Now that COP 15 is over, with one of the only commitments made toward Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD), the move is on to map and monitor forests. GIS has long played a role in forest measuring, assessment, monitoring, planning and management. With the embrace of REDD by the international community, and the commitment of such heavy technology hitters as ESRI and Google to the task at hand, 2010 is shaping up as a watershed year for geospatial technology adoption.
Just think of all the developing countries that will receive a geospatial jump-start through their preparations for REDD. With the foundation of their forestry assessment and monitoring systems in place, they then can begin to apply these tools to biodiversity and conservation goals as well as the improvement of the lives of citizens through analysis of social, economic and environmental factors.
There is a growing awareness of the role that GIS and remote sensing will play in adapting to climate change. Here’s a nice story from Fortune Magazine writer Marc Gunther that illustrates the kind of coverage that GIS can expect to garner in the coming year.
