Global Observation of Forest and Land Cover Dynamics (GOFC-GOLD) is a coordinated international effort working to provide ongoing space-based and in-situ observations of forests and other vegetation cover, for the sustainable management of terrestrial resources and to obtain an accurate, reliable, quantitative understanding of the terrestrial carbon budget.

The role of GOFC GOLD is to establish the link between space agencies, science community and the users of earth observation data and data products. The primary function of the Land Cover Implementation Team (LC-IT) is to develop and evaluate methods; tools and products for land cover measurements and monitoring using space-borne and in-situ observations. The LC-IT assesses current needs and deficiencies for global and regional monitoring to support Global Change research, national and regional forest inventories and international policy. The team cooperates closely with other GOFC-GOLD implementation teams and regional networks worldwide.

Within this framework, the ESA GOFC GOLD Project Office helps to strengthen the GOFC-GOLD framework, to coordinate, promote and fulfil the GOFC Land Cover implementation plan, and to support the European Space Agency and related projects and services.

The ESA LC-IT office is led by Prof. Christiane Schmullius, the Co-chair of the GOFC-GOLD Land Cover Implementation Team (LC-IT) jointly with David Skole from the Michigan State University. The Project Office was located at the Department of Geoinformatics of the Friedrich Schiller University in Jena, Germany and is funded by the European Space Agency (ESA).