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UID:pretalx-global-workshop-2026-K77QLY@pretalx.earthmonitor.org
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20261007T150000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20261007T151500
DESCRIPTION:The growing availability of global aboveground biomass (AGB) ma
 ps from Earth Observation (EO) is changing how carbon stocks can be quanti
 fied\, monitored and reported. Rapid advances in EO\, cloud computing and 
 GeoAI have expanded the range of available products\, from coarse-resoluti
 on long time series to emerging global maps at up to 10 m resolution. At t
 he same time\, inconsistencies in spatial support\, temporal coverage\, mo
 deling approach and uncertainty structure continue to limit comparability 
 and reduce confidence in their use for carbon accounting\, climate reporti
 ng\, REDD+ and other policy-facing applications. What is increasingly need
 ed is not simply more biomass maps\, but a framework that can validate the
 m consistently\, explain where they differ and clarify what those differen
 ces mean for actual use.\nThis contribution presents an integrated framewo
 rk developed within the Open-Earth-Monitor ecosystem with four connected c
 omponents: (1) a harmonized global biomass reference dataset\, AGBref\; (2
 ) a validation and estimation framework that explicitly accounts for spati
 al uncertainty and representativeness\; (3) a systematic inter-comparison 
 of global AGB maps across methods\, resolutions and epochs\; and (4) demon
 strations of how product differences affect downstream uptake. A key novel
 ty is the use of AGBref across all components. AGBref combines National Fo
 rest Inventories\, permanent plots and airborne LiDAR-derived biomass maps
  in a multi-epoch\, multi-resolution reference system with uncertainty inf
 ormation\, providing a common backbone for independent validation and more
  transparent interpretation of biomass products. The framework moves beyon
 d validation based only on global summary statistics. In addition to agree
 ment with reference data\, it examines how biomass products represent spat
 ial heterogeneity and landscape structure. This is particularly important 
 with the emergence of very high-resolution biomass maps\, which may show s
 imilar overall accuracy but still differ substantially in the spatial patt
 erns they reproduce. \nUse cases are central to the framework. It responds
  to a clear demand for biomass information that is not only more accurate\
 , but also more comparable\, operational and easier to integrate into exis
 ting analytical systems. For example\, WRI identifies the best available b
 iomass dataset that can strengthen forest carbon stock and emissions asses
 sment\, support biomass change analysis\, and remain compatible with Globa
 l Forest Watch workflows and baseline forest change products. For OECD\, t
 he need is similar but framed through environmental indicators\, LULUCF-re
 lated analysis\, and SEEA-based accounting\, where one consistent and tran
 sparent dataset is preferred over multiple competing products. In both cas
 es\, independent validation\, comparability with national data\, open acce
 ss\, interoperability and regular updates are core conditions for uptake.\
 nThe framework is therefore designed not only to compare maps\, but also t
 o test their implications for reporting and accounting contexts. One prior
 ity application is carbon accounting across overlapping but distinct frame
 works such as UNFCCC reporting and SEEA-based environmental accounting. Th
 ese frameworks share a need for spatially explicit\, transparent and compa
 rable biomass information\, yet differ in accounting logic\, reporting pur
 pose\, and treatment of stocks and changes. The framework creates a basis 
 for examining how the same EO-based biomass product performs across these 
 contexts\, where comparability holds\, and where important differences eme
 rge. This is especially relevant for countries with limited or infrequent 
 National Forest Inventory data\, and for recurrent accounting processes th
 at require methods and datasets that can be updated regularly and consiste
 ntly through time.\nTo support uptake\, the framework is implemented throu
 gh open\, cloud-based tools such as Plot2Map within ESA-MAAP\, enabling re
 producible integration of plot-level reference data with large-scale EO pr
 oducts for validation\, visualization and comparison. The platform also se
 rves as a demonstration space for testing how biomass products can support
  institutional needs in global forest assessment\, environmental indicator
 s\, policy analysis\, SEEA and LULUCF applications\, and country-facing mo
 nitoring workflows. This is particularly relevant for users such as WRI\, 
 OECD and national agencies that require transparent\, scalable\, open and 
 regularly updateable biomass information.
DTSTAMP:20260624T065149Z
LOCATION:Aula Magna
SUMMARY:Bridging Data\, Methods and User-Uptake in Global Biomass Mapping: 
 An Open Framework for Validation\, Estimation and Inter-Comparison - Arnan
  Araza\, Martin Herold
URL:https://pretalx.earthmonitor.org/global-workshop-2026/talk/K77QLY/
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