In the vast and dynamic agricultural landscape of Brazil, monitoring land use and land cover (LULC) is a complex task that has significant implications for the energy sector, among others. A recent study published in the journal *Remote Sensing* (translated from Portuguese as “Remote Sensing”) sheds light on the challenges and limitations of existing LULC products, offering valuable insights for stakeholders.
Priscilla Azevedo dos Santos, a researcher at the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) in Brazil, led the comprehensive assessment of thirteen remote sensing-based LULC products tailored for Brazilian agriculture. The study highlights the critical role of reliable LULC information in assessing Earth’s surface activities, particularly in a country with diverse agricultural dynamics, including year-round cropping, multiple cropping, and regional climate variability.
“The differences and results of these products have not yet been synthesized to provide coherent guidance in assessing their spatio-temporal agricultural dynamics,” dos Santos explains. This lack of synthesis has led to several challenges, including incompatibility, lack of updates, non-systematic classification ontologies, and insufficient data to monitor Brazilian LULC information effectively.
The consequences of these challenges are far-reaching. They include impacts on intercropping estimation, diminished representation or misrepresentation of croplands, temporal discontinuity, an insufficient number of classes for subannual cropping evaluation, and reduced compatibility, comparability, and spectral separability.
For the energy sector, accurate LULC information is crucial for planning and managing renewable energy projects, such as bioenergy and solar farms. Misrepresentation or misclassification of croplands can lead to inefficiencies and potential conflicts with food security initiatives. Moreover, temporal discontinuity and lack of updates can hinder long-term planning and investment decisions.
Dos Santos’ study provides insights into the use of these products as primary input data for remote sensing-based applications. It also offers prospects for enhancing existing mapping efforts or developing new national-level initiatives to represent the spatio-temporal variation of Brazilian agriculture.
As the world grapples with the impacts of climate change and the need for sustainable energy solutions, accurate and reliable LULC information will be more critical than ever. This research underscores the importance of addressing the challenges and limitations of existing LULC products to support informed decision-making and sustainable development.
In the words of dos Santos, “This review represents the first comprehensive assessment of the advantages, challenges, and limitations, highlighting the main issues when dealing with contrasting LULC maps.” By addressing these issues, we can pave the way for more accurate and reliable LULC information, supporting the energy sector and other stakeholders in their efforts to promote sustainable development.