At a workshop held on 31 March and 1 April 2026, mathematical models for defining samples for the development of a historical time series of land use and land cover (LULC) data were presented and discussed. In addition to Croatian experts, the workshop was attended by Dr. Peter Weiss from the Austrian Environment Agency.

On the first day of the workshop, held at the premises of EKONERG Ltd., Prof. Vanja Wagner, PhD, presented the methodology for determining a statistical sample for the preparation of a historical time series of land use and land cover data covering the period 1968–2020. The presentation outlined the development of a methodology for defining a harmonised sample, as well as approaches to profiling the sample to ensure that the final dataset is statistically representative.

The subsequent discussion provided a detailed explanation of all methodological steps, including the rationale for individual procedures and model adjustments. Particular attention was paid to issues such as data relevance and the over‑ or under‑representation of specific classes or subclasses within the sample.

Drawing on experience from previous reviews, Mr. Weiss, in his role as a member of the project’s LULUCF advisory board, recommended that each step of the methodological development be thoroughly described and documented, in preparation for upcoming reviews by the European Commission or the UNFCCC.

On the second day of the workshop, the work undertaken to develop the historical data series based on the defined sample, as well as the current status of implementation of project activity C2, was first presented to members of the project team.

In the afternoon session, representatives from various state authorities, public institutions, companies, and the academic community—all of whom contribute data required for the preparation of annual greenhouse gas emission reports—were brought together. The presentations emphasised the importance of input data quality, as well as the assessment of the reliability and accuracy of input data, as key factors in determining the credibility of final results.

Agenda is available here and presentations from the second part of the workshop, held on 1 April 2026, are available here:

1. Introduction to LIFE CROLIS, Domagoj Stjepan Krnjak, MEPGT

2. Progress on the development of land cover and land use layers for reporting purposes in the LULUCF sector, Sara Bačeković, EKONERG

3. Assessing uncertainty in spatial data analysis, Prof. Vanja Wagner, PhD, (CRO-MATH-IN, Zagreb University)

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