FAO’s Open Foris and SEPAL win Google Geo for Good Impact Award

Rome - The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ (FAO’s) groundbreaking open-source technical solutions Open Foris and SEPAL have jointly won a prestigious Google Geo for Good Impact Award. 

FAO forest and land monitoring platforms Open Foris and SEPAL (System for Earth Observation Data Access, Processing and Analysis for Land Monitoring), provide access to satellite data and processing capabilities powered by cloud-based super computers, and use Google Earth Engine technology.

“This award is a testament to the impactful work being done by FAO’s Open Foris and SEPAL in leveraging advanced forest monitoring technologies to address critical environmental challenges and accelerate protection, restoration and sustainable use of forests,” said Zhimin Wu, Director of FAO’s Forestry Division. 

The Geo for Good Impact awards celebrate users and organizations creating real-world environmental and social impact using Google’s mapping tools. This results in policymakers and other stakeholders making better informed decisions for a more sustainable future. FAO has received two Geo for Good awards for Open Foris, a specific award for Earth Map, and now this award for the whole Open Foris platform, also recognizing the contribution of SEPAL.

Collecting and analyzing data transparently

Launched over a decade ago as FAO’s first open-source project, Open Foris enables countries to measure, monitor and report on forests and land use.

Every year 10 million hectares of forest are lost to deforestation. In response, world leaders have committed to halt deforestation and restore 1 billion hectares of degraded land by 2030. 

Through Open Foris and Sepal, FAO aims to bridge this gap through solutions which empower anyone, anywhere, toward the collection, analysis and reporting of forest data, unlocking the potential of forests for climate action and the many other benefits that forests provide. 

The Open Foris solutions are also used to protect biodiversity-rich landscapes by monitoring protected areas and informing conservation efforts. 

Widespread use and impact

SEPAL allows users to query and process satellite data quickly and efficiently, tailor their products for local needs, and produce sophisticated and relevant geospatial analyses.  It has over 16,000 users, while the Open Foris suite of solutions has over 250,000 users from 196 countries, primarily from government ministries involved in national forest and agricultural monitoring. 

FAO provides technical support and training to help local technicians use open-source technical solutions fostering capacity building and sustainable development practices. 

FAO's e-learning curriculum on forest monitoring has reached over 5,000 learners, alongside the 13,000 participants trained in Open Foris platforms through 445 in-person trainings over the last 5 years. 

Results on the ground 

Many countries have reported concrete results on the ground using FAO technical solutions, including Ecuador where strengthened national forest inventory and monitoring processes have enabled better detection of forest cover changes. 

Ethiopia has utilized SEPAL and Collect Earth Online for a comprehensive forest inventory which has aided in the implementation of climate change policies and green job creation. 

And in Papua New Guinea, pioneering forest monitoring innovations have supported efforts to reduce deforestation and forest degradation while at the same time increasing biodiversity conservation in collaboration with local Indigenous Peoples.