As part of the EO-BALP project, Baltic Satellite Service and Lithuanian, Estonian, and Latvian partners have created various apps available on the GEOHUB platform, including Forest Monitoring Service. This application allows users to access satellite data to monitor clear-cut and forest health risks.
The Forest Monitoring Service monitors forestry activities, such as clear-cuts, and detects windfalls. It also conducts annual monitoring for less visible forest damage, including excess water, insects, disease, and fire, across the Baltics. This service reduces the need for manual surveys, allowing human resources to focus on damage prevention and enabling timely updates to the State Forest Registry.
The service includes forest monitoring tools that allow users to register, upload plots, and track forest changes using Sentinel data. It identifies areas of clear-cut or damaged forests with different color codes (e.g., red for damage). Users can download data layers and use additional functionality, such as bookmarking locations and adjusting layers, for better analysis.
The app provides clear-cut monitoring and automated forest health risk monitoring, with an analysis accuracy depending on tree density and other factors. The platform allows users to work with different data layers, including satellite imagery and provides a flexible interface through which to explore the available services. Additionally, it supports forest plot functionality, enabling users to draw, edit, and manage plots and import and export data. Notifications of changes in plot status will be available soon (expected within a month).
Data layers and services are available in four languages, including all Baltic languages and all three Baltic regions. The smallest possible plot to be detected is 900 square meters. The platform is free to use at least until the end of the year.
During the presentation, Baltic Satellite Service representative Ilze Bargā urged all the participants to try out the app and send any suggestions to ilze@baltsat.lv.
