The Project of enhancing
National Forest Resources Inventory System
contributing to Sustainable Forest Management
Database / GIS
Data collected during field surveys is stored in a database system developed for the Project.
Below is a sample screen from the database.
The following points were emphasized in the course of developing the database system.
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The system was developed with Microsoft Access® as the base, which held initial deployment costs down and ensured the ease of improvements in the future.
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Entry restrictions were put in place to reduce the amount of field survey data input errors.
The database does not exist to merely store survey data. Its most vital functions are to produce and analyze data tailored to its application, and to assist in understanding matters such as the distribution of specific tree species and the resource volume in each province.
The field survey data in this database is helpful for the proposal of effective forest policies.
Interface of the database system
Forest Base Map
Outputting field survey data from the database and feeding it into a GIS program makes it possible to visually understand geographic information concerning forests in Gabon.
The forest base map developed during the Project comprises layers of various types of data, including satellite images, land cover maps, data from field survey points, administrative borders, major urban areas, primary roads and forest concessions. GIS software is used to display the map with information tailored to its application.
The map was developed with a particular focus on updating data from field survey points as the surveys progressed so that the GIS program can be used to confirm field photographs and data gathered from each survey point.
