Bern Landscape Change Explorer Ecosystem Condition and Potential Results

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.pdf
-  MetadataDescriptionEcosystemCondition_Potential.pdf
-  DescriptionMetadonneesEtatEcosysteme_Potentiel.pdf

This dataset contains raster data on ecosystem condition (EC) as well as on the potential for condition
dependent improvements in selected ecosystem services. The data on ecosystem condition comprise two
complementary contents: the ecosystem condition index with continuous index values and the cluster
classification with categorical cluster IDs. Both contents are available for forest, grassland and
pastures, and arable land. In addition, the dataset contains a merged overview across all three land
use types.

The ecosystem condition index is stored in files with the prefix ec_index_. ec_index_forest describes
the ecosystem condition for forest areas, ec_index_grass for grassland and pastures, and ec_index_acre
for arable land. ec_index_all combines the three land-use-specific indices into an overall view. The
index values are not directly comparable between different land use types, as they were calculated
within the respective land use.

The cluster classification is stored in files with the prefix cluster_EC_. cluster_EC_forest describes
cluster classes for forest areas, cluster_EC_grass for grassland and pastures, and cluster_EC_acre for
arable land. The clusters group together areas with similar characteristic profiles. The cluster IDs
are categorical designations and do not imply any order from good to bad.

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 recreation 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 condition.
Included files:

BeschreibungMetadatenOekosystemzustand_Potenzial.pdf
MetadataDescriptionEcosystemCondition_Potential.pdf
DescriptionMetadonneesEtatEcosysteme_Potentiel.pdf
Readme_EC.txt
Readme_Potential.txt
ec_index_all.tif
ec_index_forest.tif
ec_index_grass.tif
ec_index_acre.tif
cluster_EC_forest.tif
cluster_EC_grass.tif
cluster_EC_acre.tif
CAR_gap.tif
FF_gap.tif
HAB_gap.tif
POL_gap.tif
REC_gap.tif
ec_index_all.png
ec_index_forest.png
ec_index_grass.png
ec_index_acre.png
cluster_EC_all.png
cluster_EC_forest.png
cluster_EC_grass.png
cluster_EC_acre.png
CAR_gap.png
FF_gap.png
HAB_gap.png
POL_gap.png
REC_gap.png