The SESAME Human-Earth Atlas

Human activities such as food production, mining, transportation, and construction have extensively modified Earth's land and marine environments, causing biodiversity loss, water pollution, soil erosion, and climate change. However, studying spatial aspects of the relationships that link the global human system with non-human parts of the Earth-system is hampered by data fragmentation. Here we present the Surface Earth System Analysis and Modeling Environment (SESAME) Human-Earth Atlas, which includes hundreds of variables capturing both human and non-human aspects of the Earth system on two common spatial grids of 1- and 0.25-degree resolution. The Atlas is structured by common spheres, and many variables resolve changes over time. Machine learning is used selectively to interpolate data in undersampled regions. Many of the national-level tabular human system variables are downscaled to spatial grids using dasymetric mapping, accounting for country boundary changes over time. Raster, point, line, polygon, and tabular jurisdictional (i.e., country) data were mapped onto a standardized spatial grid at the desired resolution. The Atlas facilitates data discovery and modeling of human-Earth system dynamics.