DLR is Germany's national research center for aeronautics and space. Its extensive research and development work in aeronautics, space, transportation and energy is integrated into national and international cooperative ventures. DLR's Smart Cities and Spatial Development research team develops remote sensing methodologies and information products to support an efficient, advanced and sustainable management of the built environment and its related ecological, economical and societal spheres. Part of this activity includes the production of the Global Urban Footprint (GUF) raster map. The GUF represents a binary human settlements mask in a spatial resolution of 12 m that was derived from a global coverage of >180,000 TanDEM-X and TerraSAR-X radar images with 3 m ground resolution collected in 2011–2012. The GUF is provided open and free for any scientific use in the full resolution and for any non-profit use in a generalized version of 84 m. Commercial applications of the GUF require a licensing by Airbus DS Geo GmbH.