The Madagascar Key Landscape for Conservation Land Cover and Validation Datasets (2000-2017)

The Madagascar land cover and change dataset covers an area of 124 012km2 and mapped with dichotomous (8 land cover classes) and modular (up to 32 land cover classes) levels based on FAO's Land Cover Classification System (LCCS). High-resolution optical satellite imagery were used to generate dense time-series data from which the thematic land cover and change maps were derived (LC: 2017, LCC: 2000). The maps were fully verified and validated by an independent team to achieve the Copernicus Global Land Monitoring Programme's strict data quality requirements. An independent validation dataset was also collected and it is shared here. The validation dataset contains 3995 verified land cover points based on the [up to] 32 modular level land cover classes. Furthermore, two predefined symbology (QGIS legend files) for the land cover and validation datasets based on FAO's LCCS is also shared here to ease the visualization of them (Dichotomous and Modular levels). Further details regarding the sites selection, mapping and validation procedures are described in the corresponding publication: Szantoi, Zoltan; Brink, Andreas; Lupi, Andrea (2021): An update and beyond: key landscapes for conservation land cover and change monitoring, thematic and validation datasets for the African, Caribbean and Pacific region (in review, [Earth System Science Data|https://www.earth-system-science-data.net/]).