Marston, C. et al see all authors

A high-resolution habitat map for England (LCM 3m)

https://doi.org/10.5285/8d275321-b5ce-4a10-b15f-ec37eaf6c971
Download/Access
This dataset is under embargo and will be made available by 3 August 2026 at the latest   Find out more »
'A high-resolution habitat map for England (LCM 3m)' is a national-scale 3 m resolution Land Cover Map for England. It was produced using a 12-month time series of analysis-ready PlanetScope monthly basemap imagery with contextual geospatial datasets and extensive training data to classify land cover into 72 categories, broadly aligned with the UK Habitat Classification framework (UKHab). A full description of the data set and production workflow is available in the LCM 3m product documentation.
Publication date: 2026-07-16

Format

TIFF

Spatial information

Study area
Spatial representation type
Raster
Spatial reference system
OSGB 1936 / British National Grid
Spatial resolution
3 metres

Provenance & quality

'A high-resolution habitat map for England (LCM 3m)' was produced using a modified a modified version of the UKCEH Land Cover Mapping processing chain. Training data were compiled from a variety of data sources, then subsequently filtered to improve the quality of the training data set. An input data stack comprising monthly 3 m resolution PlanetScope basemap imagery acquired over a 12-month period from January to December 2023, derived Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data, seasonal percentile NDVI data, and topographical context datasets was then classified using a Random Forest classifier built using the training data.

A series of post-classification enhancements were applied to improve the classification quality, and enhance the range of land cover classes mapped through integration with quality-assured independent datasets. The accuracy of the land cover classification is assessed at the national-level using over 35,000 validation locations, enabling production of a correspondence matrix to determine overall and class accuracies. Details are available within the product documentation.

Licensing and constraints

This dataset is under embargo and will be made available by 3 August 2026 at the latest   Find out more »

The academic research community's non-commercial access to 'A high-resolution habitat map for England (LCM 3m)' is provided via EDINA's Environment Digimap Service. A range of other licensing options are available for innovation activities, internal business use and commercial re-use through value added reselling, with charges applied through licence fees, royalties or revenue-sharing arrangements where appropriate. Pricing is structured proportionately according to factors such as use type, level of commercial exploitation and geographic extent.

Cite this dataset as:
Marston, C.; Rowland, C.; Redhead, J.; Ridding, L.; Rowe, R.; Stevens, R.; Serra Gallego, J.; Williams, E.; Upcott, E.; Orsler, Z.; Marshall, Z.; Bolton, M.; O'Neil, A.; Tabor, M.; Pywell, R. (2026). A high-resolution habitat map for England (LCM 3m). NERC EDS Environmental Information Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/8d275321-b5ce-4a10-b15f-ec37eaf6c971

Correspondence/contact details

Christopher Marston
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
 enquiries@ceh.ac.uk

Authors

Marston, C.
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
Rowland, C.
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
Redhead, J.
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
Ridding, L.
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
Rowe, R.
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
Stevens, R.
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
Serra Gallego, J.
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
Williams, E.
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
Upcott, E.
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
Orsler, Z.
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
Marshall, Z.
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
Bolton, M.
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
O'Neil, A.
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
Tabor, M.
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
Pywell, R.
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology

Other contacts

Publisher
NERC EDS Environmental Information Data Centre
 info@eidc.ac.uk
Rights holder
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
Custodian
NERC EDS Environmental Information Data Centre
 info@eidc.ac.uk

Additional metadata

Topic categories
imageryBaseMapsEarthCover
INSPIRE theme
Land Cover
Keywords
3 m , Earth Observation , England , Habitat , Land cover , Land Cover , Map , Satellite
Funding
Natural Environment Research Council Award: NE/W005050/1