Ministry for Agriculture and Forestry National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute Agriculture and Land Utilization Research Center (ALURC) Draft: Development Paper for ALURC GIS-Section 2009-2014
Table of Contents Tables and Figures...3 1. Introduction...4 2. Current Status and Capacity of the GIS-Section...5 2.1 Organizational Structure... 5 2.3 Human Resources... 7 2.4 Equipment: Hardware and Software... 8 3. Development Framework (2009 2014)...9 3.1 Possible role of the GIS-Section in NAFRI s development... 9 3.1.1 Potentials of GIS and fields where it could support different NAFRI Centers... 9 3.1.2 Mandate, Responsibilities and Functions... 12 3.1.3 Potentials of GIS to offer services, advice and training to stakeholders outside NAFRI... 13 3.1.4 Consolidation of reputation as competent player in the field of GIS... 13 3.2 Staff and Equipment Needs... 14 3.2.1 Staff and Training Needs... 14 3.2.2 Hardware and Software Needs... 16 3.2.3 Other... 17 Annex 1: List of possible services offered by GIS-Section... 18 Annex 2: Hard and Software proposal... 19 Annex 3: Proposal for Business plan... 21 2
Tables and Figures Figure 1: NAFRI Organizational Structure... 5 Figure 2: ALURC Organizational Structure... 6 Table 1: Academic degrees of GIS-Section staff... 7 Table 2: Currently used equipment... 8 3
1. Introduction This Paper has been developed to guide the activities of NAFRI s GIS-Section in the next 5 years (2009-2014). It is based on the results of a need assessment conducted during June and August 2009 as well as on the NAFRI Strategic Plan (2007-2012) and Research Plan (2007-2010). The growing importance of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) in Agriculture and Forestry and connected with it, the growing demand for GIS- and RS-Services from in- and outside NAFRI create a need for a strategic and structured development that shall be met by this paper. A special demand is caused by the fact that NAFRI s main donor Sida is stopping its cooperation in 2011, which will have a very negative impact on the availability of funds. GIS and RS offer the possibility to generate income for the GIS-Section and for NAFRI. For this of course the GIS- Section needs to be up-to-date which requires an upgrade plan for the remaining time. NAFRI is considered one of the leading agencies on spatial and land based information in Laos. The GIS Unit has a range of data sets related to land, soil, forest, fisheries and agricultural production and works closely with MAF and provincial and district authorities to carry out land capability analysis and zoning. To put this position on sustainable ground in the future, an upgrade but as well a clear definition of Mandate, Responsibilities, Functions and relationships with different NAFRI centers and other stakeholders is necessary. This Development paper is divided into two main parts. While the first part is intended to give a short overview over the current situation of the GIS-Section, the second part represents the development framework for the years 2009 2014. 4
2. Current Status and Capacity of the GIS-Section 2.1 Organizational Structure The GIS-Section belongs to NAFRI s Agriculture Land Utilization Research Center (ALURC) and is there under the responsibility of the Land use-planning Unit. The following figures illustrate the organizational setup inside the NAFRI structure. Figure 1: NAFRI Organizational Structure Note: ALURC is mentioned here under its old name ALRC Source: NAFRI Strategic Plan (2007-2012) and Research Plan (2007-2010) 5
Figure 2: ALURC Organizational Structure Agriculture Land Utilization Research Center (ALURC) Scientific Council Administration Unit Soil Survey and Land Use Planning Unit Soil Analysis Unit Land Management Unit Administration Section Soil Survey and Land Use Planning Section Soil Analysis Section Improvement of Soil and Fertilizer Section Planning Section GIS-Section Crop Analysis Section Land Management Section Fertilizer and Organic Matter Section 2.2 Overview of Activities and Projects The GIS-Section is at this point following its institutional setting and mainly acts as a service provider for ALURC and especially the Land use-planning Unit. Nevertheless there is cooperation with other stakeholders. The following list shows the different activities and projects. The first one is by far the most important: Project: Countrywide Land use-planning on District and Province level Initiator: Ministry for Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) Time Frame: Activities: Land suitability analysis, development of land use plans, map making Project: Upland Research and Capacity Development Programme (URDP) Initiator: Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) Time Frame: 2002-2011 Activities: Land use planning on village level, Agro Ecological Zoning 6
Project: Initiator: Mekong River Commission (MRC) Time Frame: Activities: Project: Initiator: Vietnamese Government Time Frame: Activities: Project: Initiator: ACMAC, Thai Government Time Frame: Activities: Beside that there are conducted consultancy missions for several different stakeholders on an irregular basis. 2.3 Human Resources The GIS-Section has a permanent staff of 8 people, of which 6 are official government staff, while 2 are still in the process of admission. 6 people have university degrees (one M.Sc., five B.Sc. or Diploma), while 2 are still studying. The following table summarizes the educational background of the staff. Table 1: Academic degrees of GIS-Section staff Degree Master Degree 1 (Head of Section) Land use Planning Specialisation Bachelor Degree or Diploma 1 English 2 Forestry 1 Agronomy and English 1 Irrigation 1* Geography 1* Agronomy * not finished yet 7
2.4 Equipment: Hardware and Software The GIS-Section is currently working mostly with outdated hardware. The Laptop and Desktop computers in use are on average around 4-5 years old, which is especially when working in the field of GIS and Remote Sensing (RS) completely out of date. Many of the computers and laptops have damages and are not fully functional. The following table summarizes the equipment that is currently in use: Table 2: Currently used equipment Equipment Amount Year of Acquisition Desktop computers Laptops 5 ca.2004 1 2008 3 ca. 2004 2 2006 1 2008 Printers Inkprinter A3 2 2004 and 2009 Laserprinter A4 1 ca. 2004 Plotter A0 1 ca. 2004 GPS LCD 2 ca. 2005 3 2008 1 2007 2 2008 In the past the GIS-Section did not work with official GIS-licenses. Recently a change has been initiated to move from ArcView 3.2 to the newest version of ESRI s GIS package, ArcGIS 9.3.1. Licenses, financed by the URDP project, have been ordered from ESRI Thailand. Regarding Remote Sensing the GIS-Section does not have official licenses yet. 8
3. Development Framework (2009 2014) 3.1 Possible role of the GIS-Section in NAFRI s development in connection to NAFRI Strategic Plan and Research Agenda 3.1.1 Potentials of GIS and fields where it could support different NAFRI Centers in research and policy advice The development of whole NAFRI including ALURC GIS-Section is governed by the NAFRI Strategic Plan for 2007-2012 & Research Agenda for 2007 2010. NAFRI s general vision is a future where poverty in rural areas is reduced through improvement of agriculture production systems which support a higher state of food security, increased income for rural farmers, and the utilization of natural resources is managed sustainably. To work toward this, NAFRI aims to contribute to the goals of the Government of Laos by carrying out integrated research for development to overcome specific problems limiting production and causing degradation of natural resources. NAFRI also provides policy advice by working closely with different levels of policy-makers to ensure a more supportive policy environment. Finally, NAFRI will strengthen information and communication systems within Laos so that a range of actors have better access to information and knowledge to make informed decisions at different levels. The NAFRI Strategic Plan for 2007-2012 & Research Agenda for 2007 2010 defines the following key issues and challenges in Laos in the fields of Agriculture and Forestry: 1. Increasing productivity of land use and farming systems 2. Developing new tools for land use zoning, land use planning and allocation and land management 3. Understanding the impacts of agrarian change on local livelihoods and the environment 4. Strengthening the sustainable forest management processes, including community based forest management 5. Understanding global trends and their implications for Lao PDR and the agriculture and natural resource sector From those challenges 5 Research Thrusts with direct implication for NAFRI with its different centers are derived: Research thrust 1: Maximizing return per land unit through productivity improvement Research Thrust 2: Improving land use planning and management procedures 9
Research Thrust 3: Improving enabling environment and mechanisms to support agriculture and forestry production for increased land use effectiveness Research Thrust 4: Marketing and quality requirements for agriculture and forestry products Research Thrust 5: Sustainable management, utilization and conservation of natural resources GIS and Remote Sensing (RS) can play an important role in any of those research thrusts, because nearly every kind of information or analysis conducted has a spatial reference and therefore can be mapped or further analyzed using GIS. Anyway there are some research thrusts and areas in which GIS/RS can play a major role to lead to improved results: Research thrust 1: Increase productivity of potential commercial and food crops o Supporting the research for feasibility of newly emerging crops by conducting Land Suitability Analysis to find locations with appropriate settings (climate, soil, etc.) o Anticipatory yield estimation by remote sensing Mitigation of risks from disaster o Predict the impact of natural disasters (e.g. floods) on agricultural production by using models and maps o Determine the vulnerability of certain locations towards natural disasters o Early warning system for disasters, e.g. yield estimation by remote sensing and therefore prediction of food shortage o Accessability analysis after desaster o Damage Assessment, Desaster Mapping Research thrust 2: Improve Land use Planning Methodologies with o Land cover and Land use Classification, Mapping and Monitoring of Changes o Development of Land use Plans o Land Suitability Modeling o Support Land Titeling o Soil Mapping Support Land use management with o Mapping of land tenure o Visualize spatial relations for participatory land management systems on village level 10
Research thrust 5: Biodiversity conservation o GIS and Remote Sensing based assessment of natural resources including high risk species and other impacts on biodiversity Pro-poor sustainable forest management systems o GIS as a mapping tool to involve local people in the decision-making process o Monitoring of Deforestation o Forest Inventory, Forest Health and Nutrition Monitoring o Measuring of Forest Growth and Volume o Harvest estimation and planning, ecosystem management as well as landscape and habitat planning Methodologies for resource assessment o Remote Sensing and GIS based methodologies for carbon and biomass assessments Bio-fuel crops potentials o Land suitability models to find appropriate locations Beside the NAFRI research thrusts defined in its strategy paper and research agenda GIS and Remote Sensing play as well an important role in some new upcoming global forestry and agriculture topics: Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) and Clean Development Mechanisms (CDM): Remote sensing and GIS technology support to accurately monitor changes in land-use and the associated carbon stocks (carbon accounting) Climate Change: Modeling effects of climate change with GIS and considering the results for future land use planning (adaptation to climate change) As seen in chapter 2.2 at current date the GIS-Section is predominantly working in the field of land and land use planning while other fields are playing only a minor role or are not covered at all so far. One can state that there is a big potential at NAFRI to expand its use of GIS and Remote Sensing in the future. If the focus of the GIS Section should be opening up to other fields besides Land and Land use planning a new definition of its mandate and functions is necessary 11
3.1.2 Mandate, Responsibilities and Functions The GIS-Section is belonging to the Agriculture and Land Utilization Research Center (ALURC), which is a centre under the supervision of NAFRI. The GIS-Section is mandated to conduct research and advice in the fields of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS). Its functions are Geo-Data Management : Data Creation, Collection, Quality Assessment and Improvement, Improvement Storage and Distribution GIS and RS related research Offering GIS and RS services including trainings to other NAFRI centers Network and outreach with key actors in the fields of GIS and RS Offering paid GIS and RS services and trainings for stakeholders outside NAFRI Figure 3: Functions of the GIS-Section Geo-Data Management Offering paid GIS and RS services to other stakeholders GIS Section GIS and RS based research 12 Offering GIS and RS services and advice to NAFRI Build up network with key actors
3.1.3 Potentials of GIS to offer services, advice and training to national and international stakeholders outside NAFRI Beside its main role as a service provider for NAFRI, there is the potential for the GIS-Section to offer similar services and training courses against payment to other national and international stakeholders and therefore generate income to become self-supporting and even generate income for NAFRI. Many different national and international stakeholders in Agriculture and Forestry but as well other fields have growing needs for GIS and Remote Sensing services. NAFRI is considered one of the leading agencies on spatial and land based information in Laos and would be able to offer those kinds of services. The GIS Section has a range of data sets related to land, soil, forest, fisheries and agricultural production and has a good network working closely with MAF and provincial and district authorities to carry out land capability analysis and zoning. To be able to act as a service provider, beside the needs that will be mentioned in chapter 3.2, the development of a business plan describing the different services that could be offered and determination of prices would be necessary. A draft can be found in Annex 3 3.1.4 Consolidation of reputation as competent player in the field of GIS As mentioned above NAFRI s GIS-Section already has a quite intensive network with different governmental organizations working in the same field (Department of Forestry, Ministry for Agriculture and Forestry, provincial and district authorities, etc.). Still there is GIS and Remote Sensing competence as well in other organizations. To consolidate its reputation, further strategic cooperation with GIS Sections or GIS-experts from the following organizations should be initiated or intensified: National: National Land Management Authority (NLMA) Faculty of Forestry Department of Forestry (DoF) Ministry for Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) National Geographic Department (NGD) International: Centre for Development and Environment (TABI Project) GTZ Land Management Project 13
ADB, SNRMPE-Project CIAT/IWMI CIFOR/IRD To achieve a higher visibility of NAFRI s work and competence in the field of GIS, Remote Sensing and land use planning the accessibility to its work results should be improved. There are several possibilities to achieve this: Building up of an Internet-Map-server (IMS) to put selected work results on the internet. Creating a Multi-user Geo-database server to give different GIS users inside NAFRI access to the best data available for their work 3.2 Staff and Equipment Needs To be able to answer the growing demand for GIS and Remote Sensing services from inside and outside NAFRI in an appropriate way the GIS-Section needs to have the human resource capacity as well as up-to-date hard- and software. 3.2.1 Staff and Training Needs In the next 3 years two M.Sc. Degrees in GIS-related fields should be initiated To further professionalize the NAFRI GIS-Section higher education of staff members should be considered. Increased GIS and general scientific competence is essential for the sustainable operation of the GIS unit. After finishing the M.Sc. studies, staff should return to the GIS-Section. English Capacity has to be improved to be able to fully use advanced GIS-software A good English speaking capacity is essential when working with international stakeholders. It is especially important when working in GIS/RS where all available computer programs and literature is in English. 14
While some staff at the GIS-Section has good English capacity, others are still on a beginner level. To improve the situation trainings courses for different levels should be organized with a special focus on writing English for the advanced staff. Considering the growing responsibilities of the GIS Section an increase in staff is inevitable The momentarily running projects, especially the Land use planning on province and district level take nearly 100% of the available working power. On a mid-term view, around 3-5 additional staff members will be needed. To make sure that newly trained staff is not leaving after being trained in GIS, long-term contracts (at least 5-years) should be indented and financial incentives created. Training Needs GIS and Remote Sensing are very fast changing fields. To stay up-to-date, permanent trainings are essential. The following advanced topics should be covered in the next 3 years: GIS o Geodatabase development and management o Advanced Geoprocessing and Modeling o 3D-Modeling o Geostatistics o Building up and managing a GIS-Webserver (IMS) o Visual Basic for Applications Programming in ArcGIS o The relevance of coordinate systems and projections in GIS o Image Analysis in GIS o Computer networking Remote sensing techniques: o Advanced visual image analysis o Object based image analysis o Creating Orthophotos and Digital Terrain Models (DTM) o Automated image classification methods o Automated land cover change analysis o Stereo Analysis of Satellite Images Additionally training courses in specified fields (e.g. land use planning, GIS/RS for disaster management) should be conducted on demand. 15
3.2.2 Hardware and Software Needs As mentioned in chapter 2.4, the current available equipment in the GIS-Section is outdated and does not meet the requirements for working on a technical up-to-date level in GIS and RS anymore. To be able to fulfill its function especially when talking about an opening up towards other fields beside land and land use planning a hard- and software upgrade of the GIS-Section is essential The following hard- and software would be necessary to bring the GIS-Section technically on an upto-date level. A more detailed list can be found in Annex 2: Server: For building up of a central multi-user geodatabase to improve data quality and data security as well as for performing intensive geo-processing activities that require maximum computer power Desktops and Laptops: To replace the existing outdated equipment. Since a lot of the GIS-section s work is taking place in the field, good laptops are necessary. To avoid buying the same amount of desktop computers for the office and as well to avoid time consuming data transactions between laptops and desktop computers docking stations including keyboards and mouse should be acquired. Screens: Laptop screens are not sufficient for analysis of satellite images, so extra screens (ca. 23 ) would be necessary Scanner A3: To digitalize maps, satellite images, etc. that are not yet digitally available GPS Units: For use during field trips. For Land use planning work a high quality GPS is essential to provide accurate measurements. External hard drives: for exchange of big datasets as well as for backup systems to improve data security. Plotter A0: to be able to print high resolution maps in large format (A0) is essential for work in GIS and Land use planning. The existing plotter is already 5 years old. Laser printer A4: At the moment there is no laser printer that could be used by everybody. LCD and Microphone: For presentations during field work and in-house capacity building courses Digital cameras and video camera: For documentation of field work, etc. Remote Sensing Software: 1-2 Licenses for a Remote Sensing Program (e.g. Image Analyst Extension for ArcGIS) should be acquired 16
3.2.3 Other Beside Hard- and Software needs there is also a need for improvements in the office construction. The GIS-Section building is hardly suitable for the amount of people working there at the moment. Old and broken office equipment should be renewed and if considering an augmentation of staff an expansion of the building should be taken in account. 17
Annex 1: List of possible services offered by GIS-Section Creating Maps based on spatial data from NAFRI geo-database or from data provided by customer Printing Maps color/b.w. up to size A0 Analyzing Satellite Images (e.g. automatic or manual land use classification, land use change monitoring) Digitalization of information from Satellite Images (e.g. road or river systems) Advanced spatial analysis including development of models: o Land suitability analysis o Land use planning Creation of 3D-Models and views Providing Spatial Data for any sort of spatial analysis (soil, altitude, climate, etc.) Conduction of trainings courses in GIS and Remote Sensing 18
Annex 2: Hard and Software proposal Hardware proposal Equipment Price USD per unit Ammount Price total USD Server (incl. Back-UP) $3.000,00 1 $3.000,00 Desktop (incl. Back-UP) $2.500,00 2 $5.000,00 Laptops $2.000,00 5 $10.000,00 Dockingstation $300,00 5 $1.500,00 Keyboard, Mouse $50,00 5 $250,00 Screens $400,00 5 $2.000,00 Scanner A3 $1000,00 1 $1000,00 GPS Unit $500,00 4 $2.000,00 External Harddisk $200,00 5 $1.000,00 Plotter A0 $15.000,00 1 $15.000,00 Laserprinter A4 $800,00 1 $800,00 LCD $2.000,00 1 $2.000,00 Microphone $100,00 1 $100,00 Digital Camera $200,00 3 $600,00 Videocamera $500,00 1 $500,00 Portable Map Cases $50,00 5 $250,00 Furniture, Office $10.000,00 Improvements Desks Map case 1 Cupboards Shelves Air Conditioning 1 Sub-Total $52.000,00 Software Proposal 1-2 Licenses for either Leica Geosystems Image Analyst Plug-In for ArcGIS Leica Geosystems ERDAS Imagine Alternative: IDRISI Taiga TOTAL:??? USD ca. 8000-9000 USD ca. 1000 USD ca. 57.000,00 USD 19
Possibilities for Funding: There is the possibility to get 30.000 US$ funds from GTZ/CIM under the condition that NAFRI is willing to spend 27.000 US$. The process has to be started by the end of October 2009 to be able to get GTZ/CIM support. GTZ/CIM 30.000 US$ NAFRI 27.000 US$ Total: 57.000 US$ 20
Annex 3: Proposal for Business plan Field Work (national): Daily Rates: GIS Senior-Expert: GIS Junior-Expert: XXX US$ XXX US$ Daily Allowance: 20 US$ (incl. accommodation and food, not incl. transport) Office Work: Daily Rates: GIS Senior-Expert: GIS Junior-Expert: XXX US$ XXX US$ Printing: Color Black/White A4: XXX US$ A4: XXX US$ A3: XXX US$ A3: XXX US$ A2: XXX US$ A2: XXX US$ A1: XXX US$ A1: XXX US$ A0: XXX US$ A0: XXX US$ Training Course: Daily Rate: XXX US$ 21