VibrantSR: Sub-Meter Canopy Height Models from Sentinel-2 Using Generative Flow Matching

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2601.09866v1
• Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2026 20:56:35 GMT
• Title: VibrantSR: Sub-Meter Canopy Height Models from Sentinel-2 Using Generative Flow Matching
• Authors: Kiarie Ndegwa, Andreas Gros, Tony Chang, David Diaz, Vincent A. Landau, Nathan E. Rutenbeck, Luke J. Zachmann, Guy Bayes, Scott Conway,
• Abstract summary: VibrantSR is a framework for estimating 0.5 meter canopy height models from 10 meter Sentinel-2 imagery.<n>VibrantSR is evaluated across 22 EPA Level 3 eco-regions in the western United States.<n>It achieves a Mean Absolute Error of 4.39 meters for canopy heights >= 2 m, outperforming Meta (4.83 m), LANDFIRE (5.96 m), and ETH (7.05 m) satellite-based benchmarks.
• Score: 0.0
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Abstract: We present VibrantSR (Vibrant Super-Resolution), a generative super-resolution framework for estimating 0.5 meter canopy height models (CHMs) from 10 meter Sentinel-2 imagery. Unlike approaches based on aerial imagery that are constrained by infrequent and irregular acquisition schedules, VibrantSR leverages globally available Sentinel-2 seasonal composites, enabling consistent monitoring at a seasonal-to-annual cadence. Evaluated across 22 EPA Level 3 eco-regions in the western United States using spatially disjoint validation splits, VibrantSR achieves a Mean Absolute Error of 4.39 meters for canopy heights >= 2 m, outperforming Meta (4.83 m), LANDFIRE (5.96 m), and ETH (7.05 m) satellite-based benchmarks. While aerial-based VibrantVS (2.71 m MAE) retains an accuracy advantage, VibrantSR enables operational forest monitoring and carbon accounting at continental scales without reliance on costly and temporally infrequent aerial acquisitions.

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