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Image of Eastern U.S. with colors from blue to green indicating estimated AGBD values
image of GEDI on the ISS
GEDI forest height

GEDI

Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation

The Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) aims to characterize the effects of changing climate and land use on Earth. Specifically, GEDI helps researchers study ecosystem structure and dynamics to enable improved quantification and understanding of Earth's carbon cycle and of how plant-covered landscapes are changing. 

From its vantage point on the International Space Station (ISS), GEDI uses lidar to make global, high-resolution observations of forest vertical structure. GEDI addresses three core science questions: What is the above-ground carbon balance of the land surface? What role will the land surface play in mitigating atmospheric carbon dioxide in the coming decades? How does ecosystem structure affect habitat quality and variability of life?

Principal Investigator

Ralph Dubayah

Partners

University of Maryland

Data Centers

ORNL DAAC
LP DAAC

Funding Programs

Earth Ventures Instrument (EVI) program
Learn more about GEDI
The text GEDI - Ecosystem Lidar is superimposed over satellite imagery of Earth.

Specifications

Study DatesDec. 5, 2018 to present
Season of StudyYear round
RegionGlobal (between 51.6° N and 51.6° S)
Focus Areas

Biosphere

Geosphere

Scientific TopicsForest ecosystem structure
Aboveground carbon storage
Biodiversity and habitat
Topography and surface elevation 

Lower-level science data products (L1 and L2) are available from the Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC) and the higher-level products (L3 and L4) are available from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory DAAC (ORNL DAAC).

Related Instruments

Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation Lidar (GEDI Lidar) Data acquired using GEDI lidar are used to construct detailed 3D maps of forest canopy height and branch/leaf distribution.