Google DeepMind creates global forest type map ForTy using satellite data and AI

Google DeepMind and the World Resources Institute have launched ForTy, the world's first global forest type map. It classifies land across 2020 into six categories at a 10-meter resolution: primary forests, naturally regenerated forests, plantations, tree crops such as oil palm, rubber, and cocoa, and other lands. The map serves as a 2020 baseline for the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), based on expert review of 8,190 randomly selected sampling points. Overall accuracy reached 90.2%, but it identified only about half of tree crops and plantations.