INSPIRE Definition: Physical and biological cover of the Earth’s surface including artificial surfaces, agricultural areas, forests, and water bodies. Territory characterised according to its current and future planned functional dimension.

SPHERE Mapping

A major thread theme spanning the entire SPHERE tree. Land cover links to Biosphere (vegetation), Hydrosphere (water bodies), and Pedosphere (bare soil). Land use is inherently Socio-Technical (zoning, planning). The interpreted thematic product lives in Socio-Technical Perception & Thematics, while raw evidence stays in Toposphere imagery.

Primary sphere: Socio-Technical Subsphere(s): socio_technical_perception_thematics

Cross-Domain Connections (Threads)

This theme bridges multiple SPHERE domains:

Harvesting Hints

INSPIRE keyword: Land cover, Land use. CSW search: keyword='Land cover' OR keyword='Land use' AND keyword=INSPIRE.