Table 2.
Operational readiness of current EO sensors for monitoring forest degradation
| Degradation type | Resolution | Data source | Mode (optimal) | Sensor (Launch date) | Geographical data coverage | Methods developed and tested | Large area demonstrations | Country operational examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broad-scale degradation (fire/logging/regrowth/disease) |
Moderate (10–100 m) |
Optical | VNIR-SWIR | Landsat (1972-) | Yes | Y | Y | Y |
| Landsat-8 (2013-) CBERS-4 (2014-) | ||||||||
| L-band | DP (10 m) | ALOS-2 PALSAR (2014-) | Global 2 obs year−1; Tropical 4 obs year−1 |
Y | Y | N | ||
| DP (50 m) | Tropical 9 obs year−1 | |||||||
| C-band | SP (20 m) DP (20 m) |
Sentinel-1A/1B (2014-/2016-) | Global, monthly or better (aS1 BOS) | Y | N | N | ||
| DP | RADARSAT-2 (2007-) | Requests required | ||||||
| High (5–10 m) |
Optical | VNIR-SWIR | Sentinel-2 (2015-) SPOT-6/7 (2012-/2014-) RapidEye (2009-) |
(aS2 BOS) Requests required |
Y | N | N | |
| X-band | SM 3D TDM |
TerraSAR-X (2007-) TanDEM-X (2011-) |
Requests required | Y | N | N | ||
| Fine-scale degradation (selective logging, roads, encroachment) |
VHR (<5 m) |
Optical | VNIR-SWIR | GeoEye (2008-) WorldView-3 (2014-) |
Global (heterogeneous) | Y | N | N |
| X-band | SM/SL SM |
TerraSAR-X (2007-) COSMO-SkyMed (2007-) |
Requests required | Y | N | N | ||
| X-band | 3D TDM | TanDEM-X (2011-) | Global (2 times) | Y | N | N | ||
| LiDAR (airborne) | Full waveform | N/A | No | Y | Y | N |
aBaseline observation scenario (BOS) for Sentinel-2: systematic observation over Europe, Africa and Greenland; other land surfaces every 20 days; BOS for Sentinel-1 IW: Forestry and Agriculture Priority areas, every 12–24 days