CA-ESRI
Esri , the global leader in location intelligence, today announced it is releasing for the first time ever a new high-resolution, 2020 global land cover map as part of the company’s Living Atlas . The map was built using European Space Agency (ESA) Sentinel-2 satellite imagery, and developed using a new machine learning workflow teaming with new Esri Silver Partner Impact Observatory , as well as long-time partner Microsoft.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210624005176/en/
The new map will be updated annually supporting change detection and highlighting planetary land changes, especially related to the effects of human activity. A consistent map of land cover for the entire world based on the most current satellite information, the 2020 Global Land Cover Map can be combined with other data layers for green infrastructure, sustainability projects, and other conservation efforts that require a holistic picture of both the human and natural footprint on the planet. Later this year, Esri and Impact Observatory will make this new land cover model available to support on-demand land cover classification, allowing the GIS community to create maps for project areas as often as every week.
"This is a critical year for climate action," said Jack Dangermond, Esri founder and president. "With the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) bringing international parties together to address a set of common goals, we are happy to do our part in making this map available to users that are working towards the health of our planet."
Users will also be able to manipulate the map in association with other GIS layers such as terrain, hydrology, and more, all available in ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World, the foremost collection of geographic information from around the globe, including maps, apps, and data layers. Through the visualizations being released, planners worldwide will better understand the geography around them to make more informed decisions—enabling them to gain insight into locations with distinctive land cover, as well as human activity affecting them.
High-resolution, open, accurate, comparable, and timely land cover maps are critical for decision-makers in many industry sectors and developing nations. These maps improve understanding of important topics such as food security, land use planning, hydrology modeling, and resource management planning. In addition, national government resource agencies use land cover as a basis for understanding trends in natural capital, which helps define land planning priorities and is the basis of budget allocations.
Impact Observatory, contracted by Esri, developed a deep learning AI land classification model using a massive training dataset of billions of human-labeled image pixels, and applied this model to the Sentinel-2 2020 scene collection, processing over 400,000 Earth observations to produce the map. The unique machine learning approach used to create this global map will soon be available on demand, supporting land managers who need to monitor change in a specific area of interest, looking at annual change and seasonal differences in land cover.
"Global efforts are urging world leaders to set and achieve ambitious conservation targets," said Steve Brumby, Impact Observatory co-founder and CEO. "With support from the geospatial experts at Esri, and access to incredible compute resources at Microsoft, we were able to build in record time a land cover map that provides leaders in governments, NGOs, and across industries with a novel, timely view of the planet, and a new AI-powered capability for actionable, science-based insights on demand. In doing so, Impact Observatory hopes to contribute towards the global conservation effort."
Esri is releasing this valuable resource under a Creative Commons license to encourage broad adoption and ensure equitable access for planners creating a more sustainable planet. This content will be made available in ArcGIS Online as a map service and be freely available for use by its 10 million users. It will also be available for download and viewing. To explore the new 2020 Global Land Cover Map, visit livingatlas.arcgis.com/landcover .
About Impact Observatory
Impact Observatory is a mission-driven technology company bringing artificial intelligence (AI) powered algorithms and on-demand data to sustainability and environmental risk analysis for governments, non-profit organizations, companies, and markets. Founded in 2020 in Washington, DC, Impact Observatory’s goal is to empower global decision-makers to be planetary superheroes, with the timely, actionable science-based insights they need to succeed. Visit us at impactobservatory.com .
About Esri
Esri, the global market leader in geographic information system (GIS) software, location intelligence, and mapping, helps customers unlock the full potential of data to improve operational and business results. Founded in 1969 in Redlands, California, USA, Esri software is deployed in more than 350,000 organizations globally and in over 200,000 institutions in the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, including Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, nonprofits, and universities. Esri has regional offices, international distributors, and partners providing local support in over 100 countries on six continents. With its pioneering commitment to geospatial information technology, Esri engineers the most innovative solutions for digital transformation, the Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced analytics. Visit us at esri.com .
Copyright © 2021 Esri. All rights reserved. Esri, the Esri globe logo, ArcGIS, The Science of Where, esri.com, and @esri.com are trademarks, service marks, or registered marks of Esri in the United States, the European Community, or certain other jurisdictions. Other companies and products or services mentioned herein may be trademarks, service marks, or registered marks of their respective mark owners.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210624005176/en/
Link:
Social Media:
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
NetJets to Bring Starlink High-Speed Connectivity to Fleet10.12.2025 15:05:00 CET | Press release
The agreement between the two companies will bring reliable Wi-Fi connectivity to one of the world’s largest fleets of jets, ensuring a seamless, best-in-class experience for Owners NetJets, the global leader in private aviation, and Starlink have entered into an agreement to bring high-speed in-flight connectivity to 600 aircraft across NetJets’ global fleet by the end of 2026, unlocking a new level of productivity and exceptional travel experiences in the air. “This agreement with Starlink positions NetJets to continue delivering exceptional travel experiences for our Owners and their guests,” said Patrick Gallagher, President, NetJets Aviation. “With Starlink, travel is elevated with reliable connectivity whether our Owners are flying for business or leisure—as seamless connectivity is critical to the experience our Owners need and deserve.” This multi-year, service level agreement paves the way for NetJets to quickly and seamlessly outfit its aircraft across the U.S. and Europe, wi
Mercator Ocean International Makes AI Ocean Forecasting Operational with GLONET Validated by OceanBench at NeurIPS 202510.12.2025 15:00:00 CET | Press release
New benchmark sets the first science-based quality standard for AI ocean models, enabling GLONET’s operational deployment At NeurIPS 2025, one of the world’s leading AI conferences, Mercator Ocean unveiled OceanBench, the first open benchmark designed to assess AI Ocean forecasting models. This milestone follows the publication of Mercator Ocean’s AI model GLONET in September. Together, OceanBench and GLONET represent a decisive step toward integrating artificial intelligence into operational ocean forecasting, strengthening Europe’s leadership in trustworthy, AI-driven predictions at global scale. Presented by Anass El Aouni, Oceanographer and machine learning (ML) researcher, and Quentin Gaudel, ML Systems Architect, OceanBench establishes a unified standard to evaluate AI models against fundamental ocean dynamics. GLONET is the first forecasting system to be validated through OceanBench for operational use. Anass El Aouni : “OceanBench provides a transparent standard to evaluate AI-
Cleveland Clinic Neurological Institute and Baszucki Group Team Up to Advance Landmark Brain Study with Metabolic Health Markers10.12.2025 15:00:00 CET | Press release
The collaboration seeks to study gut-brain connections in neurological disorders Baszucki Group today announced an expanded commitment to the landmark Cleveland Clinic Brain Study. Launched in 2022, this ambitious longitudinal study plans to follow healthy individuals over a 20-year period with the goal of identifying early disease markers and therapeutic targets needed to prevent and ultimately cure neurological diseases. The commitment from Baszucki Group brings their total donation to the study to $450,000. The commitment was announced at Keep Memory Alive’s annual Summer Festival & Rodeo at Shakespeare Ranch in Glenbrook, Nevada, an event benefiting the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and hosted by Larry and Camille Ruvo, co-founders of Keep Memory Alive. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251208681513/en/ Baszucki Group and Cleveland Clinic Neurological Institute expand impact of landmark brain study to inv
CSG Xponent Sweeps Up Top-Tier Analyst, Industry Recognition for Customer Journey Management, Analytics10.12.2025 14:30:00 CET | Press release
Independent evaluations from QKS Group, FinTech Futures and CMP Research validate CSG Xponent as a driver of real-time journey orchestration and analytics CSG® (NASDAQ: CSGS) today announced that its flagship customer engagement platform, CSG Xponent, has earned multiple honors for journey management, customer analytics and personalization. This third-party recognition underscores the strength of CSG Xponent as a full-service engagement platform – one that seamlessly combines in-depth journey analytics with real-time orchestration. In the past month alone, CSG Xponent has been named: A Leader in QKS Group’s SPARK Matrix™: Customer Journey Management, 2025. Winner for “Best Personalisation and User Experience Solution” in the FinTech Futures 2025 Banking Tech Awards. A Core Performing provider in CMP Research’s Prism for Customer Analytics. “CSG Xponent moves beyond broad segmentation to pinpoint each customer’s journey state, whether stalled, at-risk or ready to convert, and then quant
AI Power Surge and Energy Transition Push Global Project Finance into a New Era10.12.2025 14:30:00 CET | Press release
70% of finance professionals expect infrastructure to drive the strongest growth, followed by renewables (48%) and TMT (43%).53% now view private equity as a primary source of equity funding, signaling a major shift in capital dynamics.80% cite KYC requirements as the top execution challenge amid rising deal complexity. Global project finance is entering a transformative era, driven by soaring demand for energy capacity, accelerated digitalization and large-scale infrastructure upgrades, reshaping investment priorities worldwide. These insights come from new research commissioned by CSC, based on responses from 200 project finance professionals, revealing a market shifting toward more complex, capital-intensive projects and a greater reliance on private capital. CSC’s latest report, Project Finance at an Inflection Point: Adapting to New Realities1, reveals a sector that is rapidly expanding in both scale and complexity driven by capital increasingly targeting long-term, strategically
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom