Page 42 - 4. Pre-Course Reading-Training on Forestry Audit 2019

Auditing Forests: Guidance for Supreme Audit Institutions

Appendix 2: Using GIS

and GPS in Forests Audits

GEOGRAPHICAL WHAT IS GIS?
DATA INTRODUCED
A geographic information system (GIS) integrates hardware,
software, and data to capture, manage, analyze, and display
Geographical data is the data or information that identifies the all forms of geographically referenced information. GIS can be
geographic location of features and boundaries on earth, usually defined as information systems used to input, store, retrieve,
stored as coordinate and topology. The data can be mapped.
Geographic position refers to the fact that each feature has a process, analyze, and produce data in geographical or geospatial
form, to support decision making in planning and managing
42 location that must be specified in a unique way. To specify the field utilization, natural resources, transportation, public utilities,
position in an absolute way a coordinate system is used.
and other public services. For more information, please visit
www.esri.com/what-is-gis/index.html
Geographical data are organized in a geographic database. This
database can be considered as a collection of spatially referenced
data that acts as a model of reality. There are two important WHY GIS IS USED, AND BY WHO
components of this geographic database: its geographic position,
and its attributes or properties. In other words, spatial data (where A forest can be vast and sometimes barely accessible. Con-
is it?), and attribute data (what is it?).
ventional methods cannot be used by auditors when dealing
with land on this scale and remoteness. GIS is very helpful
in these situations. Using GIS we can gather a huge range
In fact, geographical data can be used for many applications, of information that can be used when undertaking a forest
such as:
audit. This information includes data about land coverage, the
• Different streams of planning. Can be used for urban planning, boundary of a Licensed Forest Company (hereinafter called
housing, transportation planning, architectural conservation, an ‘LFC’), and the physical forest boundary of a forest. This
and urban and landscape design. information, and other information like it, enables auditors to
determine, for instance, whether or not a plantation or mining
• Street Network Based Applications. Can be used for activities is complying with its license.
addressed-matched applications like vehicle routing and
scheduling, location and site selection, and disaster planning.
• Natural Resource Based Applications. Can be used for The users of GIS usually are those who need spatial information.
management and environmental impact analysis of wild and Each user has their needs on how to utilize GIS.
scenic recreational resources, flood plain, wetlands,
aquifers, forests, and wildlife. GIS is used commonly in forestry. For such developed countries
as US and Canada, the use of GIS in forestry is common. To
• Viewshed Analysis. Can be used for planning the location get more description on this, please visit:
of hazardous or toxic factories, and for groundwater http://maps.unomaha.edu/Peterson/gis/FinalProjects/1997/
modeling. Could be used for wildlife habitat studies and KKane/Project.html
for looking at migration routes.
• Land Parcel Based. Can be used for zoning, sub-division
plan reviews, land acquisition, environment impact ana- WHAT IS GPS
lyses, nature quality management, and maintenance etc.
• Facilities Management. Can be used for locating under-
ground pipes and cables for maintenance, planning, The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a U.S. space-based glo-
bal navigation satellite system. It provides reliable positioning,
tracking energy use.
navigation, and timing services to worldwide users on a continuous
basis in all weather, day and night, anywhere on or near the Earth
which has an unobstructed view of four or more GPS satellites.
This Appendix focuses on natural resource based application,
especially in forestry. We need geographical data on forestry GPS has become a widely used aid to navigation worldwide,
because forests cover very large areas of land. The demands of and a useful tool for map-making, land surveying, commerce,
forest analysis mean that we need a Geographical Information scientific uses, tracking and surveillance, and hobbies such as
System (GIS). geocaching and waymarking.