MapBiomas Brasil

Mapping and monitoring land use and cover changes

Overview of MapBiomas

MapBiomas is a collaborative initiative that transforms satellite images—especially from the Landsat program—into annual maps of land use and land cover for all of Brazil. It produces detailed spatial data and time series that are freely available for scientists, policy makers, NGOs, and anyone interested in tracking Brazil’s environmental changes.

MapBiomas Brasil provides a rich collection of datasets derived from decades of satellite imagery and remote sensing analysis. These datasets document how Brazil’s land cover and land use have changed since the 1980s and support research, policy, and environmental monitoring.

Among the datasets available in the Platforma MapBiomas are:

Dataset / Category	What it Contains	Time Span / Resolution	Typical Uses
Land Use & Cover Maps (Coleções)	Annual raster maps classifying each pixel into land use/cover classes (forest, agriculture, pasture, water, etc.).	1985 → present (varies by collection)	Track deforestation, agricultural expansion, restoration, and other long-term land changes.
Statistics (Estatísticas)	Area summaries by class, biome, state, and year derived from the land cover maps.	Same as maps	Easier-to-use numbers for reports, policy, or academic analysis without handling raster data.
Legend Information (Informações das Legendas)	Codes and descriptions for each land cover class.	Static (per collection)	Correct interpretation of the maps and their categories.
Highlights (Destaques)	Thematic or featured datasets summarizing key findings.	Varies	Quick insights and communication materials.
Infographics (Infográficos)	Ready-made visuals showing important trends.	Recent years	Outreach, media, and teaching resources.
Wall Maps (Mapas Murais)	Large-format maps of land cover/use for recent years.	Latest available year(s)	Presentation and display in institutions, schools, and policy meetings.
MapBiomas Fire (MapBiomas Fogo)	Annual and monthly maps of fire scars—areas burned by wildfires.	1985–2024	Study fire regimes, carbon emissions, and land management strategies.
Rural Credit Monitor (Monitor do Crédito Rural)	Vector data showing where rural credit is granted and its relation to land use.	Recent years	Policy analysis, agricultural finance, environmental compliance tracking.
Urban Module (Módulo Urbano)	Annual maps of urbanized areas and their expansion.	Annual, since ~1985	Research on urban growth and infrastructure planning.
Landsat Mosaics (Mosaicos Landsat)	Pre-processed Landsat imagery mosaics covering Brazil.	1985 → present	Remote sensing analyses, custom land cover mapping, or visualization.
Reference Maps (Mapas de Referência)	Baseline spatial data such as administrative boundaries or protected areas used by MapBiomas.	Updated periodically	Ensures geographic consistency when combining datasets.
Infrastructure (Infraestrutura)	Layers for energy, transport, mining, agribusiness, telecom, and Amazonian airstrips.	Recent years	Environmental impact assessment and development studies.
Validation Points (Pontos de Validação)	Sample points used to evaluate map accuracy.	Various years	Assess reliability, train new models, or compare methodologies.
Layers (Camadas)	Thematic layers available on the platform for targeted analysis.	Varies	Focused analyses of specific features.
10 m Collection (MapBiomas 10 metros – beta)	Higher resolution (10 m) land use/cover maps.	~2016 → present	Fine-scale studies of small features such as riparian zones or small farms.
Degradation (MapBiomas Degradação – beta)	Maps of native vegetation degradation (e.g., selective logging, forest thinning).	Recent years	Conservation planning and restoration projects.
Soil (MapBiomas Solo – beta)	Soil organic carbon stocks, soil texture and related properties.	Mostly static	Climate change mitigation, soil health research, sustainable agriculture.
Cacao Mapping (MapBiomas Cacau)	Mapping of cacao (cocoa) plantations in southern Bahia.	Regional, recent years	Sustainable agriculture and commodity impact assessments.