ISLSCP Initiative I
The International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project (ISLSCP) Initiative I data collection
described here was borne out of a workshop organized by the ISLSCP scientific community in 1992. This
workshop brought modelers, algorithm developers, and field experiment scientists together to discuss future
steps for applying and translating current research findings into useful global data sets for
land-atmosphere models.
The data sets contained within this CD set are a direct response to the recommendations of that workshop.
The intent here was to produce, as quickly as possible, a consistent collection of high priority global data sets using
existing data sources and algorithms, designed to satisfy the needs of those modelers. The workshop
recommendations specified that global data sets at a consistent spatial and temporal resolution be compiled
in four key areas: land cover, hydrometeorology, radiation, and soils.