use confidence limits on the accuracy of classification as well as on specific probabilities of misclassification. In addition, the core sample will be expanded into larger regions around each sample center that will be used for tests and experiments as specified in the IGBP-DIS protocol that further characterize the Fast Track data and land covers at each site. These confidence sites will also form the vanguard of an ongoing global network of test sites for accuracy assessment of successive land cover maps by the IGBP and the global land cover community at large. This research directly addresses the primary LCLUC goal of developing the capability to perform global inventories of land cover and land use from space, of which accuracy assessment is a critical part. It directly addresses the call for development of techniques and methods for applying satellite data to land use and land cover problems. It indirectly addresses the goal of modeling the response of land covers to change processes because the results will allow modelers to assess the sensitivity of their models to specific errors in calibration parameters inferred from land cover type. A high degree of international participation is planned, and the results are highly relevant to EOS land cover activities. The benefits to the international research community and to the IGBP in particular will be very significant.