LCLUC science research projects at NASA often have practical applications which are suited to further development under the NASA Applied Sciences Program. The focus of the Appliied Sciences Program is to establish direct societal benefits from NASA research with operational data and information users. The program addresses applications of national priority emphasizing partnerships with agencies with an operational mandate e.g. USDA, USFS, FIMA, EPA, NPS, and international organizations e.g. UNFAO, UNDP and UNEP. Recently partnerships have been expanded to the private sector and non-governmental organizations. NASA applied sciences focus areas include aspects of agriculture, disasters, ecological forecasting, health and air quality, water resources, wildland fires. The approach is to enable the assimilation of remote sensing data and Earth Science model outputs to serve as inputs to decision support systems. Through a process of benchmarking, verification and validation the enhancement to the decision support system is documented and a pathway developed for the operational transition. Current LCLUC-related Applied Sciences projects include the use of remote in forest management, fire risk mapping, invasive species monitoring, flood inundation, crop yield forecasting and famine early warning.

NASA Near real-time data (LANCE)

NASA's Land, Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for EOS (LANCE) makes Earth Observing System (EOS) data from ten NASA instruments available within three hours of satellite observation. This is to meet the timely needs of applications such as numerical weather and climate prediction; forecasting and monitoring natural hazards, ecological/ invasive species, agriculture, and air quality; providing help with disaster relief; and homeland security. LANCE users span a variety of communities interested in a range of applications. Users come from both the civilian and military sectors, from government and non-government agencies and from universities and other research institutions. Near real time data can be viewed using NASA’s Worldview capability.

The NASA Direct Readout Program: Providing A Bridge Between NASA Direct Broadcast Earth Science Missions And The Direct Readout User Community

NASA's Direct Readout Laboratory (DRL) at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) is the implementation arm of NASA's Direct Readout Program. The DRL acts as the bridge between Earth science remote sensing missions such as Terra, Aqua, and the NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP), and the Direct Readout (DR) community. The DRL encourages communication and maintains an open-door policy with the commercial and research and development sectors. This process provides the DRL with critical information on DR systems currently in use, and the needs of the DR community.

Global Fire Information For Resource Management

NASA's Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) distributes Near Real-Time (NRT) active fire data within 3 hours of satellite observation from NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and NASA's Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS).Transitioning from a research to an operational system with an emphasis on Protected Areas The Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) aims to transition NASA funded research results and observations to operational partners to support decision making for management of Protected Areas (PAs) worldwide. Specifically, a Web GIS provides active fire, burned areas and NASA imagery to protected area managers around the World in easy to use formats for decision making. The information will be delivered through web based interactive maps and email and text message alerts. The operational partners in this project are the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and Conservation International (CI).

Each orange dot in this FIRMS Fire Map image of Africa and Madagascar from July 23, 2019, represents a hotspot detected over the past 24 hours by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument aboard NASA’s Terra and Aqua Earth observing satellites. Image courtesy of NASA FIRMS.

NASA Global Agricultural Monitoring

The NASA Applies Sciences Harvest Program builds on a significant investment in research and analysis. Algorithms developed by the MODIS instrument teams are used for monitoring crop phenology. Soil moisture products developed from satellite data are used to help monitor crop condition. Methods for agricultural land use classification are used for mapping crop type and area. Methods are being developed for crop yield estimation from field to national scales and research into  monitoring agricultural land use change are included within the NASA LCLUC Program. The Harvest program is NASA’s contribution to the international GEO Global Agricultural Monitoring Program (GEOGLAM)

Global Forest Monitoring

NASA research and development on forest monitoring and change detection provides the basis for the Global Forest Watch. Global Forest Watch (GFW) which is run by the World Resources Institute, enables users to create custom maps, analyze forest trends, subscribe to alerts, or download data for their local area or the entire world. Users can also contribute to GFW by sharing data and stories from the ground via GFW’s crowdsourcing tools, blogs, and discussion groups. Special “apps” provide detailed information for companies that wish to reduce the risk of deforestation in their supply chains, users who want to monitor fires across Southeast Asia, and more. GFW serves a variety of users including governments, the private sector, NGOs, journalists, universities, and the general public.

With the ongoing and sometimes dramatic changes in regional economies, demographics and extreme weather events, land-cover and land-use change will continue to be an important topic for environmental change research. The LCLUC program will continue to develop a unique role for NASA in utilizing its satellite assets for the study of LCLUC in the U.S. and around the World. The scientific outreach aspect of the program for NASA data and science is significant.

The NASA LCLUC program will continue to explore the development and application of new remote sensing systems to better characterize land cover and new techniques and methods to extract information from remotely sensed data. The NASA LCLUC program will continue to foster the incorporation of social processes in LCLUC models and the interaction between social and physical scientists. The program will endeavor to maintain a balance between quantifying and characterizing land use change, understanding the processes and determining the impacts.

The role of satellite data record and process studies in projecting future LCLUC will need further investment, and the integration of land-use models and ecosystem models will need to be developed. The procedures that the program develops for periodic inventory of land cover, and the detection, characterization and quantification of land-cover change will need to be standardized and transitioned to the operational domain, where possible partnering with NASA Earth Action and Data Systems. In the immediate absence of an operational agency providing regular global monitoring of LCLUC, the NASA LCLUC program will need to provide the LCLUC data sets necessary to answer NASA’s Earth Science questions. In addition to generating science quality land data products, and a consistent data record, it will be equally important for the accuracy of these data sets to be quantified and the data sets to be easily accessible by the science community. Emphasis will be given to studying areas of the planet where rapid change is taking place or where the impacts of the changes are most serious.

As part of the Biosphere, the LCLUC program element will look for opportunities to partner with other elements within the Earth System Science Research Program (ESSRP) and across the ESE. The NASA LCLUC program will also continue to explore partnerships with other U.S. Government agencies whose programs complement the LCLUC science agenda. 

A closer partnership will be sought with the NASA Earth Action program to further demonstrate the societal benefits of LCLUC research through practical applications. Practical land-use related topics such as urban and suburban development, agricultural expansion and abandonment, fire and flood management, water quality and wetlands and human health require a better scientific understanding and are important both nationally and internationally in the context of economic development, sustainability, resilience and vulnerability. Partnership with operational natural resource agencies such as the USDA, USGS, USAID, UNDP and UN FAO as opportunities allow. It is envisioned that LCLUC research and the various NASA land-cover related products and applications initiatives will contribute to the international Global Earth Observing System of Systems (GEOSS) leading to direct and tangible societal benefits. LCLUC will continue to be a partner in the Global Land Program and with the European Association of Remote Sensing Laboratories EARSeL) Special Interest Group on Land Use and Land Cover.

In the next few years, the LCLUC program will play an important role in securing the continuity of the Landsat class observations needed for LCLUC science with Landsat Next. The program will continue to explore multi-sensor data fusion and the use of fine spatial resolution data for land use science. The LCLUC program will contribute to the science requirements for new NASA Decadal Survey instruments and products and investigate the new sensing capabilities as they come on-line. The LCLUC program will continue to work with the international programs to better coordinate satellite observations of land cover through programs such as CEOS, GOFC GOLD and GEO and to broaden the use of NASA data through regional workshops and meetings. 

Program Priorities

The LCLUC program priorities are aligned with the overarching goals and priorities of of NASA’s Earth Sciences Division. As a dynamic Earth System Science Research Program (ESSRP) element under the Biosphere, each call for proposals has a different emphasis but there are some common themes which recur in the LCLUC program. The combination of advanced remotely sensed monitoring and the social science aspect of land use change, sometimes referred to as the ‘human dimension’, are examples. The program focuses on priority regions of the US and globe where land use change is dynamic and has significant impact. Current program priorities include the following:

Monitoring Land Cover and Land Use Change

One of the stated program goals is to develop the capability for periodic inventory of land cover and land use from space. This goal has been largely achieved and demonstrated at global to national scales, although the transition to operational uptake remains patchy and new satellite technologies are providing improved capabilities. The approach to quantifying land cover change continues to be improved through our funded research as new instruments come on-line. The increase in the frequency of moderate resolution (30m) data; the coverage of very-high resolution data through the NASA CSDA program; and the availability of high-performance computing, machine learning and AI  are enabling continuous monitoring of land cover change. The availability of fine-resolution (<5m) data is also enabling a better characterization of certain land use practices. 

Method Development

With the increase in free and open sharing of satellite data, particularly through the European Copernicus Program (e.g. Sentinel 2 and Sentinel 1), the LCLUC program is interested in new methods to combine data from different sensors in analysis of land cover and land use change. Data fusion methods have been sought in the framework of the Multi-source Land Imaging (MuSLI) initiative. Such research is laying a foundation for an international constellation of moderate resolution sensors. Similarly, research is encouraged in the combined use of moderate and fine spatial resolution data (1m-3m).

The LCLUC Program management coordinates with algorithm development and testing efforts across the NASA Earth Science Division, including activities supported by the CSDA Program. Of particular relevance are algorithms used to generate higher-order products from systematic MODIS/VIIRS and Landsat observations, as LCLUC investigators frequently rely on land cover and land-change products derived from these sensors. The program leverages global archives of coarse- and moderate-resolution satellite data acquired over the past decades to advance research on land-cover and land-use change.

Following the technical issues with Landsat 7 in 2003 and prior to the launch of Landsat 8, emphasis was placed on utilizing data from other U.S. and international moderate-resolution sensors, including ASTER, EO-1, CBERS, IRS, and SPOT. With the launch of Europe’s Copernicus Programme, the availability of coarse- and moderate-resolution data expanded substantially, creating new opportunities for data integration, fusion, and interoperability research.

Recently, through CSDA, LCLUC investigators have access to commercially acquired Smallsat imagery and derived products, enabling evaluation, calibration, and integration of high-resolution commercial datasets with NASA’s moderate-resolution observations. This coordination supports cross-sensor interoperability, algorithm validation, assessment of data continuity, and the development of scalable methods that leverage both public and commercial Earth observation data to advance land-cover and land-use change research.

Within the LCLUC Program, development of new remote sensing methods is encouraged when directly responsive to LCLUC science objectives. The program continues to support: technical research on automated land classification and change detection at regional to global scales; the parameterization and validation of land-use models using remotely sensed data; and the advancement of data systems and services to improve the documentation and understanding of land-cover and land-use change.

The Impacts of Land Use Change

The LCLUC program has a priority to develop the scientific understanding of the consequences of land cover or land use changes, for example on biogeochemical cycles the hydrological cycle or human livelihoods. Recently such changes are being studied in the context of sustainability. In some regions there is an expansion of agriculture into more natural areas. In other regions there is an intensification of land use for food production. The program is interested in understanding impacts of extensification and the consequences of intensified management of agricultural, agroforestry, and grazing systems. We are also interested in measuring the longer-term degradation of forested and rangeland ecosystems. LCLUC researchers are encouraged to use both remote sensing and in-situ data, integrated with geographic information system (GIS), machine learning and AI techniques, in a manner which enables improved assessments of the impacts of land cover and land use change, the vulnerability of social systems and ecosystems, and the options for more sustainable land uses.

Modeling and Implications

It is important to develop, parameterize, and evaluate models that couple the biogeochemical and biophysical dynamics of the land surface and atmosphere. The program is interested in the links to other process studies in hydrometeorology, tropospheric chemistry, and aerosol radiative forcing to gain a better understanding of the relationship between changes in land cover, the processes that drive those changes, and biogeochemical and physical changes in the Earth's atmosphere and climate system. In addition to incorporating actual land cover and land cover change in ecosystem process models, it is important to develop models of land use change. Modeling coupled human natural systems is an important aspect of land use research. Prediction of land use change based on an understanding of the processes involved will provide an important tool for framing land management questions. Ultimately, it will be the ability to model systems undergoing land-use change that will provide tools for both scientists and decision-makers to evaluate the potential consequences of different management practices, and to assess the consequences of policies that affect land cover conversion.

New Sensing Systems

The new NASA missions are driven by the decadal survey process. The LCLUC program is interested in the development and testing of new techniques that prepare for and use the soon-to-be-available and new remotely sensed data. For example, the program is interested in LCLUC science applications of microwave systems (e.g. using the European Sentinel 1 or Canadian Radarsat Constellation) in support of the NISAR mission. 

Transitioning Research to Operations

An objective of the research is to provide the scientific understanding and observational techniques required for improved management of land resources. The program is interested in seeing the science developed inform land management and related policies.  To this end, the LCLUC program has an established relationship with NASA Earth Action, for example with the NASA HARVEST and NASA Acres program on agricultural land use change. Much of the underpinning science and methods used for NASA Harvest and Acres were developed in the LCLUC program. The objective of these partnerships was to demonstrate the societal relevance of LCLUC research through collaboration with operational agencies and organizations. We will strengthen these partnerships in the coming years. . At the international level the LCLUC Program has a long-standing relationship with the Global Observation of Forest Cover Global Observation of Landuse Dynamics (GOFC-GOLD) Program which started as an operational pilot project for the Integrated Global Observing Strategy (IGOS) but now serves as an interface to the end-user community in the areas of forest management, REDD+ and wildfire management. The GOFC GOLD Program has a number of regional networks providing for a forum for scientists and resource managers to share knowledge and experience. The LCLUC program is a strong supporter of the GOFC GOLD regional networks and actively participates in regional meetings, making a connection between LCLUC scientists and regional experts. The LCLUC is also actively partnering with GEO, for example in the area of agricultural land use change through the GEOGLAM Program.

Key Science Questions

The LCLUC research program addresses the following key land-use science questions:

• Where are land-cover and land-use changing, what is the extent and over what time scale and how do the changes vary from year to year? (Measurement, Variability)
• What changes are occurring in global land-cover and land-use, and what are their causes? (Forcing)
• What are the impacts of environmental variability and changes on LCLUC and what is the potential feedback? (Impacts, Responses)
• What are the consequences of changing land-use activities for ecosystems and how do they respond to and affect global environmental change? (Consequences, Responses, Adaptation)
• What are the consequences of land-cover and land-use change for human societies and the sustainability of ecosystems? (Consequences, Vulnerability, Resilience)
• How will land-cover change on time scales from years to centuries? (Modeling, Prediction)
• What are the projected changes in land-cover and their potential impacts? (Modeling, Prediction)

LCLUC Science Components

A major focus of LCLUC research is on quantifying: the location, extent and variability of change; the causes or forcing factors of change, for example, environmental, ecological and socioeconomic drivers; the processes of change and the responses and consequences of change. NASA LCLUC research projects use a combination of space observations, in situ measurements, process studies and numerical modelling. As an inherently interdisciplinary research program, LCLUC fosters strong partnerships between physical and social scientists to develop the integrated science necessary to understand why and how patterns of land-use and land-cover are changing, how they will change in the future and the implications of these changes. LCLUC research crosscuts several other research areas, e.g. terrestrial ecology, biodiversity, land atmospheric and ocean interactions, water cycle, and human contributions and responses to environmental change.

Variability: The current spatial pattern of land-cover is a result of previous and current land-use. Quantifying the location, extent and trends of recent land-cover and land-use change is an important component of land-change science. Satellite systems often provide the only means to inventory land-cover and monitor land-cover change in a timely and consistent fashion. NASA has developed procedures for wall-to-wall mapping of land-cover and spatially explicit monitoring of land-cover change. Systematic long-term observations of land-cover are essential to enable scientists to quantify the rates of change and their variability over time. Establishing consistent long-term data records of land-cover is an important objective for the LCLUC Program.

Forcing: To make a projection of how land-cover will change in the future and to be able to better manage land-use it is important to understand the drivers of change. These include the local and proximate physical, socioeconomic and demographic causes of change, as well as the broader global and regional climatic or macroeconomic forces of change. Quantifying processes of land-use change is undertaken by combining in-situ measurements and ground surveys with satellite data. This is often done through regional case studies.

Social and Economic Sciences in the NASA LCLUC program

The LCLUC program includes studies that quantify land-cover and land-use changes and examine their impact on the environment, and society; or model future scenarios of land-cover and land-use change and its various impacts and feedback. Humans play an important role in modifying land cover and are instrumental in land-use change. To understand the process of land-use change it is, therefore, important to address its human dimensions.

Social and economic science research plays an important role in the NASA LCLUC program and includes analyses of the impacts of changes in human behavior at various levels on land use, studies of the resultant impacts of land-use change on society, or how the social and economic aspects of land-use systems adapt to change and how they can be made more resilient.

The LCLUC program aims for a meaningful integration of social and economic science theories, perspectives, methods, and data (quantitative and/or qualitative) with innovative analyses of land system dynamics in its research. The intention is to integrate both biophysical and socioeconomic data into land-use research questions and analytical approaches, coupling remote sensing observations of land cover with research on the human dimensions of land-use change.

Analysis of land use and its changes are important for understanding the provision of food, water and ecosystems’ services and the resilience of those systems. The ultimate goal of this LCLUC program is to contribute to developing the capability for periodic global inventories of land use and land cover from space, to developing the scientific understanding and models necessary to simulate the processes taking place, and to evaluate the consequences of observed and predicted changes useful for land management. The program is also contributing to the development of NASA’s Earth System Digital Twins by incorporating near real-time data on human land use into numerical Earth System models at the highest spatial and temporal resolutions. This would help operational decision-making, mitigate adverse impacts on the system and improve its sustainability. 

Introduction

The Land Cover and Land Use Change (LCLUC) Program within NASA’s Earth Science Division and positioned within the Biosphere portfolio. As part of NASA’s Biosphere Program, LCLUC works in close integration with Biodiversity, Terrestrial Ecosystems, and Ocean Biology and Biodiversity (OBB), strengthening cross-program collaboration to better understand coupled human–natural systems.

Analysis of land use and its changes are essential for understanding food and water security, ecosystem services, and the resilience of managed and natural systems. The overarching goal of LCLUC is to advance the capability for periodic, satellite-based global inventories of land use and land cover; to develop scientific understanding and models that simulate land-change processes; and to evaluate the consequences of observed and projected changes for sustainable land management.

LCLUC program works closely with multiple other programs at NASA Headquarters, including Earth Action, Data Systems, the Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO), and Flight Programs, ensuring strategic alignment and coordination across research, applications, technology development, and satellite missions. The program also maintains strong coordination with cross-cutting activities such as FireSense, the Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition (CSDA) Program, and Satellite Needs Working Group (SNWG) activities, among others, to advance community data needs and science priorities. Research opportunities are announced annually through NASA ROSES Biosphere solicitations in which LCLUC is integral. LCLUC also contributes to NASA’s Earth System Digital Twins by incorporating near–real-time observations of human land use into numerical Earth system models at increasingly high spatial and temporal resolutions. These advances support improved decision-making, mitigation of adverse impacts, and enhanced long-term sustainability.

Enhancing U.S. Research and Worldwide Impact of NASA Observations

LCLUC strengthens U.S. research while promoting the global use and impact of NASA Earth observations. By fostering collaborations between U.S. scientists and international space agencies, academia, and regional experts, the program enables U.S. researchers to test algorithms, calibrate and validate data, and apply NASA observations in diverse regions of the world for societal benefit. Leveraging local expertise enhances field observations, data accessibility, and the accuracy of satellite-derived products. Initiatives such as the South/Southeast Asia Research Initiative (SARI) and the Northern Eurasia Future Initiative (NEFI) showcased the robust application of NASA Earth observations and algorithms to address land-use science challenges worldwide. LCLUC supports open data sharing, multi-satellite integration, and collaborations with international space agencies, enhancing interoperability and maximizing the scientific and societal impact of coordinated observations globally.

Scientific Focus

LCLUC occupies a distinctive role within NASA Earth Science by advancing interdisciplinary research with strong societal relevance. The program provides a scientific foundation for understanding the vulnerability and resilience of human land-use systems and their interactions with ecosystems.

Emphasis is placed on:

•             Monitoring and modeling land-cover and land-use change (LCLUC)

•             Interactions between land use and the water, carbon, and nitrogen cycles

•             Land–atmospheric feedback

•             Impacts on ecosystems, biodiversity, and ecosystem services

•             Fire dynamics, including wildland–urban interface processes

•             Sustainable management of agriculture and forestry systems

The program supports innovative approaches, including artificial intelligence and machine learning applications to NASA and commercial satellite datasets. Through strengthened coordination with the Earth Action program, LCLUC research findings are translatable into applications addressing natural resource management, climate adaptation, and decision support.

The integration of physical and social sciences necessary to understand land-use decision-making and its environmental consequences remains a defining and unique feature of LCLUC within NASA’s Biosphere portfolio.

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Connections and Partnerships

LCLUC maintains strong interagency partnerships with organizations such as USGS, USFS, and USDA, and scientists from these agencies regularly participate in the program through competitive peer-reviewed awards. Long-standing collaborations have supported global datasets such as the Global Land Survey (GLS) and the Harmonized Landsat–Sentinel (HLS) project.

The program seeks to further strengthen interagency coordination in data development, modeling, and research to enhance understanding of land-cover and land-use change processes.

Globally, LCLUC supports satellite-derived data products and modeling studies across multiple regions. Participation of regional scientists (as collaborators with their own funding) is strongly encouraged to incorporate local knowledge and field-based validation into research efforts. The program has historically contributed to major international initiatives and continues to play a leading role in the Global Observation of Forest Cover and Land-use Dynamics (GOFC-GOLD) program, particularly through regional networks that support calibration, validation, and standardized land products.

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