What is OpenLand?
OpenLand is an open-source R package for quantitative analysis and visualization of land use and cover (LUC) time series. It provides comprehensive tools for analyzing spatiotemporal patterns of land change, with a focus on Intensity Analysis - a rigorous framework for understanding how, when, and where land use changes occur.OpenLand implements the complete Intensity Analysis methodology described by Aldwaik and Pontius (2012), providing standardized multilevel output graphics and rigorous statistical testing.
Key Features
OpenLand offers a comprehensive suite of tools for land use and cover change analysis:Data Management
- Consistency checking for spatiotemporal raster data (extent, projection, resolution, categories)
- Flexible data loading supporting RasterStack, RasterBrick, or directory paths
- Cross-tabulation of multi-temporal LUC maps for regular or irregular time intervals
Intensity Analysis
- Three-level analysis framework:
- Interval level: Examines how size and speed of change vary across time intervals
- Category level: Analyzes gross gains and losses for each LUC category
- Transition level: Evaluates how specific categories transition to others
- Stationarity testing at each analysis level to detect temporal patterns
- S4 class implementation for object-oriented plotting and analysis
Visualization Tools
- Standardized intensity plots for all three analysis levels
- Sankey diagrams for one-step and multi-step transitions
- Chord diagrams showing circular flow of land use transitions
- Bar charts for net/gross changes and temporal evolution
- Spatial change maps showing accumulated changes over time
Analysis Capabilities
- Change frequency mapping (
acc_changes()) - identifies pixels by number of transitions - Summary functions for raster consistency checking
- Customizable color schemes and category naming
- Area calculations in both km² and pixel counts
Use Cases
OpenLand is designed for researchers and practitioners working with land use and cover change data:Environmental Monitoring
Track deforestation, habitat loss, and ecosystem changes across protected areas and conservation zones.
Agricultural Expansion
Analyze patterns of agricultural intensification, pasture expansion, and crop conversion in rural landscapes.
Urban Growth
Study urbanization patterns, suburban sprawl, and land consumption in metropolitan regions.
Wetland Dynamics
Monitor seasonal and long-term changes in wetland extent, including flood pulse dynamics in river basins.
Research Applications
- Temporal pattern detection: Identify periods of rapid vs. slow change
- Category-specific analysis: Determine which land uses are actively gaining or losing area
- Transition pathways: Understand the dominant conversion patterns (e.g., forest → pasture)
- Policy evaluation: Assess land use changes before and after policy interventions
- Climate impact studies: Analyze land cover responses to climate variability
The Intensity Analysis Framework
Intensity Analysis is a quantitative method that uses cross-tabulation matrices to evaluate deviations between observed change intensity and hypothesized uniform change intensity. Each level provides increasingly detailed information:Interval Level
Determines whether change is concentrated in certain time periods or distributed uniformly across the study period.
Category Level
Identifies which land use categories are experiencing active vs. dormant gain or loss relative to uniform intensity.
Publication and Citation
OpenLand is described in detail in: Reginal Exavier and Peter Zeilhofer (2021). “OpenLand: Software for Quantitative Analysis and Visualization of Land Use and Cover Change.” The R Journal, v. 12, n. 2, p. 359–371. https://doi.org/10.32614/RJ-2021-021Next Steps
Ready to get started with OpenLand?Quick Start Guide
Follow a complete working example using the São Lourenço Basin dataset to learn the core OpenLand workflow.
System Requirements
- R version: 3.4.0 or higher
- Key dependencies: dplyr, tidyr, ggplot2, raster, circlize, networkD3
- Optional: tmap (for spatial visualization)