CHANGES IN RURAL AREAS OF NORTHEAST THAILAND IN THE LATTER HALF OF THE 1980S AS SEEN 
THROUGH THE NORTHEAST THAILAND VILLAGE INFORMATION SYSTEM 
NAGATA Yoshikatsu 
Research Associate, Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University, Japan 
Commission VII, Working Group 9 
KEY WORDS: Socio-economic Database, GIS, Rural Development, Northeast Thailand, Monitoring 
ABSTRACT 
The economic growth of Thailand since the mid-1980s has been remarkable and has transformed the socio-economic 
environment of rural areas. The Thai government regularly conducts a village-level survey covering all villages in rural 
areas across the country. Since the 1986 survey, the results have been input into a database. The reliability of the 
individual data is not necessarily high, but the survey has a big potential for use in view of its wide coverage and 
continuity. | have been developing a Northeast Thailand Village Information System (NETVIS) as a GIS application 
with a view to using the village-level survey to identify the transformation of rural areas of Northeast Thailand which is 
economically less developed than other regions of Thailand. In this paper, | shall explore the applicability of the 
NETVIS by observing changes in rural areas of Northeast Thailand from several outputs of the NETVIS. Its main data 
source is contact information collected through socio-economic survey, in contrast to noncontact information obtained 
by remote sensing, and this is the potential strength of the NETVIS. Contact and noncontact information both have 
advantages and disadvantages in terms of homogeneity, prompt acquisition, interpretation, and so on, and one of main 
themes of future study will be to explore what relationships obtain between these two kinds of complementary 
information. 
and its source, the village-level survey, and explains the 
1. INTRODUCTION framework of NETVIS. Finally, some outputs are shown 
in order to demonstrate and interpret the changes. 
Southeast Asia has become a focus of attention owing to 
its remarkable economic growth. However, behind the 
brilliant economic growth, it has long been stressed that 2. THE VILLAGE DATABASE 
many problems remain, including the fact that some 
areas still lag far behind, and that is proceeding without 2.1 The Village-level Survey 
due regard for environmental sustainability. In Thailand, 
which is outstanding in Southeast Asia from the viewpoint In framing the Fifth National Economic and Social 
of development, many governmental and Development Plan (1982-1986), the Thai government 
nongovernmental projects have been conducted and ^ recognized a lack of information on product activities and 
more should be planned to solve the problems that have life in rural areas which was necessary for its policy 
arisen as a result of rapid development of the decisions Therefore, the National Rural Development 
metropolitan area. Though the aims of the projects vary Committee, which is under the Office of the Prime 
from one to another, for example, promotion of schooling, ^ Minister, and its working organization, the National Rural 
reforestation, improvement of hygiene facilities, and Development Cooperation Center, decided to conduct 
building of self-reliance, in all cases detailed information the village-level survey to collect data on the socio- 
on the target area is indispensable for well-directed economic situation of each village in rural areas of the 
planning, monitoring and evaluation. kingdom. Villages in suburbs are excluded. Every two 
years, each Tambon Development Committee surveys 
In Thailand, a village-level survey which aims to support the situation of the villages in its tambon (sub-district) 
governmental rural development has been conducted which is the administrative level above the village, and 
covering all villages in the rural areas. This survey ^ completes a questionnaire. The data are input into a 
includes various topics related to socio-economic ^ database at the Information Processing Institute for 
situation and is conducted every two years. This Education and Development, Thammasat University 
provides unique and otherwise unacquirable information (Svasti 1988). 
on recent changes in rural areas. This information can 
be used to elucidate not only changes in individual The first trial survey was conducted in 1982 and this was 
villages but also the differences between regions and expanded to the whole kingdom in 1986. In 1990, the 
situation of a given area relative to its surroundings. survey was approved by the Cabinet. Since the 1986 
survey, the results have been input into a database, 
One method to utilize this huge body of regional socio- ^ which is available for distribution. The village-level 
economic information is to visualize the data by the GIS — survey covers many topics related to the infrastructure 
method. | have been developing the Northeast Thailand ^ the production environment, education, hygiene and so 
Village Information System (NETVIS) covering the ^ on besides basic information on population and the 
Northeast. This paper describes the village database number of households. Further details about the topics 
516 
International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Vol. XXXI, Part B7. Vienna 1996