Campaign-Related Intensive Observation Periods (IOPs) - Trees around the GLOBE
Intensive Observation Periods (IOPs)
Intensive Observation Periods (IOPs) are focused periods of time where participants are encouraged to collect large amounts of data and enter it in the GLOBE database. Data that is collected during an IOP will provide other GLOBE students, scientists, researchers, and educators large amounts of concentrated data over a short period of time. This can also be referred to as "Data Density." Ground-based data density can serve as way to help validate data coming from satellites and airborne instruments.
For instance, if GLOBE students take multiple measurements of tree height and land cover over a short amount of time and build up a strong database, scientists working with the ICESat-2 satellite tree height data can use the IOP student data and compare it to the ICESat-2 tree height measurements. Scientists working with land cover data from the Landsat satellite can do the same for land cover.
Current Campaign - related IOP
August 2026 Tree Check Month Intensive Observation Period for Tree Height and Land Cover
Agosto de 2026: Mes de control de árboles. Período de observación intensiva para medir la altura de los árboles y la cobertura del suelo.
1 August - 31 August 2026 (1 de agosto - 31 de agosto de 2026)
About the IOP: Did you know that the United States Department of Agriculture has designated the month of August as "Tree Check Month?" So, what does this mean? Since August is closing in on the end of summer in the Northern Hemisphere and the end of winter in the Southern Hemisphere, it is deemed that this is the most ideal time to check trees for pests and signs of damage. Our friends at the Arbor Day Foundation have some great resources that can help guide you through this process and what you can do if you see signs of pests and/or tree damage.
Acerca del IOP: ¿Sabías que el Departamento de Agricultura de los Estados Unidos ha designado agosto como el "Mes de la Revisión de Árboles"? ¿Qué significa esto? Dado que agosto marca el final del verano en el hemisferio norte y el final del invierno en el hemisferio sur, se considera que es el momento ideal para revisar los árboles en busca de plagas y señales de daños. Nuestros amigos de la Arbor Day Foundation cuentan con excelentes recursos que pueden guiarte en este proceso y explicarte qué hacer si observas señales de plagas o daños en los árboles.
During the entire month of August 2026, the Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign will be focusing on a campaign-related IOP where we would like our members to take as many tree height and land cover observations during the month of August 2026. One specific task we would like to emphasize is that if you notice any pests and/or signs of damage on the trees you are observing in your tree height and/or land cover observations, please note those in the comment section of the respective GLOBE Observer tool (Trees, Land Cover) before you submit your data. This will appear in the GLOBE database as valuable metadata.
Durante todo el mes de agosto de 2026, la campaña de investigación estudiantil «Árboles alrededor del GLOBE» se centrará en una actividad de observación (IOP) relacionada con la campaña, en la que solicitamos a nuestros miembros que realicen la mayor cantidad posible de observaciones de altura de árboles y cobertura del suelo durante dicho mes. Es importante destacar que, si observan plagas o signos de daño en los árboles que registran, deben anotarlos en la sección de comentarios de la herramienta GLOBE Observer correspondiente (Árboles, Cobertura del suelo) antes de enviar sus datos. Esta información se incorporará a la base de datos GLOBE como metadatos valiosos.
At NASA, there are several Earth-observing missions that observe tree height and land cover from space, including the Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation-2 or ICESat-2 Mission and the Landsat series of satellites, respectively. You can learn about ICESat-2 at https://icesat-2.gsfc.nasa.gov/ and the Landsat series of satellites at https://science.nasa.gov/mission/landsat/. Your observations can help to potentially validate the ICESat-2 and Landsat satellite data and serve as valuable data for student and professional researchers.
En la NASA, existen varias misiones de observación de la Tierra que miden la altura de los árboles y la cobertura terrestre desde el espacio, como la misión ICESat-2 (Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation-2) y la serie de satélites Landsat. Puede obtener más información sobre ICESat-2 en https://icesat-2.gsfc.nasa.gov/ y sobre la serie de satélites Landsat en ttps://science.nasa.gov/mission/landsat/. Sus observaciones pueden contribuir a validar los datos de los satélites ICESat-2 y Landsat, y ser una valiosa fuente de información para estudiantes e investigadores profesionales.
Below is a graphic highlighting the number of tree height and land cover observations and locations from the month of August from 2019 to 2025!
A continuación se muestra un gráfico que destaca el número de observaciones de altura de árboles y cobertura del suelo, así como las ubicaciones, correspondientes al mes de agosto de 2019 a 2025.
DATA UPDATE ON 13 AUGUST 2026
Selected Past Campaign - related IOPs
2026 Earth Day Week Tree Height and Land Cover Intensive Observation Period (IOP)
19 April - 25 April 2026
About the IOP: The Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign hosted the "2026 Earth Day Week Tree Height and Land Cover Intensive Observation Period (IOP)" on Sunday 19 April - Saturday 25 April, 2026. The seasons have just changed in both the Northern Hemisphere (Winter to Spring) and Southern Hemisphere (Summer to Autumn). Thank you for observing and documenting, via tree height and land cover observations, the seasonal changes around you. Below is a graphic showing a global map of tree height and land cover observations for each day of the IOP and the larger, center image is a map showing all the locations of the observations for the entire IOP.
You can grab this really cool digital badge to share with your friends, family, colleagues, and/or students!
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2025 One Month Tree Height and Land Cover IOP: 21 November - 21 December 2025
FINAL DATA NUMBERS
About the IOP: The Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign hosted a campaign Intensive Observation Period (IOP) for one month. Right now, the seasons are changing, and we wanted to see the changes around you. We are seeing this in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres and the best way to document this is to take observations in your local environment. We looked for as many tree height and land cover observations from 21 November through 21 December 2025 you could take, from both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, which are both experiencing different seasons, and you answered! In the coming weeks, we will be comparing the IOP tree height data to that from the NASA ICESat-2 Mission and the IOP land cover data to that from the Landsat Mission. Stay tuned!
You can grab this really cool digital badge to share with your friends, family, colleagues, and/or students!
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The Search for Tabebuia Trees with the GLOBE Observer Land Cover and Trees Tools
Flower traits such as color rely on pigments that determine their color and contribute to the spectral patterns that flowering plants exhibit. However, remote sensing of plant phenology has almost exclusively focused on studying leafing and greenness dynamics, dismissing flowering, the reproductive phase of approximately 90% of all known plant species.
Dr. Yoseline Angel, a scientist and engineer at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and the University of Maryland College Park, developed, with her team, a novel, scalable method of observing flowering plants and trees — from the ground and space. The method was inspired by how pollinators perceive flowers through their ultraviolet, blue, green, and red photoreceptors.
Dr. Angel has asked a request of GLOBE participants to use the GLOBE Observer Land Cover and Trees tools to find and document Tabebuia trees, especially their blooms, in Mexico through Central America and parts of western South America. See the graphic below to learn where to look and when.
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February 2025 Snow View Intensive Observation Period - 1 February - 28 February 2025
The Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign is leveraging the February 2025 Snow View Intensive Observation Period (IOP).
The February 2025 Snow View IOP asks for you to "Share your view of snow - or lack of snow - in your community. Not everyone has your unique view of the snow from your location on Earth."
Snow is part of the local and global water cycle. A snow crystal forms in a cloud, high in the atmosphere, and falls when it becomes heavy. As the snow crystal falls, it may be intercepted by a tree or structure, where it changes due to the temperature, wind, or other factors.
Learn about snow by observing and photographing snow with the GLOBE Program's application, GLOBE Observer - Cloud, Tree and Land Cover tools. With a measuring device like a ruler, anyone can measure the depth of snow.
Learn more about the February 2025 Snow View IOP and the how Snow View Observations Snowball Into New Science Collaborations!
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1-Week Tree Height and Land Cover Intensive Observation Period
The Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign will be having a 1-Week Tree Height and Land Cover Intensive Observation Period (IOP) from 21 March - 28 March, 2023. This IOP will focus on taking land cover observations at the origin point of a tree height observation and at the base of the tree. We are striving for participants to take 2 land cover observations and 1 tree height observation at the same location. Please see the shareable below for the step-by-step instructions.
The Steps:
Origin Point
- At Origin Point: 25-75 ft (7.6-22.8m) from tree base, take 1st Land Cover observation with GLOBE Observer Land Cover Tool.
- At Origin Point, begin Tree Height observation. This will allow us to now the GPS coordinates of the location where your tree height observation was started.
Origin Point to End Point
- Beginning at the Origin Point and Finishing at the End Point, take one tree height observation with the GLOBE Observer Trees Tool. Remember to bring your tape measure and take the optional tree circumference observation.
- Make sure that you can walk to the base of the tree, in a straight line, with no obstacles. Remember to walk using your normal stride* to the base of the tree.
End Point
- At End Point: Take 2nd Land Cover observation, with the GLOBE Observer Land Cover Tool, at the base of the tree after finishing your tree height observation.
- This land cover observation will allow for a view of the tree understory and ground surface at tree base, observations vital to learning about the tree’s environment.
Additional Information: In the “Comments” box, just prior to submitting your land cover and/or tree height data, add comments about the health of your location. We are asking this because the 2023 theme for the International Day of Forests is “Forests and Health.”
Protocols to use for the IOP
The GLOBE Program's app, GLOBE Observer
*If you are unsatisfied with the stride length the GLOBE Observer automatically calculates for you, based on your height, you can use the "GLOBE Find Your Pace Activity Guide." Also, please note that you can add your manual stride length in the app, just prior to submitting your GLOBE Observer tree height observation.
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Land Cover January 2020 Intensive Observation Period
400 Land Cover measurements came in from 229 locations in 10 countries around the world.
The Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign Team would like to announce the champion for the January 2020 Land Cover Intensive Observation Period:
O. Gupta from GLOBE United States with 101 submitted measurements!
The map below represents the campaign member countries that participated in the 2020 Land Cover IOP.
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Tree Height January, April July and October 2019 Intensive Observation Periods
IOP Information:
During each IOP, GLOBE students will:
- Take measurements of tree height or land cover and one additional protocol, from the suite of campaign protocols found at https://www.globe.gov/web/trees-around-the-globe/overview/start-taking-measurements,
- take measurements at least three times per week for one month at the same study site for both protocols.
- The tree height measurements should be of the same trees each time for each site.
- You can have multiple sites for trees and land cover, thus increasing the number of trees and land covers measured.
Each participant will receive a Virtual Tree Height or Land Cover IOP Badge
The GLOBE school with the most collected tree height data or land cover data and additional protocol data will receive:
· A Virtual one-on-one Q and A session with a NASA scientist, researcher, or engineer.
· Virtual Tree Height or Land Cover IOP Winner Badge
The major goal here is to have students compare their measurements seasonally and with other GLOBE school measurements from around the world.