The perils of misusing remote sensing data: The case of forest cover
Authors
Fergusson, Leopoldo
Saavedra, Santiago
Vargas, Juan F.
Editor
Publication date
2020-05-15
Document language
eng
Publisher
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Abstract
Research on deforestation has grown exponentially due to the availability of satellite-based measures of forest cover. One of the most popular is Global Forest Change (GFC). Using GFC, we estimate that the Colombian civil conflict increases ‘forest cover’. Using an alternative source that validates the same remote sensing images in the ground, we find the opposite effect. This occurs because, in spite of its name, GFC measures tree cover, including vegetation other than native forest. Most users of GFC seem unaware of this. In our case, most of the conflicting results are explained by GFC’s misclassification of oil palm crops as ‘forest’. Our findings call for caution when using automated classification of imagery for specific research questions.
Description
Códigos JEL
D74 - Conflict; Conflict Resolution; Alliances; Revolutions, Q23 - Forestry, Q34 - Natural Resources and Domestic and International Conflicts
item.page.subjectjelspa
Keywords
Forest Cover, Conflict, Measurement
