(Land use corresponds to the socio-economic description (functional dimension) of areas: areas used for residential, industrial or commercial purposes, for farming or forestry, for recreational or conservation purposes, etc. Links with land cover are possible; it may be possible to infer land use from land cover and conversely. But situations are often complicated and the link is not so evident. Contrary to land cover, land use is difficult to 'observe'. For example, it is often difficult to decide if grasslands are used or not for agricultural purposes. Distinctions between land use and land cover and their definition have impacts on the development of classification systems, data collection and information systems in general. )
Classification providing information on land cover and the types of human activity involved in land use. It may also facilitate the assessment of environmental impacts on, and potential or alternative uses of land.
Land cover corresponds to a (bio) physical description of the earth's surface. It is that which overlays or currently covers the ground. This description enables various biophysical categories to be distinguished - basically, areas of vegetation (trees, bushes, fields and lawn), bare soil, hard surfaces (rocks, buildings) and wet areas and bodies of water (watercourses, wetlands).
在Land cover classification system(LCCS):classification concepts and use manual一文中提到:土地覆蓋(Land Cover)是指在地球上陸地表面的各種生物或物理的覆蓋類型,包括地表的植被(天然或種植)、人類的建設用地(建築、道路等)、湖泊、冰川、裸岩和沙地等,主要描述地球表面的自然屬性。隨著全球變化科學的研究和對地觀測技術的發展,20世紀90年代以來,國際上對土地覆蓋的概念進行了深化,對土地覆蓋及其特徵的含義有了新的理解,土地覆蓋不再僅僅被看作單一的土地或植被類型,而是土地類型及其所具有的一系列自然屬性和特徵的綜合體。如地表覆蓋的生物物理、生物地球化學特徵及生態環境要素與土地覆蓋類型是密切相關的,正是它們之間複雜的相互作用,才形成了地球表面多樣的生態系統及景觀,並對地球表層系統(包括大氣圈、水圈等)產生重要影響。