environmental monitoring programs would facilitate an early
detection, location and monitoring of problem areas, the
environmental “hot spots”. Their early identification is
important to the effectiveness of early warning systems,
forecasting the risk of natural disasters and environmental
degradation. Hence, the comprehensive LID would have two
functions: it would serve as a reliable reference for monitoring
and, in some cases, forecasting of environmental changes,
including the natural disasters, while its hard copy products
would provide a “snapshot” record of the land cover situation
as it existed at a given time.
Obviously, each regional and global program should remain
responsible for managing its own comprehensive LID,
because their respective information databases are specific to
objectives of each program. Nevertheless, it should be possible
to design a standardized architecture for the comprehensive
LID which would satisfy requirements of all the regional and
global land cover mapping and environmental monitoring
programs. Currently, there is no such standardization of
databases of the programs listed in Section 5, and hardly any
harmonization between them. Yet, these programs are
complementary, some partially overlapping, and all would
benefit from closer coordination.
When any international coordination is proposed, the question
always arises which country is going to be responsible for it. It
is a sensitive issue and, not surprisingly, a fair number of good
proposals has faltered on it. However, in this case the situation
is simpler because of the existence of the United Nations
Environment Program (UNEP), and its Global Resource
Information Database (GRID). The proposed coordinating
task, involving environmental monitoring at the regional and
global levels, is clearly within the GRID’s mandate.
Furthermore, GRID has recently started two important
initiatives relevant to this task:
(a) developing the UNEPnet, which will become the global
environmental Internet, with the objective to enhance
access to environmental information products from UNEP
and other sources;
(b) developing a dedicated satellite network, Mercure, for
effective global environment-related communication.
$. EXAMPLES OF REGIONAL AND GLOBAL
LAND COVER MAPPING AND
ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING PROGRAMS
Several examples of major on-going, planned or proposed
regional and global programs related to land cover mapping
and environmental monitoring by remote sensing are briefly
described. These programs are addressing the growing need
for reliable, consistent and timely information about changes
in vegetation cover, surface waters, land degradation,
settlements, and other land cover features of the earth's
Surface. Such information is essential for the sustainable
management of natural resources and environmental
protection. Implementation of all these programs is based on
the use of RS data from EO satellites. However, it is important
to note that RS data are complemented by other geospatial
data, such as the existing maps, GPS location data, validation
data and in some cases by field surveys in sampling areas.
421
5.1 Land Cover Mapping
5.1.1 Land Cover Database and Map of Africa
(AFRICOVER)
Status: ongoing, regional - Africa.
Organization: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
of the United Nations.
The AFRICOVER project will produce a digital land cover
database and associated hard copy land cover map for the
whole African continent. The overall project objective is to
provide reliable land cover information required for the
sustainable management of natural resources, environmental
protection and international development projects. An equally
important objective is to strengthen the capacities of
participating African regional and national organizations for
maintaining the AFRICOVER database, monitoring of land
cover changes, and initiating national land cover mapping
projects at larger scales. The mapping scales are 1 : 200 000 or
1:250 000 (depending on the scales of topographic base
maps in respective countries) and 1 : 1 million. Land cover
classification system, map legends and formats, structure of
digital database, mapping methodology and standards for
geometric and thematic accuracies have been developed with
the involvement of experts from industrialized as well as
African developing countries. The United Nations Economic
Commission for Africa (UNECA), and the selected African
regional and national mapping organizations, will participate
in project implementation. Although it is a regional project, its
implementation was divided into sub-regional and national
modules in order to accommodate the priorities of funding
organizations. However, it should be emphasized that the
mapping methodology and standards are the same for all
project modules. One of the first tasks, which is currently
being undertaken, is development of a uniform, hierarchical
land cover classification system for Africa. The map legend for
scales 1 : 200 000 and 1 : 250 000, based on such a uniform
land cover classification system, may differ between different
map sheets, depending on the type of ecosystems which they
cover. But its overall consistency will be retained. The first
phase of the AFRICOVER program, funded by Italy, is being
implemented in East Africa. It is the largest module,
comprising 12 countries with a total area of 9.6 million sq.
km. The Africover is a truly pioneering project for land cover
mapping at scales 1: 200 000 to 1 : 250 000 and 1 : 1 million
of the whole continent.
5.1.2 Coordination of Information on the Environment
(CORINE) - Land Cover project
Status: ongoing, regional - the European Union
countries and several Central/Eastern
European and North African countries.
Organization: European Environment Agency (EEA)
of the European Commission.
The objective of the CORINE Land Cover project is to
produce a computerized inventory of Europe's land cover. The
inventory is conducted by each participating country under
EEA coordination and according to CORINE standards for
land cover classification, accuracy assessment and types and
International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Vol. XXXI, Part B4. Vienna 1996