What is it?

Geospatial platform that represents urban land uses in major cities in Latin America and the Caribbean, based on high-resolution satellite data and remote sensing models.

Objective

To offer a robust and highly useful Urban Atlas for local authorities, urban planners and other stakeholders interested in the sustainable development of cities in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Methodology

Inspired by the European Copernicus Urban Atlas, this product was adapted to the context of the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region. It uses cloud-free Sentinel-2 (10 m) imagery and machine learning models, complemented by in-situ data and open-source information on urban infrastructure to generate a homogeneous and reliable multi-class classification. The proposed classes to be detected are:

The class includes surfaces that have been altered by human activity. This includes areas with artificial structures and surfaces with natural vegetation present in urban amenities such as parks, plazas, and urban trees, as well as artificial vegetation primarily found in sports facilities.

This class corresponds to a predominantly residential use, regardless of its housing scheme. It includes central business districts (CBDs) provided there is partial residential use.

Land that features buildings and/or artificial structures with non-residential use, i.e., industrial, commercial or related to transport and storage are dominant.

These are artificial structures with an unknown purpose; they can be isolated buildings and associated buildings.

In the case of transport units and associated land, land routes, service routes and land associated with airports, railways, ports, among others, are considered.

Main roads, highways, residential areas, and service areas are considered.

The airport facilities are considered: runways, buildings and associated land.

It corresponds to land mainly free of construction, and includes urban green areas as well as areas of agricultural and wild use.

Areas occupied by forests and wooded areas, with an extensive and dense vegetation pattern, present in urban areas.

Within urban areas, anthropogenic activity is recognized as being associated with crops, orchards and plantations that are extensive or in the presence of a significant layer of natural vegetation.

Sports and leisure facilities are considered to be synthetic grass fields, golf courses, racetracks, urban parks, zoos or green medians that meet the minimum mapping units, among others.

It corresponds to land mainly free of construction, and includes urban green areas as well as areas of agricultural and wild use.

The class represents potential building sites, established or unofficial dumps, or mining extraction sites near urban areas, but without a predominant presence of buildings.

Consider all bodies of water and watercourses, natural (rivers, lakes, lagoons, wetlands) or artificial (reservoirs, pools, tailings ponds), that meet the minimum cartographic mapping unit.

Consider all bodies of water and watercourses, natural (rivers, lakes, lagoons, wetlands) or artificial (reservoirs, pools, tailings ponds), that meet the minimum cartographic mapping unit.