Business Wire

Esri Releases New App to Easily View and Analyze Global Land-Cover Changes

8.2.2023 16:00:00 EET | Business Wire | Press release

Share

Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) maps are an increasingly important tool for decision-makers at local, regional, and national government levels around the world. These maps help inform policy and land management decisions around issues like sustainability, by contextualizing and quantifying the impacts of earth processes and human activity on the environment.

Esri, the global leader in mapping and location intelligence, has now released a new online application, Sentinel-2 Land Cover Explorer. The app is structured around a web-based version of its own high-resolution global land-cover map, derived from European Space Agency (ESA) Sentinel-2 satellite imagery. The app is easy to access and leverages the same geographic information system (GIS) technology behind the land-cover map. The app, map, and source Sentinel-2 imagery are all part of the company's ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World.

"GIS not only provides the capabilities necessary to produce and share data and maps such as LULC, it also enables users to derive and disseminate insights from such data," said Sean Breyer, Esri program manager for ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World. "Generating this information is foundational, and Sentinel-2 Land Cover Explorer will be invaluable for helping decision-makers unlock critical insights about land use, particularly as sustainability becomes a pressing global concern."

Change analysis is fundamental to deeper understanding of LULC maps, and Sentinel-2 Land Cover Explorer provides various ways of detecting and reporting changes, including visual change analysis; statistical change analysis; visual change validation; and dynamic charts for percentage changes and trends over time. Other features offered by the app include the following:

  • Image services from ArcGIS Living Atlas
  • The ability to take data offline (download mode in the app)
  • Analysis tools in ArcGIS Online
  • ArcGIS developer tools and resources

In 2021, in partnership with Impact Observatory and Microsoft, Esri released the first artificial intelligence (AI)-generated global land-cover map. This subsequently evolved into the LULC annual time series map available today, which includes nine major land cover categories. Annual updates enable year-to-year comparisons for detecting shifts in vegetation and crops, forest extents, bare surfaces, and urban areas. With the recent addition of the 2022 update, the annual land cover time series now includes global coverage from 2017 through 2022.

Sentinel-2 Land Cover Explorer is a dynamic, ready-to-use application with an intuitive user experience. To explore the app online now, go to livingatlas.arcgis.com/landcoverexplorer.

About Esri

Esri, the global market leader in geographic information system (GIS) software, location intelligence, and mapping helps customers unlock the full potential of data to improve operational and business results. Founded in 1969 in Redlands, California, USA, Esri software is deployed in more than 350,000 organizations globally and in over 200,000 institutions in the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Esri has partners and local distributors in over 100 countries on six continents, including Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, nonprofits, and universities. With its pioneering commitment to geospatial information technology, Esri engineers the most innovative solutions for digital transformation, the Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced analytics. Visit us at esri.com.

Copyright © 2023 Esri. All rights reserved. Esri, the Esri globe logo, ArcGIS, The Science of Where, esri.com, and @esri.com are trademarks, service marks, or registered marks of Esri in the United States, the European Community, or certain other jurisdictions. Other companies and products or services mentioned herein may be trademarks, service marks, or registered marks of their respective mark owners.

To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.

Contact information

Jo Ann Pruchniewski
Public Relations, Esri
Mobile: 301-693-2643
Email: jpruchniewski@esri.com

About Business Wire

For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.

Subscribe to releases from Business Wire

Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Latest releases from Business Wire

IQM, a Global Leader in Quantum Computing, and Real Asset Acquisition Corp. Announce Upsized USD 146 million PIPE with New Commitment from Ilmarinen2.6.2026 17:17:00 EEST | Press release

IQM Finland Oy, a global leader in full-stack superconducting quantum computers (“IQM”, “IQM Quantum Computers” or the “Company”) and Real Asset Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: RAAQ), a special purpose acquisition company (“RAAQ”), today announced an additional PIPE commitment from Ilmarinen in connection with the previously announced business combination between IQM and RAAQ. Ilmarinen’s new commitment comes alongside commitments from other leading institutional investors in the previously announced USD 134 million PIPE. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260602993879/en/ IQM quantum computer The incremental PIPE provides additional funding on top of the previously announced USD 134 million in PIPE financing proceeds to be used to accelerate IQM’s technology and commercial development towards fault-tolerant quantum computing, further advancing its position as a leading provider of quantum computers. Headquartered in

Laserfiche Launches on AWS Marketplace, Bringing Intelligent Content Management to the Enterprise2.6.2026 17:00:00 EEST | Press release

Laserfiche — the leading SaaS provider of intelligent content management — has partnered with AWS to make Laserfiche available through AWS Marketplace. This collaboration enables AWS customers to seamlessly procure Laserfiche’s document management platform to manage content, automate workflows and implement agentic AI capabilities. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260602537198/en/ Laserfiche intelligent content management is now available to procure directly through AWS Marketplace. “We’re excited about this evolution of our long-standing partnership with AWS,” said Thomas Phelps, Laserfiche senior vice president of corporate strategy and CIO. “AWS Marketplace provides a near-frictionless experience for Laserfiche direct customers who want to accept negotiated private offers, manage billing and payment history, and apply eligible purchases toward their AWS Enterprise Discount Program (EDP) commitments — all thr

Experian Brings Trusted Agentic AI to Financial Services With the Launch of Agent Operating System™2.6.2026 16:05:00 EEST | Press release

Experian today announces the launch of the Agent Operating System™, a trusted agentic AI layer within the Experian Ascend Platform, unveiled at Money20/20 Europe. The Experian Agent Operating System is designed to help financial services organisations move successfully beyond AI experimentation and safely scale agentic AI to transform decision-making, customer experiences, and day-to-day operations. It enables AI agents from Experian, clients and partners to work together through a common trust, semantic and orchestration layer, supported by clear controls, auditability and human oversight. The launch comes as financial services firms accelerate investment in AI but continue to face major barriers to scaling adoption. New Experian research* shows that nearly half of global organisations (48%), say integrating data into AI workflows remains difficult, while a third cite poor data lineage and a further third say data is siloed across teams and systems. At the same time, consumers are inc

High Q Technologies and Creative Biostructure Announce Strategic Partnership Expanding Global Access to Quantum-Enabled EPR Spectroscopy2.6.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release

High Q Technologies, a developer of quantum-enabled electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy systems, and Creative Biostructure, a structural biology Contract Research Organization, today announced a strategic partnership to support broader adoption of EPR spectroscopy for studying protein dynamics in pharmaceutical and biotechnology research. EPR spectroscopy is increasingly relevant as drug discovery turns toward disordered, flexible, and disease‑relevant protein systems that cannot be fully understood through static structural methods alone. However, broad adoption of EPR has historically been limited by instrument and workflow complexity, and the need for dedicated technical expertise in experimental design and data interpretation. Leveraging quantum sensor technology, FATHOM® EPR has overcome these challenges. By providing unique measurements of long‑range distances, FATHOM® EPR enables researchers to probe conformational ensembles and molecular motion implicated in toda

Lenovo Technology Powers FIFA World Cup 2026™ Operations and Strengthens AI-Driven Broadcast2.6.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release

Lenovo today announced it is delivering a near real-time AI-powered infrastructure platform for the FIFA World Cup 2026™ to enable ultra-low-latency IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) video distribution in addition to the traditional cable and satellite broadcast, intelligent content delivery, and mission-critical decision-making across the event ecosystem and operations. As the world’s largest sporting event prepares for an unprecedented scale—spanning three host countries, featuring 48 teams, and engaging an estimated 6 billion fans—FIFA, broadcasters, and event operators will benefit from a live, always-on environment designed to perform at the highest level. As FIFA’s Official Technology Partner, Lenovo will deploy servers at the International Broadcast Center in Dallas, Texas, to help deliver the computing power, devices, and AI-driven solutions needed to bring every moment of every match to global audiences and support the most expansive broadcast operation in FIFA World Cup™ hi

In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.

Visit our pressroom
World GlobeA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.HiddenA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.Eye