THE WORLD FOREST OBSERVATORY An Instrument for Global Forest Measurement. Alan Grainger. University of Leeds

Transcription

1 THE WORLD FOREST OBSERVATORY An Instrument for Global Forest Measurement Alan Grainger University of Leeds

2 If astronomers can continually observe the universe... Why can't global change scientists continually observe Planet Earth?

3 The Challenge of Global Forest Measurement

4 Converting Global Forest Data Collected by Earth Observation Satellites...

5 ... into Usable Digital Global Forest Information

6 The World Forest Observatory: A Scientific Community Collaborating to Form a New Intermediate Global Instrument

7 The Missing Link Organize Processing of Large Numbers of Satellite Images Overlay Information on Forest Area with that on other Forest Attributes Share Information With Scientists Worldwide World Forest Distribution by Landsat Path/Row

8 Priority Products Two maps of world forest area 2010, 2013 at medium resolution (Landsats 5/7, Landsat 8) Map of forest change Carbon and biodiversity maps 2010, 2013 Moving to annual monitoring by 2020

9 The Time is Right

10 Demand for Global Forest Information Growing in Complexity Thirty years ago All scientists wanted was forest area information 2012 Now want information on multiple forest attributes Area Biodiversity Carbon Etc.

11 Cost Obstacles Disappearing Cost of Images Landsat and MODIS images are now free Cost and Time to Process images 5,500 Landsat images now processed in 1 week by UMD Latin American forests mapped using MODIS images every 16 days by KCL Cost of an Operational System WFO budget $20 million for initial 5 years Compatible with UK and international budget totals

12 Mapping Global Forest Area Using Landsat Images in a Week is Now Feasible With University of Maryland GDAP Software

13 Remaining Challenge: Closer Collaboration Between Disciplines Measuring Forest Area, Biodiversity, Carbon etc. Chain Linking Scientific Information Producers/Users

14 World Forest Observatory Structure

15 Geo-Referenced Global Spatial Information Layers on Multiple Forest Attributes

16 Nine Regional Area Monitoring Centres Africa S/SE Asia Latin America North America Europe Russia China Japan/NE Asia Australasia Complementing remote sensing data with ground data from Regional networks

17 World Forest Observatory Structure Organizational Structure Information Base Layers

18 The Story So Far

19 Scoping, Design, Network Building

20 Current Roles and Partners Role Regional area monitoring centres Carbon Biodiversity Global hub & synthesis In situ Networking Validation Verification Partners Columbia U, U Jena, Keio U, Peking U, S Dakota State U, VTT, Woods Hole RC, Conabio Woods Hole RC, IIASA, Carnegie I UNEP WCMC, Smithsonian U Leeds Smithsonian, U Leeds U Helsinki, IIASA Columbia U, Wageningen U Resources for Future, IIASA, Wageningen

21 2011 Role Mapping Operational, Facilitation and Coordination Functions for Five Stages in Knowledge Production at Three Spatial Scales

22 2011: Building Bridges With Other Bodies Dialogue At GEO

23 Consensus on Roles Global forest monitoring has many roles Operational information production niche empty National forest monitoring will continue FAO will continue to collate statistics GEO will help to facilitate higher frequency Remote sensing will become even more crucial GEO and WFO can help space agencies to realize their information potential GOFC-GOLD will remain an important network to coordinate remote sensing research

24 Consensus on Collaboration Exploring ways to collaborate with GEO Sharing images and maps with countries Working with GOFC-GOLD Cooperating with its regional networks Working with FAO, GEO and others Providing scientific input to FRA design Assisting in major new international initiative in forest carbon inventory training

25 : Community Expansion Strengthening Links With Stakeholders Enrolling New Contributors/Users Gaining Funding to Start Operations in 2013

26 New Website to Expand Our Global Community Of Data/Information Providers and End-Users

27 Testing Interdisciplinary Collaboration in UK: A 35 member TROPGLOBE Network

28 Combining Multiple Attribute Information Layers Area Remote Sensing-Biodiversity Area Remote Sensing-Carbon Area Remote Sensing-Ecosystem Processes Area Remote Sensing-Gaseous Fluxes Biodiversity-Carbon Biodiversity-Carbon-Hydrological Services

29 Collaboration Between Forest Observation and Astronomical Observation TROPGLOBE Collaborating With ASTROGRID to Evaluate Astronomical Virtual Observatory Software and Procedures For Forest Observation Use

30 A Family of Global Environmental Observatories: Biodiversity, Desertification, Forests, Land Use Consultative Group on Global Environmental Observatories

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32 Question Slides

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34 Complementing remote sensing data with ground data

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36 Continuing Dependence on Inconsistent Official Statistics: Trends in Natural Tropical Forest Area Grainger A., Difficulties in tracking the long-term global trend in tropical forest area. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 105:

37 2009 Demand for Multiple Attribute Information: Needs Closer Collaboration Between Disciplines

38 UK Taking Lead in Testing New Technologies

39 Stakeholder Talks & Role Mapping

40 Optimizing Carbon and Biodiversity Ecosystem Services % High Biodiversity Forest More Vulnerable to Deforestation (Kapos et al., 2008) High Carbon % High Biodiversity Area Low Carbon

41 Expanding Our Community

42 Problems in Extrapolating Plot Measurements To Regional/Global Scales Measurements in undisturbed forests in Africa indicate enhanced growth is sequestering 0.63 tonnes C/ha/yr Extrapolated to 0.34 PgC/yr in all African tropical forest, using area estimates that range from million ha

43 Links Between Different Scientific Disciplines Poorly Developed Upstream scientists process data into information for themselves, and journal papers Downstream scientists lack primary scientific information for their needs, so many must rely on official statistics

44 Seven Main Functions Inventing and testing new mapping methods Managing data and information Validation Verification Analysis and synthesis Dissemination and outreach

45 Working Structure Regional area monitoring centres Classify medium resolution satellite images Linked to regional networks for ground data/validation Timber/biomass/carbon and Biodiversity nodes Producing timber/biomass/carbon and biodiversity maps Linked to global networks for validation/ added data Global node Synthesizes regional maps to give global maps Overlays maps of all forest attributes Disseminates maps to scientific and other end-users Coordinate in situ data, synthesizes scientific discoveries Coordinates networks of cooperating scientists, end-users Validation and verification node

46 Structure in Detail Regional monitoring centres Classify images Regional nodes and national clusters Collect and synthesize ground data Disseminate maps to national stakeholders Global hub Synthesizes regional maps to give global maps Carbon and biodiversity nodes Add carbon and biodiversity layers to area maps Validation node quality control Networking node links to end-users

47 Uncertain Answers Global Forest Area Year Million ha , , , ,033

48 Low frequency of national forest surveys and patchiness of research plots Only half of tropical countries had two national forest area surveys in last 40 years Number of national forest surveys in 90 countries by latest survey date Estimates < Countries

49 The Forest Identity: Area and Growing Stock Change

50 The Limitations of UN Institutions

51 The Forest Transition Curve

52 Many science findings communicated to governments are based on national statistics

53 Constitution An international non-governmental scientific organization Autonomous and non-political but supported by governments and NGOs Executive Board member centres Science Advisory Board (Steering Committee) Council

54 The Role of the Global Hub Collating regional maps into global maps Map dissemination Research centre for scientists Assurance for donors Space agency and international orgs liaison Public face Visitors centre in future

55 International Laboratory, like CERN Initially - global scientific network Vision physical laboratory

56 How the Global Hub Will Work Centre of partnerships with scientists across the world They share their data on carbon and biodiversity in return for access to WFO area data, building up global maps of carbon and biodiversity Centre for researchers to visit and undertake research Centre for digital collaboration and Web dissemination

57 Global Hub Environment Technology development centre for WFO functions Linked to science park for development and spin-offs Linked to School of Global Forest Science at adjacent university campus Visitors Centre for outreach and inspiration

58 Existing Groups National forest services inventory divisions Space agencies and coordinating bodies Collators of forest statistics Facilitators of national forest monitoring Networks of remote sensing scientists Networks of research plots

59 1984 Demand for Area Information