The Global Lakes and Wetlands Database (GLWD)
type: Dataset
description: The Global Lakes and Wetlands Database (GLWD) version 2 provides a comprehensive and seamless global map of inland surface waters distinguished into 33 waterbody and wetland types. GLWD v2 was developed by harmonizing the best available ground- and satellite-based data sources and has been designed to represent the maximum non-overlapping extents of aquatic ecosystems over the broad contemporary period of 1990-2020. GLWD v2 represents a total of 18.2 million km2 of wetlands at a grid cell resolution of 15 arc-seconds (approximately 500 m at the equator). The data consist of a map of the dominant waterbody or wetland type in each grid cell, as well as 33 individual class layers which represent the sub-cell fraction of each specific class within each grid cell. Version 2 of GLWD (Lehner et al., 2025) is the successor of the widely-used GLWD version 1 (Lehner & Döll, 2004). The quality, resolution, and format of GLWD v2 significantly improves upon GLWD v1 and supersedes the older version.
version notes: The Global Lakes and Wetlands Database (GLWD) version 2 provides a comprehensive and seamless global map of inland surface waters distinguished into 33 waterbody and wetland types. GLWD v2 was developed by harmonizing the best available ground- and satellite-based data sources and has been designed to represent the maximum non-overlapping extents of aquatic ecosystems over the broad contemporary period of 1990-2020. GLWD v2 represents a total of 18.2 million km2 of wetlands at a grid cell resolution of 15 arc-seconds (approximately 500 m at the equator). The data consist of a map of the dominant waterbody or wetland type in each grid cell, as well as 33 individual class layers which represent the sub-cell fraction of each specific class within each grid cell. Version 2 of GLWD (Lehner et al., 2025) is the successor of the widely-used GLWD version 1 (Lehner & Döll, 2004). The quality, resolution, and format of GLWD v2 significantly improves upon GLWD v1 and supersedes the older version.
version info: 2.0
type: dataset
keyword: environment
access rights: PUBLIC
created: 2025-07-28T00:00:00
issued: 2025-07-28T16:06:35.983464
modified: 2025-07-28T00:00:00
language: ENG
theme: hy
contact point: Organization
  fn: IHP-WINS
  role: pointOfContact
contact point: maintainer
creator: author
provenance: provenance
spatial: MSR',
spatial resolution in meters: 500m

maintainer
type: Individual
fn: IHP-WINS
role: custodian

author
type: Organization
fn: IHP-WINS
role: author

IHP-WINS
type: Organization
role: distributor

Main Class - GLWD v2
type: Distribution
character encoding: UTF-8
description: This file contains the global grids, assembled by combining all 33 wetland grids. This file shows the dominant wetland class within pixel (in cases of ties, the lower wetland class is chosen); value 0 indicates inland pixels without any wetland coverage.
status: Completed
format: TIF
modified: 2025-07-28T00:00:00
rights: PUBLIC
availability: AVAILABLE

Main Class (>50% Wetland) - GLWD v2
type: Distribution
character encoding: UTF-8
description: This file contains the global grids, assembled by combining all 33 wetland grids. This file shows the dominant wetland class within pixel, only for pixels where the total wetland extent exceeds 50% (in cases of ties, the lower wetland class is chosen); value 0 indicates inland pixels where dryland (non-wetland) dominates.
status: Completed
format: TIF
modified: 2025-07-28T00:00:00
rights: PUBLIC
availability: AVAILABLE

GLWD Class style file
type: Distribution
character encoding: UTF-8
status: Completed
media type: application/vnd.ogc.sld+xml
format: SLD
access URL: https://data210.dev-wins.com/dataset/031e81aa-6d82-4f2b-b1cb-2d96216b8875/resource/ed63c8e1-9abe-464c-a3db-0b5d2b840ca2/download/glwd-class-style-file.sld
modified: 2025-07-28T00:00:00
rights: PUBLIC
availability: AVAILABLE

Wetland Area Percentage - GLWD v2
type: Distribution
character encoding: UTF-8
description: This file contains the global grids, assembled by combining all 33 wetland grids. This file shows the relative area of all wetland classes combined, in percent of pixel area.
status: Completed
format: TIF
modified: 2025-07-28T00:00:00
rights: PUBLIC
availability: AVAILABLE

GLWD Percentage style file
type: Distribution
character encoding: UTF-8
status: Completed
media type: application/vnd.ogc.sld+xml
format: SLD
access URL: https://data210.dev-wins.com/dataset/031e81aa-6d82-4f2b-b1cb-2d96216b8875/resource/06e4f6b1-1dd4-4921-b3a0-46b087f765a5/download/glwd-percentage-style-file.sld
modified: 2025-07-28T00:00:00
rights: PUBLIC
availability: AVAILABLE

Absolute Wetland Area x10 - GLWD v2
type: Distribution
character encoding: UTF-8
description: This file contains the global grids, assembled by combining all 33 wetland grids. This file shows the absolute area of all wetland classes combined, in hectares times 10 (i.e., value 15 means 1.5 ha).
status: Completed
format: TIF
modified: 2025-07-28T00:00:00
rights: PUBLIC
availability: AVAILABLE

GLWD Absolute Area style file
type: Distribution
character encoding: UTF-8
description: File uploaded: GLWD Absolute Area style file.sld Auto-generated description
status: Completed
media type: application/vnd.ogc.sld+xml
format: SLD
access URL: https://data210.dev-wins.com/dataset/031e81aa-6d82-4f2b-b1cb-2d96216b8875/resource/187ac1e9-527f-4d3d-8236-02f8968bc1c2/download/glwd-absolute-area-style-file.sld
modified: 2025-07-28T00:00:00
rights: PUBLIC
availability: AVAILABLE