This paper evaluates the potential use of MODIS land cover data to improve our understanding of the Alpine
environment and to meet the requirements of a sustainable development. In this study, data derived from the MODIS sensor was tested against two independent land cover data sets within the boundaries of the European Alps. The MODIS land cover data used was the IGBP-DIS (International Geosphere Biosphere Programme) global land cover 1km data set derived from NOAA AVHRR data. This data set represents the MODIS at-launch coverage. The results of the MODIS land cover classifications are very promising. The remotely sensed forest area of the European Alps tested against the results of field-derived national forest inventories reveals only differences in the range between 0.1 and 6.6%. Comparisons with an airborne land cover classification revealed that several of the MODIS land cover classes have high omission and commission errors. Nevertheless, the results indicate that MODIS is a useful and cost-effective instrument for monitoring land use in the entire area of the European Alps at high temporal resolution.