Land Use Classification Map of Germany (WMS)

Based on Sentinel-2A imageries from 2016, the map shows a detailed classification of Germany's arable land, distinguishing 19 land-use classes. "Forests", "Waters", "Urban" and "Other Vegetation" are predefined classes and were not classified in this study. The map is the result of a highly automated adaptable approach for pixel-based compositing and classification, called APiC. The novel APiC concept is designed for the use of high-resolution spatio-temporal space-borne data. Within the scope of extensive land-use mapping we define composite periods purely data-driven based on cloud-free training pixels. Since these adapted periods (APs) are not static nor dependent on expert knowledge, they support the creation of training pixel composites (TPCs) in regions with different weather conditions, species composition and phenological behaviour. We aimed to maximize the AP number within the classification year in order to best represent land-use phenology. To account for the cloud cover distribution of all pixels to be classified, over 10,000 predictive models were needed to create this map. Multiple classification models allow to contrast the classified land-use with the associated model performance at pixel level. Due to different climatic and geomorphological gradients in Germany that have an impact on plant phenology, six landscape regions have been independently classified. The individual classification results have been combined for the map shown.