forrest@0: ################################################################################
forrest@0: # MODIS Global Land Cover Classifications at 0.25, 0.5 and 1 degree (2000-2001)#
forrest@0: ################################################################################
forrest@0: 
forrest@0: The files in this directory were provided by Drs. Mark Friedl and Alan Strahler, 
forrest@0: and Mr. John Hodges from the Department of Geography at Boston University. These 
forrest@0: are global, coarse resolution (1/4, 1/2 and 1 degree spatial resolutions) land 
forrest@0: cover classifications (dominant type, classification confidence and fractional 
forrest@0: cover) generated using a full year of MODerate Resolution Imaging 
forrest@0: Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data covering the period from October 2000 to October 
forrest@0: 2001. These land cover products use the classification scheme proposed by the 
forrest@0: International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP). Original 1km MODIS data and 
forrest@0: land cover products are available from the EROS Data Center Distributed Active 
forrest@0: Archive Center (DAAC) or from Boston University at 
forrest@0: http://geography.bu.edu/landcover/index.html
forrest@0: 
forrest@0: The objective of the MODIS Land Cover Product is to provide a suite of land 
forrest@0: cover types useful to global system science modelers by exploiting the 
forrest@0: information content of MODIS data in the spectral, temporal, spatial, and 
forrest@0: directional domains. The MODIS Land Cover Product describes the geographic 
forrest@0: distribution of the 17 IGBP land cover types based on an annual time series of 
forrest@0: observations (See below for a list of the cover types included). Confidence 
forrest@0: assessments of the classifications are also provided in a separate layer. The 
forrest@0: data set also provides the fraction of each of the 17 classes within the coarser 
forrest@0: resolution cells. These data sets have been adjusted to match the land/water 
forrest@0: boundaries and fractions of the ISLSCP2 land/water masks. The user should always 
forrest@0: refer to the full data set documentation and/or the reference below for more 
forrest@0: information on data processing. 
forrest@0: 
forrest@0: Please cite the following publication when these data are used:
forrest@0: 
forrest@0: Friedl M.A., D.K. McIver, J.C.F. Hodges, X.Y. Zhang, D. Muchoney, A.H. Strahler, 
forrest@0: C.E. Woodcock, S. Gopal, A. Schneider, A. Cooper, A. Baccini, F. Gao, and C. 
forrest@0: Schaaf, Global Land Cover Mapping from MODIS: Algorithms and Early Results, 
forrest@0: Remote Sensing of Environment 83(1-2):287-302.
forrest@0: 
forrest@0: Any problems encountered with the data set should be reported to Eric Brown de 
forrest@0: Colstoun at ericbdc@ltpmail.gsfc.nasa.gov
forrest@0: 
forrest@0: ##############################################################################
forrest@0: 
forrest@0: File Name Convention
forrest@0: --------------------
forrest@0: The data sets in this directory are provided at three spatial resolutions of 
forrest@0: 0.25, 0.5 and 1 degrees lat./long. For each spatial resolution there is a land 
forrest@0: cover type classification layer (with numbers from 0 to 17), a classifier 
forrest@0: confidence assessment layer, in percent, and 17 associated layers that provide 
forrest@0: the fraction, from 0 to 100, of each land cover type per cell. The land cover 
forrest@0: type files are named "modis_landcover_class_XX.asc", where XX is qd, hd, or 1d, 
forrest@0: denoting a spatial resolution of 1/4, 1/2 or 1 degrees, respectively. The 
forrest@0: classifier confidence layer is named "modis_landcover_conf_XX.asc", where XX is 
forrest@0: the same as above. The fractional files are called "modis_landcover_XX_cZZ.asc", 
forrest@0: where XX is the same as above, and ZZ is a number from 00 to 17 which represents 
forrest@0: the land cover type code as described below. As an example, the file named 
forrest@0: "modis_landcover_qd_c02.asc" is the fraction of Evergreen Broadleaf Forest at a 
forrest@0: quarter degree spatial resolution. This file is associated with the 
forrest@0: "modis_landcover_class_qd.asc" land cover type file and the 
forrest@0: "modis_landcover_conf_qd.asc" classifier confidence file.
forrest@0: 
forrest@0: ##############################################################################
forrest@0: 
forrest@0: ASCII File Format
forrest@0: ------------------
forrest@0: All of the files in the ISLSCP Initiative II data collection are in the ASCII, 
forrest@0: or text format. The file format consists of numerical fields of varying length, 
forrest@0: which are delimited by a single space and arranged in columns and rows. The 
forrest@0: values in the land cover class type and classifier confidence files are written 
forrest@0: as integers from 0 to 17 and 0 to 255, respectively. In the classifier 
forrest@0: confidence files a value of 254 is assigned to all water bodies while a value of 
forrest@0: 255 is assigned to cells with no data. All values in the land cover fraction 
forrest@0: files are written as real numbers.
forrest@0: 
forrest@0: The files at different spatial resolutions each contain the following numbers of 
forrest@0: columns and rows:
forrest@0:     One degree: 360 columns by 180 rows 
forrest@0:     1/2 degree: 720 columns by 360 rows 
forrest@0:     1/4 degree: 1440 columns by 720 rows 
forrest@0: 
forrest@0: All files are gridded to a common equal-angle lat/long grid, where the 
forrest@0: coordinates of the upper left corner of the files are located at 180oW, 90oN and 
forrest@0: the lower right corner coordinates are located at 180oE, 90oS. Data in the files 
forrest@0: are ordered from North to South and from West to East beginning at 180 degrees 
forrest@0: West and 90 degrees North. 
forrest@0: 
forrest@0: The data files are PKZip compressed. On UNIX, they can be decompressed using the 
forrest@0: "unzip -a" command. On Windows, they can be decompressed using WinZip or other 
forrest@0: PKZip software. On the Macintosh, they can be decompressed using Stuffit 
forrest@0: Expander.
forrest@0: 
forrest@0: ################################################################################
forrest@0: 
forrest@0: Land Cover Type Codes and Definitions
forrest@0: -------------------------------------
forrest@0: The following 17 IGBP classes are used. 
forrest@0: 
forrest@0: 0 = Water Bodies: Oceans, seas, lakes, reservoirs, and rivers. Can be either fresh 
forrest@0:    or salt water bodies. Note that this class has not been mapped directly from 
forrest@0:    MODIS data in this provisional release. It is overlaid from a Digital Elevation 
forrest@0:    Model (DEM) generated for the MODIS processing stream at the Jet Propulsion 
forrest@0:    Laboratory (JPL). This has been adjusted to match the ISLSCP2 land/water masks.
forrest@0: 
forrest@0: 1= Evergreen Needleleaf Forests: Lands dominated by trees with a percent canopy 
forrest@0:    cover >60% and height exceeding 2 meters. Almost all trees remain green all 
forrest@0:    year. Canopy is never without green foliage. 
forrest@0: 
forrest@0: 2= Evergreen Broadleaf Forests: Lands dominated by trees with percent canopy 
forrest@0:    cover >60% and height exceeding 2 meters. Almost all trees remain green year all 
forrest@0:    year. Canopy is never without green foliage. 
forrest@0: 
forrest@0: 3= Deciduous Needleleaf Forests: Lands dominated by trees with a percent canopy 
forrest@0:    cover >60% and height exceeding 2 meters. Consists of seasonal needleleaf tree 
forrest@0:    communities with an annual cycle of leaf-on and leaf-off periods. 
forrest@0: 
forrest@0: 4= Deciduous Broadleaf Forests: Lands dominated by trees with a percent canopy 
forrest@0:    cover >60% and height exceeding 2 meters. Consists of seasonal broadleaf tree 
forrest@0:    communities with an annual cycle of leaf-on and leaf-off periods. 
forrest@0: 
forrest@0: 5= Mixed Forests: Lands dominated by trees with a percent canopy cover >60% and 
forrest@0:    height exceeding 2 meters. Consists of tree communities with interspersed 
forrest@0:    mixtures or mosaics of the other four forest cover types. None of the forest 
forrest@0:    types exceeds 60% of landscape. 
forrest@0: 
forrest@0: 6= Closed Shrublands: Lands with woody vegetation less than 2 meters tall and 
forrest@0:    with shrub canopy cover is >60%. The shrub foliage can be either evergreen or 
forrest@0:    deciduous. 
forrest@0: 
forrest@0: 7= Open Shrublands: Lands with woody vegetation less than 2 meters tall and with 
forrest@0:    shrub canopy cover is between 10-60%. The shrub foliage can be either evergreen 
forrest@0:    or deciduous. 
forrest@0: 
forrest@0: 8= Woody Savannas: Lands with herbaceous and other understory systems and forest 
forrest@0:    canopy cover of 30-60%. The forest cover height exceeds 2 meters. 
forrest@0: 
forrest@0: 9= Savannas: Lands with herbaceous and other understory systems and forest canopy 
forrest@0:    cover of 10-30%. The forest cover height exceeds 2 meters.
forrest@0:  
forrest@0: 10=Grasslands: Lands with herbaceous types of cover. Tree and shrub cover is 
forrest@0:    less than 10%. 
forrest@0: 
forrest@0: 11=Permanent Wetlands: Lands with a permanent mixture of surface water and 
forrest@0:    herbaceous or woody vegetation. The vegetation can be present in either salt, 
forrest@0:    brackish, or fresh water. 
forrest@0: 
forrest@0: 12=Croplands: Lands covered with temporary crops followed by harvest and a bare 
forrest@0:    soil period (e.g., single and multiple cropping systems). Note that perennial 
forrest@0:    woody crops will be classified as the appropriate forest or shrub land cover 
forrest@0:    type. 
forrest@0: 
forrest@0: 13=Urban and Built-Up: Land primarily covered by buildings and other man-made 
forrest@0:    structures. Note that this class has not been mapped directly from MODIS data in 
forrest@0:    this provisional release. It is overlaid from the populated places layer from 
forrest@0:    the EDC Global Land Cover Characterization project (GLCC, 
forrest@0:    http://edcdaac.usgs.gov/glcc/glcc.html). 
forrest@0: 
forrest@0: 14=Cropland/Natural Vegetation Mosaic: Lands with a mosaic of croplands, 
forrest@0:    forests, shrublands, and grasslands in which no one component comprises more 
forrest@0:    than 60% of the landscape. 
forrest@0: 
forrest@0: 15=Permanent Snow and Ice: Lands under snow and/or ice cover throughout the year. 
forrest@0: 
forrest@0: 16=Barren or Sparsely Vegetated: Lands with exposed soil, sand, rocks, or snow 
forrest@0:    that never has more than 10% vegetated cover during any time of the year. 
forrest@0: 
forrest@0: 17=Unclassified: Artifacts due to discrepancies between the EDC GLCC water mask 
forrest@0:    and the JPL DEM. Found in coastal zones and mid-ocean islands in this 
forrest@0:    provisional release. 
forrest@0: 
forrest@0: ################################################################################