Abstract

PlotToSat is a new open-source framework that uses the Python API of Google Earth Engine (GEE) to solve the problem of creating time-series of Earth Observation (EO) satellite data at multiple plot locations spread out within a landscape. Forest ecologists gather data from predetermined sites known as plots. Plots are usually circular, defined by their centre (latitude, longitude) and a radius. A plot network consists of a few to hundreds of thousands of plots, which are systematically placed to represent the forests of a region, e.g., a country. PlotToSat extracts time-series of multispectral and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data for a given year. By running it multiple times, the time-series can be extended. The first application of PlotToSat is tree genera classifications from space. PlotToSat is useful for any application requiring EO time-series data from multiple spatially disconnected locations.