Design and Implementation of an Interactive Web-Based Near Real-Time Forest Monitoring System

Arun Kumar Pratihast; Ben DeVries; Valerio Avitabile; Sytze de Bruin; Martin Herold; Aldo Bergsma

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0150935

Design and Implementation of an Interactive Web-Based Near Real-Time Forest Monitoring System

PLoS One. 2016 Mar 31;11(3):e0150935. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0150935. eCollection 2016.

Authors

Arun Kumar Pratihast¹, Ben DeVries¹, Valerio Avitabile¹, Sytze de Bruin¹, Martin Herold¹, Aldo Bergsma¹

Affiliation

¹ Laboratory of Geo-Information Science and Remote Sensing, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands.

Abstract

This paper describes an interactive web-based near real-time (NRT) forest monitoring system using four levels of geographic information services: 1) the acquisition of continuous data streams from satellite and community-based monitoring using mobile devices, 2) NRT forest disturbance detection based on satellite time-series, 3) presentation of forest disturbance data through a web-based application and social media and 4) interaction of the satellite based disturbance alerts with the end-user communities to enhance the collection of ground data. The system is developed using open source technologies and has been implemented together with local experts in the UNESCO Kafa Biosphere Reserve, Ethiopia. The results show that the system is able to provide easy access to information on forest change and considerably improves the collection and storage of ground observation by local experts. Social media leads to higher levels of user interaction and noticeably improves communication among stakeholders. Finally, an evaluation of the system confirms the usability of the system in Ethiopia. The implemented system can provide a foundation for an operational forest monitoring system at the national level for REDD+ MRV applications.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Conservation of Natural Resources / methods*
Ethiopia
Forests*
Geographic Information Systems
Internet*

Grants and funding

The work presented in this paper has been carried out with in the frame of the project “Forest, Carbon and Biodiversity Monitoring”, implemented by the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU), German and Ethiopian branches, with funding from the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMU) (IKI-1 project number 05/2014-2). Funding for the work of Arun Kumar Pratihast was provided by the Google Earth Engine Research Awards 2015.