GIS APPLICATIONS FOR FORESTRY

K.Charvát, A.Limpouch, J.Meško, F. Pivnička
Help Service Mapping
Brdičkova 1916, CZ-15500 Praha 5, Czech Republic
e-mail: limpouch@topol.cz, http://www.topol.cz

INTRODUCTION

Adoption of GIS technologies for forest management started at the beginning of 90’s in the Czech Republic. Forest Management Institute (Brandýs nad Labem) was the leader of such activities. Development of TopoL GIS system, which is currently the standard base for the design of GIS solutions for forestry, was started here. Several methodologies for data capture and updating (including forest management maps and regional forest plan maps) were developed here.

This paper summarises set of GIS applications for forestry management, which were designed and implemented in our company. Our long-term experience based on providing such solutions is outlined. The main focus is given to description of application-specific needs and its accomplishment using GIS technologies. TopoL GIS system is briefly described and specific features of TAXTopoL, OPRL Editor and TAXCarto applications are depicted. The use of satellite images and aerial photographs for specific forestry task is also summarised.

TopoL GIS IN FORESTRY

The development of TopoL GIS system was started in Forest Management Institute for the purposes of data digitising and desktop-mapping in forest management at the end of 1989. During last five years of development in Help Service - Mapping, TopoL expanded into a general GIS and remote-sensing image-analysis software. But forestry is still the most frequent and important area of TopoL applications and the system includes wide set of functions extended or tuned for special needs of forest management.

TopoL GIS is a general LIS/GIS software, which is running on a standard PC computers in Windows environment. It allows creation, maintenance, analyses and presentation of geographical data. TopoL integrates classical vector-based GIS approach with image processing tools. It is able to handle vector and raster data equally well and its functionality includes vector data overlays, database analyses as well as image processing and raster classification. Extensive care was focused on topology and support for topographic structures of vector data. Digitising capabilities of TopoL are easy to use and the system is able to solve topologic relations in real-time while data are digitised. TopoL can import and export data in many industry-standard formats.

TopoL was accepted for forest management in the Czech Republic (Forest Management Institute; forest department at the Ministry of Agriculture; Forests of the Czech Republic; Research Institute for Forest Management; Czech Agriculture University in Prague; Faculty of Forestry at Agriculture University in Brno). It is also used in Slovak Republic (Lesoprojekt -- Forest Management Institute), Germany (Thüringer Forstwirtschaft) and Italy. The system is currently evaluated for forest management in Poland and Russia.

GIS APPLICATIONS FOR FORESTRY

TopoL can be adjusted for applications in many areas. There are several variants of general system with different scale of functionality for different purposes (e.g. data capture, analyses, image processing). TopoL is open for development of specialised applications, because wide scale of TopoL functionality is available through standard DDE communication mechanism. Applications can control and extend TopoL by special purpose commands and tools as well as can use TopoL functionality in a map server mode (without user access to TopoL menus). This paragraph will describe several applications based on TopoL technology.

TAXTopoL

TAXTopoL application implements tools supporting methodology designed in Forest Management Institute for development of forest management maps accompanying management plans. This methodology describes about 20 layers of vector data as well as expected geometrical objects including group codes and database schema. Such layers includes primary GIS data (compartments, subcompartments), cartographic layers (with cartographic geometrical entities), text annotation layers as well as optional layers with additional spatial entities (e.g. contour maps). The methodology also provides directions and rules for data capture and defines data capture methods for derived complex entities.

TAXTopoL application extends TopoL with specialised tools for management of standard layers, easy-to-use tools for data capture for these layers as well editors for derived complex entities. But It grants user full access to TopoL environment and enables them to take advantage of all its tools as well. It is a typical example of application, which controls TopoL and extends its functionality by specialised tools. From user point of view, TAXTopoL is presented like special toolbar added to TopoL (see picture).

There are 8 modules accessible from TAXTopoL toolbar. The first one enables users to select data and customise TAXTopoL internal settings. These settings are also used for adjusting TopoL edit parameters to avoid data capture with bad quality parameters. Next 5 modules are used for data capture, edit and updating of 7 standard layers. These functions provides customised data editors for simplified line, point and area capture as well as specialised tools for complex operation on these layers (e.g. special method of data transfer from one to another layer). Another module provides simplified tools for data display settings. Last module provides functionality for checking of data correctness, area balancing calculation etc. All these tools were designed to conform above mentioned methodology.

OPRL EDITOR

Methodology for the development of regional forest management plan maps has been currently developed in Forest Management Institute. OPRL Editor is application, which implements necessary tools supporting this methodology. The methodology similarly to the above mentioned one describes about 40 layers of vector data as well as expected geometrical objects including group codes and database schema. It also provides rules and directions for data capture and defines data capture methods for derived complex entities.

OPRL Editor has the design model similar to TAXTopoL. It controls TopoL and extends its functionality by specialised tool. The most important difference between TAXTopoL and OPRL Editor applications is in their flexibility. TAXTopoL application is strictly fixed to the stable technology. On the other side, the methodology for regional plan maps is expected to be continuously developed in following years. For this reason, OPRL Editor uses general modeling mechanisms for deriving of project data model and functionality offered for particular project layers. This flexible approach enables the methodology designer to change the model and editor behavior using OPRL Administrator utility without any need of changes in program code.

OPRL Administrator allows project manager to create new standard layers, edit of standard layer features as well as remove a standard layer. Standard layer features include permitted types of geometrical objects and their group codes as well as permitted edit operations. It also includes definition of some TopoL editor parameters (e.g. snap mode, snap size, generalization range). Unfortunately, this mechanism does not provide methods for definition of new editor tools. A new editor tool must be still defined using programming. But the modeling mechanisms enables a programmer to add such a new editor tool easily in order to be accessible in OPRL Administrator and OPRL Editor.

TAXCarto

TAXCarto application is a new tool for printing forest management maps. It complements TAXTopoL application and enables users to print forest management data developed using above mentioned methodology in the fashion usual for these maps. There are 6 typical map compositions including management maps, outline maps, subcompartment maps etc. Each of these maps has standard design which includes main map window, several additional overview maps (cadastre overview, map sheet overview etc.) and typical text annotations (map name, map scale, developer identification etc.).

TAXCarto is based on the new generation of TopoL technology (TopoL NT), which has open modular architecture based on standard Windows OLE/COM object component model. The new technology is designed to conform OpenGIS recommendations and specifications for future GIS systems. It provides set of basic components for the development of GIS applications. This set includes data providers for vector data (based on OLE DB technology) as well as raster data, components for display settings, vector and raster data display managers, symbol library objects, display control object (OCX), map print manager, objects for map composition template processing etc.

TAXCarto application is based on the use of templates for predefined map compositions. It enables users to select directories with data for printed forest management units. Afterwards map template can be chosen and user-defined parameters for this template specified. Actual viewport for printing (based on expected maps sheet system) can be also selected. Whole map composition can be checked in preview window before printing.

REMOTE SENSING PROJECTS FOR FORESTRY

TopoL GIS has been also used for various remote-sensing projects in forest management. Starting from the beginning of the 1980's, remote-sensing in forestry has long tradition in the Czech Republic. At present, there are three organisations (Forest Management Institute, Help Service Group and Stoklasa Tech), which are engaged in this field. In this paragraph several project will be briefly mentioned.

Atlas of Forests for the Czech Republic was developed in Help Service Remote Sensing for Forest Management Institute. This project constitutes inventory of forests for the whole territory of the Czech Republic. It is based on LANDSAT TM satellite images and these images were classified for forest identification. Result of this project is set of maps which shows forest cover (with colour differentiation of different forest types) overlaid with maps of important towns, rivers and roads.

''State of the Forest Health'' atlas for the territory of the Czech Republic is a joint project of Forest Management Institute, Help Service Group and Stoklasa Tech, where TopoL GIS has been used for the production of these maps based on satellite images. Unique technology developed in Stoklasa Tech was used for vitality state and damage identification. Results of this project shows evolution of forest damages during last 18 years and new data are continuously amended.

CONCLUSION

Forestry is leader branch in the use of GIS technologies. The paper summarises our long-term experience based on providing GIS solutions for forestry. TopoL GIS was briefly described and several GIS application were outlined. Design rules for their development were shown. Remote sensing projects for forestry were briefly depicted.

REFERENCES

  1. Charvát, K., Limpouch, A., 1995: The Use of TopoL for Forestry in the Czech Republic. Proceedings of the 17th International Cartographic Conference, ICC Barcelona, Spain.
  1. Slabý R. et al., 1996: Technology for the Development of Graphical Part of Forest Management Plans. Technical Report, Forest Management Institute, Version 8 (in Czech).
  1. Slabý R. et al., 1998: Technology for the Development of Graphical Part of Regional Forest Management Plans. Technical Report, Forest Management Institute, Version 5 (in Czech).