gis and remote sensing pres

1. GIS AND REMOTE
SENSING IN
FORESTRY
BY: FOR. CHRISTIAN B. MATAS
1

2. INTRODUCTION
2

3. WHAT IS GIS?
It is short for Geographic Information System
And it is a system of computer hardware and software
designed to allow users to collect, manage, analyze, and
retrieve large volumes of spatially referenced data and
associate attributes collected from variety of sources
3

4. BRIEF HISTORY OF GIS
1. The history can be traced back to 1950s
2. First GIS software only came in late 1970s, attributed to
the development of complex and fast-computing
computers
3. Much of the work pioneered in the development of GIS
was credited to Roger Tomlinson, an English geographer,
whom many have called the Father of GIS
4. His works laid the foundation in the creation of an
integrated and coordinated spatial information system
that later became as the present GIS
4

5. GIS HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE
GIS-based softwares and hardwares are produced by the
Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), an
international supplier of GIS software, web GIS and
geodatabase management applications based in
California, USA
5

6. NEEDS FOR GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM IN FORESTRY
1. Geospatial data are poorly maintained
2. Maps and statistics are out of date
3. Data and information
4. There is no data retrieval service
5. There is no data sharing
6

7. BENEFITS OF GIS
1. Geospatial data are better maintained in a standard format
2. Revision and updating are easier
3. Geospatial data and information are easier to search, analyze
and represent
4. Geospatial data can be shared and exchanged freely
5. Productivity of the staff is improved and become more efficient
6. Better decisions can be made
7

8. CHARACTERISTICS
OF GIS
8

9. IT IS A COMPUTING SYSTEM CONSISTING OF HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE
A GIS system integrates collection system and data
analysis system, which works as complimentary of each
other
9

10. IT CAN COPE WITH LARGE AMOUNTS OF DATA
The computerized nature of GIS allows large amounts of
data to be processed simultaneously, thus taking away the
data analysis from human work
10

11. IT IS DESIGNED FOR UNLIMITED AND FREQUENT DATA EDITS
GIS data are stored in a cloud-based platform, making
access with such ease. From time to time, personnel can
create edits of their previously uploaded work, even if it is
months or years ago.
11

12. MORE ROBUST AND RESISTANT TO DAMAGE
GIS system is designed to be robust in functionality, which
means that data are not prone to damage.
12

13. FASTER AND MORE EFFICIENT
GIS is designed to do just that. Unlike its humans
equivalent, a GIS system process and interprets data within
just minutes or hours, whereas humans could go days with
data analysis if unassisted by a computer
13

14. IT REQUIRES LESS PERSON, TIME, AND MONEY
GIS system is designed to be self-sufficient. Less personnel
may only be needed to input data and leave the system to
run the analysis. This way, resources and time are greatly
saved.
14

15. MAP MAKING USING QUANTUM GIS
1. A free and open-source GIS software called Quantum GIS is
available for download in the internet
2. Due to the free for download nature of the app, several
features are not available compared to paid softwares like
ArcGIS
3. In map making, users are allowed to add layers that may
contain information about the topography, land classification,
boundaries, forest cover, and even the weather, and produce
only 1 copy of the data with the combination of information
15

16. EXAMPLES
16

17. 17

18. As shown in the previous image, geo-referenced data can
be collected from third party apps like Google Earth
The points, represented in red colors, contain coordinates
When imported to GIS, the application automatically
locates the area based on the point coordinates
18

19. 19

20. In the previous image, the GIS processed the data
obtained from Google Earth, according to the parameters I
set
The parameters was to show the contour lines or
topography of that particular area
The yellow lines represent the elevations of the land
20

21. Other features that GIS allows its users to integrate may
include forest cover distribution, tree species distribution,
age distribution, land classifications and boundaries,
weather elements, roads, scale, waterbodies, and other
land features
21

22. REMOTE SENSING
22

23. WHAT IS REMOTE SENSING?
1. Defined as the science of collecting data regarding an object
or phenomenon without any physical contact with the object
2. The collection of data is done through the use of satellites
suspended hundreds of kilometers from the earth’ surface to
take pictures of a particular area of interest
3. Aerial photography is another type of remote sensing, which
involves a specialized camera mounted on an airplane to
capture images of the ground from a relatively low altitude
23

24. CHARACTERISTICS
OF REMOTE SENSING
24

25. IT IS A SURVEYING AND DATA COLLECTION TECHNIQUE
Remote sensing gathers data through geo-referencing,
which takes the grid coordinates of a selected region. The
remotely sensed data is then processed in a separate
computer program for analysis.
25

26. IT CAN RETRIEVE LARGE AMOUNTS OF DATA IN A SHORT TIME
Remote sensing is specifically designed to gather data of a
huge area in a matter of hours. Data collection is through
the use of satellites and airplanes.
26

27. IT REDUCES MANUAL FIELD WORK DRAMATICALLY
Since personnel does not need to be on the field to gather
data, manual labor are usually done in the comforts of
offices
27

28. IT ALLOWS RETRIEVAL OF DATA IN REGIONS DIFFICULT OR IMPOSSIBLE TO ACCESS
Due to the rugged terrain of some forests, human access is
almost impossible. Remote sensing technology like the
use of drones, effectively replaces human intervention.
28

29. LESS ROBUST
Remotely sensed data does not provide specific and
definitive information of the lands
29

30. LESS IDEAL TO USE AS THE SYSTEM FOR CENTRALIZED DATABASE
Remote sensing is not designed to be used as an
integrated system where a vast amount of information is
stored and shared
30

31. ADVANTAGES OF REMOTE SENSING
1. Massive forest fires can be mapped from a higher distance,
allowing authorities to predict the movement of the fire to
prevent it from blazing the whole forest.
2. Tracking of wildlife movement.
3. Accurate mapping of rugged forest terrains.
4. Tracking forest growth or degradation with years of monitoring.
5. Planning and management of the forests.
6. Conduct land surveys on forest lands
31

32. GIS APPLICATIONS
IN FORESTRY
32

33. FOREST MANAGEMENT
GIS provides forest authorities the planning and managing
tools to manage the forests.
It provides a detailed mapping of the spatial distribution
of forest ecosystem.
It allows authorities to identify location, monitor condition,
create modeling systems to accurately predict future forest
trends that may one day be of importance to decision and
policy-making.
33

34. FOREST INVENTORY
GIS comes in handy in managing and planning an
assessment of forest resources. A GIS-produced map helps
authority to pinpoint locations where a large potential
timber harvest is located. This helps predict the future sale
value of harvestable timber in a particular region or area.
34

35. RECONNAISSANCE
Use to study the vegetative state and built of the forest.
This way, one can easily plan and integrate new
developments or interventions in a certain forest
population without disturbing the whole forest ecosystem.
35

36. FOREST FIRES
GIS helps in planning to prevent forest fires. Careful data
analysis using GIS program will tell the authorities about
strategic locations on where to establish mechanical or
natural means to stop a raging forest fire from igniting a
whole forest.
36

37. DEFORESTATION
Determine exact locations where vast amount of forest
lands are cleared in a monthly or annual basis.
Using series of images
37

38. REFORESTATION
GIS data helps in the formulation of a good project
approach in reforestation projects
38

39. FOREST HEIGHTS
GIS-based system provides essential information about the
vertical structures and diameters of trees. This information
can estimate timber volume total of a certain harvestable
forest stand.
39

40. FOREST CARBON RESERVES
Carbon reserves in forestlands are very important to
prevent the release of carbon into the atmosphere
If forests containing rich carbon reserves were to be cut
down, the carbon reserves will be released into the
atmosphere, drastically increasing carbon levels.
40

41. VEGETATION POTENTIAL
Analyzing and researching on growth and distribution of
trees is important for the preservation of the environment
and human life. GIS has made it easier for foresters and
experts to understand vegetation potential clearly.
41

42. AGE OF TREES
Manually obtained data on the age of trees can be
integrated into a GIS system to create an approximation or
estimation on the distribution of the age of trees in a
particular area or region
42

43. FOREST DISEASE
Based on the previous outbreaks of destructive forest
diseases, authorities can integrate the geographic
information of the outbreak into a GIS-map to have an
accurate and scientific analysis on the scale of damage of
the disease outbreak. This information can be later on
used to create model or predict where it might happen
next, so that authorities will have advance knowledge to
prevent those outbreaks from ever happening again.
43

44. WILDFIRE SIMULATION
Virtual wildfire simulation can be created to have a GIS-
guided scenario of what a future forest fire would look like,
giving the authorities ideas to setup preventive measures,
and plan better approach to tackle it.
44

45. WETLAND INVENTORY
Wetlands are important due to their water storage
capacity. GIS helps create monitoring tool to protect our
wetlands.
45

46. DEAD ZONES
There are parts in the world where forest life is not
supported. Integrating these areas in a GIS map will guide
authority up to where they can only reforest a certain area
46

47. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
GIS provides important data that will help in the evaluation
of proposed projects which carries significant impact to
the environment.
47

48. END
48

49. TEXT
QUESTIONS
▸ Is GIS a standalone system?
▸ Does the mastery of GIS technology needed for future
foresters?
▸ How can we use GIS and remote sensing to our
advantage?
49