Keywords

1 The World’s Forests 2000

Product

LULC thematic

Dates

1995 / 96

Formats

Raster

Pixel size

1 km

Theme

3 forest categories out of 6

Extent

Global

Updating

No

Change detection

No (only one date)

Overall accuracy

Expected to be >80%

Website of reference

Website Language English

http://www.fao.org/forest-resources-assessment/past-assessments/fra-2000/en/

Download site

http://www.fao.org/geonetwork/srv/en/main.home?uuid=b9f2ee20-88fd-11da-a88f-000d939bc5d8

Availability

Format(s)

Open Access

.adf

Technical documentation

FAO (2000, 2001)

Other references of interest

–

Project

The World’s Forests 2000 map was one of the products generated within the context of the Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) for the year 2000. FRA is a project run by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) that dates back to the year 1946. A new edition is issued every five years on average.

The project, which is carried out in collaboration with the different countries that form part of the FAO, aims to assess the state of the world’s forests and understand the changes that they undergo over time. Satellite imagery and remote sensing techniques were used for the first time in the FRA2000 survey. A global map of forests was produced as part of the project. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) EROS Data Center (EDC) was in charge of map production. Two extra maps were also produced as part of the project: an ecological zoning map and a map of protected forests.

Production method

The World’s Forests 2000 map was produced in two stages. In the first stage, closed forest and open or fragmented forest categories were mapped on the basis of a classification of AVHRR imagery for the period 1995–1996. A complex methodology based on a mixture analysis model and a geographical stratification to account for regional variation in the mapped features was employed to calculate the fraction cover per pixel. The two LUC categories were extracted from these layers based on the tree cover percentages defined by the FAO: 40–100% for closed forest and 10–40% for open or fragmented forest.

In the second stage, the Global Land Cover Characteristics Database (GLCC), obtained from a classification of AVHRR imagery for the period 1992/93, was used to map the remaining categories: other wooded land, other land cover and water. The fact that the different input data (AVHRR and GLCC) had different reference dates led to temporal inconsistency between forest and non-forest categories.

Some auxiliary datasets were also used in the production of the map, such as ecoregion maps and digital elevation models. These helped to merge and split the different categories being mapped.

Product description

The map can be downloaded as a zipped file containing the raster with the LUC information and other auxiliary information. The download includes two versions of the LUC map, one classifying the land covers in a range of values from 1 to 6 and the other classifying the land covers in a range of values from 100 to 600.

Downloads

The World’s Forests 2000

– Raster file with LUC map (for_2000)

– Raster file with LUC map (info, forest)

– Preview image of the product

– ArcGIS file (.avl) with symbology for the raster

Legend and codification

Code

Label

Code

Label

1/100

Closed forest

4/400

Other land cover

2/200

Open or fragmented forest

5/500

Water

3/300

Other wooded land

6/600

Undefined

2 FCover—Fraction of Green Vegetation Cover

Product

LULC thematic

Dates

Every 10 days from 1999 to 2020 (1 km)

Every 10 days from 2014 to the present (300 m)

Formats

Raster

Pixel size

300 m,

1 km

Theme

Percentage of vegetation cover

Extent

Global

Updating

Expected, but no specific date

Change detection

Supported via specific layers of forest change

Overall accuracy

Not specified

Website of reference

Website Language English

https://land.copernicus.eu/global/products/fcover

Download site

https://land.copernicus.vgt.vito.be/PDF/portal/Application.html#Browse;Root=512260;Collection=1000061;Time=NORMAL,NORMAL,-1,,,-1,,, (300 m)

https://land.copernicus.vgt.vito.be/PDF/portal/Application.html#Browse;Root=512260;Collection=1000081;Time=NORMAL,NORMAL,1,JANUARY,2014,31,DECEMBER,2020;isReserved=false (1 km)

Availability

Format(s)

Open Access under registration

.nc

Technical documentation

Baret et al. (2016), Jolivet (2020), Lacaze et al. (2020), Martínez-Sánchez and Sánchez-Zapero (2020), Ramon et al. (2020), Sánchez-Zapero et al. (2018), Smets et al. (2018), Toté and Tansey (2020), Verger (2020), Wolfs et al. (2020)

Other references of interest

–

Project

The Fraction of Vegetation Cover (FCover) is a product developed as part of the Copernicus programme, which is led and coordinated by the European Commission. The Copernicus Global Land Service (CGLS) aims to provide bio-geophysical land information to monitor the status and evolution of land surface across the globe. FCover provides information on the fraction of the ground surface that is covered by green vegetation.

FCover is jointly produced with two other products, which also help to characterize the vegetation cover on Earth: the Leaf Area Index (LAI) and the Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FAPAR). All three were initially produced at a spatial resolution of 1 km, although a finer version of the product has recently been developed at 300 m. There are two versions of the 1 km product. The second version is an improved version of the first.

Production method

FCover is obtained after processing satellite imagery using a neuronal networks method, which has been successively improved in the different versions of the product.

PROVA-V imagery is used to create the product with a spatial resolution of 300 m. The product at 1 km also makes use of imagery from the VEGETATION sensor to increase the coverage over time. In both cases, various different techniques (smoothing, gap filling and temporal compositing) are applied to ensure the temporal consistency of the product time series.

Product description

The different versions of FCover at spatial resolutions of 1 km and 300 m can be downloaded from the same website. In all cases, the product is distributed in single files covering the whole world for each period of 10 days.

The product is delivered in the same format regardless of the particular version and/or spatial resolution chosen. It contains a raster with the LUC information, a preview picture of the product and technical information regarding the creation process. The raster includes information on the vegetation cover fraction, plus a series of technical parameters: uncertainty on the FCover, a quality flag, etc.

Downloads

FCover 300 m/1 km

– Raster file with LUC map in netCDF4 format (.nc)

– A metadata file (.xml)

– Preview image of the product (.tiff)

– PDFs with technical information about the product

Legend and codification

Code

Label

0–100

Vegetation fraction cover (0–1.0)

Practical considerations

This is a thematically rich, complex product that some users may find hard to understand at first glance. Nonetheless, the product’s website includes all the relevant information to enable users to apply the product correctly and understand its characteristics. We therefore recommend users to visit the website before taking a look at the technical documents.

3 Hybrid Forest Mask 2000

Product

LULC thematic

Dates

2000

Formats

Raster

Pixel size

1 km

Theme

Percentage of forest cover

Extent

Global

Updating

Not expected

Change detection

No (only one date)

Overall accuracy

Expected to be  >=85% and up to 93%

Website of reference

Website Language English

Not available

Download site

https://application.geo-wiki.org/Application/index.php

Availability

Format(s)

Open Access under registration

.tiff,.img

Technical documentation

Schepaschenko et al. (2015)

Other references of interest

FAO (2010)

Project

Researchers from several institutions across the world joined this project to produce a forest mask for the reference year 2000 by data fusion. The purpose was to create a new LUC map that charted the extent of forests at a global level and outperformed previous maps of a similar nature. The resulting map is consistent with FAO national forest statistics.

This is one of many projects that have benefited from the Geo-Wiki platform through which crowdsourced data were collected for use in the production of the map.

Production method

The forest map was produced by merging different LUC databases at global (GLC2000, GLCNMO, GlobCover, MODIS LC, MODIS VCF, Landsat VCF, Hansen Forest map) and regional (Congo Basin forest types map, Brazil PRODES forest mask, ALUM, Pan-European Forest/Non-Forest Map, NLCD 2006, Land cover of Russia, Forest mask for European Russia) scales. Although the reference year for the Hybrid Forest Mask is 2000, many of the input maps refer to different years.

The input maps were combined using a Geographical Weighted Regression (GWR) algorithm that produced two intermediate layers: a map of forest probability and a map of percentage forest cover. Reference points collected through crowdsourcing campaigns were used to train the GWR algorithm and validate the maps obtained.

From the two intermediate layers obtained, three maps were finally created. The first map indicates the percentage of forest cover in pixels with a probability of being forest of more than 0.5. For the second map, the pixels with the highest probability of being forest were selected until the number of pixels determined according to the FAO FRA national statistics were reached. The third map was obtained by repeating the same procedure using regional statistics.

Product description

Each of the three maps produced by this project can be independently downloaded. In all cases, the download contains just one file about the LUC layer, with no auxiliary information.

Downloads

Hybrid Forest mask 2000–Best guess/FAO FRA national statistics/FAO FRA regional statistics

– Raster file with information on tree canopy cover for the year 2000

Legend and codification

Code

Label

0–100

Forest Coverage (0–100%)

128

Non forest cover

Practical considerations

The maps can be accessed online through the viewer included in the Geo-Wiki platform. Users should be aware that although the reference year for the product is 2000, it was obtained by merging products with different reference years. This map is therefore unsuitable for land change analysis.

4 SYNMAP Global Potential Vegetation

Product

LULC thematic

Dates

2000

Formats

Raster

Pixel size

1 km

Theme

43 vegetation categories out of 48

Compatible legends

GLCC, GLC2000, MODIS

Extent

Global

Updating

Not expected

Change detection

No (only one date)

Overall accuracy

Not specified

Website of reference

Website Language English, Spanish

https://databasin.org/datasets/112a942ec4294e5284e63d5e6bf14b29

Download site

https://webmap.ornl.gov/wcsdown/dataset.jsp?ds_id=10024

Availability

Format(s)

Open Access under registration

.nc, .tiff, .xyz, .nitf, .img, .asc

Technical documentation

Jung et al. (2006)

Other references of interest

–

Project

SYNMAP is a dataset produced by German researchers from the University of Jena. It was developed to meet the requirements of carbon cycle and vegetation models. To this end, all the classes in the dataset were defined in terms of plant functional type mixtures, with information about the type of tree leaf and its longevity. The dataset was obtained by merging data from existing global LUC products.

Production method

SYNMAP was obtained by merging GLCC, MODIS Land Cover and GLC2000. From GLCC and MODIS Land Cover, two different classification schemes were used: USGS and IGBPP for GLCC and PFT and IGBP for MODIS Land Cover. The tree classes obtained after merging the previous maps were complemented with information about leaf type and phenology from AVHRR-CFTC (Continuous Fields of Tree Cover).

A specific legend adapted to the requirements of the carbon cycle and vegetation modelling communities was developed for SYNMAP. Each class in the new map was linked with each class in the input datasets through three affinity scores: one for life forms, one for leaf type and one for leaf longevity. AVHRR-CFTC provided auxiliary data regarding leaf attributes. The different maps were combined using fuzzy agreement to define the classes for the new map.

Product description

SYNMAP can be downloaded in multiple formats via a web application. Users must select the product corresponding to their geographical area of interest. The product is downloaded in the form of a raster file with LUC information.

Downloads

SYNMAP

– Raster file with LUC map

Legend and codification

Code

Label

Code

Label

0

Water

24

Mixed-broadleaf-trees and grasses

1

Evergreen-needle-trees

25

Evergreen-mixed-trees and grasses 

2

Deciduous-needle-trees

26

Deciduous-mixed-trees and grasses 

3

Mixed-needle–trees

27

Mixed-trees and grasses

4

Evergreen-broadleaf-trees

28

Evergreen-needle-trees and crops

5

Deciduous-broadleaf-trees

29

Deciduous-needle-trees and crops 

6

Mixed-broadleaf–trees

30

Mixed-needle-trees and crops

7

Evergreen-mixed-trees

31

Evergreen-broadleaf-trees and crops 

8

Deciduous-mixed-trees 

32

Deciduous-broadleaf-trees and crops 

9

Mixed–trees

33

Mixed-broadleaf-trees and crops 

10

Evergreen-needle-trees and shrubs

34

Evergreen-mixed-trees and crops 

11

Deciduous-needle-trees and shrubs

35

Deciduous-mixed-trees and crops 

12

Mixed-needle-trees and shrubs 

36

Mixed-trees and crops

13

Evergreen-broadleaf-trees and shrubs

37

Shrubs

14

Deciduous-broadleaf-trees and shrubs

38

Shrubs and grasses

15

Mixed-broadleaf-trees and shrubs

39

Shrubs and crops

16

Evergreen-mixed-trees and shrubs

40

Shrubs and barren

17

Deciduous-mixed-trees and shrubs

41

Grasses

18

Mixed-trees and shrubs

42

Grasses and crops

19

Evergreen-needle-trees and grasses

43

Grasses and barren

20

Deciduous-needle-trees and grasses

44

Crops

21

Mixed-needle-trees and grasses

45

Barren

22

Evergreen-broadleaf-trees and grasses

46

Urban

23

Deciduous-broadleaf-trees and grasses

47

Snow and ice

Practical considerations

SYNMAP was designed to satisfy the needs of a very specific community: carbon cycle and vegetation modellers. The dataset can be consulted online via a web application.Footnote 1

5 GFCC—Global Forest Cover Change (GFCC30TC and GFCC30FCC)

Product

LULC thematic

Dates

2000, 2005, 2010, 2015 (tree cover)

1990–2000, 2000–2005 (forest change)

Formats

Raster

Pixel size

30 m

MMU Forest change: 0.27 ha

Theme

Percentage of tree cover and forest gains / losses

Extent

Global

Updating

Expected, but no date specified

Change detection

Yes, by comparing tree cover layers or though layer of forest changes

Overall accuracy

Expected to be >88–90%

Website of reference

Website Language English

https://lpdaac.usgs.gov/products/gfcc30tcv003/

https://lpdaac.usgs.gov/products/gfcc30fccv001/

Download site

https://lpdaac.usgs.gov/products/gfcc30tcv003/

https://lpdaac.usgs.gov/products/gfcc30fccv001/

Availability

Format(s)

Open Access

.tiff

Technical documentation

Sexton et al. (2013, 2016a, b)

Other references of interest

–

Project

Global Forest Cover Change (GFCC) is a suite of products at 30 m providing information about tree cover, forest cover change, water cover and surface reflectance. The last two products are auxiliary datasets used in the production of the first two: the GFCC Tree Cover Multi-Year (GFCC30TC) and the GFCC Forest Cover Change Multi-Year (GFCC30FCC).

These datasets were developed by the Department of Geographical Sciences of the University of Maryland and form part of the NASA Making Earth System Data Records for Use in Research Environments (MEaSUREs). They aim to provide reference information for environmental monitoring and forest assessment at a global scale.

The aim of GFCC was to overcome the limitations imposed by the coarse resolution of the MODIS VCF dataset, as many forest changes take place at finer scales than 250 m. To this end, GFCC rescales at 30 m the information provided by the MODIS VCF dataset, which is described later on in this chapter.

The Tree Cover layer is also known as the Landsat Vegetation Continuous Fields (VCF) and was initially launched in 2013, with updates continuing until 2016. It describes the state of changes in the tree cover. Forest Cover Change focuses on forest covers and their changes. It was created from the Tree Cover layer, and there is only one edition.

Production method

The GFCC Tree Cover Multi-Year Global 30 m (GFCC30TC) was obtained by applying a model to Landsat reflectance imagery to rescale the MODIS VCF Tree Cover Layer at 30 m. The model consisted of a piecewise linear function of surface reflectance and temperature. Although Landsat imagery was available prior to the year 2000, the Tree Cover layer is only available for the reference years 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015. This is because of the timeframe covered by MODIS VCF (2000–2019), which is essential for producing the dataset.

In the latest version of the product, the entire Landsat imagery archive was employed to obtain the dataset, whereas in the initial versions the Landsat Global Land Survey collection was used. In addition, a water mask, specifically created from Landsat imagery through a classification-tree model, was used in a post-classification step as an auxiliary dataset for generating the Tree Cover layer.

The layers of forest change (GFCC30FCC) were independently produced for each of the periods available (1990–2000 and 2000–2005) from the Tree Cover layer. First, forest areas were extracted by applying a specific threshold to the Tree Cover Layer. Then, four change categories were defined for the period 2000–2005 based on changes in the Tree Cover layer: stable forest, stable non-forest, forest gain and forest loss. To calculate the change for the period 1900–2000, a specific forest cover layer was obtained for 1990 from Landsat imagery based on a classification-tree algorithm.

Product description

GFCC30TC and GFCC30FCC are distributed as two independent products. Users can download the two datasets through four different servers or tools: Data Pool,Footnote 2 NASA Earthdata Search,Footnote 3 USGS EarthExplorerFootnote 4 and DAAC2Disk Utility.Footnote 5

The datasets are distributed in tiles. Users must therefore download the tiles that cover their area of interest. The online viewers provided in the NASA Earthdata Search and USGS EarthExplorer tools are very useful for this purpose. The Data Pool option also includes a preview image of the tile as part of the download.

Downloads

GFCC30TC

– Raster file with the tree cover percentage per pixel

– Raster file with information about the LUC map error

GFCC30FCC

– Raster file with classes of forest change

– Raster file with forest change probability

Legend and codification

GFCC30TC-Tree Cover

Code

Label

Code

Label

0–100

Percent of pixel area covered by tree cover (0–100)

211

Shadow

200

Water

220

Fill Value

210

Cloud

  

GFCC30FCC-Forest Cover Change Map

Code

Label

Code

Label

0

No Data

11

Persistent Forest

2

Shadow

19

Forest Loss

3

Cloud

91

Forest Gain

4

Water

99

Persistent Non-forest

GFCC30FCC-Forest Cover Change Probability

Code

Label

0–100

Probability (0–100%) of forest change

GFCC30TC-Tree Cover

Code

Label

Code

Label

0–100

Percent of pixel area covered by tree cover (0–100)

211

Shadow

200

Water

220

Fill Value

210

Cloud

  

GFCC30FCC-Forest Cover Change Map

Code

Label

Code

Label

0

No Data

11

Persistent Forest

2

Shadow

19

Forest Loss

3

Cloud

91

Forest Gain

4

Water

99

Persistent Non-forest

GFCC30FCC-Forest Cover Change Probability

Code

Label

0–100

Probability (0–100%) of forest change

6 Hansen Forest Map—Global Forest Change 2000–2019

Product

LULC thematic

Dates

2000–2019

Formats

Raster

Pixel size

30 m

Theme

Percentage of tree cover and forest gains / losses

Extent

Global

Updating

Expected, but no date specified

Change detection

Supported through specific layers of forest gains and losses

Overall accuracy

Not specified

Website of reference

Website Language English

https://earthenginepartners.appspot.com/science-2013-global-forest/download_v1.7.html

Download site

https://earthenginepartners.appspot.com/science-2013-global-forest/download_v1.7.html

Availability

Format(s)

Open Access

.tiff

Technical documentation

Hansen et al. (2013)

Other references of interest

Hansen et al. (2014)

Project

The Hansen forest map was named after the researcher leading the project that produced the dataset: Matthew Hansen, from the University of Maryland. Notwithstanding this, the project is the result of collaboration between scientists from various US institutions, including the USGS.

The database was initially released in 2013. Since then, it has been revised and improved on several occasions. The latest published version of the product is Version 1.7, which included significant improvements on the previous version. This is expected to be the first step towards the creation of Version 2.0 of the product.

Production method

Landsat imagery was pre-processed and classified using the Google Earth Engine to create the Hansen forest map. A decision tree classifier was used to independently produce the base forest map and the yearly maps of forest lost. For classification purposes, all vegetation taller than 5 m in height was considered to be a tree. Forest loss was defined as a stand-replacement disturbance.

Product description

The Hansen Global Forest Change dataset is made up of multiple layers. The base layer (treecover2000) provides information on forest cover across the world for the year 2000. Two other layers (gain, lossyear) help to interpret the changes in forest cover since 2000 by identifying both the areas where new forest cover has appeared during this period and the areas in which forest cover has been lost. Forest cover losses are disaggregated per year.

The product also includes an auxiliary layer which identifies the mapped areas, the water bodies and the areas with no data. Cloud-free composites of Landsat imagery for the product’s first and last years (2000 and 2019) are also provided together with the LUC layers.

The map is distributed in tiles. For this purpose, the world is divided into equal-size areas of 10 × 10 degrees.

Downloads

Tree canopy cover for year 2000 (treecover 2000)

– Raster file with information on tree canopy cover for the year 2000

Global forest cover gain 2000–2012 (gain)

– Raster file with information about gains in forest cover

Year of gross forest cover loss event (lossyear)

– Raster file with information about the loss of forest cover

Data mask (datamask)

– Raster file indicating the areas with no data, water surfaces and mapped land surface

Legend and codification

Tree canopy cover for year 2000 (treecover 2000)

Code

Label

0–100

Tree cover area density (1–100)

Global forest cover gain 2000–2012 (gain)

Code

Label

Code

Label

0

Forest no gain

1

Forest gain

Year of gross forest cover loss event (lossyear)

Code

Label

Code

Label

0

No forest loss

10

Forest loss in 2010

1

Forest loss in 2001

11

Forest loss in 2011

2

Forest loss in 2002

12

Forest loss in 2012

3

Forest loss in 2003

13

Forest loss in 2013

4

Forest loss in 2004

14

Forest loss in 2014

5

Forest loss in 2005

15

Forest loss in 2015

6

Forest loss in 2006

16

Forest loss in 2016

7

Forest loss in 2007

17

Forest loss in 2017

8

Forest loss in 2008

18

Forest loss in 2018

9

Forest loss in 2009

19

Forest loss in 2019

Data mask (datamask)

Code

Label

0

No data

1

Mapped land surface

2

Water bodies

Practical considerations

The dataset can be easily visualized and consulted through a web-based visualization tool.Footnote 6 For those who want to work with data for the whole Earth rather than for specific areas of the world (tiles), the producers provide txt files with a full list of download links for each of the 6 layers that make up the product.

Landsat 8 imagery enabled better detection and mapping of forest disturbance. Some uncertainties may therefore emerge when comparing forest losses before and after the inclusion of Landsat 8 imagery.

7 MODIS Vegetation Continuous Fields—MOD44B

Product

LULC thematic

Dates

2000–2019

Formats

Raster

Pixel size

250 m

Theme

Percentage of tree cover

Extent

Global

Updating

Expected

Change detection

Yes

Overall accuracy

Not specified

Website of reference

Website Language English

https://lpdaac.usgs.gov/products/mod44bv006/

https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/data/dataprod/mod44.php

Download site

https://lpdaac.usgs.gov/products/mod44bv006/

Availability

Format(s)

Open Access under registration

.hdf

Technical documentation

Hansen et al. (2003a, b), Townshend et al. (2011)

Other references of interest

Amarnath et al. (2017), Hansen et al. (2005), Jeganathan et al. (2009)

Project

The MODIS Vegetation Continuous Fields (VCF), also known as MOD44B, is a thematic LUC database developed by the Department of Geographical Sciences of the University of Maryland. This dataset was created in order to overcome the limitations of categorical LUC data for which it was necessary to define specific thresholds when characterizing vegetation cover. The team from the University of Maryland later applied Landsat imagery to produce a VCF product at finer spatial resolutions, so improving the quality of the information provided by this dataset.

The dataset was initially launched in 2003. Since then, several versions of the product have been produced, each making an improvement on its predecessors. The last version of the product was launched in 2015 (v6). Versions 1 to 3 of the dataset were produced at a spatial resolution of 500 m. Subsequent versions were produced at 250 m.

Production method

MODIS VCF was obtained from MODIS imagery and other MODIS-related products, such as the MODIS Global 250 m Land/Water Map. A regression tree model was applied to the imagery to obtain the MODIS VCF dataset. The model was applied through open-access and other software customized for the production of the dataset.

Product description

MOD44B can be downloaded from different servers or tools, including AppEEARS, Data Pool, Nasa Earthdata Search, USGS EarthExplorer and OPeNDAP. In all cases, the product is distributed in tiles. Users must select their area of interest.

The download consists of a single raster file made up of multiple bands, each one showing different information: percent of tree cover, percent of non-tree vegetation, percent of non-vegetation covers, and three extra bands with technical and quality information about the product.

Downloads

Single mosaic

– Raster file with multiple bands, including LUC and data quality information

Legend and codification

Percent Tree Cover

Code

Label

0–100

Percent tree cover (0–100)

200

Water

253

Fill/Outside of projection

Percent Non-tree vegetation

Code

Label

0–100

Percent non-tree vegetation of each pixel (1–100)

200

Water

253

Fill/Outside of projection

Percent Non-vegetation cover

Code

Label

0–100

Percent with no vegetation of each pixel (1–100)

200

Water

253

Fill/Outside of projection

Percent Tree Cover Standard Deviation (SD)

Code

Label

0–10,000

Percent with standard deviation as regards Percent Tree Cover layer (1–10,000)

Percent Non-vegetation Standard Deviation (SD)

Code

Label

0–10,000

Percent with standard deviation as regards Percent Non-vegetation (1–10,000)

Practical considerations

Users must bear in mind that although the dataset is distributed as a single raster file, this includes multiple layers with different, complementary information. Nonetheless, the core of the product is the band storing information about the percentage of tree cover. The dataset can be also consulted online through a Web Map Service (WMS).Footnote 7

8 PTC Global Version—Percent Tree Cover Global Version

Product

LULC thematic

Dates

2003, 2008

Formats

Raster

Pixel size

1 km (2003)

500 m (2008)

Theme

Percentage of tree cover

Extent

Global / Regional

Updating

No

Change detection

Possible, but no information is available regarding its uncertainty

Overall accuracy

Not specified

Website of reference

Website Language English

https://globalmaps.github.io/ptc.html

Download site

https://globalmaps.github.io/ptc.html

Availability

Format(s)

Open Access

.tiff

Technical documentation

–

Other references of interest

–

Project

The Percent Tree Cover Global version is a dataset created within the context of the Global Mapping Project, which aimed to create a global reference database of geospatial information. The project was promoted by the International Steering Committee for Global Mapping (ISCGM) in cooperation with National Geospatial Information Authorities (NGIAs) from different countries and regions across the world. It came to an end in 2016, when the ISCGM decided to wind up the project and transfer all the data to the Geospatial Information Section of the United Nations.

The PTC map was generated by a group of researchers from the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) and Chiba University. Two versions of the map were produced: one for the reference year 2003 and another for the reference year 2008.

Production method

The map was obtained via the classification of MODIS imagery. No other information is available about how the PTC Global version was produced.

Product description

A single download containing the map for the entire globe is available for the year 2003. For the year 2008, the map is distributed in 12 different tiles. Each tile covers an area of 90 degrees of latitude and 60 degrees of longitude. The downloads only include the raster files with LUC information. There are no auxiliary data.

Downloads

PTC Global 2003/2008

– Raster file with global tree cover

Legend and codification

Code

Label

0–100

Tree Coverage (0–100%)

254

Water bodies

255

No data

Practical considerations

This dataset lacks auxiliary and technical information about specific characteristics and possible limitations, including data about its accuracy. It must therefore be used with caution.

General information about the Global Mapping Project can be found at https://www.gsi.go.jp/kankyochiri/gm_report_e.html. More information about the project within which the dataset was created can be found at this website.

9 FNF—Global Forest Non-Forest Map

Product

LULC thematic

Dates

2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2017

Formats

Raster

Pixel size

25 m, 100 m, 1 km, 0.25°

Theme

Forest extent

Extent

Global

Updating

Expected

Change detection

Possible, but no information available about its uncertainty

Overall accuracy

Expected to be > 84%

Website of reference

Website Language English

https://www.eorc.jaxa.jp/ALOS/en/dataset/fnf_e.htm

Download site

https://www.eorc.jaxa.jp/ALOS/en/palsar_fnf/registration.htm

Availability

Format(s)

Open Access under registration

.hdr

Technical documentation

JAXA and EORC (2019), Shimada et al (2014)

Other references of interest

Altunel et al. (2020)

Project

The Global Forest Non-Forest map (FNF) is one of the datasets produced by the Earth Observation Research Center (EORC) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) as part of the ALOS-2/ALOS Science Project. The project is responsible for the ALOS satellites (ALOS and ALOS-2) and the datasets obtained from them.

The FNF map aims to provide a reference dataset for the study of deforestation and forest degradation. As the map is obtained from imagery captured by Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) sensors (PALSAR and PALSAR-2), it can monitor forest changes regardless of the weather conditions, which is especially useful when monitoring tropical forests.

Production method

The main source of information for the FNF map is imagery from the PALSAR and PALSAR-2 sensors, on board the ALOS and ALOS-2 satellites. As these sensors are radar sensors, image classification is based on backscattering intensity values. Different parameters for classification are used depending on the region under consideration and its characteristics.

The original map is produced at 25 m and later generalized at coarser resolutions: 100 m, 1 km and 0.25°. Following the FAO definition, those areas of more than 0.5 ha covered by trees with a canopy cover of over 10% are considered to be forest.

Product description

Users can download the FNF map for each available year at different spatial resolutions. However, the map at 25 m is the only one available for all the different years covered by the product.

Whereas the maps at 1 km and 0.25° can be downloaded as a single file covering all the globe, the FNF map at higher resolutions (25 m, 100 m) is split into different tiles to facilitate downloading. Users can download the tile for their particular area of interest. All downloads include the FNF map for the selected area as well as the satellite imagery used to obtain it.

Downloads

Global Forest Non-Forest map (FNF)—25 m/100 m/1 km/0.25°

– Raster file with LUC map

– Raster files with satellite imagery

Legend and codification

Global Forest Non-Forest map (FNF)—25 m

Code

Label

Code

Label

0

No Data

2

Non-forest

1

Forest

3

Water

Global Forest Non-Forest map (FNF)—100 m

Code

Label

Code

Label

1

Water

5

Forest (26–50%)

3

Non-forest (0–9%)

6

Forest (51–75%)

4

Forest (10–25%)

7

Forest (76–100%)

Global Forest Non-Forest map (FNF)—1 km / 0.25°

Code

Label

0–100

Forest Coverage (0–100%)

200

Water

255

No Data

10 Forests of the World 2010

Product

LULC thematic

Dates

2010

Formats

Raster

Pixel size

250 m

Theme

Percentage of tree cover

Extent

Global

Updating

No

Change detection

No (only one date)

Overall accuracy

Not specified

Website of reference

Website Language English

http://www.fao.org/geonetwork/srv/en/main.home?uuid=063720fb-79b5-44e5-832b-1c03f6b845ac

Download site

http://www.fao.org/geonetwork/srv/en/main.home?uuid=063720fb-79b5-44e5-832b-1c03f6b845ac

Availability

Format(s)

Open Access

.adf

Technical documentation

–

Other references of interest

FAO (2010); Ridder (2007) FAO et al. (2009)

Project

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) carries out the Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) on average once every five years. The first LUC map produced for this project was the World’s Forests 2000, described above. For the 2015 edition of the FRA, a new map for the reference year 2010 was produced.

The Forests of the World 2010 map was produced within the framework of the FRA 2010 and 2015 Global Remote Sensing Surveys. These surveys aimed to provide complementary information using remote sensing techniques and Landsat imagery, in addition to the data that was normally collected and analysed through the different FRA projects.

The FRA Global Remote Sensing Surveys, carried out by the FAO in collaboration with the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission, provided systematic alphanumerical information on the dynamics of forest covers and uses for four dates (1990, 2000, 2005, 2010) at three different scales: regional, ecozone and global.

A new participatory global remote sensing survey is currently ongoing as part of the FRA 2020 project.

Production method

The Forests of the World 2010 map is partially based on the MODIS/Terra Vegetation Continuous Fields (VCF) product. Other auxiliary datasets were also employed in its production: water data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) and the MODIS global water mask; a Digital Elevation Model from the SRTM; the Global Administrative Unit Layer (GAUL); and a dataset of Global ecological zones. No information is available about the procedure followed to merge this information.

Product description

The map is downloaded as a single zip file, which contains the LUC raster and a series of auxiliary files that do not, however, provide any extra information to the user.

Downloads

Forests of the world 2010

– Raster file with LUC map (fao_fra2010)

Legend and codification

Code

Label

1–100

Percent of pixel area covered by tree cover (0–100)

Practical considerations

No technical information is available about the way the map was produced, which makes it difficult to understand its characteristics and potential disadvantages. As this map was created on the basis of information provided by the MODIS VCF map (see Sect. 7), there may be high correlation between the two maps.

When downloading the data, users will find many files making up the LUC map. To represent the map in QGIS they can open any of the files in the “fao_fra2010” folder.

11 TanDEM-X Forest/Non-Forest Map

Product

LULC thematic

Dates

2011 / 15

Formats

Raster

Pixel size

50 m

Theme

Forest extent

Extent

Global

Updating

No

Change detection

No (only one date)

Overall accuracy

Expected to be >90%

Website of reference

Website Language English

https://www.dlr.de/hr/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-12538/21873_read-50027/

Download site

https://download.geoservice.dlr.de/FNF50/

Availability

Format(s)

Open Access

.tiff

Technical documentation

Bueso Bello et al. (2019), Martone et al. (2016, 2018a, b)

Other references of interest

–

Project

The TanDEM-X Forest/Non-Forest Map is a dataset produced by the Microwaves and Radar Institute of the German Aerospace Center (DLR). It aims to provide useful information for environmental assessment and forest monitoring. Together with the Global Forest Non-Forest map, described earlier in this chapter, it was one of the first projects to use radar data for forest mapping at a global scale. Radar overcomes some of the limitations associated with forest mapping using optical sensors, in that it can provide accurate LUCC information regardless of the weather or daylight conditions.

The dataset was produced within the context of the TanDEM-X mission. It makes use of TanDEM-X bistatic interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) data, mainly captured to produce a very precise Digital Elevation Model (DEM) at a global scale.

Production method

The TanDEM-X Forest/Non-Forest Map was obtained by classifying and processing interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) data acquired by the TanDEM-X mission over the period 2011–2015. The original data at 3 m was resampled at 50 m for the classification. It includes two full coverages of the Earth’s surface.

Different factors in the InSAR data were used in the classification of forest and non-forest areas. The most important of these was the volume correlation factor. It quantifies the amount of decorrelation caused by multiple scattering within a volume, which is usually due to the presence of vegetation. The other factors employed in the classification process were bistatic coherence, calibrated amplitude and DEM height information.

All this information was provided as input for a fuzzy multi-clustering classification process at the scene level. Specific parameters were used for different forest types (tropical, temperate and boreal forest) due to differences in forest structure, density and tree height.

Once the classification had been carried out for all the available scenes, a Forest/Non-Forest Map was obtained by mosaicking all the classification results. In a post-classification stage, the accuracy of the map was improved using auxiliary layers that provide information about urban areas, water bodies, deserts and the tree line, i.e. the virtual line marking the altitudes above which trees do not grow.

Product description

The TanDEM-X Forest/Non-Forest Map is distributed in 1 × 1º tiles. Users can select those within their area of interest via the online viewer available at the download website (see above). The files are also available through an HTTPS Web browser: https://download.geoservice.dlr.de/FNF50/files/. In the latter case, users must input the latitude and longitude values for their specific area of interest when downloading the files.

The download includes the forest/non-forest map plus three auxiliary layers providing technical information about the classification. Interested users can also download the product’s metadata as a separate file from the download website.

Downloads

TanDEM-X Forest/Non-Forest Map

– Raster file with forest/non-forest map

– Raster file with coverage information (number of mosaicked acquisitions per pixel)

– Raster file with the number of reliable super pixels in input

– Raster file with the date of the most recent super pixels

– Text file with information about the data acquisition process

– PDF files with the product’s license agreements in English and German

– Image preview of the product

Legend and codification

Code

Label

Code

Label

0

Invalid pixels and settlements

2

Non-forested areas

1

Forested areas

3

Water bodies

Practical considerations

This dataset was produced by means of a complex production method that is difficult to understand for those without specialist knowledge of radar data. Those wishing to find out more about this dataset should read the guide cited in the specifications above and other information about the dataset available at https://geoservice.dlr.de/web/dataguide/fnf50/.