Inter-institutional development cooperation for "Improving Research
Capacity of Forest Resource Information Technology in Vietnam and Nepal"
Results and Activities
Related to the overall objectives set by the participating Agencies, the project is designed to consist of three Result components (R1, R2, and R3) that are divided from three to four specified Activities (A1.1, A1.2, A1.3, A1.4, A2.1,..., A3.3), respectively. The three capacity building Results serving the mutual interests of participating Agencies in Nepal, Vietnam and Finland are:
R1) Improved capacity to use modern biometrical methods needed for the cost-efficient and automated utilisation of data collected from forest inventories and growth experiments,
R2) Upgraded skills to use and develop remote sensing-based inventory tools for the monitoring of forest resources, and
R3) Enhanced research-oriented expertise and knowledge obtained through training, practical applications, research collaboration and dissemination of results.
The R1 will focus on the development of skills in forest biometry. The four Activities (A1.1–A1.4) of R1 will:
A1.1) revise existing sampling designs and stratification strategies specific to main vegetation types and objects of interest,
A1.2) develop prediction models for key forest variables,
A1.3) elaborate methods for calculating inventory results, and
A1.4) draft a stand growth simulation system.
The R1 will review inventory schemes applicable to different forest types (A1.1). The R1 through its second Activity (A1.2) will also develop models for generalising sample-based information and predicting tree and stand characteristics (e.g., volume, biomass, decomposition of woody biomass and carbon content) needed to the calculation of inventory results and to support GHG inventories (A1.3). Finally, possibilities for scenario-making will be studied using the constructed model-base (A1.4).
The R2 is targeted to capacity building on modern remote sensing techniques appropriate for the conditions in Nepal and Vietnam. The three Activities (A2.1–A2.3) of R2 will:
A2.1) implement multi-source forest inventory processing chain for deriving forest attributes on the basis of field and remote sensing data,
A2.2) utilise the processing chain, field observations and various remote sensing data (Airborne Laser Scanning, Aerial photographs, Satellite imagery) to derive wall-to-wall estimates of forest attributes (e.g. stand volume, canopy cover, biomass, carbon stock) for the study area(s), and
A2.3) develop tools for monitoring of forest resources and forest land
The implementation of R2 will result in an improved, automated situation where forthcoming FRAs can be provided with tools for monitoring of the forest resources. After the project, the organisations responsible for large-scale forest inventories will have improved expertise to utilise the ground truth together with optical and/or laser-based remote sensing material (A2.1) used to derive wall-to-wall estimates on forest attributes (A2.2) and to obtain estimates for forest type classification, for instance (A2.3). In the monitoring of forest resources (A2.3), automated techniques will be applied to the forest type classification. In addition, alternative change detection techniques including rapid methods and object-oriented approaches will be developed, and tools in determining and quantifying changes in forest cover in TOFs and forest borderline areas will be demonstrated under the Activity A2.3.
The R3 will aim to facilitate the project in organising working environment that promote and support collaboration between participating GOs and NGOs in Nepal, Vietnam and Finland. The three result-oriented Activities (A3.1–A3.3) of R3 will:
A3.1) organise inventory-related training periods and promote educational collaboration with Forestry Faculties in Nepal, Vietnam and Finland,
A3.2) arrange workshops and seminars on project-related topics, and
A3.3) compile reports, working papers, seminar proceedings and research articles, and distribute information through the internet.
Analysing and managing forest information in the partner institutions require basic- and advanced level knowledge especially in statistics, GIS and information technology. Moreover, operational skills are required to establish and maintain forest information systems. The two training periods (A3.1) organised in Finland by Metla will familiarise Nepalese and Vietnamese partner representatives with the modern inventory procedures and data processing techniques applied to the Finnish NFI. These periods will simultaneously facilitate the implementation of the research oriented Rs 1 and 2 with specified Activities and expected outputs. Similarly, existing inventory courses and their contents will be revised by the university partner agencies and updated based on the learning of the project activities aiming at maximising the meaning and sustainable development of this project. One aim of R3 is to promote higher-level educational activities by providing qualified candidates from partner agencies with project-related research topics and supervision opportunities. The training, supervising and collaboration practices under the project will also make their research findings more useful, practical, and applicable.
The skills required to store the inventory information, to compute the inventory results and to represent the information in a format that is easy-to-understand for the decision makers are improved through A3.2. In order to develop necessary skills to address these tasks, the component will organize on-the-spot training courses for Nepalese and Vietnamese participants. The project will also organise two workshops during the project period. The first workshop will be organised during the second implementation year and the second will be organised in the end of the project.
Activities under the R3 is related to the dissemination of new information and the results of the project (A3.3). A3.3 will support the compilation of project related reports, working papers, seminar proceedings and research articles. In addition, the website for the project will be established and maintained as a specific dissemination action of A3.3.
A summary of the Activity design is given in the Logical Framework Matrix (pdf) of the ICI project.
