Both the maps as well as the data on land use and urban structure of the Environmental Atlas draw on concepts and strategies from the 1980s. Over time, parts of the statistical base, methodology and the objective of the study have evolved. At the same time, the differentiated actual use map for Berlin as a whole has become increasingly important.
The actual use map is of crucial importance in many different areas of the environmental sector as well as in urban and landscape planning based on its spatial and specialised differentiation. It will continue to be an invaluable resource also in the future. For example, indicators may be derived from the mapping units, which are then used to develop a variety of ecological planning bases or in city-wide spatial planning.
Like other data compiled for the Urban and Environmental Information System (ISU), the information on actual land use and area types/ urban structure is managed and processed in a standardised spatial reference system. This makes it possible to superimpose different data sets and allows for a smooth data analysis across disciplines.
From December 31, 2021, the spatial reference of the Urban and Environmental Information System (ISU5 in the following) and the specialised datasets on land use will be updated annually in addition to the previous updates every 5 years (most recently in 2020). The reason for this is, on the one hand, that there is no annual recording of the actual land use for the city as a whole and, on the other hand, that the need for the latest information is constantly increasing due to the many changes in land use. The annual update focuses mainly on keeping the statistical blocks of the Urban and Environmental Information System up to date and recording land use changes following structural changes. The annual update is therefore less comprehensive than the 5-year update. The latter draws on a larger selection of geospatial datasets to examine actual land use. Detailed information on the background of the ISU, the different land use and area types, as well as on the 5-year updates may be found in the Final Documentation of 2020 (SenSW 2021).
In addition to updating the geometry and use data, the ISU5 block (segment) area boundaries were geometrically adjusted to the borough and state boundaries in ALKIS as part of the annual update in 2021.