Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL) Arctic Edition 2025
The Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL) project produces global spatial data and evidence-based information describing the human presence on Earth. It operates in a fully open and free data and methods access policy. The knowledge generated by the GHSL supports the implementation and public discussion of European policies and the monitoring of international frameworks such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. GHSL is the core dataset of the Exposure Mapping Component under the Copernicus Emergency Management Service (CEMS). Moreover, GHSL data support the GEO (Group on Earth Observations) Human Planet Initiative that is committed to develop a new generation of measurements and information products providing new scientific evidence and a comprehensive understanding of human presence on Earth, supporting global policy processes with agreed, actionable and goal-driven metrics. This document describes the public release of the GHSL Arctic Edition 2025 (GHS ARCTIC R2025A), a region-centric edition of the GHSL data for the Arctic, complementing the global data produced by the GHSL. As the Arctic region has recently garnered attention due to its geo-political and strategic importance, understanding human settlements and their evolution across scales and over time is key to informing stakeholders and policy makers on relevant dynamics. However, the cartographic projections used for global geospatial data often poorly represent the Arctic territory as they are not optimized for polar regions. GHSL Arctic aims to account for this shortcoming, constituting a comprehensive, up-to-date, and accessible tool for understanding and responding to the rapid changes taking place in the Arctic environment.
CARIOLI Alessandra;
UHL Johannes H.;
MAFFENINI Luca;
SCHIAVINA Marcello;
MARI RIVERO Ines;
PESARESI Martino;
FLORIO Pietro;
MELCHIORRI Michele;
KEMPER Thomas;
2025-09-12
Publications Office of the European Union
JRC141859
978-92-68-26332-7 (online),
OP KJ-01-25-220-EN-N (online),
https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC141859,
10.2760/1890944 (online),
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