themodis500-mmapofglobalurbanextent.docVIP

The MODIS 500-m map of global urban extent Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment, University of Wisconsin-Madison 1. Description of the dataset The MODIS 500-m global map of urban extent was produced by Annemarie Schneider at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in partnership with Mark Friedl at Boston Univeristy and the MODIS Land Group. The goal of this project was generate a current, consistent, and seamless circa 2001-2002 map of urban, built-up and settled areas for the Earth’s land surface. This work builds on previous mapping efforts using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data at 1-km spatial resolution (Schneider et al., 2003; 2005), which was included as part of the MODIS Collection 4 (C4) Global Land Cover Product (Friedl et al., 2002). Here we addressed weaknesses in the first map as well as several limitations of contemporary global urban maps by developing a methodology that relies solely on newly released Collection 5 (C5) MODIS 500-m resolution data. Specifically, a supervised decision tree classification algorithm was used to map urban areas using region-specific parameters (see Schneider et al., 2009; 2010 for full details on methodology). The map described here serves as the first stage in our development of a comprehensive database of urban land surface characteristics for 2001-2010. Recent research efforts and feedback from the user community have indicated that finer resolution data and sub-pixel information is needed. Our ongoing efforts are focused on: (1) creating updated maps of urban extent circa 2005-2006 and 2009-2010; (2) creating global maps that provide sub-pixel estimates of urban land use and vegetation; and (3) providing a more refined suite of land surface characteristics for urban areas by differentiating core downtown areas from low density residential areas. In addition, we hope to build on these results to create a globally consistent, validated map of “hot spots” of land co