Resource Communication : ForestAz - Using Google Earth Engine and Sentinel  data for forest monitoring in the Azores Islands (Portugal)

Fernández-Urrutia, Manuel; Gil, Artur José Freire

Publication

Resource Communication : ForestAz - Using Google Earth Engine and Sentinel data for forest monitoring in the Azores Islands (Portugal)

2022Journal article

dc.contributor.author	Fernández-Urrutia, Manuel
dc.contributor.author	Gil, Artur José Freire
dc.date.accessioned	2022-12-27T12:19:27Z
dc.date.available	2022-12-27T12:19:27Z
dc.date.issued	2022
dc.description.abstract	AIM OF STUDY: ForestAz application was developed to (i) map Azorean forest areas accurately through semiautomatic supervised classification; (ii) assess vegetation condition (e.g., greenness and moisture) by computing and comparing several spectral indices; and (iii) quantitatively evaluate the stocks and dynamics of aboveground carbon (AGC) sequestrated by Azorean forest areas. AREA OF STUDY: ForestAz focuses primarily on the Public Forest Perimeter of S. Miguel Island (Archipelago of the Azores, Portugal), with about 3808 hectares. MATERIAL AND METHODS: ForestAz was developed with Javascript for the Google Earth Engine platform, relying solely on open satellite remote sensing data, as Copernicus Sentinel-1 (Synthetic Aperture Radar) and Sentinel-2 (multispectral). MAIN RESULTS: By accurately mapping S. Miguel island forest areas using a detailed species-based vegetation mapping approach; by allowing frequent and periodic monitoring of vegetation condition; and by quantitatively assessing the stocks and dynamics of AGC by these forest areas, this remote sensing-based application may constitute a robust and low-cost operational tool able to support local/regional decision-making on forest planning and management. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: This collaborative initiative between the University of the Azores and the Azores Regional Authority in Forest Affairs was selected to be one of the 99 user stories by local and regional authorities described in the catalog edited by the European Commission, the Network of European Regions Using Space Technologies (NEREUS Association), and the European Space Agency (ESA).	en
dc.description.version	info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion	pt_PT
dc.identifier.citation	Fernández-Urrutia, M. & Gil, A. (2022). Resource communication: ForestAz - using Google Earth Engine and Sentinel data for forest monitoring in the Azores islands (Portugal). "Forest Systems", 31(2), eRC01. DOI:10.5424/fs/2022312-18929	en
dc.identifier.doi	10.5424/fs/2022312-18929	pt_PT
dc.identifier.eissn	2171-9845
dc.identifier.issn	2171-5068
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10400.3/6530
dc.identifier.wos	000846890900013
dc.language.iso	eng	pt_PT
dc.peerreviewed	yes	pt_PT
dc.publisher	Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA-CSIC)	pt_PT
dc.relation.publisherversion	https://revistas.inia.es/index.php/fs/article/view/18929	pt_PT
dc.rights.uri	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/	pt_PT
dc.subject	Sentinel-1	pt_PT
dc.subject	Sentinel-2	pt_PT
dc.subject	Copernicus	pt_PT
dc.subject	Vegetation Indices	en
dc.subject	Forest Mapping	en
dc.subject	Forest Management	en
dc.subject	Aboveground Carbon	en
dc.title	Resource Communication : ForestAz - Using Google Earth Engine and Sentinel data for forest monitoring in the Azores Islands (Portugal)	en
dc.type	journal article
dspace.entity.type	Publication
oaire.citation.conferencePlace	Madrid, España	pt_PT
oaire.citation.issue	(2)	pt_PT
oaire.citation.title	Forest Systems	en
oaire.citation.volume	31	pt_PT
person.familyName	Freire Gil
person.givenName	Artur José
person.identifier	I-7520-2012
person.identifier.ciencia-id	6E1A-0689-D573
person.identifier.orcid	0000-0003-4450-8167
person.identifier.scopus-author-id	37064609200
rcaap.rights	openAccess	pt_PT
rcaap.type	article	pt_PT
relation.isAuthorOfPublication	24d6aa34-c843-42df-b790-912f09560a80
relation.isAuthorOfPublication.latestForDiscovery	24d6aa34-c843-42df-b790-912f09560a80