Data from Global Forest Watch, an online forest monitoring system is now available on Esri’s ArcGIS cloud service. By
using an Esri portal to access GFW satellite data and crowd-sourced
information, people can add maps, datasets, and applications to their forest
projects and analyze indicators of forest change.
A partnership of more than 40 organizations led by the World Resources Institute, GFW uses GIS maps and data to promote sustainable forest
management and policy.
“Thanks to dramatic advances in technology, we can see what is happening in forests in near real-time,” said WRI’s Nigel
Sizer. “GIS helps us take very powerful data and make sense of it. The
analytical capabilities of GIS enrich our understanding of the earth’s forests.”
WRI launched the GFW website today. People can use the
service to track deforestation throughout the world. “Monitoring forest health and designing sustainable
solutions is a challenging task,” said Esri president Jack Dangermond. “The
Global Forest Watch initiative demonstrates the capacity of open data, shared
systems, and platform technologies to bring experts together to design
solutions.”
To promote transparency in forests around the world, GFW
combines near real-time satellite monitoring technology, forest management and
company concession maps, protected-area maps, mobile technology, crowd-sourced
data, and on-the-ground networks.
The GFW platform is intended for use by stakeholders including
concerned citizens, government leaders, buyers, and suppliers of sustainable
forest products who seek to better manage forests.
Update: Here's an article I wrote about what the Global Forest Watch website shows for Armenia (click here).
Update: Here's an article I wrote about what the Global Forest Watch website shows for Armenia (click here).
