The HILDA+ project

Data-driven reconstruction of global land use/cover change from 1960 to 2019

HILDA+, the global HIstoric Land Dynamics Assessment, is part of a PHD project on open data-driven reconstruction of our planets’ changing land surface. Based on harmonised earth observation data and national land use statistics, we aim to provide global land use/land cover maps at high spatial, temporal and thematic level of detail.

This blog accompanies the project, raises and addresses some questions along the way of trying to uncover and understand the global patterns of land use change. Using an open data-driven approach, we investigate…

  • what data tells us about the changing land surface.
  • how we can combine heterogeneous data sets, e.g. bring land use and land cover information together.
  • how much land has changed, where and when.
  • how much forest and agricultural land has been gained or lost across the globe.
  • the major patterns of global land change and their underlying drivers.
  • the storylines that connect land change patterns of different world regions.

From time to time, you will find some stories, maps or video clips containing thoughts, ideas and results from the HILDA+ project.