Land use land cover (LULC) data are grids or polygons representing type and extent
of terrain for a portion of the earth’s surface. Some confusion occurs concerning what
exactly the difference is between the terms “land cover” and “land use.” Land cover
technically consists of anything that covers the land, both natural and human‑made,
with perhaps the exception of open water and bare rock (although, these too, are sometimes
included in the definition).