WASHINGTON (September 4, 2014)— Global Forest Watch, a dynamic online forest monitoring and alert system developed by the World Resources Institute with over 40 partners, has been selected as one of two winners of the Big Data Climate Challenge, a global competition hosted by United Nations Global Pulse. The UN announced the winners as part of the buildup to the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Summit on 23 September at UN Headquarters in New York. Representatives from Global Forest Watch will receive the award at the climate summit and the platform will be showcased to a host of world leaders.

Read the UN Global Pulse announcement here: http://www.unglobalpulse.org/big-data-climate-challenge-winners-announced

Following is a statement from Dr. Andrew Steer, President and CEO, World Resources Institute:

“The big data revolution is empowering governments, businesses and ordinary citizens to get more information and faster than ever before. This, in turn, can change the way we approach critical global challenges, such as climate change. Armed with better information, we can better identify risks and find new ways to cut emissions and respond to this challenge.

We are grateful to receive this award for Global Forest Watch, which provides anyone with a smart phone or access to a computer the ability to see where deforestation is happening. This is just one of a growing number of exciting new tools to help us tackle climate change and protect the planet.”

Following is a statement from Dr. Nigel Sizer, Global Director, Forests Program, World Resources Institute:

“It is a wonderful surprise for WRI and all our partners that Global Forest Watch, an initiative driven by over 40 partners from around the world, should receive this award at the UN Secretary General’s Climate Summit. We are deeply grateful for the recognition and support. It took a huge effort among a diverse group of partners to build Global Forest Watch, which continues to expand and improve dramatically.”

“With the cost of satellite imagery plummeting, new advances in crowdsourcing and open data, and expanding computational ability to harness the deluge of data, we expect Global Forest Watch to grow and grow. This is just the beginning.”

Explore Global Forest Watch here.