This dataset is described in:
- Ramankutty, N. and J.A. Foley (1998). Characterizing patterns of global land use: an analysis of global croplands data. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 12(4), 667-685
The data is available in two formats — NetCDF and ArcINFO ASCII — at two resolutions, 0.5 degree and 5 minute.
Included in the NetCDF download: gzipped, tarred NetCDF files, FORTRAN utility codes for reading the NetCDF files, and a README file.
PLEASE NOTE: this global dataset is meant to be used only for continental to global scale applications. Use caution when using this dataset at local scales.