Introduction to GIS and Remote Sensing for Biodiversity Research

Walai Rukhavej Botanical Research Institute (WRBRI) Mahasarakham University, Kantharawichai district Maha Sarakham province, Thailand. 44150 Tel/Fax: (+66) 4375 4340 Training period: Training location: 4- days, May 2011 (training dates will be announced soon) The seminar room (SC-2 401/2), Walai Rukhavej Botanical Research Institute, 4th floor of the Faculty of Science building, Mahasarakham University, Khamrieng campus

Contact for further details: Associate Professor Dr. Rojchai Satrawaha, Director Walai Rukhavej Botanical Research Institute (WRBRI) Tel/Fax: 04375 4340 E-mail: rojchai.s@msu.ac.th For registration and information on training fees, please contact: Komgrit Wongphakam Vice director (Research), WRBRI E-mail: komgrit.w@msu.ac.th, komgrit_w@yahoo.com Sudarat Thanonkeo, Ph.D. Lecturer, Ph.D. in Biodiversity Program, WRBRI E-mail: sthanonkeo@yahoo.com Thiha, Ph.D. Lecturer, Ph.D. in Biodiversity Program, WRBRI E-mail: thiha@msu.ac.th, thihafnu@gmail.com Mobile: 0816115464

Training Proposal
Rationale Remote sensing (RS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are vital in natural resources planning and management. With increasing availability of remotely sensed data and advancement in the methods and approaches of GIS modeling, RS/GIS technologies have been increasingly used in solving the issues that relate to resources allocation and management. Scientific evidence has consistently shown that integrating geographic perspectives into natural and social science research can not only advance the current science, but also improve resource management planning by making more informed decisions through the use of visual outputs. Despite this importance, the use of RS/GIS in the developing countries of Asia and Pacific region in the contexts of resources planning and management is in its juvenile stage, provided there is lack of skilled manpower and finance. Traditionally, using these technologies was linked to the availability of huge budget and remote sensing and GIS specialists. Over the last decade, increasing availability of remote sensing data at affordable prices and GIS modeling approaches that can easily be used by the people who do interdisciplinary research has reduced these limitations significantly. In this juncture of being able to merge social/natural science and geographical perspective with minimal prerequisite, producing trained persons who are active in biodiversity conservation is urgently needed for the developing countries. This can only be achieved, within our capacity as resource managers and academics, by sharing experience and knowledge that we gained through learning and research. Training goal and objectives The overarching goal of this training course is to disseminate basic concepts, essential knowledge and application skills of RS/GIS technologies that are increasingly used in natural resources management and planning among researchers. The training course is aimed at providing participants with application skills on the collection techniques and use of spatial data: satellite imagery, aerial photographs and maps. As the training progresses, the participants will also gain practical knowledge, enabling them to assess quality and accuracy of spatial data, data gaps and standardization, and to develop, retrieve and manage spatial information that they collect in the field. Objectives of the training course: 1. To introduce basic concepts of RS/GIS technologies and their applications in research highly relevant to monitoring biodiversity; 2. To encourage field researchers to expand their efforts to collect geospatial data, to integrate geographical perspective into their research designs, data collection and analysis to make more informed decisions; 3. To provide other kinds of support in order that participants may increase their knowledge and skill of using spatial data and tools, thereby to develop new skills, realize research goals, and become professionals in their respective fields; 4. To encourage them to apply those skills in the issues of resources allocation and management with minimal help from more experienced people; and 5. To increase collaboration among academic institutes and organizations active in biodiversity conservation.

RS/GIS Software facility: State-of-the-Art image processing, GIS and GPS software are available including ENVI 4.4, IDRISI 15 Andes Edition, ArcView 3.3 (ArcGIS 9.2) and Map Source: Tracks and Waypoints depending on the needs. Training resource persons: The training course is truly sponsored by Walai Rukhavej Botanical Research Institute (WRBRI), Mahasarakham University as part of the institutes mission to become an excellent center of holistic and interdisciplinary biodiversity research in the Northeast Thailand. The institute will provide all training instructors and supporting staff. Training room facility: We will provide training materials, handouts and field equipments. Printing, both DeskJet and laser printing, will be made available in the training room. Requirement: Because the training will be arranged at the seminar room of Walai Rukhavej Botanical Research Institute, participates are required to bring their own laptops to the training. As a technical requirement, we request participants to have Windows XP professional (at least Service Pack 2) installed on the laptops they will bring to the training. We should be able to provide about 3 units of laptop computers for those who are using different Operating Systems (Windows Vista, Windows 7 and others), or do not have laptop. Number of participants: Due to the limited resources (training room facility and instructors), we will limit the number of participant at 15. Prerequisites: No prerequisites are required. However, having basic knowledge in geography and/or familiarity with image editing software (e.g. Photoshop) is an advantage. The course is open for any interested individuals. Priority will be however given to Masters and Ph.D. students of MSU. Budget required:
Item Instructor fees Utilities Printing and photocopying manual, handouts and other utilities (for the whole training) Meals Lunch Coffee Welcome dinner Field trip Vehicle rental fee (14-seated) Gasoline Driver fees Grand total Per head cost (Training registration fee) Calculation Amount (baht) 5,000 2,250 2,250 9,800 3,600 1,200 5,000 5,000 3,000 1,500 500 22,050 1,470

150 bahtx15persons 60 baht x15 persons x4days 20x15persons x4days

3000/1day x 1 Van 500x1 driver

Introduction to Geographic Information System and Remote Sensing for Biodiversity Research (4 days) Walai Rukhavej Botanical Research Institute, Mahasarakham University Venue: SC-2 401/2 Day 1
Module 1 Definitions and basic concepts of GIS (Presentation) GIS data characteristic, data models and projection systems (Presentation) Viewing existing GIS data: Introduction to ArcView Database management with ArcView: handling, editing, selecting, querying

Day 2
Module 2 Creating GIS data (shape files) using screen-digitization in ArcView (Practical exercise) Geo-processing with ArcView: dissolve, union, intersect, buffer, etc. (Practical exercise) Global Positioning System: basic concepts and applications: presentation Practical use of GPS: Outdoor exercise to collect way points (Practical exercise) Georeferencing maps/images using GPS waypoints (Practical exercise)

Day 3
Module 3 Short field trip: To demonstrate basic field techniques using GPS, compass, satellite imagery and aerial photos and to record waypoints, draw sketch maps and take field notes of habitat/land cover visiting places Transferring GPS data (waypoints and tracks) onto a PC using automatic and manual methods (Practical exercise) Basic concepts of Remote Sensing (Power Point presentation) Viewing remote sensing data (Landsat imagery, aerial photos, scanned maps, etc.) using a variety of software, including Erdas Imagine and ENVI (Practical exercise) Locating/tasking/downloading remote sensing data (Practical exercise)

Day 4
Module 4 Image preprocessing: format conversion, layer stacking, sub-setting image enhancement (Practical exercise) Image classification overview (Presentation) Supervised classification in Erdas Imagine (Practical exercise) Output maps preparation and exporting attribute data (Practical exercise) Creating 3-D perspective images using 30-m ASTER DEM Introduction to Google Maps: integrating GPS data in Google Maps