Existing Land Use (INSPIRE Harmonized) — CBS / Netherlands

What This Dataset Is

INSPIRE-harmonized land use dataset for the Netherlands, published by CBS (Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek / Statistics Netherlands). This is the European INSPIRE version of the CBS Bestand Bodemgebruik (BBG), transformed to conform to the INSPIRE Existing Land Use data specification.

The dataset is derived from the Dutch topographic map (BRT) and aerial photography from summer 2015. Each polygon represents a land use area classified using the HILUCS (Hierarchical INSPIRE Land Use Classification System) — the EU-standardized classification — instead of the original Dutch national classification.

Source: https://www.pdok.nl/introductie/-/article/cbs-existing-landuse-inspire-geharmoniseerd- Provider: CBS (Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek / Statistics Netherlands) License: CC0 (public domain) Feature type: landuse:ExistingLandUse

Relationship to Bestand Bodemgebruik (BBG) 2017

This dataset and the Bestand Bodemgebruik 2017 share the same underlying data — land use polygons derived from the BRT topographic map and aerial imagery. The key differences:

If you need to compare Dutch land use with other EU countries, use this INSPIRE version. For domestic Dutch analysis with familiar Dutch categories, use the BBG 2017.

HILUCS Classification System

The HILUCS (Hierarchical INSPIRE Land Use Classification System) is the European standard for classifying land use. It uses a hierarchical numbering scheme:

The existinglanduseobjectName field contains the code (e.g., "4_1_2") and hilucslanduseHref contains the full URI (e.g., http://inspire.ec.europa.eu/codelist/HILUCSValue/4_1_2_RailwayTransport).

Schema — Field Meanings

Important Columns

The columns you'll most often use:

• existinglanduseobjectName — HILUCS code for classification
• description — English description of the land use
• hilucslanduseHref — full HILUCS URI (for EU-level interoperability)
• specificlanduseTitle — original Dutch classification label
• observationdate — when the land use was observed
• geometry — land use polygon

Geometry Notes

• CRS is EPSG:3035 (ETRS89-LAEA / European Lambert Azimuthal Equal-Area) — coordinates are in meters. This is the pan-European standard CRS used for INSPIRE datasets. Unlike most Dutch datasets which use EPSG:28992 (RD New), this dataset is projected in the European coordinate system.
• To convert to WGS84 (lon/lat) for web mapping:

• To convert to Dutch RD New (for combining with other Dutch datasets):

• All geometries are MultiPolygon.
• Bounding box in WGS84: [3.37, 50.73, 7.24, 53.55] (all of Netherlands).

How to Access

GeoParquet and PMTiles files are available from Source Cooperative. Native CRS is EPSG:3035 (ETRS89-LAEA) — coordinates are in meters.

Base URL: https://data.source.coop/cholmes/portolan-nl/cbs/existing_landuse_inspire/

Also available via WFS and WMS from PDOK:

• WFS: https://service.pdok.nl/cbs/landuse/wfs/v1_0
• WMS: https://service.pdok.nl/cbs/landuse/wms/v1_0

Useful Query Patterns

Get features by HILUCS category (WFS filter)

This returns all residential land use polygons (HILUCS code 5_1 = Permanent residential).

Count features by HILUCS top-level category

When working with the data locally:

Find specific land use types by description

Cross-reference HILUCS code with Dutch label

INSPIRE Context

This dataset is part of the Netherlands' implementation of the INSPIRE Directive (2007/2/EC), which mandates EU member states to publish spatial data in harmonized formats to enable cross-border interoperability. The Land Use theme is defined in Annex III of the directive.

Key INSPIRE elements:

• Namespace: NL.CBS.LU.ExistingLandUseObject — identifies CBS as the Dutch provider for land use data
• HILUCS codelist: http://inspire.ec.europa.eu/codelist/HILUCSValue/ — the EU-standard classification
• CRS: EPSG:3035 — the mandatory INSPIRE CRS for pan-European datasets

Caveats

• EPSG:3035 coordinates: Unlike most Dutch datasets (which use EPSG:28992 / RD New), this dataset uses the European ETRS89-LAEA projection. You must transform coordinates when combining with other Dutch data.
• Based on 2015 imagery: The land use classification is derived from summer 2015 aerial photography and the BRT topographic map. Land use changes since 2015 are not reflected.
• HILUCS mapping is not 1:1: Some Dutch land use categories map to the same HILUCS code. The specificlanduseTitle field preserves the more detailed Dutch classification.
• WFS access limits: PDOK WFS returns a maximum of ~5000 features per request. Use pagination (startIndex) for bulk access.
• Large file size: The GeoParquet file is 1.4 GB due to detailed polygon geometries. Use bbox or spatial filters when querying remotely.

Visualization Styles

One Mapbox GL v8 style is available for interactive map visualization via the PMTiles file.

Style files are Mapbox GL v8 JSON with relative PMTiles source paths. They can be used with MapLibre GL JS, OpenLayers (via ol-mapbox-style), or any Mapbox GL v8-compatible renderer.

• styles/default.json — INSPIRE land use classification. Colors by English-language description field using European-standard land use categories: green for agriculture, dark green for woodland, pink for residential, gray for transport, blue for water, yellow for recreation. Uses the same CBS data as bestand_bodemgebruik_2017 but harmonized to INSPIRE/HILUCS categories.

Style files are at: https://data.source.coop/cholmes/portolan-nl/cbs/existing_landuse_inspire/styles/

Also Available As

• GeoParquet: existing_landuse.parquet (1.4 GB, 171,543 features, EPSG:3035)
• PMTiles: existing_landuse.pmtiles (190 MB, for web map visualization)
• WFS: https://service.pdok.nl/cbs/landuse/wfs/v1_0 — live feature access
• WMS: https://service.pdok.nl/cbs/landuse/wms/v1_0 — map image service
• BBG 2017 (Dutch version): Same underlying data with Dutch classification and EPSG:28992 CRS — available as cbs/bestand_bodemgebruik_2017 in this catalog

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Hand-maintained agent guide (ported from this collection's llms.txt in August 2026). Update it alongside collection.json.