Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) Classification – Rural Concepción Metropolitan Area (CMA), 2025

This dataset provides a land use and land cover (LULC) classification for the year 2025 in the rural area of the Concepción Metropolitan Area (CMA), Chile. The study area covers 2,013.64 km² and corresponds to the official metropolitan boundary defined by the Chilean Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (MINVU, 2012). The LULC map was produced through supervised classification of Landsat 8 Collection 2 Level-2 imagery, which includes atmospheric correction. Image selection prioritized low cloud cover and seasonal consistency. A 30 m resolution SRTM digital elevation model (DEM) was incorporated to derive slope information and improve class discrimination. The classification was based on a multi-layer composite including spectral bands (Blue, Green, Red, Near Infrared, Shortwave Infrared 1 and 2), topographic variables (elevation and slope), and spectral indices (NDVI, NDBI, NDWI, MNDWI, and NBR). Training samples were manually defined, and the Random Trees algorithm implemented in ArcGIS Pro was used to generate the final classification. Classification accuracy was evaluated using confusion matrix analysis, with reference data obtained from visual interpretation of Landsat imagery, Esri World Imagery, and the Catastro y Actualización de los Recursos Vegetacionales y Uso de la Tierra de la Región del Biobío (2015) produced by CONAF. The 2025 classification achieved a Kappa index of 0.7457, indicating substantial agreement according to the classification of Landis and Koch (1977), and supporting the reliability of the dataset for spatial analysis and territorial applications. The dataset is provided in GeoTIFF raster format, with a spatial resolution of 30 m and referenced to the WGS 1984 / UTM Zone 18S coordinate system (EPSG: 32718). It is intended to support studies related to land use planning, environmental assessment, wildfire analysis, and landscape dynamics in south-central Chile. Basemap layers used for cartographic visualization were sourced from Esri through ArcGIS Pro and are used exclusively for reference purposes. These basemap layers are not included in the dataset.