PRODES is Brazil’s satellite-based program for monitoring and estimating clear-cut deforestation in the Amazon.
The program is operated by Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research, known by its Portuguese acronym INPE. It uses satellite imagery to identify areas where forest has been completely cleared, producing annual estimates that are widely used in environmental policy and research.
PRODES is not the same as a satellite mission. Landsat, for example, refers to a family of Earth-observation satellites whose imagery can support land-cover analysis. Brazil also has other monitoring systems, including DETER, which is designed to provide more rapid alerts about possible recent clearing.
The distinction matters because PRODES focuses on consolidated annual deforestation measurements, while alert systems help authorities respond sooner. Together, these tools have made Brazil’s Amazon monitoring among the most closely followed forest-observation efforts in the world.