Urban Campaign

New! Global Built-Up Surface Campaign

This fall we will launch a new campaign to validate two maps of built-up surfaces, the Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL), produced by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC), and the Global Urban Footprint (GUF+), produced by the German Aerospace Center (DLR). Help us to identify these areas on very high resolution satellite imagery to capture where we live on this planet. Stay tuned for more info!

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Help us identify global built-up surfaces

With population growth comes the growth of settlements, or built-up areas, around the globe. Although population estimates are frequently generated and reported, we lack reliable, global figures on the extent of the built-up surfaces that accompany such population increases. While the measurements of large cities and megacities are relatively well documented, the physical sizes of villages, towns, and smaller cities remain largely unknown, and this lack of information limits our understanding of the challenges of urbanization and its effects on the environment. Data on built-up surfaces has practical implications beyond scientific research, as it is necessary to guide government development plans and legislation to ensured environmentally sustainable growth patterns. This information is also crucial for monitoring targets within Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11, on sustainable cities and communities.

Our new citizen science campaign asks you to help us validate two global built-up surface products using satellite imagery: the Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL), produced by the (JRC), and the Global Urban Footprint (GUF+), produced by the (DLR). Help us collect data on built-up surfaces for a better understanding of the presence of built-up infrastructure at a global scale.

More information about the campaign will follow shortly!