UN CARTOGRAPHY AND GIS MEETING

UN HQ, New York; 28-30 March 2000

Ergin Ataman, GIS Manager

Environment and Natural Resources Service Sustainable Development Department

FAO, Rome, Italy

Major UN - FAO Policy Shaping Events

- UN Conference on Environment and Development

UNCED - Agenda 21, June 1992

- Post UNCED Environmental Conventions on Climate Change, Biodiversity and Desertification

- World Food Summit (WFS), FAO, November 1996

WFS Action Plan

- Kyoto Protocol, December 1997

- FAO Strategic Framework 2000 - 2015; 1999

The Environment and Natural Resources Service(SDRN) of FAO deals with sustainable development

and natural resources and environmental management issues

Main activities:

- development of spatial information infrastructures that enable

information access, sharing and lower costs;

- promotion integrated of data and information use for food security and sustainable development;

- development of methodologies, guidelines and policies for resource management and environmental monitoring;

- coordination of the implementation of UNCED Agenda 21, post- UNCED environmental Conventions and cross-sectoral Agreements.

Other FAO Programmes with a significant GIS and/or Remote Sensing technology components

- Monitoring, forecasting and simulation of the Nile River Basin irrigation control (FAO / USAID cooperation since 1990);

- Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA2000); Global forest resources statistics; deforestation-afforestation (FAO / donors)

- Desert Locust Monitoring and Forecasting with RAMSES remote sensing and SWARMS GIS systems; preventive control

- Monitoring and forecasting of TseTse incidence in West Africa

- Some 60 projects in 50 countries with a remote sensing and/or MIS/GIS component.

The following units in The Environment and Natural Resources Service (SDRN) of FAO

develop geo-spatial databases and/or meta-databases

1. Agrometeorology

2. ARTEMIS

3. Remote Sensing and AFRICOVER

4. GIS

5. GTOS

Activities of these Units are described in the slides follow.

How much will you How much will you harvest?harvest?

Weather is the main single factor responsible for Weather is the main single factor responsible for the year-to-year variations in crop yield.the year-to-year variations in crop yield.

Weather Weather impact can impact can

be quantified be quantified with the use with the use

ofof

FAO agrometeorologists closely monitor FAO agrometeorologists closely monitor crop conditionscrop conditions in Africa and in Africa and extreme phenomenaextreme phenomena, such as El Niño., such as El Niño.

Crop-weather models are also used for the assessment of Crop-weather models are also used for the assessment of environmental riskenvironmental risk and and climate change impactclimate change impact..

Agrometeorology can tell you!Agrometeorology can tell you!

0 50 85 115 150 252

0.78

1.06

0.75

0.55

0.31

0.72

0.55

Sahe lian C ountries - C ropping Season 1998C erea ls Y ie ld Forecast

Percentage of Average

0.75 Average Y ie ld (1993-97) in t/ha

E stim ated Y ie ld (p ercen tag e o f a vera ge )

C E R E A L S Y IE L D - 19 9 8-99 S E A S O NE stim a ted Y ie ld a s a t 3 0 A p ril 19 9 9

a s P ercen ta ge o f L a st 5 -Y ear A v erag e

10.00 15.00 20.00 25.00 30.00 35.00 40.00 45.00- 35.00

- 30.00

- 25.00

- 20.00

- 15.00

- 10.00

- 5.00

0.00

0 % 5 0 % 8 5 % 1 1 5 % 1 3 5 % 1 8 0 % 2 0 0 %

Depending on the country,

up to 70% of the yield can be lost

due to poor weather!

450

550

650

750

850

950

1961 1966 1971 1976 1981 1986 1991

Ra

infa

ll in

de

x (

mm

)

60

70

80

90

100

110

Milk

pro

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x

(79

-81

=1

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)

Milk productionMilk production andand rainfall rainfall in Niger, Mali and Chadin Niger, Mali and Chad

Agrometeorology

Climate maps

Computer tools

Climate data

ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES SERVICE - SDRN

DATABASES OF THE AGROMETEOROLOGY GROUP

•CLIMATE TABULAR DATABASES•CLIMATE MAPS•VARIOUS TABULAR SUBNATIONAL CROP PRODUCTION DATABASES

ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES SERVICE - SDRN

Environmental Data and InformationARTEMIS

Since August 1988, the Africa Real-Time Environmental Monitoring Information System, ARTEMIS, has been operationally receiving, processing, archiving and disseminating low-resolution remote sensing imagery in support of FAO’s programmes on early warning for

food security, migrant pest and disease control.

The ARTEMIS system was implemented by FAO in close co-operation with NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre, USA, the National Aerospace Laboratory (NLR) of the

Netherlands and the University of Reading, U.K. with funding support from the Government of The Netherlands. The ARTEMIS archive contains products derived from

four different series of satellites by a number of processing centres and are available at daily, 10-daily, bi-weekly and/or monthly intervals. They can be seen at

http://ARTMET.FAO.ORG.

ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES SERVICE - SDRN

FAO - ARTEMIS

SSCKiruna, Sweden

NASA GSFCGreenbelt,

USA

NOAA/NESDISSuitland, USA

CNESToulouse, France

EC/JRC/SAIIspra, Italy

NASDA/JMAJAPAN

EUMETSATDarmstadt, Germany

USAIDFEWS

VITOMol, Belgium

University of MiamiMiami, USA

NOAA-CPCSuitland, USA

Japan Met. Agency

Tokyo, Japan

USAID FEWS

USERS

FAO Global Informationand Early Warning System

on Food and Agriculture (GIEWS)

FAO Emergency Centre forLocust Operations (ECLO)

FAO Animal Health Service(AGAH)

Southern Africa DevelopmentCommunity, RegionalRemote Sensing Unit

(SADC)

Various national and internationalresearch organisations

Normalized Difference Vegetation Index

Africa

Cold Cloud Duration Africa

Estimated Rainfall Africa

Estimated RainfallAfrica

Normalized Difference Vegetation Index Central America

Normalized Difference Vegetation IndexSouth America

Cold Cloud DurationSouth East Asia

Short Wave Infrared(VEGETATION)

FAO - GIS

GIS is used to integrate, process, analyse and display digital spatial and non spatial data. Layers of thematic information can be integrated to provide new insights into sustainable development problems.

Layer 1: HydrographyRivers and lakes.

Layer 3: Infrastructure

Original data can be from a range of projections and scales.

Layer 4: Soils

Layer 2: Elevation contours

In this example, many thematic layers were integrated to obtain a GIS information infrastructure for Burundi.

Layer 5: Major land-covertypes

FAO GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM (GIS)FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

GIS refers to computerised information storage, processing and retrieval systems, specifically designed to cope with spatial data and its corresponding attribute information.

GIS is an important tool for sustainable development, bringing together spatial and statistical data from different sectors. It can help promote communication between different sectors such as agriculture, forestry, climate monitoring and rural development.

Several layers are combined in this GIS output. The 3D effect is generated by the GIS from the elevation data.

FAO Geographic Information System (GIS) and FAO corporate GIS databases are managed by SDRN.

ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES SERVICE - SDRN

Some Examples of FAO GIS Datasets

For more detailed information see:http://www.fao.org/sd/Eldirect/GIS/EIGIS000.htm

World Soil Resources Map

Map of problem soils in Continental Southeast Asia

National and Sub-National Administrative boundaries are a key dataset because they can be used to spatially represent socio-economic data such as population.

Vegetation Map of South America

Layers of thematic data are combinedto model a specific factor.Additional data layers relevant to sustainable development include:- Geology Protected Areas Population DensityFactors which can be modelled include:- Suitability for a particular crop Food Insecurity Vulnerability Soil Degradation, Desertification Deforestation, Environmental Impact

The core data holdings of the FAO GIS Unit are described in in an MS-Word document provided. FAO GIS Unit also

intends to update/enhance or developthe following global GIS database:

1. Subnational boundaries

2. Geo-referenced socio-economic datasets

3. Climate

4. Soils and soil degradation

5. Soil constraints and problem soils

6. Agroecological zones

7. Potential food self-sufficiency at low and high input levels

8. Land-cover

9. Ecofloristic zones

10. Physiography (Africa)

11. Topography (DEM)

12. Hydrography

13. Water resources ( Africa)

14. Watershed basins

15. Irrigated lands

16. Infrastructure

17. Protected areas18. Population and population density (rural/urban

projections for 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015)

Global Terrestrial Observing System

linking the world’s terrestrial monitoring systems to provide a global vision of the

Earth we share

Focuses on five issues of global concern:

1. Changes in land quality

2. Availability of freshwater recources

3. Loss of biodiversity

4. Impacts of climate change

5. Effect of pollution and toxicity

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

International Council of Science Unions (ICSU)

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

United Nations Educational, Scientific andCultural Organization (UNESCO)

World Meteorological Organization (WMO)

GTOS SponsorsGTOS Sponsors

AFRICOVER- Eastern Africa ModuleAFRICOVER- Eastern Africa Module

Land Cover Classification System

and

Africover Interpretation and Mapping System

Africover - Eastern Africa ModuleAfricover - Eastern Africa Module

Africover initiative:

The only existing regional mapping project specifically set up to fill the identified gap of absence of baseline homogeneous information on

natural resources at a detailed level.

New approach:

What it is:a set of detailed/homogeneous land cover and environmental information that can be used by a large community of specific end-users.Why:because this database is functional to the new database management trends, it reduces costs and improves efficiency at local, national and regional levels.

Multi-Purpose Africover Database for Environmental resources (MADE)

Planning

Wild life

UNIQUE SOURCE OF BASIC ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION

Standardization process - Comparability- Increasing efficiencyCost reduction - Easy to update - Conform international standards

MULTIPURPOSEAFRICOVER

DATABASE FORENVIRONMENTAL

RESOURCES

Rangeland Agriculture

Africover - Eastern Africa ModuleAfricover - Eastern Africa Module

Forestry

From the concept to the practical application:- a set of new dedicated tools is developed that are explained below-

Africover Interpretation and Mapping System (AIMS) is a new concept of on-screen interpretation software that combines the advantages of the digital automated classification and traditional visual interpretation in a synergetic way. It improves the interactive use of ancillary data and any other type data.

Land Cover Classification System (LCCS) is a new concept of land cover classification system that is flexible, able to describe any type of land cover feature in the world, at any scale or level of detail, in a standardized manner. It provides a common language to bridge users and existing systems.

Africover - Eastern Africa ModuleAfricover - Eastern Africa Module

Africover - Eastern Africa ModuleAfricover - Eastern Africa Module

Project facts:

Countries that are at present participating to the project:Egypt, Sudan, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Eritrea

Total project area: 8.5 millions km2

Cost of the project per square Kilometre: 0.64 USD/km2

National Experts under training: 42 persons

Africover - Eastern Africa ModuleAfricover - Eastern Africa Module

ObjectivesImmediate Objective 1Production of a current regional assessment of land cover of E. Africa as a basis for regional and national level planning.

Outputs: A 1:1 000 000 colour and 1: 250 000 B&W satellite interpreted land cover

maps of the whole of E. Africa (12 countries). A consistent hierarchical land cover classification legend for E. Africa at

mapping scales of 1:1M and 1:250 000. A digital database of land cover units of E. Africa based on interpreted

1:500 000 and 1:250 000 scale satellite imagery.