monitoring, but many of the classification work still rely on the 
manually investigation. 
In general, these classification systems always focus on special 
research objectives in different regions and scales. Land 
use/land cover datasets based on those systems are not easy to 
transform, exchange and integration without uniform 
classification framework. 
2. EXTENSIBLE LAND USE/LAND COVER 
CLASSIFICATION FRAMEWORK 
2.1 ISO 19115 Geographic information metadata extension 
model 
Sometimes, there are common problems in different research 
domains. The difficulties faced to land use/land cover 
classification systems are similar with the problem of metadata 
standards when they are used in data integration and sharing. 
Because there are lots of metadata standards in the same or 
different research fields, datasets based on one special metadata 
standard can’t be exchanged or integrated with another dataset 
based on another metadata standard. Faced to this problem, ISO 
TC211 designed extension model and drew up an International 
Metadata Standard for Geographic Information, i.e., ISO 19115. 
This extension idea is helpful for the design of extensible land 
use/land cover classification model. 
Figure 1. Extending Framework of Geosciences Metadata 
Extension model of ISO 19115 defines the hierarchy extensible 
structure of geographic information which includes 3 tiers, i.e., 
core metadata, schema metadata and application profile 
metadata (Figure 1). Core metadata includes the elements 
needed for all, which are used to build the metadata catalogue, 
such as the elements for dataset name, abstract, keywords, and 
so on. Schema metadata is also called corpora or full metadata. 
It is used for description of the metadata content in detail, such 
as datasets ’ production information, data quality information, 
and so on. Application profile metadata is extended based on 
the core metadata and schema metadata driven by the 
application requirements. In practice, application profile 
metadata must include all the core metadata elements and some 
of the schema metadata elements. This can ensure different 
discipline metadata be exchanged and inter-operated each other 
under the ISO 19115 standard. 
2.2 Extensible land use/land cover classification framework 
structure 
Referencing to the ISO 19115 metadata extension model, land 
use/land cover extension framework is designed (figure 2). The 
framework includes three tiers, i.e., core classes, corpora classes 
and application profile classes. 
Figure 2. Extension Framework of Land use/cover classification 
2.2.1 Core classes 
Similar with the ISO 19115 core metadata, core classes are the 
smallest collection for land use and land cover classification 
based on remotely sensed data. Core classes are selected and 
extracted from the level I classes of the main land use/land 
cover classification systems in the word, such as urban and 
built-up land, agriculture land, water, and so on. 
2.2.2 Corpora classes 
Corpora classes include all the classification type information 
used in the world. Currently, it was composed of 6 kinds of land 
use/land cover classification systems mainly used in China. 
They are listed as follows. 
1. USGS Land use/land cover classification system, 
which includes 9 Level I types and 37 Level II types. 
Level I types are listed as follows: Urban or Built-up 
Land, Agricultural Land, Rangeland, Forest Land, 
Water, Wetland, Barren Land, Tundra, Perennial 
Snow or Ice. 
2. FAO LCCS, which includes 2 kinds of initial types. 
3. IGBP Land cover classification system, which 
includes 17 Level I types. They are Evergreen 
Needleleaf Forest, Evergreen Broadleaf Forest, 
Deciduous Needleleaf Forest, Deciduous Broadleaf 
Forest, Mixed Forest, Closed Shrublands, Open 
Shrublands, Woody Savannas, Savannas, Grasslands, 
Permanent Wetlands, Croplands, Urban and Built-Up, 
Cropland/Natural Vegetation Mosaic, Snow and Ice, 
Barren or Sparsely Vegetated, Water Bodies. 
4. UMd land cover classification system, which includes 
14 Level I types. They are Water, Evergreen 
Needleleaf Forest, Evergreen Broadleaf Forest, 
Deciduous Needleleaf Forest, Deciduous Broadleaf 
Forest, Mixed Forest, Woodland, Wooded Grassland, 
Closed Shrubland, Open Shrubland, Grassland, 
Cropland, Bare Ground, Urban and Built. 
5. Chinese Academy of Sciences land resources 
classification system, which includes 6 Level I types. 
They are Agriculture land, Forestry land, Grassland, 
Water, Urban or Built-up Land, Virgin land. It has 25 
Level II types in detail. 
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