Large-Scale LULC Mapping on Google Earth Engine (GEE)

A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Land Innovations – Data and Machine Learning".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 520

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
University of Benevento Giustino Fortunato, 82100 Benevento, Italy
Interests: GNSS; remote sensing; photogrammetry; UAV; LULC

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Guest Editor
Department of Engineering, Parthenope University of Naples, 80133 Naples, Italy
Interests: GNSS; remote sensing; GIS
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Guest Editor
Department of Engineering, University of Naples Parthenope, 80100 Naples, Italy
Interests: remote sensing; LULC; GEE; GIS

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Land use and land cover (LULC) mapping plays a crucial role in a wide range of disciplines, from environmental monitoring and natural resource management to urban planning and climate change studies. In recent years, the availability of satellite imagery and the advancement of cloud computing platforms such as Google Earth Engine (GEE) have revolutionized the ability to perform large-scale LULC mapping efficiently and at unprecedented spatial and temporal scales. GEE offers access to vast geospatial datasets and powerful analytical tools, making it possible for researchers and practitioners worldwide to develop accurate and timely LULC products. The scientific community continues to seek innovative methods, datasets, and workflows that further enhance the accuracy, automation, and reproducibility of LULC mapping at regional, national, and global scales.

The goal of this Special Issue is to collect papers (original research articles and review papers) that provide new insights into the methods, challenges, and applications of large-scale LULC mapping using Google Earth Engine. This Special Issue aims to showcase recent advancements in algorithm development, validation strategies, the integration of multi-source data, and operational applications. Contributions that address both theoretical and practical aspects of LULC mapping are encouraged. The Special Issue aligns with the journal’s scope by advancing knowledge in geospatial analysis, remote sensing, environmental monitoring, and applied computing technologies.

This Special Issue will welcome manuscripts that link the following themes:

  • The development of innovative LULC classification methods using GEE;
  • Applications of machine learning and deep learning for large-scale LULC mapping;
  • The integration of multi-temporal and multi-sensor data for improved LULC mapping;
  • Accuracy assessment, validation, and uncertainty quantification strategies;
  • Case studies demonstrating operational LULC mapping projects;
  • Reviews and perspectives on current trends and future directions in LULC mapping with GEE.

We look forward to receiving your original research articles and reviews.

Dr. Matteo Cutugno
Dr. Umberto Robustelli
Dr. Yasir Hassan Khachoo
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • LULC
  • GEE
  • remote sensing
  • deep learning
  • machine learning

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

23 pages, 16939 KB  
Article
Integrating Cloud Computing and Landscape Metrics to Enhance Land Use/Land Cover Mapping and Dynamic Analysis in the Shandong Peninsula Urban Agglomeration
by Jue Xiao, Longqian Chen, Ting Zhang, Gan Teng and Linyu Ma
Land 2025, 14(10), 1997; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14101997 - 4 Oct 2025
Viewed by 294
Abstract
Accurate land use/land cover (LULC) maps generated through cloud computing can support large-scale land management. Leveraging the rich resources of Google Earth Engine (GEE) is essential for developing historical maps that facilitate the analysis of regional LULC dynamics. We implemented the best-performing scheme [...] Read more.
Accurate land use/land cover (LULC) maps generated through cloud computing can support large-scale land management. Leveraging the rich resources of Google Earth Engine (GEE) is essential for developing historical maps that facilitate the analysis of regional LULC dynamics. We implemented the best-performing scheme on GEE to produce 30 m LULC maps for the Shandong Peninsula urban agglomeration (SPUA) and to detect LULC changes, while closely observing the spatio-temporal trends of landscape patterns during 2004–2024 using the Shannon Diversity Index, Patch Density, and other metrics. The results indicate that (a) Gradient Tree Boost (GTB) marginally outperformed Random Forest (RF) under identical feature combinations, with overall accuracies consistently exceeding 90.30%; (b) integrating topographic features, remote sensing indices, spectral bands, land surface temperature, and nighttime light data into the GTB classifier yielded the highest accuracy (OA = 93.68%, Kappa = 0.92); (c) over the 20-year period, cultivated land experienced the most substantial reduction (11,128.09 km2), accompanied by impressive growth in built-up land (9677.21 km2); and (d) landscape patterns in central and eastern SPUA changed most noticeably, with diversity, fragmentation, and complexity increasing, and connectivity decreasing. These results underscore the strong potential of GEE for LULC mapping at the urban agglomeration scale, providing a robust basis for long-term dynamic process analysis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Large-Scale LULC Mapping on Google Earth Engine (GEE))
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