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What we are trying to achieve

The overall aim of the Forest Carbon Monitoring (FCM) project is to develop remote sensing-based, user-centric approaches for forest carbon monitoring. The project implements remote sensing-based monitoring tools to be used on online platforms. In the main project that ended in July 2023, prototype tools were successfully implemented and their functionalities demonstrated.

The feasibility and need for forest carbon monitoring tools were well demonstrated. However, users expressed further needs at the end of the project. These included most particularly 1) improved accuracy on small areas, 2) statistical accuracy information for maps and estimates derived from the maps and 3) consistency of the time series of results. The continuation of the project addresses these identified shortcomings to close gaps between user expectations and the current approaches.

We have three main scientific objectives for the project extension:

  1. Integrate AI based approaches into the system to expand the selection of available tools and enable higher accuracy of results for areas where use of deep learning is feasible. Most particularly, an approach will be implemented to transfer UNet models trained with ample amount of data (derived e.g. from Airborne LiDAR campaigns) into areas or years where such data is not available, using a limited number of field sample plots to finetune the models in the target areas.
  2. Develop statistical methods to provide users with information on the error intervals of the estimates derived from the maps and improve the credibility of the results. Most particularly, two cases will be looked into: a) use of the maps and random sample field data in model-assisted estimation, and b) designing and implementation of two-stage sampling in areas where no reference data is available.
  3. Test the feasibility of a Data Assimilation approach to create temporally consistent time series of forest attribute and biomass maps at regional to national level. Additionally, evaluate the consistency and compare the FCM continental level maps with other available products.

In addition to these main scientific developments, the objective is to improve the underlying processing approaches and visualization in the Forestry TEP platform to facilitate smooth user experience when using the tools. Furthermore, Docker based OGC Application Packages of relevant tools will be created allowing them to be implemented and run on any compatible platform. The OGC Application Packages will be made available through the ESA Network of Resources portal in due time.

The work to be conducted over the next 17 months will be highly user oriented. The system and algorithm  improvements described above are aimed at reducing the barriers for onboarding the services by current and future users. The improvements will be developed and tested together with user partners in five use case demonstrations. Two of the users (NIBIO and CPF) are involved in regional to national level compliance carbon market reporting, one (JRC) is conducting continental level carbon monitoring and one (South Pole) is involved with voluntary carbon markets. With this set of users we are able to cover a wide range of requirements that stakeholders may have for forest carbon monitoring.  You can find more information on the users in the updated Affiliates-page. For more details on the demonstrations to be conducted please refer to the updated Demonstrations-page.

That is in short what this project extensions aims to achieve. For more information on the project, have a look at the web pages. They have been updated throughout to provide current and up-to-date information on the Forest Carbon Platform. And of course, this blog series will continue to deliver regular updates on the highlights of the project.

With this, we are ready to start the real work!