1 km resolution global land cover characteristics data base for use in a wide range of environmental research and modeling applications. The land cover characterization effort is part of the NASA Earth Observing System Pathfinder Program and the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme-Data and Information System focus 1 activity. The data set is derived from 1-km Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data spanning a 12-month period (April 1992-March 1993) and is based on a flexible data base structure and seasonal land cover regions concepts. Seasonal land cover regions provide a framework for presenting the temporal and spatial patterns of vegetation in the database. The regions are composed of relatively homogeneous land cover associations (for example, similar floristic and physiognomic characteristics) which exhibit distinctive phenology (that is, onset, peak, and seasonal duration of greenness), and have common levels of primary production.
