Data used & project outline

Data Used & Project Outline

LACOAST represents the way to tackle the problem of creating or updating geo-referenced Land Cover databases, a key issue for the management of the dynamic European landscapes.

It is based on the CORINE Land Cover nomenclature and database.

It uses satellite images, such as SPOT, LANDSAT TM, LANDSAT MSS, topographic maps, thematic maps, aerial photographs, etc.

The LACOAST Project is divided into the 2 following Workpackages:

Workpackage I

Workpackage I consists in a quantitative analysis of changes in Land Cover over a 10-km wide coastal strip around the countries of Europe.

It is done through a comparison of the CORINE Land Cover Level 3 database (44 Land Cover classes-scale: 1/100,000) of 1987-1990 with the LANDSAT MSS satellite images of 1975, and the creation of a Land Cover database for the year 1975.

This Workpackage is concerning only the countries/coasts where CORINE LC is presently completed and Greece.

Workpackage II

Workpackage II consists in an exhaustive study of three selected zones of specific interest:

Belgian coasts,

Charente-Maritime coasts (France),
Spanish-Portuguese southern border coasts.

The main objective is the comparison of CORINE Land Cover Level 4, 5, 6 database (nomenclature and scale refined), with data for 4 dates: 1955, 1975, 1985 and 1995. This data is SPOT, LANDSAT TM and LANDSAT MSS satellite images and aerial photographs.

Greece participates in the Workpackage I and studies the Land Use/Land Cover changes for the zone of 10km along the shoreline of the mainland of Greece, Peloponnisos and Crete. The Company responsible for the Project is KTIMATOLOGIO S.A.

The Project is carried out in the following different stages:

Methodological and practical organisation from JRC in close co-operation with the National Teams (one in each country participating in the Project).
Technical control at AIS/JRC, management at AIS/JRC, in co-operation with the CEO/JRC.
Decentralised work in Member States (carried out by the National Teams in co-operation with the European Topic Centre on Land Cover).
Gathering of results at the JRC.
Centralised analysis at the JRC (in co-operation with Topic Centres and National Teams).
Production of reports and documents for presentation (linked with different partners).
Dissemination of results, reports, documents (linked with CEO and partners).