A field survey was conducted from October 7 to 11 in Porto Velho, Rondonia, and
Humaita, Amazonas, located in the north region of Brazil. This survey aimed to compare the forest change detection results using a new algorithm based on JAXA’s ALOS-2 data with those obtained using the previous algorithm. Additionally, the accuracy of deforestation prediction results was verified through on-site inspections.
This year, forest fires have been particularly severe, and before the survey, the area experienced frequent flight cancellations due to smoke. When visiting the detected deforestation sites, not only evidence of deforestation but also many instances of forests burning due to fires and degraded forests affected by the spread of fire were observed.
The new algorithm was able to detect degraded forests, suggesting the possibility of early identification of areas that are likely to be logged in the future. Moreover, for some areas where large-scale deforestation activities are active, there is a possibility that the expansion could be predicted. Further verification will be conducted to improve the accuracy of these predictions.