Application of Google Earth Engine for land Cover Classification in Yasuni National Park, Ecuador

Abstract

The Yasuní National Park (YNP) is a protected area recognized by its biodiversity of flora and fauna. It corresponds to a territory that houses ancestral wealth, and in the last decades has been affected by the presence of anthropogenic activities that have altered the forest cover of the region. The present study proposes the exploration of the land cover inside the YNP during the year 2019. The study was processed in three stages. The first stage corresponds to the recollection and preparation of data using the Google Earth Engine platform, aiming to build a mosaic of Sentinel-2 satellite images. The second stage was based on the land cover classification using the Random Forest algorithm. The third stage focused on the postprocessing of the classified raster using the ArcGIS-Pro Software. The results revealed human activity taking place inside the YNP, represented by the construction of new roads, settlements, and engineering constructions.