The pilot project started already in 2001 in cooperation with EUROSTAT with the Directorate General for Agriculture and under the support of Joint Research Centre ISPRA. At the moment the second phase of this projects is already taking place in the Czech Republic.
The method of data collection is terrain surveying on the subset of point of the regular network. Differently to mapping methods like eg. the mapping project Land Cover CORINE, this method is statistical. WIth the help of visual interpretation and classification of wide point sample over the orthophotomaps the points are distributed into basic categories of surface types. Out of this sample a subset of points is chosen through statistiacal methods, which is visited in the terrain and the type of the cover and its use is determined. Differently to the previous phases the evaluation of soil and terrain relationships, erosion and water-resources management has beed included into the research.
The first campaign of the project has taken place in 13 countries of the EU in 2001. Because od the mad cow disease in Great Britain and Ireland has this campaign been postponed to the year 2002, when it also took place in Estonia, Hungary and Slovenia. In 2003 the campaign has taken place in all the EU countries (15 at the time) and Hungary. Based on the experience the data collection technology has been modified; these modifications were then tested in 2—5 in Lithuania, Latvia and Poland. This year the campaign will take place in Spain, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Hungary, Luxembourg, Poland, Slovakia, Belgium, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania and in Great britain.
The aims of the project are:
- carry out in the period between March and June investigations on the defined points and find out the use and type of the land, which will be further cconcretized on areas under cultivations by the type of the grown plant
- create a standardized technology of terrain surveying, terminology and method of data collection with the aim to obtain comparable and unbiased data on land cover and land use on the territory of the EU
- to offer a conjoint foundation for obtaining representative data on national or regional level to all the member countries of the EU
- to widen the range of research in the fields of agriculture by the areas related to environmen, land modification monitoring nad sustainable development.
More information on the project can be found on the internet site of EUROSTAT.
