Sample composite that shows a split screen of 2017 and 2018 lidar data over El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico. As the animation plays, one can see a distinct difference between the fullness of the 2017 forest canopy versus the much sparser 2018 canopy. This difference is most noticable around rivers and streams where the neighboring forest canopy was stripped away by Hurricane Maria exposing much more of the water banks. || el_verde_zoom_comp2.2800_print.jpg (1024x576) [305.6 KB] || Sample_Composite (1920x1080) [0 Item(s)] || el_verde_zoom_comp2_1080p30_2.webm (1920x1080) [21.8 MB] || el_verde_zoom_comp2_1080p30_2.mp4 (1920x1080) [338.7 MB] || el_verde_zoom_comp2_1080p30_2.mp4.hwshow [195 bytes] ||

Animation that does of a low fly over of El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico. The entire animation is split screen showing the 2017 data on top and 2018 on bottom. Notice the dense lush forest canopy in 2017 and how it covers and shades much of the forest floor. However, in 2018, after Maria devastated the forest in late 2017, the tree canopy has been greatly thinned exposing much more of the forest floor. || evzoom_comp4.0300_print.jpg (1024x576) [316.8 KB] || evzoom_comp4.0300_searchweb.png (320x180) [121.7 KB] || evzoom_comp4.0300_thm.png (80x40) [7.3 KB] || Sample_Composite (1920x1080) [0 Item(s)] || evzoom_comp4_1080p30.webm (1920x1080) [15.4 MB] || evzoom_comp4_1080p30.mp4 (1920x1080) [199.0 MB] || evzoom_comp4_1080p30.mp4.hwshow [186 bytes] ||

Sample Composite that split screens the lidar swath over the El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico. During the split screen, 2017 data is on the upper left and 2018 data on the bottom right. As the camera moves northwest, the viewer can see patches of ground becoming visible in the 2018 data. This is due to the vast numbers of trees that were stripped or fell during Hurricane Maria in September 2017. || el_verde_comp.0190_print.jpg (1024x576) [368.1 KB] || el_verde_comp.0800.png (1920x1080) [3.0 MB] || el_verde_comp.0190_searchweb.png (320x180) [115.9 KB] || el_verde_comp.0190_thm.png (80x40) [6.0 KB] || Sample_Composite (1920x1080) [0 Item(s)] || el_verde_comp_1080p30.webm (1920x1080) [11.9 MB] || el_verde_comp.0800.tif (1920x1080) [5.9 MB] || el_verde_comp_1080p30.mp4 (1920x1080) [247.1 MB] || el_verde_comp_1080p30.mp4.hwshow [187 bytes] ||

Hurricane Maria transformed the lush rainforests of Puerto Rico leaving lots of openings in the forest canopy. NASA scientists studied the island's forests before and after the storm. Goddard's Lidar, Hyperspectral, and Thermal Imager (G-LiHT) is a portable instrument that maps forest health and structure from a small airplane resulting in detailed 3-D views of the forest. G-LiHT sends out 600,000 laser pulses every second mapping leaves and branches, rocks and streams. Almost 60% of the canopy trees lost branches, snapped in half, or were uprooted. Trees with wide, spreading crowns were reduced to a slender main trunk. Forests in Puerto Rico are now one-third shorter on average, after Hurricane Maria. The disturbances affected the whole ecosystem, from soils and streams to birds and frogs. G-LiHT data will help scientists understand how forests and wildlife respond to future changes. || SIGGRAPH_lidar_over_Puerto_Rico.01000_print.jpg (1024x576) [90.3 KB] || SIGGRAPH_lidar_over_Puerto_Rico.01000_searchweb.png (320x180) [89.6 KB] || SIGGRAPH_lidar_over_Puerto_Rico.01000_thm.png (80x40) [7.1 KB] || SIGGRAPH_PuertoRicoLidar.webm (1920x1080) [19.9 MB] || SIGGRAPH_lidar_over_Puerto_Rico.webm (1920x1080) [21.4 MB] || SIGGRAPH_PuertoRicoLidar.mp4 (1920x1080) [253.0 MB] ||

To get a detailed look at vegetation and land cover, NASA uses an airborne instrument called Goddard’s Lidar, Hyperspectral and Thermal Airborne Imager, or G-LiHT. From the belly of a small aircraft flying one thousand feet above the trees, G-LiHT collects multiple measurements of forests, including high-resolution photographs, surface temperatures and the heights and structure of the vegetation. Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available.Music: Letting the Past Go, by Ben Hales [PRS], Matt Hales [PRS] || 12590_Puerto_Rico_lidar_youtube_1080.00248_print.jpg (1024x576) [311.0 KB] || 12590_Puerto_Rico_lidar_youtube_1080.00248_searchweb.png (320x180) [126.9 KB] || 12590_Puerto_Rico_lidar_youtube_1080.00248_thm.png (80x40) [6.4 KB] || 12590_Puerto_Rico_lidar_twitter_720.mp4 (1280x720) [29.6 MB] || 12590_Puerto_Rico_lidar.webm (960x540) [49.2 MB] || 12590_Puerto_Rico_lidar_youtube_720.mp4 (1280x720) [182.1 MB] || 12590_Puerto_Rico_lidar_youtube_1080.mp4 (1920x1080) [193.0 MB] || 12590_Puerto_Rico_lidar-captions.en_US.srt [1.6 KB] || 12590_Puerto_Rico_lidar-captions.en_US.vtt [1.6 KB] || 12590_Puerto_Rico_lidar_prores.mov (1920x1080) [1.7 GB] ||

Overview of field expedition to Puerto Rico in April 2018, to survey the recovery of forests since Hurricanes Irma and Maria hit the island seven months before.Complete transcript available.Music: Treehouse Imaginations by Zachary Scott Lemon [BMI]Down Terrace by Damien Deschamps [SACEM]Reloj by Kevin Carbo [BMI]Living Forest by Luca Proietti [SIAE]Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel. || 12991-mangroves_and_plane_wing_IMG_0852.jpg (5184x3456) [1.3 MB] || 12991-mangroves_and_plane_wing_IMG_0852_searchweb.png (320x180) [84.2 KB] || 12991-mangroves_and_plane_wing_IMG_0852_thm.png (80x40) [6.2 KB] || 12991_Puerto_Rico_lidar_V2_prores.mov (1920x1080) [8.9 GB] || 12991_Puerto_Rico_lidar_V2_youtube_1080.mp4 (1920x1080) [558.3 MB] || 12991_Puerto_Rico_lidar_V2.mp4 (1920x1080) [328.9 MB] || 12991_Puerto_Rico_lidar_V2_large.mp4 (1920x1080) [343.8 MB] || 12991_Puerto_Rico_lidar_V2_youtube_720.mp4 (1280x720) [563.1 MB] || 12991_Puerto_Rico_lidar_twitter_720.mp4 (1280x720) [78.7 MB] || 12991_Puerto_Rico_lidar.webm (1920x1080) [39.1 MB] || 12991_Puerto_Rico_lidar-captions.en_US.srt [7.4 KB] || 12991_Puerto_Rico_lidar-captions.en_US.vtt [7.4 KB] ||

The Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) uses laser pulses to give a view of the 3D structure of the Earth. GEDI’s precise measurements of the height and vertical structure of forest canopy, along with the surface elevation, will greatly advance our ability to characterize important carbon and water cycling processes, biodiversity, and habitat. The mission is led by the University of Maryland, College Park, and the instrument was built and tested at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.GEDI observes nearly all tropical and temperate forests using a self-contained laser altimeter on the International Space Station. GEDI has the highest resolution and densest sampling of any lidar ever put in orbit. This has required a number of innovative technologies to be developed at NASA Goddard.GEDI has three lasers that produce 8 parallel tracks of observations. Each laser fires 242 times per second and illuminates a 25-meter footprint on the surface over which 3D structure is measured. Each footprint is separated by 60 meters along the track, with an across-track distance of about 600 m between each of the 8 tracks. GEDI is expected to produce about 10 billion cloud-free observations during its nominal 24-month mission length.With these observations, GEDI will provide answers to how deforestation has contributed to atmospheric CO2 concentrations, how much carbon forests will absorb in the future, and how habitat degradation will affect global biodiversity. This data is of immense value for forest and water resource management, carbon cycle science, and weather prediction.For more information about GEDI: https://gedi.umd.edu ||

This animation starts with a false-color map of tree heights north of San Jose, Costa Rica, and changes to a close-up 3D cut-away of a section of the forest with simulated green canopy. Data from LVIS observations taken in March, 1998. || a000743.00005_print.png (720x480) [842.1 KB] || a000743_thm.png (80x40) [7.4 KB] || a000743_pre.jpg (320x242) [16.4 KB] || a000743_pre_searchweb.jpg (320x180) [99.0 KB] || a000743.webmhd.webm (960x540) [5.2 MB] || a000743.dv (720x480) [101.7 MB] || a000743.mp4 (640x480) [5.5 MB] || a000743.mpg (352x240) [3.5 MB] ||

This animation begins by showing the similar sizes between the country of Brazil and the United States. It then cycles through over three decades of classification data for the entire Northern half of Brazil. We then zoom down to the town of Novo Progresso and compare its relative size to the San Francisco Bay region. Next we cycle through over three decades of transformation in the region showing how the north/south corridor of this region changed over time. Lastly, we fade in 2019 fire data to indicate how the data will continue to change into the upcoming year. || novo_progressov_finalcomp.2009_print.jpg (1024x576) [287.1 KB] || novo_progressov_finalcomp.2009_searchweb.png (180x320) [105.7 KB] || novo_progressov_finalcomp.2009_thm.png (80x40) [7.3 KB] || novo_progressov_finalcomp_1080p30.mp4 (1920x1080) [48.9 MB] || example_composite (1920x1080) [0 Item(s)] || novo_progressov_finalcomp_1080p30.webm (1920x1080) [7.9 MB] || novo_progressov_finalcomp_1080p30.mp4.hwshow [199 bytes] ||

This data visualization begins with a wide view of Northern Brazil. It then zooms down to the region surrounding the town of Novo Progresso and compare its relative size to the San Francisco Bay region. Next we cycle through over three decades of transformation in the region showing how the north/south corridor of this area opened up over time. Lastly, we fade in 2019 fire data to indicate how the data will continue to change into the upcoming year. || novo_wide_finalcomp.2009_print.jpg (1024x576) [387.4 KB] || novo_wide_finalcomp.1116_print.jpg (1024x576) [221.0 KB] || novo_wide_finalcomp_1080p30_2.mp4 (1920x1080) [30.2 MB] || novo_wide_finalcomp_1080p30_2.webm (1920x1080) [3.7 MB] || Example_Composite (1920x1080) [0 Item(s)] || novo_wide_finalcomp_1080p30_2.mp4.hwshow [195 bytes] ||