LBA-ECO LC-22: Field Validation of MODIS Deforestation Detection

NASA's 2005 field campaign in Mato Grosso, Brazil, provides ground-truth data for validating satellite-based deforestation detection during the wet season. The dataset contains GPS points, polygons, and field observations focused on large clearings in the Xingu Basin. It was specifically designed to assess the accuracy of preliminary MODIS deforestation products.

Use Cases

• Validating MODIS-based deforestation detection algorithms based on ground-truth GPS points and polygons.
• Assessing the accuracy of wet-season deforestation mapping based on field observations from March 2005.
• Analyzing spatial patterns of large-scale clearings in the Xingu Basin based on geospatial shapefiles.
• Calibrating remote sensing models for tropical forest monitoring based on field-collected land cover data.

Strengths

• Contains direct field observations and GPS coordinates for ground-truth validation.
• Data is focused on a specific, critical validation period (March 17-24, 2005) for wet-season detection.
• Includes multiple geospatial data types (points, polygons) alongside tabular records.

Limitations

• Column names and exact row counts are unknown, limiting detailed understanding of the data structure.
• Conflicting metadata: one platform lists a last update in 2026, while another lists 2005, creating uncertainty about data currency.
• Dataset scale is limited to a single week of fieldwork in specific regions of Mato Grosso.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Field campaign involving observations and GPS data collection.

Time Range

March 17-24, 2005

Freshness

2026-04-10 01:33:44.708826 (conflicts with a source stating 2005-03-24)

Geography

State of Mato Grosso, Brazil, specifically regions surrounding Sinop and the Xingu Basin.