The Integrated Forest Resources Information System

FUNCTIONS OF IFRIS

IFRIS is the storehouse of data on the natural forests of Indonesia, collected by FIMP and other projects and agencies.

IFRIS is an information system on Indonesian forests, providing users in the forest sector with structured and easily accessible data relevant to forest planning and management.

IFRIS contains information such as topographic, land-cover, biological and socio-economic data which is not restricted to forest applications, but may be of value to planners in other fields.

IFRIS is a dynamic database, upgraded and added to periodically, and users will have access via the Internet and regular upgrades on CD ROM.

IFRIS

CLIMATE

SOCIO-

ECONOMIC

FAUNATOPOGRAPHYTREES

SOILS

GEOLOGY

PICTURES

IMAGES

VEGETATION

MAPS

FLORA

Satellite images, usually Landsat Thematic Mapper, but also sometimes SPOT,are purchased and geometrically corrected for all study areas

These images are used to prepare

vegetation maps, to check

distribution of roads and

settlements, and as a background to other maps in

IFRIS

Vegetation maps at 1:50,000 scale are prepared for all study areas. These maps are interpreted from satellite imagery with extensive field-checking

Up-to-date maps of the

extent of primary,

logged over and secondary forest, as well as agricultural land-cover, are

essential to proper

planning and management

of forest resources

Digital contour, spot-height and drainage maps at a scale of 1:50,000 are purchased from BAKOSURTANAL. Digital elevation models with a cell-size of 50 metres are prepared from this topographic data.

Topography is important in all aspects of land use planning. It plays a major

role in determining land

suitability and risk of erosion and controls access routes

and settlement patterns.

Elevation influences the

local climate, and thus the

vegetation, both natural and cultivated.

Slope maps are generated from digital elevation models using specialised computer software.

Slope maps quantify

topography. Legislation for

forest classification and many other types

of land use incorporates

slope categories as an important

factor. Slope maps give a

visual indication of potential

problem areas.

Land facets are an alternative way of classifying the landscape into discrete physiographic units. Land facet maps are prepared from digital elevation models using computer software developed by FIMP.

Land facets are not used in

current legal classifications of the landscape in

Indonesia. Current research

has indicated correlations

between forest characteristics

and land facets.

In this map, ridges are

coloured red, upper slopes in

yellow, mid slopes in blue

and lower slopes in green. Flat

land in valleys is coloured purple.

River catchment boundaries can be generated automatically from the digital elevation model using special computer software. This map shows catchment boundaries in black superimposed on a vegetation map.

Identification of catchments is

important in soil erosion and

forest conservation management,

and allows prediction of the

downstream effects of

headwater degradation.

Maps of current forest land categories are obtained in digital form from provincial Forest Ministry offices

Forest land category maps

are based on the extent of forest

cover, the boundaries of

protected areas and logging

concessions, and topography. The data in IFRIS can

be used to update these maps.

Published 1:250,000 scale geological maps have been digitised for the four provinces of southern Sumatera

Geology is an important

factor determining

soil types and topography

Climate data (rainfall and temperature) has been compiled and processed by FIMP for the period 1960-1990 for all of Indonesia. This data can be presented in the form of maps and graphs.

Mean annual rainfall, the

number of dry months per

year, and the minimum mean

monthly temperatures are important factors which determine the character of

natural vegetation.

This map shows mean annual

rainfall in purple and

blue, and low temperatures in the mountains

as blue shading

FIMP has sampled six clusters of forest sample plots in Bengkulu province. In each cluster there are 45 sample plots, each 100 metres by 10 metres, spaced about 100 metres apart on three or four transects. Every tree >10 cm DBH is recorded, soil sampled in each plot, and fauna identified in and near plots.

Plot clusters

in Bengkulu province in black.

The locations of sample plot clusters are selected by

a stratification technique so as to cover the whole range of climatic,

geological and

topographic variation within a

given elevation

range

IFRIS allows the simultaneous viewing of plot maps and 3D trees.

One soil sample site is selected in each forest sample plot, and the individual soil horizons measured and sampled. Data on physical and chemical properties of soils can be accessed through views in IFRIS.

These pie diagrams, one for each sample plot, show the relative proportions of sand, silt and clay in soil samples from the “B” soil horizon. Similar maps can

be prepared for many different characteristics of

each of the soil layers.

Three-dimensional graphs allow examination of the variations in physical and chemical properties of soils both between sites and vertically through the soil profile.

Using a programme developed by FIMP, a species of mammal

or bird can be selected from a list. The localities where the selected species has been recorded are highlighted in

yellow.

Data on fauna (mammals, birds,

reptiles) have been collected from 18 clusters of forest

sample plots in the 4 provinces of

southern Sumatera.

Other themes in IFRIS provide quantitative

information where this is available.

This map shows the total number of bird species recorded at each the 18 sites.

This map shows the abundance of siamang

(Symphalangus syndactylus), in terms

of the number of individuals per square

kilometre, at the forest sample plot

sites.

Socio-economic data has been collected by FIMP from 51 villages in Bengkulu province. The villages are all close to the forest edge, and in the vicinity of FIMP forest sample plots. Data has been collected at the village level, using information from the Kepala Desa and the BKKN, supplemented by surveys of randomly selected households.

This map shows the

locations of villages

sampled in Bengkulu

Socio-economic data collected by FIMP can be accessed in IFRIS through a series of graphical interfaces.

Clicking on a village in the map view displays selected data from that village in a series of graphs.

Comparisons between villages are more clear in maps than in interactive graphs. Four types of socio-economic data from the FIMP study area in northern Bengkulu are displayed here.

As well as village level data, the socio-economic survey includes interviews of randomly selected households. Aggregated household data for each village is displayed graphically in this interactive view.

As with the village-level socio-economic data, some of the household data is better suited to map display. This view shows some examples.

Pictures taken in the field are incorporated in IFRIS,

accessed through “Hot Links” from maps

3D views of the landscape are prepared by combining satellite imagery and a Digital Elevation Model. These are accessed via “Hot Links” in IFRIS. This view shows coal mines (pale blue) at the foot of the Bukit Barisan inland from Bengkulu.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

The Bengkulu IFRIS is a sub-set of the full national IFRIS, and contains a very wide range of data relating to the natural forests of Bengkulu and their environment.

The user interface of IFRIS is designed to be easy to use, and the data in IFRIS is presented so as to maximise the information content without restricting the possibility for more specialised users to further process data themselves.

Users of IFRIS do not require the most advanced “state-of-the-art” computers. The system is designed to run at acceptable speed on standard modern desk-top computers.

Data in IFRIS is currently restricted to the province of Bengkulu and five FIMP study areas in the remaining three provinces of southern Sumatera. Geographic coverage will expand as FIMP progresses to other provinces and as provincial MOFEC offices start to generate new data.