What is GOFC-GOLD?

1. What is GOFC-GOLD? • GOFC-GOLD is a coordinated international effort to ensure a continuous program of space-based and on-the-ground forest and land cover observations for global monitoring of terrestrial resources and the study of global change. • A network of participants implementing coordinated research, demonstration and operational projects • A vision to share data, information and knowledge, leading to informed action and decision support • A long term process of building an improved match between Observations, Data Products and User Needs

2. Land Cover Characteristics and Change • Use and refinement of land cover data and information products • Coarse resolution earth observations for land cover mapping • Fine-scale land cover change • Integration with in-situ observations http://www.gofc-gold.uni-jena.de

3. Fire Mapping and Monitoring • Refining international requirements for fire-related observations • Best possible use of fire products from existing and future satellite observing systems • Support fire management, policy decision-making, and global change research http://gofc-fire.umd.edu

4. New thematic working groups • Working Group on Methods and Procedures for Monitoring, Measuring and Reporting on Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) • Biomass Working Group is specifying the observation requirements for monitoring biomass as an Essential Climate Variable

5. Functions of GOFC-GOLD 1999 Strategy revisited in 2005 and 2008 to ensure the global systematic collection of observations of land cover and fire • Specifying requirements for products • Assessing algorithms and data assimilation procedures • Ensuring the availability of observations • Harmonization and the development of protocols and standards • Ensuring that operational products meet accuracy requirements • Capacity building and the role of regional networks • Creating GOFC-GOLD products and services • Providing information to support international assessments • Advocacy role, especially in relation to the continuity of observations and validation

6. 1. Specifying requirements for products • GOFC-GOLD reports 3&4 (1998) • Integrated Observations for Land (IGOL) • Global Climate Observing System • Adequacy Reports (ECVs) • Implementation Plan (tasks) • Supplementary Report on product requirements • CEOS Response Report • UNFCCC/SBSTA • Research and Systematic Obs. CEOS Response Report • Reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries • GEO & GEOSS • Tasks on global land cover/forest observations • FAO – FRA 2010 • Global remote sensing assessment component

7. GOFC-GOLDProduct Specifications for Terrestrial ECVs Progress reports to the UNFCCC meetings of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice, 2006, 2007, 2008

8. 2. Assessing algorithms and data assimilation procedures Global Geostationary Active Fire Monitoring Capabilities GOFC-GOLD Fire IT Meeting, 2007

9. 3. Ensuring the availability of observations • Global Land Cover Facility: • Simple interfaces; hide the complexity from the users • Multiple ordering mechanisms • Comprehensive data sets • Large bandwidth • Scientifically informed operators of system • The right price: $0 • (www.landcover.org) 02 Oct 04Apr Distribution of downloads

10. 4. Harmonization and the development of protocols and standards Land Cover Classification System (LCCS) www.glcn-lccs.org LCCS is a world-wide reference system for land cover able to combine high flexibility with an absolute level of standardization of class definitions between different users

11. 5. Ensuring that operational products meet accuracy requirements • Procedures for global land cover validation (Strahler et al, 2006) Available at: http://landval.gsfc.nasa.gov/pdf/GlobalLandCoverValidation.pdf

12. GLOBCOVER 2005 • Global land cover using ENVISAT/MERIS (300 m resol.) • ESA/JRC with FAO, IGBP, EEA, GOFC-GOLD … • Builds upon experiences (GLC2000) and evolving standards (LCCS, validation protocols)

13. National Needs and Users GOFC-GOLD Regional Networks National Needs and Users National Needs and Users GOFC-GOLD STB and IT’s GOFC-GOLD Regional Networks National Needs and Users Within the Region National Needs and Users Within the Region National Needs and Users Within the Region GOFC-GOLD Regional Networks 6. Capacity building and the role of regional networks Providing the interface between the panel and national level data users and needs • SEARRIN - South East Asia • OSFAC - Central Africa • Miombo - Southern Africa • SAFNET – Southern Africa • NEARIN – Northern Eurasia • RedLATif - Latin America • WARN - West Africa • APFMN - East Asia

14. GOFC-GOLD Regional Network Data Initiative Goals • Disseminate earth observation data in regions where available distribution methods are not effective • Compile regional and in country data sets relevant to land cover and fire observations Approach -- GOFC-GOLD regional network structure will be used to establish regional nodes within the networks to: • disseminate data on media (DVD, Disk) • encourage regional products to be developed using the data Pilot for Africa • Involves 4 regional networks • Network representatives received data and training over 3 weeks at USGS EDC and South Dakota State University in April 2009

15. Methods and procedures for national forest carbon monitoring GOFC-GOLD REDD working group includes regional networks Consensus technical guidance on current and future EO capabilities for monitoring deforestation http://www.gofc-gold.uni-jena.de/redd

16. ATSR Hotpots, 1995-2000 ATSR Hotspot Density, 1995-2000 7. Creating products and services Global Fire Danger Rating System Drought masked by fuel Drought x Fuel x Hotspot Density

17. 8. Providing information to support international assessments Characterizing Global Fire Interannual variability: April-May 2000 -2005

18. 9. Advocacy role: continuity of observations and validation GEO Task - High Resolution Multispectral Imager Continuity Advocate establishing continuity for near real-time, 30-m (or better) resolution, multi-spectral remote-sensing coverage everywhere on the Earth’s surface, including support for the launch of a Landsat-equivalent follow-on mission. GEO Task - Virtual Constellations Advocate virtual constellation space observations following the “CEOS constellation concept” for better temporal, spatial, and spectral resolution and related data management and dissemination.

19. Forest Carbon Tracking Task A New GEO Task in 2009-2011 Work Plan Demonstrate to climate negotiators that coordinated Earth Observations can provide the basis for reliable information services of suitable consistency, accuracy and continuity to support Forest Carbon Tracking, leading to eventual establishment of a network of national forest carbon monitoring systems Leads: Australia (Department of Climate Change & CSIRO) Japan (JAXA) Norway (NSC) Canada (NRCan, CSA) CEOS (NSC, CSIRO, JAXA, ESA) FAO GTOS (GOFC-GOLD) EC JRC

20. Fire Monitoring and Mapping Update • GOFC-GOLD operated in partnership with a number of related international organizations, including: • Global Wildland Fire Network and the Wildland Fire Advisory Group under the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) • Committee on Earth Observing Satellites (CEOS) Land Product Validation (LPV) Working Group • EARSeL. • The GOFC-GOLD Fire programme also contributes to several GEOSS activities through: • The development of the Global Wildland Fire Early Warning System, • A Global Geostationary Network for fire monitoring • Improved use of satellite-based fire information for disaster monitoring and management • The inclusion of satellite observations in fire early warning systems is helping to improve the spatial resolution of systems currently driven by weather data.

21. Fire Monitoring and Mapping Update • Emphasis is being given to: • Developing a Global Fire Assessment • Prototyping the Global Fire Early Warning System • Development and implementation of an international Burned Area Validation Protocol • Evaluating the GTOS/GCOS/UN FCCC Fire Disturbance Essential Climate Variable (ECV) • Outlining the role of Fire in REDD as part of the GOFC REDD Sourcebook • Various international collaboration initiatives on active fire characterization • Notable achievements include: • Setting up the International Land Direct Readout Coordination Committee (ILDRCC) • Transitioning an Active Fire Monitoring system to operate at the UN FAO • Promoting and securing fire monitoring capabilities for the next generation of planned polar-orbiting and geostationary satellites (e.g. NPOESS VIIRS, GOES R, Sentinel-3) • Fire monitoring continues to be of high interest for the GOFC-GOLD Regional Networks and to this end, a number of workshops were held on this topic, including those organized under WARN, REDLATIF, SEARIN, NERIN, SAFNET and the newly formed CARIN.

22. Land Cover Characterization and Change Update • The Third Land Cover Symposium was held at Jena, Germany in 2008. The Symposium included a Workshops on: • Boreal and Temperate Forest Monitoring • GOFC-GOLD Land Cover Implementation Team Meeting • Workshop on Monitoring Tropical Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) • GOFC-GOLD/CEOS Workshop on Land Cover Change Accuracy Assessment • The fifth meeting of the GOFC-GOLD Regional Networks • GOFC-GOLD Strategy Meeting • The GOFC-GOLD REDD working group, which was formed in 2006 to address key technical issues (i.e. degradation, accuracy assessment), has prepared a “sourcebook” that summarizes the technical consensus on current and future earth observation capabilities for monitoring deforestation and its emissions. • A GOFC-GOLD working Group on Biomass was initiated at the 2009 Global Vegetation Workshop. Working Group was established in response to the need for international coordination and communication platform to enhance biomass monitoring using a combination of remote sensing and in-situ observations. The working group supports international initiatives to specify the observation requirements for monitoring biomass as an Essential Climate Variable (ECV), is working with the Group on Earth Observation (GEO) on its tasks for carbon tracking, and supports space agencies and their efforts for improved biomass monitoring including the development of dedicated space-borne missions. • The Land Cover Implementation Team continues to be the Focal Point for the Land Cover and Biomass Essential Climate Variables (ECV). The team drafted the ECV’s and submitted them to GTOS.

23. Engaging users in the Regions - Update • During the biennium the GOFC-GOLD Regional Networks held their fifth pan network meeting, involving members from Southeast Asia, Central,Southern, and Western Africa, Northern Eurasia, Latin America and East Asia. • GOFC-GOLD is collaborating with the US Geological Survey to develop a Regional Network Data Initiative to help disseminate US earth observation data in regions where available distribution methods are not effective, compile regional and country data sets relevant to land cover and fire observations and make them freely available, and engage regional expertise in global data set development, evaluation and validation. • An Africa Pilot was successfully held at the EROS Data Centre in April 2009 • Plans are underway for an Asian country data initiative in spring 2010. • Opportunities for regional engagement include: • FRA 2010 • Land cover product validation • Access to the Canadian Space Agency SAR archive • Global Fire Assessment 2010. • Future collaboration with GOFC-GOLD will focus on validation and calibration activities, best practices, training and capacity building, global fire assessment, and facilitating the distribution of data, materials, and documents..