Embrapa Satellite Monitoring, in a partnership with Indiana University (USA), coordinated the research project "Human and Physical Dimensions of Land Use/Cover Change in Amazônia: A multi-scale synthesis”. The project ended in 2010, and was part of the Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazônia (LBA). The research encompassed seven study areas and made a transversal analysis of the social and biophysical dimensions of transformations in the Amazon landscape. Rural settlements were focused due to their social relevance and their impact on land use and land cover. The study used a multi-scale, georeferred approach which encompassed the analysis of soil samples, vegetation assessment, land-use history, multitemporal classification of satellite images, demographics on rural households, and institutional analyses. All studies within the LBA program contribute to understanding deforestation and forest regeneration rates, the articulation of agricultural strategies, and the role played by infrastructure, market and local players in these processes. These results offer practical information to support both private and public decision makers involved in planning and development. Comparative studies of this kind tend to be directly applied in policies for land reform, regional development and conservation. Other institutions, such as the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (Inpe), Princeton University and Indiana State University also participated in the project.