GCRI · Space and Earth Observation
Released maps
Maps of Space and Earth Observation are published here once their data rights are cleared and they have been reviewed. Each shows its time and space reference, its sources and its uncertainty.
01Sequence
The order things happen in.
- 01QuestionNational, regional or institutional priority
- 02EvidenceSTEM foundation of the platform
- 03BuildFoundry
- 04OrganiseNexus ecosystem
- 05TestUniverse (independent site)
- 06PublishReports
- 07DecideCompetent authorities and institutions, through NXS-RLS (participants, agreements and handoffs)
- 08RenewCorrections and the next annual agenda
02What is shown
Released, referenced and rights-cleared.
- Time and space reference for every view.
- Sources and licence.
- Uncertainty and known limits.
- Version and date of release.
03Geography
Earth observation worldwide.
Land cover and vegetation across the world, from NASA GIBS. Each layer carries its own date.
The interactive map needs JavaScript; the layer list and sources are below.
Layers 2
Earth observation, for this page
About this layer
- Evidence
- Observed
- Source
- VIIRS NOAA-20 corrected reflectance (NASA LANCE)
- Provider
- NASA LANCE
- Licence
- NASA open data
- Vintage
- daily; Satellite image
- Newest at build
- 2026-10-14
- Resolution
- about 250 m grid
- Uncertainty
- Satellite image. Satellite or model raster as the provider publishes it. Clouds, swath gaps and retrieval error leave gaps and noise; values are indicators, not measurements at a place.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
About this layer
- Evidence
- Modelled (latest year GIBS publishes)
- Source
- MODIS Terra and Aqua land cover (MCD12Q1) (NASA LP DAAC)
- Provider
- NASA LP DAAC
- Licence
- NASA open data
- Vintage
- yearly; Satellite classification; latest year GIBS publishes
- Newest at build
- 2024-01-01
- Resolution
- about 500 m grid
- Uncertainty
- Satellite land cover classes for the year shown, including croplands; a classification with known errors, not a farm register.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
About this layer
- Evidence
- Observed (clouds leave gaps)
- Source
- MODIS Terra EVI (NASA LANCE)
- Provider
- NASA LANCE
- Licence
- NASA open data
- Vintage
- daily; Satellite index; clouds leave gaps
- Newest at build
- 2026-10-13
- Resolution
- about 250 m grid
- Uncertainty
- Satellite vegetation index for the 8 days to the date shown, a habitat condition indicator; not a measure of species or biodiversity.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
About this layer
- Evidence
- Observed (clouds leave gaps)
- Source
- MODIS Terra NDVI (NASA LANCE)
- Provider
- NASA LANCE
- Licence
- NASA open data
- Vintage
- daily; Satellite index; clouds leave gaps
- Newest at build
- 2026-10-13
- Resolution
- about 250 m grid
- Uncertainty
- Satellite greenness index over the 8 days to the date shown; an indicator of crop and pasture condition, not a yield estimate or a food security warning.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
About this layer
- Evidence
- Observed (persistent cloud still leaves gaps)
- Source
- VIIRS NOAA-20 Level 3, 8-day (NASA LANCE)
- Provider
- NASA LANCE
- Licence
- NASA open data
- Vintage
- 8-day; Satellite 8-day composite; persistent cloud still leaves gaps
- Newest at build
- 2026-09-14
- Resolution
- about 1 km grid
- Uncertainty
- Satellite skin temperature of the ground over the 8 days ending on the date shown, a heat exposure indicator; not air temperature, heat index or a heat warning.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
About this layer
- Evidence
- Observed
- Source
- GHRSST MUR (NASA JPL PO.DAAC)
- Provider
- NASA JPL PO.DAAC
- Licence
- NASA open data
- Vintage
- daily; Satellite analysis
- Newest at build
- 2026-10-12
- Resolution
- about 1 km grid
- Uncertainty
- Satellite analysis. Satellite or model raster as the provider publishes it. Clouds, swath gaps and retrieval error leave gaps and noise; values are indicators, not measurements at a place.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
Keyboard, with the map focused
Hold Ctrl or ⌘ and scroll to zoom
Latest available
NASA GIBS / EOSDIS · ASTER GDEM (METI, NASA) · Blue Marble (NASA) · © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Natural Earth
Loading the latest NASA imagery.
Drag to move. Ctrl or ⌘ and scroll, pinch or the buttons to zoom; hover for the values under the pointer; reset returns to the region.
Earth observation, framed on the world.Satellite and model products as NASA publishes them, each with its own date. They are indicators, not assessments of any place.
Data: NASA GIBS · ASTER GDEM · Blue Marble · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Natural Earth · NASA EONET · NASA JPL OPERA DIST-ALERTSources and licences
- We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA’s Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA’s Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA’s Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA’s Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- VIIRS near-real-time products (flood, land surface temperature, snow cover, corrected reflectance), NASA LANCE; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- MODIS land products (vegetation indices, gross primary production, land cover), NASA LP DAAC and LANCE; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- GHRSST Level 4 MUR analyses, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory; distributed by the NASA Physical Oceanography DAAC (PO.DAAC); imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- ASTER GDEM is a product of METI and NASA (ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model V003, NASA LP DAAC); imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). Cite as: NASA/METI/AIST/Japan Spacesystems and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team (2019). ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model V003. doi:10.5067/ASTER/ASTGTM.003. NASA open data
- Made with Natural Earth. Free vector and raster map data @ naturalearthdata.com. Public domain
- © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), via NASA GIBS (coastlines, boundaries, roads and place names). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). ODbL
- Blue Marble, NASA Earth Observatory; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- Context on the globe and flat map: coastlines, boundaries, roads and place names from NASA GIBS reference layers (OpenStreetMap data, ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors); Blue Marble imagery as an optional base; 3D terrain and the elevation read-out from the ASTER GDEM elevation colour index (5 m to 200 m classes, exaggerated for legibility). Boundaries are drawn as published and imply no position on any territory.
- Live events: NASA Earth Observatory Natural Event Tracker (EONET); events are indicative and keep their original source links.
- Live: NASA EONET Events are indicative, not authority warnings.
- Observed (EO): NASA JPL OPERA DIST-ALERT (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2026). We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA’s Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA’s Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS).
- NASA GIBS: We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA’s Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA’s Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS).
- Past year, daily temperature and sunshine (NASA POWER): These data were obtained from the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) POWER Project funded through the NASA Earth Science/Applied Science Program..
- Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (https://open-meteo.com/), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
- Optional layers (11 sources in the layer list: live, forecast, observed and context) print their provider credit on the map and here when switched on; forecasts are model output and derived indices are estimates.
Layers and dates
- True colour: VIIRS NOAA-20 corrected reflectance, NASA LANCE · 13 Oct 2026
- Land cover type (IGBP), yearly: MODIS Terra and Aqua land cover (MCD12Q1), NASA LP DAAC · 2024
- Enhanced vegetation index, rolling 8 days: MODIS Terra EVI, NASA LANCE · 13 Oct 2026
- Vegetation greenness (NDVI), rolling 8 days: MODIS Terra NDVI, NASA LANCE · 13 Oct 2026
- Land surface temperature, day, 8-day composite: VIIRS NOAA-20 Level 3, 8-day, NASA LANCE · 14 Sep 2026
- Sea ice concentration: GHRSST MUR, NASA JPL PO.DAAC · 12 Oct 2026
04Indicators
What a released map in this field would carry.
| Indicator | Unit | Cadence | Evidence label | Topic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spatial resolution | metres per pixel | per sensor | Declared | Earth observation sensors |
| Revisit interval | days | per mission or constellation | Declared | Earth observation sensors |
| Cloud-free observation frequency | observations per month | per location | Observed | Earth observation sensors |
| Radiometric calibration uncertainty | percent | per sensor | Reported | Earth observation sensors |
| Spectral bands | count | per sensor | Declared | Earth observation sensors |
| Data latency | hours from acquisition to availability | per product | Observed | Earth observation sensors |
| Overall map accuracy | percent with confidence interval | per product | Estimated | Spatial temporal evidence |
| Class-specific user’s and producer’s accuracy | percent | per class | Estimated | Spatial temporal evidence |
| Geolocation error | metres | per product | Observed | Spatial temporal evidence |
| Products meeting analysis-ready data specification | count | per assessment | Published statistics | Spatial temporal evidence |
| Reference samples per class | count | per assessment | Declared | Spatial temporal evidence |
| Time series gaps | percent of expected observations missing | per location | Observed | Spatial temporal evidence |
| Geomagnetic storm days | count by storm level | annual | Observed | Space system resilience |
| Satellite anomalies reported | count | annual | Reported | Space system resilience |
| GNSS interference events | count by region | monthly | Reported | Space system resilience |
| Essential observations with a single supplying mission | count | per assessment | Estimated | Space system resilience |
| Ground stations per mission | count | per mission | Declared | Space system resilience |
| Missions past design life | count | annual | Published statistics | Space system resilience |
| Population covered by satellite broadband | percent of population | annual | Estimated | Communications and navigation |
| Critical sectors using GNSS timing | count of sectors | per assessment | Estimated | Communications and navigation |
| Timing holdover capability | hours | per system | Declared | Communications and navigation |
| Satellite broadband subscribers | count | annual | Published statistics | Communications and navigation |
| Satellite-based augmentation coverage | status by region | per assessment | Published statistics | Communications and navigation |
| Navigation outages and degradations | count and duration | annual | Published statistics | Communications and navigation |
| Crop condition anomaly | difference of vegetation index from mean | dekadal | Observed | Eo in water and agriculture |
| Cropland area by crop type | hectares | seasonal | Estimated | Eo in water and agriculture |
| Actual evapotranspiration | millimetres per period | dekadal | Modelled | Eo in water and agriculture |
| Surface water extent | square kilometres | monthly | Observed | Eo in water and agriculture |
| Irrigated area | hectares | seasonal | Estimated | Eo in water and agriculture |
| Agreement with agricultural statistics | percent difference | per season | Estimated | Eo in water and agriculture |
| Charter and Copernicus EMS activations | count by hazard | annual | Published statistics | Disaster monitoring |
| Time from activation to first map | hours | per activation | Observed | Disaster monitoring |
| Damage assessment accuracy | percent agreement with field survey | per event | Estimated | Disaster monitoring |
| Area mapped | square kilometres | per activation | Observed | Disaster monitoring |
| Countries with registered authorised users | count | annual | Published statistics | Disaster monitoring |
| Products delivered in open formats | percent of products | per activation | Observed | Disaster monitoring |
| Tracked objects in orbit | count by orbit region | monthly | Observed | Space debris and sustainability |
| Estimated objects above size thresholds | count by size class | per assessment | Modelled | Space debris and sustainability |
| Active satellites | count | monthly | Observed | Space debris and sustainability |
| Collision avoidance manoeuvres | count | annual | Reported | Space debris and sustainability |
| Post-mission disposal success | percent of missions | annual | Estimated | Space debris and sustainability |
| Fragmentation events | count | annual | Observed | Space debris and sustainability |
| Fundamental geospatial data themes available | count of themes | per assessment | Published statistics | Geospatial governance |
| Geodetic reference frame adoption | status | per assessment | Published statistics | Geospatial governance |
| Datasets with open licences | percent of national geospatial datasets | per assessment | Observed | Geospatial governance |
| Metadata compliance with standards | percent of datasets | per assessment | Observed | Geospatial governance |
| Address coverage | percent of dwellings with a registered address | per assessment | Published statistics | Geospatial governance |
| Cadastral coverage | percent of parcels registered | per assessment | Published statistics | Geospatial governance |
05Process
How the process runs.
Process explorer · Process
Released maps: Layers to published map
7 steps·4 stages·1 gate
Process
Released maps: Layers to published map
Layers enter with their rights, are aligned, analysed and checked for uncertainty, then released after public-safe review; a map is a governed spatial claim.
01 Data
- 01Source layers with their rightsDataset · NXS-GRX (canonical data, provenance and risk)Spatial views of The Global Risks Index (NXS-GRX) products sit under the boundary licence gate. Rights classification sets how a layer may be used.
02 Harmonise
- 02Coordinate reference and boundary versionRecord · NXS-EOP (earth observation and digital twins)The area of interest preserves its coordinate reference system, polygon validity and observation support. Boundary versions are kept.
- 03Harmonise units, variables and timeStepUnit metadata, conversion records and transformation logs are required. Alignment is an evidence event, not hidden preprocessing.
03 Analyse and check
- 04Analyse with a recorded processing recipeModel · GIS teamA processing recipe records parameters, calibration, inputs and output lineage. The analysis methods are named in each product’s own record.
- 05Spatial uncertainty checkGateSpatial uncertainty is recorded and affects downstream use. A high-uncertainty polygon may suit internal review, not public-safe release.
04 Publish
- 06Spatial metadata bundleRecordThe bundle records boundary type, jurisdiction, geometry version, projection, resolution, source, time window, uncertainty and access class.
- 07Public-safe release of the mapDecisionThe output record names the redactions, uncertainty and public-safe reviewer. A map is a governed spatial claim, never merely a picture.
Spatio-temporal intelligence · Data protocols: semantic, jurisdictional and temporal intelligence · NXS-EOPDesigned programme process, not a record of operation. No cycle has run and every programme is at service level R0. A gate is a programme decision, never a public-authority approval, certification or deployment authorisation. The pages cited are design doctrine.
06Reading the maps
Cautions that apply to Earth observation maps.
- Imagery dates matter; a map without a date is not evidence.
- Classifications have errors by class and region.
- Resolution limits what can be seen; small features vanish.
- Cloud frequency biases optical observations.
07Status
Releases appear as they are reviewed.
Analysis runs in Foundry; reviewed releases are listed here.
08Sources
Where this page’s references lead.
The bodies and documents this page is read against. Status and editions change; each link goes to the issuing body.
09Questions
Questions and answers.
Can I request a map or model?
Write to the contact form with what you need and why.
ReportsContribute
Contribute evidence from this page.
Reports is the Consortium’s quarterly publication. What you know about this subject can become evidence, a case or a correction in the next edition, credited to you and published under CC BY 4.0 where it is your own work.
GCRISpace and Earth ObservationObservatory SignalExponential Technology
- EmailGateway GW-GCRISend it from this pageEvidence, a correction, a case, a method, a review, a translation or profile input. It arrives tagged with this page, so the editor who owns it receives it.
- ZenodoOpen depositDeposit it and submit to the communityPublish your own record on Zenodo with your ORCID iD, then submit it to the Reports community there. Curators review it; the DOI stays yours.
- ReportsGCRISee every way to contributeThe contribution types, how each is reviewed, what credit you receive, the licence and what is never accepted.
Never send personal data, sensitive infrastructure detail or anything you have no right to share. A contribution is reviewed before use; sending it confers no authorship or editorial rights, and sponsorship never buys a finding.
Space and Earth Observation
Bring a method, a dataset or a question.
Information and enquiries are open today. An enquiry receives a reference and names the next step; applications, payments, compute allocations and registrations open only when their team, terms and review capacity exist.
Legal
Legal documents.
Maps, data and figures on this site are shown for context and general information. They are not advice, forecasts or warnings; the limits of the information are set out in the Disclaimers and Data Notices.