UrbanAtlas +

GMES Urban Atlas service within a land monitoring themet under GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) provides for the first time harmonised EO based land use and land cover data for the Large Urban Zones (LUZs) on pan-European level. Despite the scale limitation of European Urban Atlas service (comparing to detailed regional/local datasets), the UrbanAtlas+ project results showed clearly service potential to support strategic planning at regional level and even local level.

First, this is true especially for sub-urban commuting belt areas with the most dynamic development, but limited information support available today for urban planners, being out of the city extent and thus out of the city data collection responsibility. Nevertheless, these areas have in fact huge influence on the city itself, so upto-date data are desirable needed to plan, implement and monitor appropriate policy measures.

Second, comparison of city status and development between individual regions or cities in time and space within the Czech Republic or beyond was also highly appreciated as it is not possible due to general incomparability of regional/urban planning documentation.

Finally, intergration of Urban Atlas information with additional statistical information provides more insight into processes in landscape and helps identify their links to socio-economic processes related. On the other hand, the UrbanAtlas+ project also clearly showed that certain minimal contents is essential for utility and analytical power of the GMES Urban Atlas data at local and regional level and that from this point of view some aspects of the current GMES Urban Atlas implementation specification would be desirable to be enhanced in favor of its future use beyond the European institution level.