AfriSAR Lidar Forest Biomass and Canopy Metrics for Gabon

NASA's LVIS instrument captured full-waveform lidar data over five forested sites in Gabon during the 2016 AfriSAR campaign. The dataset provides gridded metrics including canopy height, plant area index, foliage height diversity, and modeled aboveground biomass density at 25m, 50m, and 100m resolutions. This work characterizes one of the world's least studied forest ecosystems using coordinated airborne and field inventory data.

Use Cases

• Modeling aboveground biomass density (AGBD) for carbon stock assessment using the 50m and 100m resolution grids.
• Analyzing forest canopy structure and complexity through metrics like plant area index (PAI) and foliage height diversity (FHD).
• Mapping terrain and canopy height profiles by combining bare ground elevation and canopy height layers.
• Assessing data collection reliability for each grid cell using the included number of shots and flight lines statistics.
• Studying spatial variation in forest characteristics across five distinct sites in Gabon (Lope, Mondah/Akanda, Pongara, Rabi, Mabouni).

Strengths

• Derived from NASA's high-resolution, full-waveform LVIS lidar instrument, providing detailed vertical forest structure.
• Includes uncertainty estimates for key metrics like canopy cover, heights, and aboveground biomass density.
• Covers five distinct forest sites in Gabon, a unique and understudied ecosystem.
• Integrates field inventory data for modeling aboveground biomass, grounding remote sensing in physical measurements.

Limitations

• Conflicting last updated dates exist between platforms (2016-03-08 on NASA Earthdata vs. 2026-03-13 on Data.gov).
• Specific row counts, file sizes, and detailed column names are not provided by any source.
• Aboveground biomass density (AGBD) is only modeled for three of the five sites (Lope, Mondah, and Mabounie).

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Airborne full-waveform lidar data from the Land, Vegetation, and Ice Sensor (LVIS) instrument, combined with field inventory data.

Time Range

February to March 2016

Freshness

2026-03-13 18:49:07.266009

Geography

Five forested sites in Gabon, Africa: Lope, Mondah/Akanda, Pongara, Rabi, and Mabouni.