Global maps

WorldCereal 2021 products

WorldCereal Phase I concluded with the production of the first dynamic set of seasonally-updated temporary crops, crop type and irrigation maps at 10-meter spatial resolution and global scale. Below you can find screenshots of the different global products at decreased spatial resolution.

In WorldCereal, temporary crops have been defined as crops with a less-than-one-year growing cycle which must be newly sown or planted for further production after the harvest (FAO, 2023). Sugar cane, asparagus and cassava are also considered as temporary crops. The WorldCereal 2021 temporary crop maps exclude perennial crops as well as (temporary) pastures. These maps are generated once a year.

Next to this annual product, WorldCereal provides several season-specific products including maize, winter cereals, spring cereals, active cropland and active irrigation. Seasonal products are always generated at the end of a growing season. Check out the table below to learn more about which products are generated in the different seasons.

The WorldCereal active cropland product indicates whether a pixel identified as temporary crops has been actively cultivated during a specific growing season. For a pixel to be labeled as “active”, a full crop growth cycle (sowing, growing, senescence and harvesting) needs to take place within the designated time period.

WorldCereal seasons and associated products

Season Product Remarks
tc-annual Temporary crops maps Defined based on the last season within the target year
tc-wintercereals

Winter cereals map
Active cropland map
Active irrigation map

Main cereals season
tc-maize-main /
tc-springcereals
Maize map
Spring cereals map
Active cropland map
Active irrigation map
Only mapped in parts of Northern hemisphere 
tc-maize-second Maize map
Active cropland map
Active irrigation map
Occurring only in tropical regions

Download WorldCereal products

WorldCereal products can be downloaded through:

-    The WorldCereal Zenodo repository 
-    openEO
-    Google Earth Engine
-    VITO’s Terrascope platform
 

Interested users should bear in mind that each global map is comprised of a collection of regional maps, each characterized by its own definition of agricultural seasons. This means in practice that maps from neighboring zones cannot be readily compared and utmost care should be taken when interpreting the global maps as a whole. More information on the WorldCereal seasons and agro-ecological zones (AEZ) can be found here.
 

WorldCereal 2021 temporary crop extent map, resampled to ~0.004 ° resolution.
WorldCereal 2021 temporary crop extent map, resampled to ~0.004 ° resolution. Each pixel contains a number between 0 and 100, indicating the fractional cover of temporary crops within that pixel.

WorldCereal 2021 seasonal crop type maps

WorldCereal 2021 seasonal crop type maps, resampled to ~0.004 ° resolution.
WorldCereal 2021 seasonal crop type maps, resampled to ~0.004 ° resolution. Each pixel contains a number between 0 and 100, indicating the fractional cover of the crop of interest compared to the total area of temporary crops within that pixel.

 

WorldCereal 2021 seasonal irrigation maps

WorldCereal 2021 seasonal irrigation maps
WorldCereal 2021 seasonal irrigation maps, resampled to ~0.004 ° resolution. Each pixel contains a number between 0 and 100, indicating the fractional cover of irrigated crops compared to the total area of temporary crops within that pixel.