NOTE from WRI: WRI decided to stop updating FORMA alerts. The goal was
to simplify the Global Forest Watch
user experience and reduce redundancy.
We found that Terra-i and
GLAD were more frequently used.
Moreover, using GLAD as a standard, found that Terra-i outperformed
FORMA globally.
FORMA alerts are detected using a combination of two MODIS
products: NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) and FIRMS
(Fires Information for Resource Management System). NDVI updates are
processed every 16 days, while fire updates are processed daily. Models
are developed individually for each ecogroup to relate the two inputs to
the area of clearing, using the Hansen annual tree cover loss data to train
the model. The minimum threshold to qualify as an alert is 25% of the pixel
cleared, though thresholds vary by ecogroup to minimize false positives.
Here is an example script
for a quick introduction to the FORMA datasets.
The percentage of clearing takes a value of 0, no clearing detected,
or in the range [ecogroup_bound:100), where ecogroup_bound is given by
WRI/GFW/FORMA/thresholds .
The time periods over which data is collected varies by N-days, where N is the number
of days between the alert_date and the last MODIS NDVI update.
Bands
Pixel Size 250 meters
Bands
Name
Units
Min
Max
Pixel Size
Description
alert_delta
%
0
100
meters
Percentage of clearing which during the 6 MODIS periods (96 + N days)
preceding the corresponding alert_date value for the pixel
alert_date
ms
meters
Timestamp in milliseconds since 1970/01/01
Terms of Use
Terms of Use
The FORMA datasets are available without restriction
on use or distribution. WRI does request that the
user give proper attribution and identify WRI and GFW, where applicable,
as the source of the data.
NOTE from WRI: WRI decided to stop updating FORMA alerts. The goal was to simplify the Global Forest Watch user experience and reduce redundancy. We found that Terra-i and GLAD were more frequently used. Moreover, using GLAD as a standard, found that Terra-i outperformed FORMA globally. FORMA alerts are detected …
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Missing the information I need","missingTheInformationINeed","thumb-down"],["Too complicated / too many steps","tooComplicatedTooManySteps","thumb-down"],["Out of date","outOfDate","thumb-down"],["Samples / code issue","samplesCodeIssue","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],[],[[["\u003cp\u003eFORMA alerts dataset, available from 2012-01-01 to 2019-05-18, provides data on forest clearing using MODIS NDVI and FIRMS products.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eThe dataset uses a 25% minimum pixel clearing threshold to trigger alerts, although this varies by ecoregion.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eWRI has discontinued updating FORMA alerts, recommending Terra-i and GLAD as preferred alternatives.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eFORMA alerts data is freely available for use and distribution with proper attribution to WRI and GFW.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eThe dataset includes information on alert date and the percentage of clearing within a specified period.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],["The WRI/GFW FORMA dataset, provided by the World Resources Institute/Global Forest Watch, offered daily deforestation alerts from 2012 to 2019. Using MODIS data (NDVI and FIRMS), the dataset detected forest clearing, with a minimum threshold of 25% pixel clearing. Alerts, indicating the percentage of clearing (`alert_delta`) and timestamp (`alert_date`), were provided. WRI stopped updating FORMA alerts because other tools were more often used. The dataset is freely available for use with proper attribution to WRI and GFW.\n"],null,["Dataset Availability\n: 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z--2019-05-18T00:00:00Z\n\nDataset Provider\n:\n\n\n [World Resources Institute / Global Forest Watch](https://www.globalforestwatch.org/)\n\nTags\n:\n[daily](/earth-engine/datasets/tags/daily) [deforestation](/earth-engine/datasets/tags/deforestation) [fire](/earth-engine/datasets/tags/fire) [forest](/earth-engine/datasets/tags/forest) [forma](/earth-engine/datasets/tags/forma) [gfw](/earth-engine/datasets/tags/gfw) [modis](/earth-engine/datasets/tags/modis) [monitoring](/earth-engine/datasets/tags/monitoring) [wri](/earth-engine/datasets/tags/wri) \n\nDescription \n**NOTE from WRI** : WRI decided to stop updating FORMA alerts. The goal was\nto simplify the [Global Forest Watch](https://www.globalforestwatch.org)\nuser experience and reduce redundancy.\nWe found that [Terra-i](http://www.terra-i.org/terra-i.html) and\n[GLAD](https://glad-forest-alert.appspot.com/) were more frequently used.\nMoreover, using GLAD as a standard, found that Terra-i outperformed\nFORMA globally.\n\nFORMA alerts are detected using a combination of two MODIS\nproducts: NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) and FIRMS\n(Fires Information for Resource Management System). NDVI updates are\nprocessed every 16 days, while fire updates are processed daily. Models\nare developed individually for each ecogroup to relate the two inputs to\nthe area of clearing, using the Hansen annual tree cover loss data to train\nthe model. The minimum threshold to qualify as an alert is 25% of the pixel\ncleared, though thresholds vary by ecogroup to minimize false positives.\nHere is an [example script](https://code.earthengine.google.com/f29b1e4360f3fc36847bd789ceeb20f6)\nfor a quick introduction to the FORMA datasets.\n\nThe percentage of clearing takes a value of 0, no clearing detected,\nor in the range \\[ecogroup_bound:100), where ecogroup_bound is given by\nWRI/GFW/FORMA/thresholds .\nThe time periods over which data is collected varies by N-days, where N is the number\nof days between the alert_date and the last MODIS NDVI update.\n\nBands\n\n\n**Pixel Size**\n\n250 meters\n\n**Bands**\n\n| Name | Units | Min | Max | Description |\n|---------------|-------|-----|-----|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|\n| `alert_delta` | % | 0 | 100 | Percentage of clearing which during the 6 MODIS periods (96 + N days) preceding the corresponding alert_date value for the pixel |\n| `alert_date` | ms | | | Timestamp in milliseconds since 1970/01/01 |\n\nTerms of Use\n\n**Terms of Use**\n\nThe FORMA datasets are available without restriction\non use or distribution. WRI does request that the\nuser give proper attribution and identify WRI and GFW, where applicable,\nas the source of the data.\n\nExplore with Earth Engine **Important:** Earth Engine is a platform for petabyte-scale scientific analysis and visualization of geospatial datasets, both for public benefit and for business and government users. Earth Engine is free to use for research, education, and nonprofit use. To get started, please [register for Earth Engine access.](https://console.cloud.google.com/earth-engine)\n\nCode Editor (JavaScript) \n\n```javascript\nvar dataset = ee.Image('WRI/GFW/FORMA/alerts');\nvar formaAlerts = dataset.select('alert_delta');\nvar formaAlertsVis = {\n min: 25,\n max: 75,\n palette: ['d65898', 'da68a2'],\n};\nMap.setCenter(6.746, 46.529, 6);\nMap.addLayer(formaAlerts, formaAlertsVis, 'FORMA Alerts');\n```\n[Open in Code Editor](https://code.earthengine.google.com/?scriptPath=Examples:Datasets/WRI/WRI_GFW_FORMA_alerts) \n[FORMA Alerts](/earth-engine/datasets/catalog/WRI_GFW_FORMA_alerts) \nNOTE from WRI: WRI decided to stop updating FORMA alerts. The goal was to simplify the Global Forest Watch user experience and reduce redundancy. We found that Terra-i and GLAD were more frequently used. Moreover, using GLAD as a standard, found that Terra-i outperformed FORMA globally. FORMA alerts are detected ... \nWRI/GFW/FORMA/alerts, daily,deforestation,fire,forest,forma,gfw,modis,monitoring,wri \n2012-01-01T00:00:00Z/2019-05-18T00:00:00Z \n-50 -120 40 180 \nGoogle Earth Engine \nhttps://developers.google.com/earth-engine/datasets\n\n- [](https://doi.org/https://www.globalforestwatch.org/)\n- [](https://doi.org/https://developers.google.com/earth-engine/datasets/catalog/WRI_GFW_FORMA_alerts)"]]
