Final Report for LCM2007 - the new UK land cover map. Countryside Survey Technical Report No 11/07

TLDR

LCM2007 is the first UK land cover map that combines land parcels derived from national cartography via generalisation and provides continuous vector coverage of UK Broad Habitats derived from satellite data. The GB framework uses the Ordnance Survey Master Map topography layer, the NI framework uses OS Northern Ireland data, and the spatial framework is refined by adding agricultural census boundaries and image segments. LCM2007 dramatically improves spatial and thematic accuracy, better represents real‑world objects, and contains almost 10 million land parcels (8.6 million for GB and 0.9 million for NI).

Abstract

Land Cover Map 2007 (LCM2007) is the first UK land cover map with land parcels (the spatial framework) derived from national cartography by a generalisation (simplification) process. This dramatically improves spatial and thematic accuracy and better represents real world objects. The GB framework is based on Ordnance Survey Master Map topography layer (hereafter referred to as OSMM) and the NI framework is based on cartographic data from Ordnance Survey Northern Ireland (now part of Land & Property Services). The spatial framework has been further refined by supplementing the generalised national cartography with agricultural census data boundaries and image segments. LCM2007 is the first land cover map to provide continuous vector coverage of UK Broad Habitats derived from satellite data. It contains almost 10 million land parcels (8.6 million for GB; 0.9 million for NI).