FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
The Global Ecosystems Atlas classifies ecosystems according the first three levels of the IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology: realm, biome, and ecosystem functional group. The Global Ecosystem Typology provides a consistent system for classifying ecosystem types that is comparable across countries and is recommend by the monitoring framework of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Where the classification used by the input datasets differs from the Global Ecosystem Typology differed from, ecosystem types were cross-referenced according to the guidelines developed by the IUCN. Users can view the original ecosystem classification of the input data from the web-viewer by clicking on the map and viewing information reported alongside “Map class in source dataset". Cross-referencing tables can be accessed from the dedicated page on GitHub.
The data are presented in a regular grid with dimensions that are approximately 100m at the Equator (each pixel is roughly 1 hectare).
The Global Ecosystems Atlas synthesis map is made up from two primary sources:
Existing ecosystem maps from national authorities, academia, research institutions, and the non-profit sector; and
New ecosystem maps developed by the Global Ecosystems Atlas using labelled training data and geospatial foundation models.
Users can find learn more about the provenance of a specific part of the synthesis map by clicking on the map in the web-viewer and viewing information alongside “Source dataset”.
For more details, check out the Global Ecosystems Atlas technical paper.
The Global Ecosystems Atlas covers a range of dates because it is compiled from multiple sources that vary in age from 2012 to 2025. Users can click on a pixel through the web-viewer to learn more about the publication date. When exploring a broader area (through the web-viewer or through the API) that may cover multiple data sources, the publication year is presented as a range between the oldest and newest input datasets.
The jurisdictional boundaries displayed in the Global Ecosystems Atlas are compiled from three sources:
Inland jurisdictional boundaries: Franceschini, G., Khan, A., Moretti, L.,Nyabuti, K., Asif, M., Bezuidenhoudt, E. and Morteo, K. 2025. The Global Administrative Unit Layers (GAUL) 2024.Technical guidelines. Rome, FAO https://doi.org/10.4060/cd4262en
Marine jurisdictional boundaries: Flanders Marine Institute (2019). Maritime Boundaries Geodatabase: Maritime Boundaries and Exclusive Economic Zones (200NM), version 11. Available online at https://www.marineregions.org/. https://doi.org/10.14284/386
Coastline demarcation: Sayre, R., Noble, S., Hamann, S., Smith, R., Wright, D., Breyer, S., et al. (2019). A new 30 meter resolution global shoreline vector and associated global islands database for the development of standardized ecological coastal units. Journal of Operational Oceanography, 12(sup2), S47–S56. https://doi.org/10.1080/1755876X.2018.1529714
The designations employed and the presentation of material on the Global Ecosystems Atlas do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Group on Earth Observation or the World Meteorological Institute of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
When ecosystems truly overlap in three dimensions (e.g., pelagic marine ecosystems that overlay the benthic seafloor, or subterranean caves that underlie terrestrial ecosystems), co-occurring ecosystems are presented as separate standalone layers. The full list of standalone layers is available from the metadata on GitHub.
Currently, the display of data and area statistics only present the continuous surface layer of the earth. Future development of this platform will include the display of standalone layers, and the summary of ecosystem extent in multiple dimensions.
The Global Ecosystems Atlas is a continually improving work in progress. Reasons for missing data vary but generally fall into one of three categories.
Ecosystem data may exist for an unmapped area, but negotiations with data providers are still ongoing, or the data are in still being processed into the synthesis map.
Ecosystem data do not exist for an area, or the data that do exist do not meet the scientific quality criteria for inclusion in the synthesis map.
Ecosystem data exist for an area but could not yet be cross-referenced to a single ecosystem functional group according to the Global Ecosystem Typology.
The Global Ecosystems Atlas aims to have 90% global coverage by June 2027. Although the long-term aspiration remains complete global coverage, there remain parts of the world where ecosystems are either unmapped or where the owners of existing ecosystems maps choose not to make their data open to the public. We will continue working towards full global coverage in the upcoming years.
Many applications, like ecosystem accounting, require balanced area estimates over a specific domain or accounting area. When data are incomplete, the areas for different ecosystem function groups will not sum to the total area of the domain. Therefore, the Global Ecosystems Atlas presents area statistics in two different ways by toggling a switch:
Only covered area: Area statistics are only provided for areas with ecosystem information. The sum of areas for different ecosystem functional groups is less than the total domain, but the relative percentage of each ecosystem functional group adds up to 100%.
Total area: Area statistics are provided for the entire domain of interest. Missing data are assigned a dummy ‘No Data’ value, with its own area estimate. This ensures that the areas of the ecosystem functional group and the No Data class sum up to the total are of the domain of interest, although the relative percentage of each ecosystem functional group will not add up to 100%.
The underlying data in the Global Ecosystems Atlas synthesis map uses the WGS84/ Equirectangular (EPSG:4326) projection. The system calculates area statistics and data graphics by reprojecting the data using a global cylindrical equal-area projection (EPSG:6933) and 100m x 100m pixels. This approach balances system performance and accuracy.
Future releases will include national-level statistics calculated using more accurate geodesic area calculations, which avoid reprojection (and consequent resampling) of the data. In the meantime, we recommend that users validate area statistics independently, particularly over large areas at high latitudes.
Yes, you may reuse information from the Global Ecosystems Atlas on condition that you provide the following attribution consistent with the Terms of Use:
- GEO ([Insert year])). Global Ecosystems Atlas: 100m Geospatial Basemap ([Insert data version]). Group on Earth Observations. https://globalecosystemsatlas.org/data-sources
We request you also include a link to the data sources page to acknowledge all the institutions and individuals who contributed to the Global Ecosystems Atlas.
The Global Ecosystems Atlas is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence (CC-BY 4.0), which allows users to:
Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for any purpose, even commercially.
Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
Under the following terms:
Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
Yes, Global Ecosystems Atlas’ Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence (CC-BY 4.0) permits commercial use, which includes use that is primarily intended for or directed towards commercial advantage or monetary compensation.
The Global Ecosystems Atlas is still a work in progress, so it is currently not possible to download the geospatial files. However, we are developing a detailed data delivery plan, which will include access to geospatial files directly from permanent, version-controlled repositories. We anticipate this will be ready by early-2027 and will provide updated information over the next few months.
If you would like to submit data to the Global Ecosystems Atlas, check out the dedicated page on contributing to the atlas.
To stay updated on the Global Ecosystems Atlas Initiative, subscribe to our newsletter from the homepage or at the top-right corner of each page.
If you are keen to become an early adopter or a pilot-tester, reach out to us directly at ecosystems.atlas[at]geosec.org.
Don't hesitate to reach out directly at ecosystems.atlas[at]geosec.org.