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GUF Data and Access

Data request

For scientific and non-commercial applications, the GUF data are free for use. If you want to use the data, please read the license agreement and fill out the user form.

Send the form together with your area of interest and the preferred resolution (0.4 arc seconds or 2.8 arc seconds) to guf@dlr.de, see Link License Agreement and Order Form.

The GUF data can be viewed in detail at the EOC Geoservice. Here also a link for the GUF WMS Service for including the GUF in GIS systems.

For commercial use please contact Airbus DS Geo GmbH (see link ‘Commercial Use’).

Data specifications

• Global coverage of the Earth’s land surface (generated based on ~180.000 single TerraSAR-X/TanDEM-X image products) for the reference year 2011.
• Data collection of satellite imagery between 2011 and 2012 (93 %); single scenes with more recent acquisition dates (2013 / 2014) used to fill data gaps.
• Processing by DLRs operational Urban Footprint Processor (UFP), followed by an automated post-processing approach. For more details see methodology.
• Projection: Geographic coordinates (Lat, Lon).
• Working units: 5 degree by 5 degree tiles.
• Product: Binary, thematic raster datasets in GeoTiff format (LZW-compressed, 8-bit), with values „255“ for built-up areas and „0“ for non-built-up areas; a built-up area is defined as a region featuring man-made building structures with a vertical component; NoData value is „128“.
• Geometric resolution: original in 0.4 arc seconds (~12 m, near the equator), available only for scientific research; spatially reduced version in 2.8 arc seconds (~84 m, near the equator; ~ 75 m in mid-latitudes).
• Geometric resolution (in arc seconds) is reduced towards the poles; the single scenes North of 55° N are available in different lower resolution –
  from  55° N up to 65° N in 0.6 arc seconds, from 65° up to 75° N in 0.8 arc seconds, and further up to 85° N in 1.2 arc seconds.