Global dataset mapping land use and land cover across more than 80,000 mining areas

This dataset is openly accessible and includes nine ZIP archives, each representing a distinct geographic region. Each ZIP archive contains multiple GPKG files, with each capped at 5,000 features to ensure efficient loading. Each GPKG file’s attribute table includes an internal identifier unique within the file (fid); a unique identifier across all files (index_n); a land use/land cover label (class_name); the area in square metres (area_m2); and the classification year (year). Specifically, the year field refers to the later TanDEM-X acquisition year recorded in the DCM for the pixel located at each mining site’s centroid, which we use as the representative year for that site. In the DCM, elevation change is stored as the difference between the TanDEM-X Edited DEM baseline (2011–2014) and the elevation from the later TanDEM-X acquisition year (2016–2022). To ensure temporal consistency between elevation-change information and spectral features, Sentinel-2 imagery from the same site-level later acquisition year was used for classification. As a result, this global dataset contains multiple years (2017–2022; none of the sites had a later acquisition year of 2016) rather than a single reference year. A single global reference year could not be imposed because the TanDEM-X later acquisition years vary geographically, and temporal normalisation would break the required alignment between spectral inputs and the DCM elevation-change signal, reducing classification accuracy. Definitions for each land use/land cover class are as follows: Land use/land cover class definitions Land use/land cover class Definition Open pit Surface excavations formed by vertically downward digging to extract geological or mineral materials, encompassing large terraced structures, quarries, and shallow cavities commonly associated with artisanal and small-scale mining. Waste dumping site A designated area for the temporary or permanent deposition of mining waste, typically managed through piling or burial. This includes wet mine waste stored in tailings storage facilities. General disturbed land Land areas have been visibly altered due to mining activity but cannot be confidently classified as open pits, waste dumps, vegetation, or built-up areas. Characterised by minimal elevation change, such areas may include cleared surfaces, haul roads, staging areas, or degraded zones in transition. Water body Water areas within mining extents include both temporary and permanent water bodies—such as supply ponds, wastewater treatment ponds, inundated open pits, tailings dams, and sedimentation basins—that are not masked in the TanDEM-X global Digital Elevation Model Change Maps (DCM) data. Facility Built-up areas including infrastructure associated with mining activities, such as buildings, roads, parking lots, and loading or processing facilities. Bare soil Exposed ground surfaces that may contain gravel, rocks, and occasionally sparse vegetation such as shrubs or grasses. Vegetation Tree cover within mining extents, primarily consisting of natural forests, but potentially including plantations and agricultural crops.本数据集公开可获取，包含9个压缩归档文件，每个归档对应一个独立地理区域。每个压缩归档内包含多个GPKG文件，为保障加载效率，单个GPKG文件的要素数量上限为5000个。每个GPKG文件的属性表包含以下字段：文件内唯一的内部标识符（fid）；全文件集唯一的全局标识符（index_n）；土地利用/土地覆盖标签（class_name）；以平方米为单位的面积（area_m2）；以及分类年份（year）。 具体而言，year字段取自每个采矿点质心处像素在TanDEM-X全球数字高程模型变化图（Digital Elevation Model Change Maps，简称DCM）中记录的最新TanDEM-X获取年份，我们将该年份作为对应采矿点的代表分类年份。在DCM中，高程变化存储为TanDEM-X编辑后的DEM（数字高程模型，Digital Elevation Model）基准数据（2011–2014年）与该最新TanDEM-X获取年份（2016–2022年）对应的高程之差。为保障高程变化信息与光谱特征的时间一致性，我们采用与该采矿点最新获取年份一致的Sentinel-2影像开展分类工作。因此，本全球数据集涵盖2017–2022年多个年份（所有采矿点的最新获取年份均不为2016年），而非单一参考年份。无法采用单一全球参考年份的原因在于，不同地理区域的TanDEM-X最新获取年份存在差异，若进行时间归一化将破坏光谱输入数据与DCM高程变化信号之间的必要对齐关系，进而降低分类精度。 各土地利用/土地覆盖类别的定义如下： | 土地利用/土地覆盖类别 | 定义 | | --- | --- | | 露天矿坑（Open pit） | 通过垂直向下挖掘以提取地质或矿物资源形成的地表采掘工程，涵盖与手工及小规模采矿相关的大型阶梯式结构、采石场及浅坑。 | | 废石堆放场（Waste dumping site） | 用于临时或永久堆放采矿废弃物的指定区域，通常通过堆存或填埋方式处置，包括尾矿库中储存的湿法采矿废弃物。 | | 一般扰动地表（General disturbed land） | 因采矿活动发生明显改变，但无法明确归类为露天矿坑、废石堆、植被或建成区的地表区域。该类区域的高程变化通常较小，可能包括清理后的场地、运输道路、临时堆放区或处于过渡状态的退化区域。 | | 水体（Water body） | 采矿范围内的水域，涵盖临时及永久性水体，如补给池、污水处理池、淹没的露天矿坑、尾矿坝及沉淀池，此类水体未被DCM数据掩膜。 | | 设施（Facility） | 与采矿活动相关的建成区及基础设施，包括建筑物、道路、停车场以及装载或加工设施。 | | 裸土（Bare soil） | 裸露的地表，可能包含砾石、岩石，偶有稀疏植被如灌木或草本植物。 | | 植被（Vegetation） | 采矿范围内的林木覆盖区域，主要为天然森林，也可能包括人工林及农作物。