RESEARCH · RESEARCH · #2418
Google DeepMind, Google Research, WRI and IIASA release ForTy 2020 — a 10 m global forest-typology map and 2017–2025 time series
Google DeepMind and Google Research, with the World Resources Institute and IIASA, published Forest Typology (ForTy) 2020: a global 10×10‑meter map that classifies every patch of land into six FAO-based forest and land-use types, plus an early annual time series (2017–2025) showing where natural forests were converted to plantations, tree crops or other land. The model was trained on ~1.7 million labeled locations, uses AlphaEarth Foundations embeddings as a key input, and is provided to support monitoring needs such as the EU Deforestation Regulation.
KEY POINTS
- Google DeepMind and Google Research, with the World Resources Institute and IIASA, published Forest Typology (ForTy) 2020: a global 10×10‑meter map that classifies every patch of land into six FAO-based forest and land-use types, plus an early annual time series (2017–2025) showing where natural forests were converted to plantations, tree crops or other land.
- The model was trained on ~1.7 million labeled locations, uses AlphaEarth Foundations embeddings as a key input, and is provided to support monitoring needs such as the EU Deforestation Regulation.
- A high-resolution, ML-derived global forest-typology map plus annual change data helps regulators and companies distinguish natural forests from plantations and tree-crop farms for enforcement of deforestation rules and supply‑chain compliance.
WHY IT MATTERS
A high-resolution, ML-derived global forest-typology map plus annual change data helps regulators and companies distinguish natural forests from plantations and tree-crop farms for enforcement of deforestation rules and supply‑chain compliance.