Hydrology and Earth System Sciences www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net 1027-5606 1607-7938 11 6 2007 10.5194/hess-11-1857-2007 http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/11/1857/2007/ http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/11/1857/2007/hess-11-1857-2007.html http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/11/1857/2007/hess-11-1857-2007.pdf 1857 1868 2007-11-29 Uncertainties in land use data G. Castilla gcastill@ucalgary.ca G. J. Hay Institute for Regional Development, University of Castilla La Mancha, Albacete, Spain Department of Geography, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada This paper deals with the description and assessment of uncertainties in land use data derived from Remote Sensing observations, in the context of hydrological studies. Land use is a categorical regionalised variable reporting the main socio-economic role each location has, where the role is inferred from the pattern of occupation of land. 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