Crystal Davis

Global Forest Watch

Big Idea: 

Global Forest Watch (GFW), a program of World Resources Institute, created a software tool that allows policy-makers, agency officials and watchdog NGOs to monitor forest loss and gain in near real-time with satellite imagery. Visibility is critical to global conservation action; too much bad behavior happens in the shadows, and too much policy is formed without good information. Satellite imagery is a useful conservation tool and it’s growing by leaps and bounds. Governments, companies and civil society can now act — or be pressured to act — based on high-quality information at the resolution and frequency needed to inform important decisions.

Under Crystal’s stewardship, GFW has been a leader, making satellite images and analytics available to the right people in the right way. Through Crystal’s work, GFW has built a human network of user partners as powerful as the technology platform itself. Now, she’s focused on supporting partners to assure that groundbreaking data turns into action.

Henry Arnhold Fellows