Bern Landscape Change Explorer

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Published January 21, 2026 | Version v1.0.0
Dataset Open

Bern Landscape Change Explorer Ecosystem Condition and Potential Results

Authors/Creators

  • 1. ROR icon ETH Zurich

Description

GENERAL INFORMATION
 
1. Title of Dataset: Bern Landscape Change Explorer Ecosystem Condition and Potential Results.    
 
2. Author Information
A. Principal Investigator Contact Information
Name: Isabel Nicholson Thomas
Institution:  Institute for Spatial and Landscape Development, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH)
Address:  HIL H 52.1, Stefano-Franscini-Platz 5 CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland
Email: inthomas@ethz.ch
 
B. Additional researcher Contact Information
Name: Benjamin Black
Institution:  Institute for Spatial and Landscape Development, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) 
Address:  HIL H 52.1, Stefano-Franscini-Platz 5 CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland
Email: bblack@ethz.ch
 
  C. Additional researcher Contact Information
Name: Manuel Kurmann
Institution:  Institute for Spatial and Landscape Development, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) 
Address:  HIL H 52.1, Stefano-Franscini-Platz 5 CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland
Email: mankurma@ethz.ch
 
3. Date of data collection: 2025-06-01 > 2026-01-1 
 
4. Geographic location of data: Switzerland 
 
SHARING/ACCESS INFORMATION
 
1. Licenses/restrictions placed on the data: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International 
 
2. Recommended citation for this dataset: Nicholson Thomas, I., Black, B., & Kurmann, M. (2026). Bern Landscape Change Explorer Ecosystem Condition and Potential Results (Version 1.0.0) [Data set]. ETH Zurich. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18327368
 
DESCRIPTION/REPRODUCIBILITX: 
- This dataset contains rasters of ecosystem condition and potential for the Bern Landscape Change Explorer project.
- All rasters are projected in the CH1903+ / LV95 coordinate reference system and share the same extent and resolution (1 hectare).
- For detailed descriptions of the data generation process, raster value interpretation and suggested colour scheme, please refer to the accompanying metadata files:
-  BeschreibungMetadatenOekosystemzustand_Potenzial_DE.pdf
-  BeschreibungMetadatenOekosystemzustand_Potenzial_ENG.pdf
 
This dataset contains raster data on ecosystem condition (EC) and the potential for condition dependent
improvements in selected ecosystem services. The calculations were performed
separately for three ecosystem types: forests, grasslands and alpine pastures, and agricultural land.
The data sets on ecosystem condition are stored as ec_index and separated by ecosystem type.
ec_index_LU_Forest contains the ecosystem condition index for forest areas,
ec_index_LU_GrassPasture for grasslands and alpine pastures, and ec_index_LU_IntensiveAg for
intensive agricultural areas. In all three cases, the pixel value corresponds to the calculated,
composite ecosystem condition index for the respective land use group.
In addition, there is the cluster_EC_all dataset, which represents spatial patterns in ecosystem
condition as classes. The clusters are based on the same indicator layers that were used to calculate
the ecosystem condition index. Each grid cell is assigned a cluster ID, which groups together cells
that have similar characteristics across several indicators, for example, simultaneously high or low
values in the same state characteristics. This allows areas to be delineated that are similar in terms
of the interaction of the state indicators considered.
The potential datasets are named after ecosystem services and end in _gap. CAR_gap describes the
potential for carbon storage, FF_gap for food and feed production, HAB_gap for habitat quality,
POL_gap for pollination, and REC_gap for recreational potential.
The pixel values indicate the difference between theoretical and effective provision, i.e., the
additional amount that could be achieved with an improved ecosystem status.
 
Included files:
  • BeschreibungMetadatenOekosystemzustand_Potenzial_DE.pdf
  • BeschreibungMetadatenOekosystemzustand_Potenzial_ENG.pdf
  • CAR_gap.tif
  • ec_index_combined.tif
  • ec_index_LU_13.tif
  • ec_index_LU_15.tif
  • ec_index_LU_17.tif
  • FF_gap.tif
  • HAB_gap.tif
  • POL_gap.tif
  • REC_gap.tif

 

Files

blce-oekosystemzustand-potenzial-data-archive.zip

Files (13.6 MB)

Additional details

Funding

Wyss Academy for Nature