PR - The Institute for Environmental Security (IES) is pleased to announce the launch of its updated web-GIS tool: 'VISION'.
The July 2008 version of VISION
combines a new image with a more user friendly interface. It includes a
user manual to help you make the most of your visits to the web-GIS
site. It also includes two legend modes: Normal for beginners and
Advanced for in-depth exploration. VISION works on both Internet
Explorer and Firefox and offers access to online maps and illuminating data, partly based on original remote sensing data.
Different
aspects of environment and security can be separately invoked on these
online maps. The variable and thematic layers include:
- administrative data such as borders, rivers, roads and settlements
- ecosystems data, such as forest cover, hydrology, habitats, etc.
- conservation areas
- demographic and socio-economic information
- specific threats, such as deforestation, logging canals, and erosion
By ticking these layers "on" and "off", users can compose their own images with information of their own interests.
This
web-GIS tool currently focuses on the three study areas that are part
of the IES programme on Environmental Security for Poverty Alleviation
(ESPA). These areas are:
- Central Kalimantan, Indonesian part of Borneo
- The Matavén region in Colombia
- The transboundary region between Rwanda, Uganda and the DR Congo, in the heart of the African Great Lakes region
The
IES has recently started a fourth case study in the Congo Basin. The
related web-GIS will be added in the course of this year.
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