GEO Work Plan Symposium 2011

Day 3

DS-11 Global Forest Observation

GEO Support for Countries’ Choice of Monitoring and Reporting against the different IPCC Lands and Emissions methods

• Land Representation– Approach 1: areas of different land use at different times

(blind to land substitution and transition)– Approach 2: a land conversion matrix by area to identify land

substitution, but not spatially explicit– Approach 3: spatially explicit (wall-to-wall time-series

monitoring of land use change)

• Emissions– Tier 1: emissions factors using global defaults– Tier 2: emissions factors using local defaults– Tier 3: emissions estimated by direct measurement or model

GEO

FC

T S

up

port

Coverage 2010

Current ND’s

Ultimate Goal to produce a time-series product (from various sources of satellite data, if necessary)

Syste

mati

c S

ate

llit

e D

ata

Acq

uis

itio

ns

Op

tical

SA

R

19901991

19921993

19941995

1996…..

….…

…2003

2012

……

19911992

1995

….2003

2012

…

Common Processing

Forest Conversion

Fore

st

Inven

tory

or

Carb

on

Mod

el

Accou

nti

ng

Ru

les

an

d I

nte

rnati

on

al R

ep

ort

ing

Time series consistency Is critical

Verification

HiRes Data & Products

• E.g. Orthorectified RGBs for manual validation• Forest cover products for early detection of change

(e.g. logging roads)

DS-11 Global Forest Observation

DefinitionIncrease the use of Earth observing capabilities and supporting applications systems to produce timely, objective, reliable, and transparent forest statistics and information at the national and regional level. Improve collaboration and coordination on the use and applications of Earth observations for forestry (Agriculture Target)

Deliverables

1. Sustained availability of satellite and ground observations in support of national forest information systems

Priority Actions: – Coordinate and provide regular and routine observations that are

essential for effective reporting; – Develop methods and protocols for data collection, processing

and integration;– Promote coordinated research and development needed for

continuous improvement; develop forest carbon tracking methods)– Definition of CEOS data strategy in support of FCT and GFOI

(CEOS SIT)– Data pre-processing and delivery– Role of commercial data – Mechanism to ensure access to in situ data

Leads: CEOS Member Agencies, in situ responsibility of Nations

Deliverables

2. Support for countries in the use of observations in national forest information systems – respecting national choices of data and tools

Priority Actions: – Develop consistent and comparable methods for

individually developed and comparable national systems– Help governments develop national forest information

systems)– National Demonstrators– Capacity building: workshops, hands-on training

Leads: Norway, Japan, US, EC, Australia, FAO,CEOS, GOFC….

Re-organization of 2009-2011 Sub-tasks

(i.e. which sub-tasks support the new Task)

* CL-09-03b) Forest Carbon Tracking

* EC-09-01e) Forest Mapping and Change Monitoring

Related Tasks

CL-09-03a) Integrated Global Carbon Observation (IGCO)

CL-09-03c) Global Monitoring of Greenhouse Gases from Space

BI-07-01a) GEO Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO BON)

Inclusion of New Proposals

Global Forest Observation Initiative (GFOI) (Australia, Brazil, China, Norway, Tanzania, USA, ESA/CEOS, GOFC-GOLD, FAO, World Bank)

Resources Available for Implementation

(current status and in planning)

• There are significant monetary and in kind contributions Australia, Norway, CEOS, Japan, US, FAO et al. However, there needs to be a programmed budget in order to become operational

Issues and Gaps• Data access, distribution, continuity, cost• In situ data acquisition, information systems and data sharing• Data Integration: in situ, aerial and satellite; optical, radar and

lidar• Database management• Accurately estimating forest cover, volume, biomass, and

carbon stocks and flows• Long-term operations in developing countries• Accuracy and precision requirements against costs and

benefits• Accuracy assessments and requirements for verification• Ability to keep up on the processing-side with the volume of

data being collected and distributed

Possible Measures to fill Gaps

• Continue to work with CEOS on long-term acquisition strategy

• …• …

Open for Plenary Discussion

→ Identify Synergies

→ Improve Cross-Fertilization

→ Identify Measures and Actions to Fill Gaps