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The Global Forest Watch (GFW) dataset is a high-resolution, remotely-sensed measure of forest cover, measured annually from the year 2000.
The Global Forest Watch (GFW) dataset is a high-resolution, remotely-sensed measure of forest cover, measured annually from the year 2000. The GFW web platform provides an automated way for users to draw or upload polygons of interest and obtain information on deforestation and other variables related to land use at any relevant spatial scale.
The GFW dataset uses Landsat satellite imagery to create an estimate of canopy cover for the Earth’s terrestrial surface, at a resolution of 30 meters. This canopy cover dataset is then used to calculate various metrics related to forest cover and deforestation, including forest gain/loss, for a given threshold of canopy cover determining what is considered “forest”. The GFW map portal allows users to draw or upload GIS data representing their areas of interest, and automatically calculates forest cover, forest gain and forest loss for a user-defined threshold. Additionally, the map portal provides a variety of other useful data related to forest and land cover, including data on fires, deforestation hotspots, forest carbon removal and greenhouse gas flux, land use threats such as mining concessions and oil palm plantations, and a variety of other indicators. Recently, the GFW platform has expanded to include the specific deforestation drivers for the various deforestation hotspots, along with vegetation disturbance alerts for forest and non-forest areas.
Human pressures mapping
Land use change mapping
Climate threat indicators
The GFW site has a comprehensive help section, featuring step-by-step instructions and webinars on how to navigate and use the map platform, along with detailed descriptions of the various available datasets.
There are some minor technical limitations involved in interpreting the GFW data. For example, the satellite imagery post-2015 (Landsat 8) had a superior sensor compared to pre-2015 (Landsat 5, 6 and 7), and therefore changes in 2015 specifically may have in fact occurred earlier. Some of these issues are summarized here - the World Resources Institute (WRI), which operates GFW, is extremely transparent about the technical limitations and discusses them at some length.
To understand how to integrate Traditional Knowledge into your project's monitoring protocol, please refer to COMET's Practitioners Guide to Engaging with Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in Conservation Monitoring.
