Third GFOI Forest Monitoring Workshop
Forest mapping and monitoring with radar data
Siem Reap, Cambodia, 09-12 February, 2015
Summary
The third edition of the GFOI Technical Workshops for South and Southeast Asia brought together remote sensing and GIS specialists from forestry departments, national mapping authorities and satellite agencies from seven SilvaCarbon countries to learn about the opportunities and challenges for applying radar data for forest monitoring in the context of REDD+.
Experts from several institutions, leading the current research on radar data application, presented the basic principles of radar technology, provided overview of the different radar data sources and outlined some of the key functions of radar data relevant for forest monitoring. Practical exercises for radar data interpretation and for processing ALOS data were included in the program to give participants general idea of steps involved in radar data processing.
Much of the discussions focused on the utility of radar data for forest monitoring and improving forestry data at national level. It was emphasized that defining the key purpose for using radar data and the level of details required is very important as this influences the type of radar sensor and processing software, the level of processing and the level of technical capacity of staff.
On the last day, participants highlighted the interest to use radar data for supplementing optical data to increase accuracy and quality of forest maps at national level. Forest cover mapping and biomass estimation were identified as priority topics for further capacity building and research. It was agreed to plan for a longer, practical training on radar data processing focused on forest cover mapping. It was also agreed that countries will identify priority locations for obtaining radar data, and these will be shared with the GFOI for consideration in the data acquisition strategy.