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 images in this ImageCollection contain the raw FORMA data calculated after new
MODIS FIRMS data becomes available, approximately every day.
Each band gives a percentage of clearing (from 0 to 100) for
different accumulation periods. "N" is the number of days between the latest FIRMS update
and the previous NDVI update. N is given by the 'date_delta' property.
Bands
Pixel Size 250 meters
Bands
Name
Units
Min
Max
Pixel Size
Description
nday
%
0
100
meters
Percentage of clearing in the last N days
delta_nday
%
0
100
meters
Percentage of clearing in the last 96+N days
near_term_delta_nday
%
0
100
meters
Percentage of clearing in the last 32+N days
Image Properties
Image Properties
Name
Type
Description
year
INT
Year of the most recent data included in the dataset
date
STRING
Date, in "YYYY-MM-DD" format, of the last MODIS FIRMS data included in this dataset
date_delta
INT
The number of days between date and previous_biweekly_date
previous_biweekly
INT
The biweekly (every 16 days) period of the year associated with the latest MODIS NDVI
previous_biweekly_date
STRING
The date associated with the latest MODIS NDVI update
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 …
[null,null,[],[[["\u003cp\u003eThe FORMA dataset provides daily near real-time deforestation alerts, derived from MODIS NDVI and FIRMS data, by showing the percentage of forest clearing within different time periods.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eWRI has discontinued updating FORMA alerts, recommending Terra-i and GLAD as preferred alternatives due to higher usage and performance.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eFORMA alerts are triggered when the clearing threshold reaches 25% of a pixel, but this threshold varies across different ecological groups to minimize false positives.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eThe dataset offers bands representing the percentage of clearing within the last N days, the last 96+N days, and the last 32+N days, where N represents the days between the latest FIRMS and previous NDVI updates.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eWhile no longer updated, the FORMA dataset remains available for use and distribution with proper attribution to WRI and GFW.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],[],null,["# FORMA Raw Output FIRMS\n\nDataset Availability\n: 2017-04-08T00:00:00Z--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\n#### Description\n\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 images in this ImageCollection contain the raw FORMA data calculated after new\nMODIS FIRMS data becomes available, approximately every day.\n\nEach band gives a percentage of clearing (from 0 to 100) for\ndifferent accumulation periods. \"N\" is the number of days between the latest FIRMS update\nand the previous NDVI update. N is given by the 'date_delta' property.\n\n### Bands\n\n\n**Pixel Size**\n\n250 meters\n\n**Bands**\n\n| Name | Units | Min | Max | Pixel Size | Description |\n|------------------------|-------|-----|-----|------------|----------------------------------------------|\n| `nday` | % | 0 | 100 | meters | Percentage of clearing in the last N days |\n| `delta_nday` | % | 0 | 100 | meters | Percentage of clearing in the last 96+N days |\n| `near_term_delta_nday` | % | 0 | 100 | meters | Percentage of clearing in the last 32+N days |\n\n### Image Properties\n\n**Image Properties**\n\n| Name | Type | Description |\n|------------------------|--------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|\n| year | INT | Year of the most recent data included in the dataset |\n| date | STRING | Date, in \"YYYY-MM-DD\" format, of the last MODIS FIRMS data included in this dataset |\n| date_delta | INT | The number of days between date and previous_biweekly_date |\n| previous_biweekly | INT | The biweekly (every 16 days) period of the year associated with the latest MODIS NDVI |\n| previous_biweekly_date | STRING | The date associated with the latest MODIS NDVI update |\n\n### Terms 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\n### Explore with Earth Engine\n\n| **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\n### Code Editor (JavaScript)\n\n```javascript\nvar dataset = ee.ImageCollection('WRI/GFW/FORMA/raw_output_firms')\n .filter(ee.Filter.date('2018-08-01', '2018-08-15'));\nvar percentageOfClearing = dataset.select('nday');\nvar visParams = {\n min: 0.0,\n max: 0.01,\n};\nMap.setCenter(26, -8, 3);\nMap.addLayer(percentageOfClearing, visParams, 'Percentage of clearing');\n```\n[Open in Code Editor](https://code.earthengine.google.com/?scriptPath=Examples:Datasets/WRI/WRI_GFW_FORMA_raw_output_firms) \n[FORMA Raw Output FIRMS](/earth-engine/datasets/catalog/WRI_GFW_FORMA_raw_output_firms) \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/raw_output_firms, daily,deforestation,fire,forest,forma,gfw,modis,monitoring,wri \n2017-04-08T00:00:00Z/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_raw_output_firms)"]]
