The surface of the Earth is continuously changing at many levels; local, regional, national, and global scales. Changes in land use and land cover are pervasive, rapid, and can have significant impacts for people, the economy, and the environment.

Understanding current land cover and how it is being used, along with an accurate means of monitoring change over time, is vital for land management. Measuring current conditions and how they are changing can be easily achieved through land cover mapping, a process that quantifies current land resources into a series of thematic categories, such as forest, water, and paved surfaces.