gridFIA
Spatial forest biomass analysis from FIA plot data to continuous maps
What It Does
gridFIA transforms discrete FIA plot measurements into continuous spatial maps of forest biomass, carbon density, and species diversity. It uses USDA Forest Service BIGMAP (Biomass Inventory and Growth MAPs) data -- derived from Landsat 8 imagery and 212,978 FIA plots -- to provide 30-meter resolution estimates for any US state, county, or custom bounding box.
Data is converted from GeoTIFF into cloud-optimized Zarr arrays for efficient scientific computing, enabling analysis of 327 tree species across the contiguous United States.
Key Features
Cloud-Optimized Zarr
Converts BIGMAP GeoTIFF data into Zarr arrays optimized for scientific computing access patterns and parallel processing.
Localized Spatial Analysis
Query by US state, county name, or custom bounding box with automatic boundary detection for any region in CONUS.
Forest Diversity Metrics
Calculates Shannon diversity, Simpson diversity, evenness, species richness, and dominant species from 327 tree species.
Publication-Ready Maps
Creates diversity and biomass maps with automatic boundary detection and professional cartographic output.
Quick Start
pip install gridfiafrom gridfia import GridFIA
api = GridFIA()
# Download species biomass data for a county
files = api.download_species(
state="North Carolina",
county="Wake",
species_codes=["0131", "0068"],
output_dir="data/wake"
)
# Create a Zarr store
zarr_path = api.create_zarr(
input_dir="data/wake",
output_path="data/wake_forest.zarr"
)
# Calculate diversity and biomass metrics
results = api.calculate_metrics(
zarr_path=zarr_path,
calculations=["species_richness", "shannon_diversity", "total_biomass"]
)Use Cases
- Analyzing forest species composition and biodiversity across US counties
- Calculating above-ground biomass density for carbon accounting and climate research
- Generating publication-ready maps of forest biomass distribution
- Supporting landscape-level forest management planning using 30m Landsat-derived data
Get Started
Check out the documentation for tutorials, API reference, and examples.