The Atlas of the Human Planet 2020 presents 37 showcases provided by users of Global Human Settlement Layer data sets among decision makers, researchers and practitioners. The showcases are grouped in four thematic areas with a close link to four European and international policy frameworks like disaster risk management (the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction), urbanisation (SDG 11 and New Urban Agenda), development (the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development), and environment and sustainability (European Green Deal and UNFCCC Paris Agreement). All applications show action oriented, transformative and scalable solutions to make progress in the aforementioned policy frameworks. This year’s Atlas also highlights challenges and strategic directions related to human settlement mapping as well as an outlook of the upcoming release of the GHSL (Global Human Settlement Layer) increasingly relying on Copernicus Sentinel data.

Over the past ten years, the Global Human Settlement Layer has succeeded in transforming earth observation data into accepted statistics on global human built-up and population. Based on the GHSL data, the UN Statistical Commission adopted a worldwide definition of cities and settlements for the first time ever in March 2020. The 2020 edition of the Atlas demonstrates the uses of GHSL across several policy domains of the EU and intergovernmental development agendas. The GHSL supports these policy frameworks with robust scientific evidence, transparent methods and open and free data.