GEOINFORMATICS FOR FOREST ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT 
P.S. Roy 
Indian Institute of Remote Sensing 
(National Remote Sensing Agency) 
Kalidas Road, Dehradun 
ABSTRACT 
Geoinformatics revive the concept of forests as common heritage, forest ownership as social obligation and forest utilisation as 
integrated component of general land-use for economic and social development. Technologies like satellite remote sensing, 
Geographical Information system (GIS) and Global Positioning System (GPS) have shown immense potential to provide certain 
key parameters required to define sustainable forest management. Decisive and rapid action is needed to change the tide of forest 
decline and to prepare forests and forestry to face changes whose specifics can not be predicted with certainty. This is easier to 
achieve technically than conventionally. 
The application of space remote sensing by virtue of its unique capability in providing timely, repetitive and synoptic coverage 
over large areas across various spatial scales, have made remote sensing a very powerful tool for continuous monitoring of 
environment and land resources both in space and time domains. GIS integrates spatial information derived from remote sensing 
data and non-spatial information to provide all sorts of geo-spatial and geo-information modelling. Utilisation of GPS orients the 
information highly towards geo-reference. The challenges that Geoinformatics throws that, these technological advances should be 
strictly followed up for the operational application at grass root through adaptation of sustainable stages which promote 
developmental activities consistent with the preservation of nature’s ecosystems. 
Sustainable management of forest ecosystem is the totality of those direct and indirect measures of utilisation, cultivation and 
protection in a forest ecosystem, which secure the lasting existence and natural development of the forest. The adequacy of its 
functions and the preservation of its species richness and diversity of life forms on which the fulfilment of its economic, ecological, 
social and spiritual functions depend. The paper attempts to trace back the developments in use of Geoinformatics in the field of 
forest management and also present case studies, which would require further research in coming millennium. These studies are: 
Biodiversity characterisation at landscape level using landscape ecological principles, estimating regional net primary productivity 
(NPP). assessing canopy forest density and fire risk modelling using satellite remote sensing and geographic information system. 
Satellite Remote Sensing has demonstrated its utility in mapping and monitoring of vegetation cover and change, analysing forest 
disturbance apart from other micro-level applications like, stock mapping, growing stock estimation, biomass estimation, habitat 
analysis, afforestation & social forestry. Estimation of primary productivity provides insight for our better understanding of the 
global climatic changes and the rates of mass & energy fluxes between plant canopies and atmosphere, which are intricately, linked 
with the landuse changes. The multi-sensor approach has proved its capability to identify the source of pollution, accurately 
determine the location, extent and type of pollution. The global availability of the mobile communication, further enhance our 
capability by enabling us to quickly locate disaster stricken groups. Extensive utilisation of satellite images for disaster assessment, 
particularly in case of drought, floods, cyclones, forest fire and earth quakes. The utility of remote sensing has found operational 
application in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to view various physical and cultural features in geographic form which are 
amenable to compression with other geographic data like Survey of India topo maps, land revenue records etc. There are several 
stages involved in infrastructure development, starting from assessment of the need, location, technical feasibility and 
developmental strategies. Remote sensing inputs are useful in all these stages. Conservation of biodiversity and its ecological 
significance is achieved through preservation of biological habitats. Defining biodiversity rich areas for conservation and 
bioprospecting using remote sensing data is now possible at landscape level. 
In spite of these facts, the full potential of space based remote sensing is yet to be achieved by way ol institutionalisation ot the 
technique. The tools should be utilised for day to day management with full co-ordination of managers and technology application 
groups. There is no “substitute" for the kind of information. Remote sensing technology provides for sustainable forest 
management. 
1. INTRODUCTION 
Forest resources are to be managed and used to 
meet the needs of the present generation in a way that 
does not compromise the ability of future generation. 
This is the key to sustainable development, as outlined 
in the agenda adopted by human society at the 1992 
World summit on Environment in Rio-de-Janeiro 
popularly known as Agenda 21. Success of sustainable 
development strategies in initiating orderly growth