Forest fire monitoring
Remote sensing application for hotspot and forest fire monitoring using Free Open Source Software for Geospatial (FOSS4G).
I was involved in research activities at EU-funded project South Sumatra Forest Fire Monitoring Project (SSFFMP) in 2008, on development of remote sensing application for fire monitoring software. As written in ToR, my main task was: Identify potential open-source application that will be used for fireinformation system in South Sumatra. Investigate and explore capabilities of identified application. Develop manual for fire monitoring land cover classification using open source application. Compare the weaknesses and strengthnesses of the open-source applicatin with available application in SSFFMP. Train counterparts to use the applications. The expert will work closely with Remote Sensing/GIS specialist, GIS Assistant and FIS Assistant.
Desktop-based GIS open-source applications consist of various types, from those that have very complete capabilities to perform spatial data analysis or only as a spatial data viewer. These applications include GRASS, Quantum GIS, uDig, gvSIG, SAGA, JUMP Family, ILWIS, KOSMO and MapWindow GIS. Actually there are still many open-source GIS applications available on the internet. But only the software mentioned above, which was evaluated for the application of the forest fire information system, will be used at SSFFMP.
After evaluating various open-source GIS applications, the next question is how do we implement or use the application. The Implementation in geospatial fields needs to be based on several considerations, including:
Supported operating systems (UNIX, Linux, Windows, MacOS);
Speed and efficiency;
Supported data formats;
Standards for interoperability (OGC Specifications).
In accordance with the context of the development of a fire information system by SSFFMP, the KOSMO and ILWIS software were chosen to be used for vector and raster data model applications to support the fire information system. The ArcExplorer Java Edition for Education (AEJEE) software from ESRI also used in the activities. AEJEE is not open-source GIS application, but as free GIS software.
KOSMO and ILWIS were chosen because of their functional considerations which are suitable for daily hotspot monitoring applications (vector data model applications) and mapping of fire-prone areas (raster data model applications). The selection is based on the results of evaluating the strengthness and weakness of each softwareand also from the literature.
The benefits of Remote Sensing and GIS are increasingly being felt in developing the Fire Information System that has been carried out by SSFFMP. But this work requires sophisticated and expensive software, so it often becomes an obstacle to use it legally. The issue of piracy or violation of intellectual property rights is rife. For this reason, the movement to use cheap/free software or open-source software is very interesting.
From the activities that have been carried out, it is evident that the open-source GIS software is capable enough to carry out daily hotspot monitoring and analysis of fire-prone areas. The role of SSFFMP must be further enhanced by campaigning for the use of open-source applications and improving the quality of its human resources.
Reference: SSFFMP’s Short-term Expert report no. 79, and software manual for forest fire monitoring using KOSMO, ArcExplorer and ILWIS
Tools: KOSMO 1.2, ArcExplorer Java Edition, ILWIS 3.4
Year: 2008
