Forests contribute to vital environmental and ecosystem processes like climate variation, biogeochemical cycle, hydrological cycle and soil conservation. The livelihood many people depends on food and raw materials produced from forests. A huge aerial extent of forests is undergoing degradation, depletion and loss of productivity due to natural and human activities such as the increase of human and bovine population pressures and non-sustainable developmental activities in forest areas. Therefore, spatial and temporal data on the quality, area and spatial variability of forests are vital for the sustainable management of forests. Geospatial technology consists of aeial and satellite remote sensing (RS), geographic information system (GIS) and global navigation satellite system (GNSS) offer cost-effective, rapid and reliable tools for inventory, change analysis and scientific management of forests compared to traditional time-consuming ground-based forest management techniques. The initial sections of this chapter document the definition, principles, components and techniques of visual and digital interpretation and analysis of aerospace RS, GIS and GNSS (e.g. GPS, global positioning system). The section dealing with applications of geospatial technology in forestry covers approaches and methodologies of use of RS, GIS and GPS in various areas of forestry. First, the details of techniques and methods of applications of aerial RS using black and white and colour photographs, and digital multi-spectral data in various areas of forestry such as forest mapping, inventory and management are discussed. The principles and both visual and digital analysis approaches using satellite data from different optical sensors in several areas of forestry such as forest type mapping, crown canopy density mapping, forest biomass estimation and modelling, forest fire (active fire detection and burnt area and burnt severity assessment), forest damage by diseases and insects, etc. are discussed. GIS and GPS applications deal with principles and integrated analysis methods using different kinds of geospatial data in various areas of forestry, namely forest working plan preparation and revision, forest fire management (fire risk zonation, fire growth simulation and fire information system), wildlife habitat evaluation, Indian biodiversity information system (BIS) and Indian Bio-resources Information Network (IBIN) are included. Applications of advanced RS techniques, namely microwave, hyperspectral and Lidar (light detection and ranging) in forestry are also covered in this chapter. Conclusions and lessons learnt are included in the end section of the chapter.

Principles and Applications of Geospatial Technology in Forestry

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发表日期：

2025年

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Sudip Kumar Saha

摘要

Forests contribute to vital environmental and ecosystem processes like climate variation, biogeochemical cycle, hydrological cycle and soil conservation. The livelihood many people depends on food and raw materials produced from forests. A huge aerial extent of forests is undergoing degradation, depletion and loss of productivity due to natural and human activities such as the increase of human and bovine population pressures and non-sustainable developmental activities in forest areas. Therefore, spatial and temporal data on the quality, area and spatial variability of forests are vital for the sustainable management of forests. Geospatial technology consists of aeial and satellite remote sensing (RS), geographic information system (GIS) and global navigation satellite system (GNSS) offer cost-effective, rapid and reliable tools for inventory, change analysis and scientific management of forests compared to traditional time-consuming ground-based forest management techniques. The initial sections of this chapter document the definition, principles, components and techniques of visual and digital interpretation and analysis of aerospace RS, GIS and GNSS (e.g. GPS, global positioning system). The section dealing with applications of geospatial technology in forestry covers approaches and methodologies of use of RS, GIS and GPS in various areas of forestry. First, the details of techniques and methods of applications of aerial RS using black and white and colour photographs, and digital multi-spectral data in various areas of forestry such as forest mapping, inventory and management are discussed. The principles and both visual and digital analysis approaches using satellite data from different optical sensors in several areas of forestry such as forest type mapping, crown canopy density mapping, forest biomass estimation and modelling, forest fire (active fire detection and burnt area and burnt severity assessment), forest damage by diseases and insects, etc. are discussed. GIS and GPS applications deal with principles and integrated analysis methods using different kinds of geospatial data in various areas of forestry, namely forest working plan preparation and revision, forest fire management (fire risk zonation, fire growth simulation and fire information system), wildlife habitat evaluation, Indian biodiversity information system (BIS) and Indian Bio-resources Information Network (IBIN) are included. Applications of advanced RS techniques, namely microwave, hyperspectral and Lidar (light detection and ranging) in forestry are also covered in this chapter. Conclusions and lessons learnt are included in the end section of the chapter.