Research

The Global Land Cover Facility is a research center focusing on the investigation of land cover dynamics and the development and distribution of products that explain aspects of land cover and land cover change. Interests in the Carbon Cycle and Global Climate Change have involved GLCF in developing forest change products. Past research efforts were directed at boreal forests in Canada and Russia, and tropical rainforests in the non-Brazilian Amazon and Central Africa.

Recent focus has concentrated research and product development in the sub-tropical Atlantic forest of South America. GLCF research is also coordinated with the MODIS team at the University of Maryland Geography Department. The MODIS related investigations aim to develop tools and products to answer Carbon and Climate questions but also feed into the assessment programs of Federal and international environmental agencies. GLCF research is also concerned with global conservation efforts, and helping trans-national and national agencies to better manager their resources by using land cover products.

In addition to Earth science efforts, the GLCF's development team is active in research and implementation of leading computer science explorations. Issues of interoperability, data sharing, data mining, visualizations and the realm of metrics have become practical activities at the GLCF. Please contact the GLCF for further information on any of these research areas.

The Deforestation Mapping Group (DMG) has been a primary component of the GLCF research team. DMG has focused upon creating baseline forest cover products and making them available to the various user groups interested in forest cover extent throughout the world. DMG and GLCF research in general work with partners in both the NGO and government realms to develop an operational Global Observation of Forest Cover (GOFC) type activity.