The reference data for accuracy assessment of the Global Forest Watch tree cover 2000 in China

Remote-sensing products have emerged as key tools in forest cover monitoring. Their quality vary spatially, local validations are recommended before using the data for inventory and management tasks. We conducted a validation based on a visual interpretation procedure using high-resolution optical imagery on Google Earth to map the uncertainties and inaccuracies of Global Forest Watch (GFW) Tree Cover 2000 in China. The article provides the reference dataset applied in Zhang et al. (2020). The reference data has a total amount of 96 364 sample pixels collected using spatially stratified random sampling method. The samples were labelled with land use classifications and can provide further usage for remote sensing products.