Webinar on

Introduction to GIS
and Remote Sensing:
Career and Scope in Forestry

Him Lal Shrestha, PhD

Associate Professor
Kathmandu Forestry College
hlshrestha@gmail.com
Webinar Learning Series: 6 Organized by: ANNISU/FOF/AFU Through Zoom/NREN
23 May 2020
 Introduction
• Principles and Practices of Remote Sensing
(RS), GIS and Space Technology
• Landuse / land cover change detection using RS
and GIS technology
• Integration of RS and GIS technology in forestry
• Past, present and future of GIS technology in
forestry sector of Nepal
• Fundamental concepts of remote sensing – the
electro magnetic spectrum, energy source and
radiation principles, electro magnetic resonance
(EMR) interaction in the atmosphere and earth
surface
 Cont…
• Principles, methods, tools and techniques used in Remote
Sensing and GIS, remote sensing sensors and scanning
systems, sensor systems characteristics
• Digital image processing – spectral pattern recognition,
temporal spatial pattern recognition, image enhancement
techniques
• Application of GIS for planning and decision making in
natural resource management
• Modern approach in protected area planning: ZOPP
(Objective oriented project planning), APPA (Appreciative
project planning and action), GIS & GPS (Geographical
Information System and Global positioning system)
• Surveying and Mapping for Watershed Management
• Sub watershed prioritization and planning by using GIS,
GPS
Fundamentals of GIS
 Data in GIS

• Raster:
– grid or network of rows and
columns
– Data stored in pixels
– Data stored as DN Values
• Vector
– Data stored in geometric
shapes
– Point – single event/1D
– Line – joining two points or
more/2D
– Polygon – closed traverse
joining many points/2D
 Geospatial Analysis
• Geoprocessing
– Overlay function: Union, Intersect, Merge,
Clip
– Buffer analysis: Proximity analysis
– Distance: point distance or Euclidean
distance
• Geostatistics
– Inverse Distance Weight
– Krigging – Co-Krigging
– Empirical Bayesian Krigging
 Surface/Terrain Analysis
• Use of Digital Elevation Model (DEM)
• DEM is the raster of altitude
information
• Elevation information can be extracted
– elevation class
• From DEM, we can create contour
• From Contour, we can create DEM
• Derived products: Slope, Aspect, relief,
roughness, curvature, viewshed,
Hillshade
• Advance Tools: Anaglyph, 3D Viewing,
 Integrated watershed management

• Data input: DEM, Pour Point

• Analysis
– Flow length
– Stream order
– Drainage density
– Basin
– Watershed delineation
Data sources and acquisition
 Outputs and dissemination

• Hardcopy (analogue maps)

• Digital maps (JPG, Bitmap,
PDF)
• Interactive maps
• Web-Maps (Online mapping,
KML)
• Distributed GIS (WFS,
WMS)
Geospatial analysis with GPS

• GPS (Global Positioning System) is a

satellite-based positioning system
operated by the U.S. Department of
Defense (other, e.g. GLONASS, Galileo)
• Location based geospatial analysis:
GNSS
Satellite trilateration
With a fourth
satellite it is
possible to check
the correct
synchronization of
the receiver’s clock
with the satellites’
clocks.
 Coordinate Reference System
(CRS)
• Coordinate system:
– (geographical coordinates: latitude and longitude)
– in Nepal: modified UTM (Universal Transverse Mercator)
• central latitude: 0o central longitude: 84o00’00”
• false northing: 0m false easting: 500000m
• scale factor: 0.9999
• Map datum:
– WGS84, World Geodetic System 1984 = default of most
receivers
– scale factor: 0.9996
– User defined datum:
• Ellipsoid: Mod. Everest 1830:
– Semi major axis: 6377299.151
– Flattening (1/f): 300.8017
• Datum transformation from WGS84:
dx= -296m, dy= -732, dz= -273m
 “Manual” usage of GPS
e.g. for surveys in Nepal’s
Community Forestry
• 1. Walk with GPS-receiver from station to
station of the area to be surveyed.
• 2. At every station read actual position (as
Latitude/Longitude or easier as modified UTM
coordinates) and record it on paper/sketchmap.
• 3. Transfer the stations manually to an
available map (e.g. topographic map 1:25000)
• Important: the GPS coordinate system and
projection needs to be identical to that of the
map. Problem in Nepal: “Modified” UTM.
Parameter in GPS system needs to be set up
properly.
 GPS Mapping
• Working notes
– Set the map projection of GPS unit as earlier
– Data transfer from unit to computer using
software i.e. GPS utilities, MapSource etc
– Tabulation of the field point data
– Calculation of the latitude and longitude in
degree decimals
– Save the data file in *.dbf format
– Add the *.dbf file in ArcView as a Table
– Add Event Theme from the opened table, which
displays the plotted point locations of the given
latitude and longitude
– Change the view properties and make the
appropriate projection system i.e. UTM
WGS84 with Zone 44N/45N.
– Change the theme to the shape file
– Make polygon from the plotted points to get
the closed traversed area by points
– Prepare layout for final map using Polygon
prepared
 Photointerpretation: Recognition
Elements
• Shape
– cultural features - geometric, distinct boundaries
– natural features - irregular shapes and boundaries
– Shape helps us distinguish old vs. new
subdivisions, some tree species, athletic fields, etc.

The pentagon Meandering river Interior Alaskan

in Alaska village (note airstrip
near top of image)
 Photointerpretation: Recognition
Elements

• Size
– relative size is an
important clue
– big, wide river vs.
smaller river or
slough
– apartments vs.
houses
– single lane road vs.
multilane
 Photointerpretation: Recognition
Elements
• Color/Tone
– coniferous vs. deciduous trees

CIR - Spruce forest CIR – Deciduous CIR- Mixed spruce

(black) with some (leafy) vegetation And deciduous forest
deciduous (red) trees. (red). on hillside with tundra
in valley bottom.
 Photointerpretation: Recognition
Elements
• Color/Tone
– Turbidity - relative amounts of sediment in
water
– Vegetation presence or absence
CIR – The big, light blue river in the Relatively clear Chena
River water

lower part of the image is the Tanana

River. It carries fine particles eroded by
glaciers in the Alaska Range.
Turbid Tanana River water

Photo by Maria Sotelo

The smaller dark blue river flows south
from top of the image to the Tanana
River. It is fed by surface runoff and
groundwater sources and does not carry
much sediment.

Unvegetated gravel bars look bright

bluish white.
 Photointerpretation: Recognition
Elements
• Texture
– coarseness/smoothness caused by variability or
uniformity of image tone or color
– smoothness – tundra, swamps, fields, water, etc.
– coarseness - forest, lava flows, mountains etc.

CIR- Marshy CIR - Bare rounded CIR - Tundra showing

tundra with Mountains (blue) drainage pattern
many surrounded by tundra
small ponds. and lakes.
 Photointerpretation: Recognition
Elements
• Pattern
– overall spatial form
of related features
– repeating patterns
tend to indicate
cultural features -
random = natural
– drainage patterns
can help geologists A dendritic pattern is
characteristic of flat-lying
determine bedrock sedimentary bedrock
type
 Photointerpretation: Recognition
Elements
• Site
– site - relationship of a
feature to its
environment
– differences in Meandering
Alaskan river
vegetation based on
location:
• In interior Alaska, black
spruce dominant on the
north side of hills and
deciduous trees on the N
south side.
Interior Alaskan hillside
• Vegetation is often has
different characteristics
 Photointerpretation: Recognition
Elements
• Association
– identifying one feature can help identify
another - correlation

The white cloud and The long straight airstrip near the top
black shadow have the of the image indicates that there might
same shape, they are be a village or settlement nearby
related
 Photointerpretation: Recognition
Elements
• Shadows
– shadows cast by
some features can
aid in their
identification
– some tree types,
storage tanks, The mountain ridge on
the right side of this image
bridges can be is accentuated by shadow
identified in this
way
– shadows can
accentuate terrain
 Overview of Remote sensing
process
• "Remote sensing is the practice of
deriving information about the earth's
land and water surfaces using images
acquired from an overhead perspective,
using electromagnetic radiation in one
or more regions of the electromagnetic
spectrum, reflected or emitted from the
earth’s surface.” (Campbell, 1996)
 Basic Concepts: EM Spectrum

Sometime use frequency, f=c/,  1 nm, 1mm, 1m

where c=3x108 m/s (speed of light) f 3x1017 Hz, 3x1011 Hz, 3x108
Hz,
 Different resolution: matters
• Spatial resolution
– 10s cm (??) - 100s km
– determined by altitude of
satellite (across track),
altitude and speed (along
track), viewing angle
• Radiometric resolution
– Patterns of display –
– Bits of data divisions – 8
bits - 256
• Spectral resolution
– Based on the wavelength of
the data sensed i.e. visible,
infrared, microwave
– Panchromatic (PAN), MSS,
Hyperspectral
 Temporal Resolution
 minutes to days
NOAA (AVHRR), 12 hrs, 1km

(1978+)
 MODIS Terra/Aqua, 1-2days,
250m++
 Landsat TM, 16 days, 30 m (1972+)
 SPOT, 26(...) days, 10-20 m (1986+)
revisit depends on

 latitude
 sensor FOV, pointing
 orbit (inclination, altitude)
cloud cover (for optical

instruments)
 Major Programs
• Geostationary (Met satellites)
– Meteosat (Europe)
– GOES (US)
– GMS (Japan)
– INSAT (India)
• Polar Orbiting
– SPOT (France)
– NOAA (US)
– ERS-1 & 2, Envisat (Europe)
– ADEOS, JERS (Japan)
– Radarsat (Canada)
– EOS/NPOESS, Landat, NOAA (US)
 Data Acquisition: Sensor
2) Thermal infrared

• RS instrument measures  energy measured -

energy received temperature of surface and
– 3 useful areas of the emissivity
spectrum:- 3) Microwave
1) Visible / near / mid infrared
– passive  active
• solar energy reflected by
the surface  microwave pulse
• determine surface transmitted
(spectral) reflectance
 measure amount
– active scattered back
• LIDAR - active laser pulse
• time delay (height)  infer scattering
• induce florescence  passive
(chlorophyll)
 emitted energy at shorter
end of microwave
spectrum
Spectral Signature for object
recognition
Spectral Reflectance Curve for
the image interpretation

High

Vegetation

Spectral Soil
Reflectance

Water
Low

Blue Green Red Near IR Mid IR

Spectral Region
 Atmospheric window
• The wavelength ranges in which the atmosphere is
transparent are called atmospheric windows.
• Remote sensing projects must be conducted in
wavelengths that occur within atmospheric windows.
 Thematic Mapper (TM) – sensor
details
Wavelength Spectral
Band No. Resolution (m)
Interval (µm) Response

1 0.45 - 0.52 Blue-Green 30

2 0.52 - 0.60 Green 30

3 0.63 - 0.69 Red 30

4 0.76 - 0.90 Near IR 30

5 1.55 - 1.75 Mid-IR 30

6 10.40 - 12.50 Thermal IR 120

7 2.08 - 2.35 Mid-IR 30

 Landsat 8 specification
Band # and Type Bandwidth (µm) Resolution (m)

Band 1 Coastal 0.43 - 0.45 30

Band 2 Blue 0.45 - 0.51 30

Band 3 Green 0.53 - 0.59 30
Band 4 Red 0.63 - 0.67 30
Band 5 NIR 0.85 - 0.88 30
Band 6 SWIR 1 1.57 - 1.65 30
Band 7 SWIR 2 2.11 - 2.29 30
Band 8 Pan 0.50 - 0.68 15
Band 9 Cirrus 1.36 - 1.38 30
Band 10 TIRS 1 10.6 - 11.19 30 (100)
Band 11 TIRS 2 11.5 - 12.51 30 (100)
 Important aspects of Remote
Sensing Analysis
• Spatial resolution: High/Medium/Low
• Temporal resolution: Seasonality of the image
data
• Spectral resolution: Sensor specification,
PAN/MSS/Hyperspectral
• Image correction: Geometric, topographic,
radiometric, atmospheric, shadow effect
• Image processing – classification techniques,
image recognition, feature extraction
• Data acquisition: optical, RADAR, LiDAR, UAV,
terrestrial
 Forest type mapping

• Forest type mapping using

object-based classification
– Chaudhary et al., 2017
• Data: Landsat images and
ASTER DEM
• Method: OBIA, K-NN,
CART
• Forest types: KS, Sal, TMH
Forest density mapping

• Defined as the canopy density

cover
• Tools: FCD Mapper
• Data: Landsat Images
• Parameters: SAVI and NDVI
• Panta, Menaka (2003)
 Landuse/Landcover and
change detection
• Land use land cover
• Forest cover
• Change detection
• GHG – stock change
• Landuse and land cover change and forestry
– contribution for the emission/removal of atmospheric carbon
• FAO Global Land cover Network (GLCN)
– Harmonized landcover classification - LCCS
• Landuse change
– Forest converted to other land use type, forest remains as forest and other
landuse type converted to forest
• Monitoring deforestation and forest degradation
– activity data and Biomass Expansion factor (Emission factor or removal factor)
• Reference Emission Level
– Historical and modeling emission/D&D
 Background

• Landuse and land cover change and forestry

– contribution for the emission/removal of atmospheric carbon
• FAO Global Land cover Network (GLCN)
– Harmonized landcover classification - LCCS
• Landuse change
– Forest converted to other land use type, forest remains as forest
and other landuse type converted to forest
• Monitoring deforestation and forest degradation
– activity data and Biomass Expansion factor (Emission factor or
removal factor)
• Reference Emission Level
– Historical and modeling emission/D&D
 Methodology

• Datasets used: LANDSAT TM 30m resolution

satellite images of the year 1990, 2000 and 2010
• ASTER DEM of 30m resolution
• High resolution satellite images
• Harmonized LCCS legends
• Classification method
• Change Analysis
• Accuracy Assessment
 Landsat and DEM

Landsat Data 2010 ASTER DEM of 30m

 Harmonized LCCS
classes Landcover
SN classes Type Density
1 Forest Conifer Close
• 20 Classes Open
Broadleaved Close
• Forest Mixed
Open
Close
– Broadleaved 2 Shrubs
Open

– Needle leaved 3 Grassland

4 Plantation Broadleaved
Conifer
– Mixed 5 Agriculture Crop
Fallow
• Shrub Orchard
6 Barrenland Rocky
• Bare areas 7 Built up
Open
Urban
Rural
• Grassland 8 Waterbodies River
Lakes
• Waterbodies 9 Snow/Glacier
Wetlands
Classification technique
and method
• Object based image analysis (OBIA)
segmentation technique
• Rule based classification
• Image indices and topography i.e.
Land Water Mask, NDVI, NDSI etc
Segmentation and Classification

Segmentation Classified
Classes and Ruleset
90.0
80.0
70.0
60.0
50.0 1990

40.0 2000

30.0 2010

20.0
10.0
0.0
Forest Agriculture Grassland Shrub Others
 Change detection
• Internal trading among classes
• Methods: image difference, post
classification comparison
• Change matrix
Forest fire detection and alert
system
• Forest fire occurrence
• Burnt Area mapping
• Emission due to forest fire to the atmosphere
• Source data: MODIS, VIIRS, Landsat,
Sentinel
• Global fire database available – CSV, Shape,
Raster
• Different products – Active fire, Burnt area,
Forest Fire application
Mapping Ecosystem Services
Global Forest Watch
Assessment of Aboveground Biomass
using high resolution satellite images
 Tools for REDD, Ecosystem
Assessment and Carbon Mapping

• Exploring
Multiple
Benefits
Toolbox
ArcGIS 10.x
lib.icimod.org/record/30997/files/
Biomass%20book.pdf
 Climate change Vulnerability
assessment

• IPCC method of vulnerability

V = f (sensitivity, exposure, adaptive capacity)
Habitat mapping and suitability analysis
Potential Habitat of Himalayan Wolf
by Deu B. Rana
 Species distribution mapping
• MAXENT / SDM Tools
• Presence/ Absence data
• Ancillary information of
habitat suitability for
particular species
• Plant species, animal
species, Invasive plants
Watershed analysis using GIS

This includes:
1. Digital Elevation Model (DEM)
2. Flow direction
3. Flow accumulation
4. Identify and removing sink
5. Stream Network
6. Stream Links
7. Watershed analysis

Input Data
DEM data from SRTM with 90m or Aster DEM
with 30m resolution OR ALOS PALSAR with
12.5m
 Flow Direction for cell
1014 1011 1004 +1 +4 +11 1.414
1
1019 1015 1007 -4 +8

1025 1021 1012 -10 -6 +3 1

Distance weight
Cell Elevation Elevation difference

+0.71 +4 +7.78 32 64 128

16 1
-4 +8
-7.07 -6 +2.12 8 4 2

Distance weight Gradient Flow direction Flow direction

Number
Flow Accumulation in cell
1014 1011 1004 996
1019 1015 1007 999
1025 1021 1012 1003

1033 1029 1020 1003

Cell Elevation
Flow direction
0 0 1 2
From To
0 0 2 5 0 1
1 2
0 0 1 1 2 3
3 4
0 0 0 0 4 5

Flow accumulation
 Stream Order
• Assign a numeric order to stream link. Use
either Shreve (true) or Strahler (false)
ordering methods.
 Watershed Analysis
• Watersheds delineate a drainage area.
• Drainage basin, water sheds, basin, catchments area,
and contributing area are synonymous terms referring
to an area of drainage that contributes water to a
common outlets (pour points).

Water
sheds

Pour
Point
 Free data sources on the web

• GLOVIS (USGS Global Visualisation Viewer)

– http://glovis.usgs.gov/
– All global Landsat data now available – hugely useful resource
– Plus ASTER, MODIS (moderate/coarse resolution but global coverage)
• NASA Distributed Active Archive Centres – huge range of free NASA
data:
– http://nasadaacs.eos.nasa.gov/about.html (overview)
– https://lpdaac.usgs.gov/ (land)
– http://podaac.jpl.nasa.gov/ (oceans)
– http://www.nsidc.org/daac/ (snow and ice)
• UK/NERC
– NERC National Centre for Earth Observation (NCEO)
– http://www.nceo.ac.uk
– Earth Observation Data Centre
– http://www.neodc.rl.ac.uk/ (UK/European focused, with ESA data, airborne, various
campaign surveys etc. – may require registration)

79
 Advance trends of Geospatial
approaches in Forestry
• Vegetation monitoring using temporal data: VCF Data, NDVI,
NPP, GPP
• Forest cover monitoring and reporting : Global Forest Watch
• Google Earth Engine – cloud computing
• Web-based mapping (Online mapping)
• Distributed geospatial analysis
• GeoPortal for the data sharing and visualization
• GeoWiki – ground based cloud source information
• GPS enabled mobile tools for field data collection
• UAV, LiDAR (ALS, Satellite based and terrestrial)
• Forest Management Planning Tool
• SMART Tool for forest monitoring – deforestation, forest fire and
forest plantation
• BigData
 Career and Jobs
• Sub-watershed prioritization at local level
• Land use plan at local level
• Forest management plan at division/local
level/Ilaka level
• Vulnerability assessment and LAPA/CAPA
preparation
• Community forest Management Plan
• Scientific/Active Forest Management Plan
Thank You !!!