Google DeepMind creates global forest map with satellite AI
The Decoder: Google Deepmind creates a global map of forests with satellite data and AI
Google Deepmind and the World Resources Institute have released ForTy, a global map that classifies forests and other land into six categories, including primary forest, plantations, and tree crops. The map could help track deforestation under EU rules, but it identifies only about half of planted forests and tree-crop areas, and 60% of plantations. The article Google Deepmind creates a global map of forests with satellite data and AI appeared first on The Decoder.
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Google DeepMind and the World Resources Institute created a global satellite map that classifies forest and land types into six categories, including primary forest, plantations, and tree crops, at 10-meter resolution. The map was built to provide a reliable reference point for the year 2020, which is required by EU regulations prohibiting goods linked to forests cleared after that date. The system uses artificial intelligence and data from multiple satellites to distinguish forest types based on their history, growth cycles, and harvest patterns rather than appearance alone. While the map achieved 90.2 percent overall accuracy and outperformed existing European Commission maps, it performs less reliably for plantations and tree crops, identifying only about half of these categories.
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