Global Forest Watch (GFW)

Website: https://www.globalforestwatch.org/ 
 

Prerequisites

Please make sure to have this ready for your integration:

I. Data Source

Read more: Save an area and subscribe to receive forest change notifications | External Link (globalforestwatch.org) 

 

II. Data Delivery

EarthRanger

Please refer to EarthRanger's documentation or contact Support.

Please refer to EarthRanger's documentation or contact Support.

Consult our references here.

Contact us if you need assistance.

SMART Connect

Consult our references here.

 

Configuration in Gundi

1. Login to Gundi.

2. Click on Create Connection.

3. Select Global Forest Watch.

4. Select your Organization.

5. Enter a name for this Connection (e.g., “GFW - Area Name”)

6. Configure your GFW credentials.

7. Global Forest Watch AOI Share Link

  • Configure the area of interest provided by Global Forest Watch AOI “Share Link”.

8. Partition interval size in degrees (Optional) 

Click to Expand

You can use the default value and leave this field unchanged. Our Support team may adjust this parameter for performance optimization.

Partition of 0.3

Partition of 0.6

 
 

9. Select one or more alert types:

9.1. Include fire alerts

  • Configure the number of lookback days. 
  • Configure the lowest confidence level you wish to receive.

9.2. Include integrated deforestation alert

  • Configure the number of lookback days.
  • Configure the lowest confidence level you wish to receive.

10. Force fetch (Optional) 

Click to Expand

You can leave this unchecked. Our Support team may use it to resolve certain issues. “Force Fetch” is used to fetch data as soon as possible, rather than waiting for the automatic schedule, which can be 4 to 12 hours after the last pull for this account.

 
 

11. Click Next.

12. Select a Destination. Please consult our guide.

 

Considerations

Warning: Multipolygon areas are not supported by Gundi yet. 

Consider configuring auto-resolve to 2 days or so. Ask the user for confirmation.
 

Next Steps

EarthRanger

Consider configuring “auto-resolve” in EarthRanger using a number of hours.

If the amount of data is undesired or not helpful, consider updating the "Integrated deforestation alerts lowest confidence" or "Fire alerts lowest confidence" parameter in Gundi. 

 
 

SMART Connect

If the amount of data is undesired or not helpul, consider updating the "Integrated deforestation alerts lowest confidence" or "Fire alerts lowest confidence" parameter in Gundi. 

 
 

Note on Latency

The time it takes for data to appear in your destination system depends on several factors, such as latency introduced by the source, network conditions, and intermediary systems. 

While these factors may vary, Gundi typically checks for available data in Global Forest Watch's database on a scheduled interval of approximately 10 minutes. If your data is not available in EarthRanger or SMART Connect after this interval, kindly refer to the GFW Dashboard to review the availability of data. Alternatively, please contact our Support team for further assistance.

 

External Resources

Save an area and subscribe to receive forest change notifications | External Link (globalforestwatch.org) 

 

 

Tags: Remote Imagery, Fire Alerts, Deforestation, Pull Integration, Events, Data Provider
Last Update: Sep 24, 2025