New land cover map of UK published

The latest land use maps for the UK have been released.

The latest land use cover map has just been published. The map is the third in the series and follows on from maps produced in 1990 and 2000. The new map provides a visual representation of habitat types across the country at a resolution as low as 25 metres.

Using a mixture of both digital mapping and satellite images the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) produced the maps as part of the Countryside Survey Partnership. The maps used a series of over 70 satellite images that were taken between 2005 and 2008.

Remote sensing and digital mapping highlights UK land use.

The remote sensing images provided information about the different ground vegetation during both the summer and winter months. The researchers were able to use this information to produce a classification system to assign to land cover. The UK Biodiversity Action Plan broad habitat types were used as the basis for the land use classification.

This updated version using satellite images indicates a much lower urban land cover of the UK than other previous estimates.

The UK land surface was divided up into approx 10 million land parcels and each was assigned to a habitat type. These land parcels represented identifiable real structures such as fields, lakes and woods which can be found on more traditional cartographic products such as the local Ordinance Survey maps.

Current land cover of UK.

Once the satellite information was overlain onto the digital maps it was possible to map the habitat types and the changes on a national basis. The latest land cover map showed the make up of the main land use as:

arable and horticulture 25%
improved grassland 25%
semi natural grassland 13%
mountain, heath and bog 16%
coniferous woodland 6%
broadleaved woodland 6%
urban areas 6%
coastal and freshwater comprise the remainder.

Dr Dan Morton from the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology led the Land Cover Map project. He said, “At a time when our land surface is under increasing pressure, reliable information on land cover is essential. The demands that we place on our land are often conflicting and need to be balanced to maintain and enhance our quality of life. To address these issues and plan for the future we need to know what we have on our land surface and where it is. The new map provides this information and will find many new applications.”

UK far less urbanised than previously thought.

One of the more notable results of the map is the urban land cover. This updated version using satellite images indicates a much lower urban land cover of the UK than other previous estimates. The Mosus study of 2000 using Eurosat imaging placed urban land cover at 9.5%. If this new more highly detailed land use map is more accurate then land in the UK is far less developed than many other countries in Europe. This lower urban land cover counters claims that the UK is overdeveloped as a country – the new map shows the UK to have one of the lowest urban area cover in Europe.

This low level of development also provides evidence to the argument that land needs to be urgently released to tackle the major housing crisis that the UK is currently in the midst of.

Sign up for special webinar on land use map tomorrow.

While the most detailed maps are not openly available for public access, some of the new maps are freely available for non commercial use and public use. These include the 1km x 1 km level maps. These are available through the CEH Information Gateway (though personally I haven’t been able to find them).

Get the most out of the release of this new data-set and map by joining a free live webinar being organised by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. It is being broadcast on Thursday 7th July at 11.00am. that’s tomorrow morning so you don’t have much time to register for it. If you are involved with or studying conservation or ecology in the UK this is probably going to be one ecological webinar you don’t want to miss.

External Sites:

CEH Information Gateway.
Countryside Survey.
Mosus land use study (pdf)