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Full catalog/GEDI_L4C_WSCI_Gridded_2470
GEDI_L4C_WSCI_Gridded_2470·v2·dataset

How structurally complex forests are (GEDI, gridded)

GEDI L4C Gridded Waveform Structural Complexity Index, Version 2
biosphere NASA ORNL_CLOUD Level 4 COG
In plain English

What it measures. A near-global map of how structurally complex forests are, summarized at 1-kilometer resolution. Structural complexity reflects how varied a forest's vertical layering and canopy are.

How it's made. Built by averaging high-quality measurements from NASA's GEDI laser instrument on the International Space Station (which scans forest structure) into a gridded product, delivered as GeoTIFF map files.

How & where you'd use it. Lets researchers compare forest complexity across large areas without processing the raw laser data, supporting studies of biodiversity, carbon storage, and forest health.

What's measured

BIOSPHERE › ECOSYSTEMS › TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMSBIOSPHERE › VEGETATION › FOREST COMPOSITION/VEGETATION STRUCTURESPECTRAL/ENGINEERING › LIDAR › LIDAR WAVEFORM

Coverage & cadence

  • Time span2019-04-18 → 2023-03-17
  • Measured byISS (GEDI)
  • Processing levelLevel 4
  • Spatial extent-180, -53.2463, 180, 52.5243
  • FormatsCOG
  • StatusCOMPLETE

What you can do with it

  • Map vegetation, forests and biomass
  • Monitor ecosystem productivity and carbon
  • Support habitat and biodiversity studies
Official description

This dataset consists of gridded average estimates of Waveform Structural Complexity Index (WSCI) at 1-km resolution on a nearly global scale derived from the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) Level 4C (L4C) footprint-level WSCI data covering the observations starting on 2019-04-18 to 2023-03-17. Mean WSCI values were computed from high quality GEDI shots over the land surface, according to the quality flags available in the GEDI L4C dataset. This dataset enables users to assess spatial patterns of forest structural complexity at a coarse scale anywhere within the GEDI domain without the need to acquire and process GEDI footprint data. The data are provided in cloud-optimized GeoTIFF format.

Get the data

gedi_l4c_wsci_gridded_2470_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="GEDI_L4C_WSCI_Gridded_2470",
    version="2",
    bounding_box=(-122.5, 37.2, -121.8, 37.9),  # your area (W,S,E,N)
    temporal=("2024-01-01", "2024-12-31"),       # your dates
)
files = earthaccess.open(results)   # stream straight from ORNL_CLOUD
Browsing CMR needs no login. Downloading or streaming bytes needs a free Earthdata Login + the earthaccess package.