Managing Data for the Monitoring of Tropical Forest Cover. The Global Resource Information Database Approach

1990

S. 1355-1357

Unselbständiges Werk

200062397

As a UN organization for the management of global resource data, GRID believes that the world community should urgently be provided with access to timely and usable data on the condition and change of tropical forest cover. The NOAA/AVHRR satellite data acquisition system, together with the recent advances in the fields of GIS and digital image analysis, have made it technically possible. GRID has developed tropical forest cover mapping methodology in two regions, West Africa and Amazonia. A digital global map is now planned to be compiled from various research organizations' recent AVHRR-LAC data classification results covering the major part of the moist tropical forest region. In this framework GRID could contribute not only its Amazonian and West African maps but, in particular, data integretation and archiving capacity and capability; ancillary data layers from GRID's global database, assisting FAO's Forest Resources Assessment 1990 with the integrated datasets; and, finally, expert advice and administrative support to above functions.