What is GLOBE Land Cover?

GLOBE Land Cover is an app-based tool that will help you document what is on the land (land cover). Once you have downloaded the GLOBE Observer app and created an account, the Land Cover tool will guide you through the observation process. You will report on current surface conditions, then take photographs in all four cardinal directions, up and down. Optionally, you can classify the land cover in your photographs, telling us if it is grassland, a forest or an urban area, as well as compare your classification to a satellite land cover observation and note any differences. Even a basic observation without optional elements is valuable!  

For more details about how to take observations, including tips and tricks, additional tutorials beyond what is in the app, and frequently asked questions about how to observe, visit the Taking Observations page. Our Resource Library includes additional activities, references, videos and book lists.

Why are my observations important?

Land cover is the base dataset for many areas of critical science, including hazard analysis for floods, fires and landslides, mapping wildlife habitat, and tracking the impacts of climate change. Even though land cover is familiar to everyone on the planet, the most detailed satellite-based maps of global land cover are still on the order of hundreds of meters [about 330 feet] per pixel. That means that a park in a city may be too small to show up on the global map. GLOBE Observer: Land Cover can fill in local gaps and contribute to consistent, detailed global maps. Find out more about the science of land cover and how it is studied on the Land Cover Science page.

Because land cover can influence the atmosphere (clouds), mosquito habitats, and defines the broader ecosystem for trees, it is helpful if you take a land cover observation whenever you observe mosquito habitats, trees, or clouds. 

Satellite Matching

Your observations of land cover complement land cover data from satellites. Within the app, you can check the timing of satellite flyovers for your location, and set notifications to remind you to go make an observation. Learn more about satellite matching of your observations on the Land Cover Science page.

Student Research

In addition to research done by professional scientists, because GLOBE Observer is part of The GLOBE Program, which is active in thousands of schools across the world, citizen scientists are strengthening science education by providing data for student research.

Here are a few examples of student research reports related to land cover:

"Urban Revival: Analyzing urbanization through changing land cover and its effects on surrounding communities," by Sushant Medikondla, Shuqi Pan, Nomuun Undrakh, Swarup Nugehalli, Om Vegesna, Aren Finelt, Senai Sorsa, Gabrielle Clemons, students in the NASA SEES Earth System Explorers Program; submitted to GLOBE on 30 January 2026. [in English]

"Comparative Land Cover Analysis and Evaluation of Remote Sensing Tool Accuracy Using GLOBE Observer Photos," by Lucas Buheis, Sophia Farber, Aakash Karvir, Sophia Mdinaradze, Jamie Ramprashad, Rinnah Shindano, Tvisha Talwar, James Wheeler, students in the NASA SEES Earth System Explorers Program; submitted to GLOBE on 30 January 2026. [in English]

"An Analysis into the Impact of Federal Land Protection on Environmental Quality," by Samantha Zilla, Penelope Gordon, Adithya Prakash, Lilliana Bieda, Saif Syed, Melissa De Leon, Richard Li, Sohaan Shah, Jake Bloom, and Jahnavi Thakka, students in the NASA SEES Earth System Explorers Program; submitted to GLOBE on 29 January 2026. [in English]

"Using Land Cover Analysis through Remote Sensing and Ground Observations," by Aarav Awasthi, Vineeth Erram, Sophie Humer, Boone Macon, Jeannelyn Newsome, Charles Quinn, Zimraan Shamrao, Charles Quinn, Claire Tagalog, Aadhi Umamageswaran, students in the NASA SEES Earth System Explorers Program; submitted to GLOBE on 29 January 2026. [in English]

"Impacto da Cobertura Vegetal na Capacidade de Drenagem das Lagoas de Captação," by students from the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil; submitted to GLOBE on 06 March 2025. [in Portuguese]

For more research reports related to land cover, visit the GLOBE Student Research Reports page (filtered for the Land Cover Classification protocol).