Global Forest information System
Technology enabling the participation of cientists, Policy-makers and common citizens in the monitoring and preservation of the world's rain forests
A joint project by
Fred Fonseca – Penn State University, U.S.A.
Clodoveu Davis – Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Brazil
Gilberto Camara – National Institute for Space Research (INPE), Brazil
Technology enabling the participation of cientists, Policy-makers and common citizens in the monitoring and preservation of the world's rain forests
A joint project by
Fred Fonseca – Penn State University, U.S.A.
Clodoveu Davis – Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Brazil
Gilberto Camara – National Institute for Space Research (INPE), Brazil
The Problem
The preservation of the world’s rain forests is one of the major environmental challenges of our generation. Rain forests are home to a large portion of the world’s biodiversity, and play a major role in climate regulation and in the hydrological cycle. Despite their richness and their ecological services, large areas of the world’s rain forests are under increasing pressure of deforestation caused by human action. Deforestation is particularly intense in countries with large-scale agricultural production, such as Brazil and Indonesia. In the Brazilian Amazonia, which covers an area of 4 million km2, 17% of the original forest has been cleared. These numbers come from INPE, the Brazilian research institute with 25 years of experience in measuring deforestation. Science Magazine called the Brazilian system “the envy of the world”. However, there is considerable uncertainty about the extent of worldwide deforestation, a fact that demands action from all concerned parties.
A Vision for a Global Forest Information System
This project aims at developing a Global Forest Information System and studying the challenges for its creation. We are using the Brazilian case study to discuss the possibility of replicating its success in other rain forest nations interested in monitoring and preserving their rain forests. The Global Forest Information System is based on the Web and uses a cooperative approach to make a significant contribution to the preservation of the world’s rain forests. Our proposal for a Global Forest Information System coincides with Alan Grainger’s proposal for a World Forest Observatory. We both agree that it is necessary to monitor changes in forest cover through analyses of historical data in order to understand what happened to them through the last 40 years. However, such top-down initiatives take time to build. Many countries need to be involved, and national sensitivities must be properly addressed. In this project we develop a new approach to the creation of a Global Forest Information System.
Our concept for a Global Forest Information System goes along the lines of an enhanced "Digital Earth" concept. We think that the Digital Earth metaphor can become much more than what today’s virtual globes provide, and work as a large-scale repository of data, services, and models that can be discovered and used by the multiple actors involved in rainforest monitoring. We envision a Web application that can augment the capacity of rainforest nations to estimate and monitor deforestation and monitor by making essential data and models easily available. The key objective is to enable cooperation and participation from the various actors involved, notably scientists, policy makers, and common citizens. Content as distinct as satellite images, spatial data infrastructures, geobrowsers, research data, laws and policies, and citizen-provided information can be indexed, searched, discovered and used by all interested parties. The figure on the right presents this vision.
Our conception of Global Forest Information System is based on enhancing and augmenting communication and shared meanings among interested parties, thereby raising public awareness of environmental issues and showing the difficulties inherent to the process of finding solutions. Nations should be the ultimate responsible for the forest monitoring and reporting, but communication in a setting such as the one proposed would be helpful in many different ways.
First, data would be more readily available and in larger volumes, shortcutting issues such as image acquisition and preparation. The system would also allow the integration of images of different resolutions to be used for different purposes. The communication aspect would enable not only the implementation of open data policies but also their discussion and enhancement.
Second, there is the possibility of the different actors sharing and understanding the meaning of the scientific and data models explaining deforestation processes. This way information from the different sources can be used as a communication tool, in order to motivate common citizens, scientists, and the society at large to contribute with the monitoring effort, and to influence policy making and enforcement.
Third, this Web application and the databases associated with it will serve as a research ground for scientific innovation, by allowing the discovery of patterns, the identification of practices, the development, calibration and testing of models, and the correlation of the observed phenomena with other social and economic information.
Finally, scientists and technicians from nations with a lower level of readiness can have access to best practices, models, methods and solutions developed elsewhere, and can count on the support from more experienced peers in the adaptation of such tools to their nation’s reality. Nevertheless, creating such a system presents many challenges.
The preservation of the world’s rain forests is one of the major environmental challenges of our generation. Rain forests are home to a large portion of the world’s biodiversity, and play a major role in climate regulation and in the hydrological cycle. Despite their richness and their ecological services, large areas of the world’s rain forests are under increasing pressure of deforestation caused by human action. Deforestation is particularly intense in countries with large-scale agricultural production, such as Brazil and Indonesia. In the Brazilian Amazonia, which covers an area of 4 million km2, 17% of the original forest has been cleared. These numbers come from INPE, the Brazilian research institute with 25 years of experience in measuring deforestation. Science Magazine called the Brazilian system “the envy of the world”. However, there is considerable uncertainty about the extent of worldwide deforestation, a fact that demands action from all concerned parties.
A Vision for a Global Forest Information System
This project aims at developing a Global Forest Information System and studying the challenges for its creation. We are using the Brazilian case study to discuss the possibility of replicating its success in other rain forest nations interested in monitoring and preserving their rain forests. The Global Forest Information System is based on the Web and uses a cooperative approach to make a significant contribution to the preservation of the world’s rain forests. Our proposal for a Global Forest Information System coincides with Alan Grainger’s proposal for a World Forest Observatory. We both agree that it is necessary to monitor changes in forest cover through analyses of historical data in order to understand what happened to them through the last 40 years. However, such top-down initiatives take time to build. Many countries need to be involved, and national sensitivities must be properly addressed. In this project we develop a new approach to the creation of a Global Forest Information System.
Our concept for a Global Forest Information System goes along the lines of an enhanced "Digital Earth" concept. We think that the Digital Earth metaphor can become much more than what today’s virtual globes provide, and work as a large-scale repository of data, services, and models that can be discovered and used by the multiple actors involved in rainforest monitoring. We envision a Web application that can augment the capacity of rainforest nations to estimate and monitor deforestation and monitor by making essential data and models easily available. The key objective is to enable cooperation and participation from the various actors involved, notably scientists, policy makers, and common citizens. Content as distinct as satellite images, spatial data infrastructures, geobrowsers, research data, laws and policies, and citizen-provided information can be indexed, searched, discovered and used by all interested parties. The figure on the right presents this vision.
Our conception of Global Forest Information System is based on enhancing and augmenting communication and shared meanings among interested parties, thereby raising public awareness of environmental issues and showing the difficulties inherent to the process of finding solutions. Nations should be the ultimate responsible for the forest monitoring and reporting, but communication in a setting such as the one proposed would be helpful in many different ways.
First, data would be more readily available and in larger volumes, shortcutting issues such as image acquisition and preparation. The system would also allow the integration of images of different resolutions to be used for different purposes. The communication aspect would enable not only the implementation of open data policies but also their discussion and enhancement.
Second, there is the possibility of the different actors sharing and understanding the meaning of the scientific and data models explaining deforestation processes. This way information from the different sources can be used as a communication tool, in order to motivate common citizens, scientists, and the society at large to contribute with the monitoring effort, and to influence policy making and enforcement.
Third, this Web application and the databases associated with it will serve as a research ground for scientific innovation, by allowing the discovery of patterns, the identification of practices, the development, calibration and testing of models, and the correlation of the observed phenomena with other social and economic information.
Finally, scientists and technicians from nations with a lower level of readiness can have access to best practices, models, methods and solutions developed elsewhere, and can count on the support from more experienced peers in the adaptation of such tools to their nation’s reality. Nevertheless, creating such a system presents many challenges.
Important Dates
Coming on December, 2009
Special issue of Earth and Science Informatics on SDI for the Amazon.
Coming on December, 2009
Special issue of Earth and Science Informatics on SDI for the Amazon.