youtube.com/embed/83j_EQlqRmY |
| MapBiomas Pampa Trinacional prepares first collection of maps consolidating two decades of data A team of experts from Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay has come together to launch the first collection of maps of the Pampa. MapBiomas Pampa Trinacional's historical series of maps and annual data will show the transformations of the biome's 100 million hectares from 2000 to 2019. | https://www.youtube.com/embed/1QtPo-PLnpw |
| MapBiomas Atlantic Forests will bring annual maps from 2000 to 2019 The MapBiomas Atlantic Forests initiative brings together Paraguayan partners, as well as Brazilians and Argentinians who specialize in this type of biome characterized by tropical forests. The mapping extends from the east coast of Brazil, the country's most urbanized area, to the east of Paraguay and the Missiones region in Argentina. The group is working on building a platform that will provide relevant data such as the regeneration of the Atlantic Forest's vegetation cover. |  |
| MapBiomas Indonesia, the first MapBiomas Network initiative on another continent MapBiomas is also present in Indonesia. Originally made up of dense tropical forests, the land cover of the Southeast Asian country has undergone profound changes in recent decades. Using a methodology of reproducing knowledge through workshops and teleconferences, a local team was trained by Brazilian experts, who are in weekly contact with the project's developers in the world's largest archipelago. Their collection of maps will allow them to monitor 12 different classes and the changes that have taken place since 2000. |  |