Land Cover Maps: Mexican Institute of Statistics and Geography

The ACS project “Strengthening of Spatial Data Infrastructure in member States and Territories of the Association of Caribbean States” is a project that involves technical cooperation among English, Spanish, French and Dutch Speaking countries of the Greater Caribbean Land cover maps for 6 Caribbean islands have been produced by the Mexican Institute of Statistics and Geography who implements the ACS project “Strengthening of Spatial Data Infrastructure in member States and Territories of the Association of Caribbean States. This project is funded by the Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation and the Government of Chile. This first batch of 6 land cover maps have been produced for the Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica. Land covers identify and classify vegetation and the different uses of land, meaning how it is distributed, for instance urban and agricultural areas and other type of coverage. These maps contain land cover data obtained through satellite imagery and include information about cropland, broadleaf, grassland, scrubland, wetland, water bodies, built up areas and bare land. These maps can be used to: • Identify vegetation areas to be protected such as mangrove and forests • Transform and improve urban planning and reinforce the resilience of Caribbean countries to hurricanes and other natural phenomena • Assist soil conservation in mountainous and coastal areas The satellite imagery was digitally processed using the MADMEX system, which was developed by CONABIO (The National Commission for Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity) of Mexico. As part of the validation process, a meeting with professional and technical specialists in handling spatial Geographic Information Systems and remote sensing, as well as representatives from each benefitting country will be convened in Trinidad and Tobago in November 2016. At this meeting, training in the management of these systems and in the work methodology associated will take place. More maps will be produced within the coming weeks and as such, eleven (11) Caribbean countries which will benefit under this project. The Maps were delivered on Monday 26th September by the Ambassador of the Republic of Mexico, His Excellency Jesús Alberto López González.