Projects ; Base Data ; Maps and Products ; Background and Uses ; Plans ; Resources ; Commercial Projects ; Grants @ SLWCS
Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Geographic Information Systems GIS) allow scientists and conservation professionals to utilize information gathered by their respective disciplines together with remote sensing (RS, which includes both satellite images and aerial photographs) to design management systems and set priorities for conservation of the environment.
The application of RS/GIS to conservation of Sri Lanka’s natural environment.resources must be viewed as an essential component of our conservation strategies. The technology reduces the information vacuum due to its ability to combine, catalogue, and process divergent information sources and creates a visual result that can be interpreted and utilized by decision makers at all levels. Although some government agencies and a few INGO’s have advanced GIS centers the information generated by them is not often utilized by key decision makers at the regional or local level.
illuks@gmail.com, giyaya1@yahoo.com, nimeshwj@yahoo.com, rtheron@computamaps.com, ddgldahanayaka@gmail.com, starlight_getalife@hotmail.com, wardj@wp.edu, ishward_202@yahoo.co.in, jlijy@yahoo.com, chandimasf@gmail.com, sriyan.ksnz@gmail.com, gihan.ilangakoon@gmail.com, karansuthakaran@yahoo.com, colinr23@gmail.com, adell.nguyen@verizon.net, ilikepostcards@gmail.com, kani_0001@yahoo.com, lasan_m@webmail.cmb.ac.lk, lasan_m@webmail.cmb.ac.lk, maura.r.oconnor@gmail.com, nlkaaa@yahoo.com
projects@ptd.net, surindub@yahoo.com, "slwcs conservation" <slwcs.et@gmail.com> |
THE GOAL of SLWCS’ Conservation GIS Center is to “To use socio-economic and bio-diversity data to produce accurate maps and models which can be used by stakeholders to make informed land use decisions for effective conservation.”
THE OBJECTIVES are to
- Promote GIS use within the organization
- Educate communities and government agencies about the power of GIS.
- Promote sharing of GIS resources
- Assist in standardizing the collection and distribution of GIS
GIS is invaluable in all the different aspects of SLWCS’s conservation, research, community development and capacity building projects and is used to
- Create models and maps
- Work with communities, government agencies and NGO’s
- Suggest optimal land use strategies
- Create HEC and conservation management toolboxes
GIS ACTIVITIES UPDATE
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June 2008:
- Extension of SPOT Grant for Imagery over Sri Lanka. C2GIS now has approx 60% of the country covered with 20m to 5m full color imagery.
- Developed a draft concept note for the establishment of a Geo-Portal for Elephant Conservation
June 2008:
- HEC Mitigation Project chosen for showcasing at SPOT Image Planet Action gallery during the ESRI User Conference in San Diego, CA, USA in July 2008.
- 2 Papers selected for presentation at the Geo-Informatics Symposium organised by the Arthur C Clarke Institute for Modern Technologies (ACCIMT).
April 2008:
- Consultation for Govt. of Indonesia, Natural Resources Agency, Bengkulu Province and International Elephant Foundation
- Requested to provide vector data for Google Earth Sri Lanka Database.
- Began ground work for the set up of an Asian Conservation GIS Center
March 2008:
- Working on GoSL 10 year Horizon Framework on contract from UNESCO in the Trincomalle and Badulla Districts.
- Recieved grant of SPOT imagery from 1996-2008 at a country level (2.5m-20m, multi-band) through SCGIS
· February 2008:
- Chandeep Corea voted as Chief Edior for GISSL and member of Executive Committee
- Approached by governement departments for GIS application development and training.
- Completed training in Conservation GIS for 28 students and professionals with GISSL
- Re-Trained and re-focussed SLWCS Data and GIS systems.
- Presented at GISSL 2008 National Symposium and on the Panel for discussion about GPS Restrictions in SL.
- GISSL/SCGIS/SLWCS Conservation GIS courses and Seminar for Sri Lankan and regional conservationists.
- Initial discussions with the Urban Development Authority for collaborative conservation projects
- Requested by the Department of Wildlife Conservation and the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka to assist them in Landscape Management for long term conservation of areas earmarked for rural development programs.
- Requested by the Government of Sri Lanka to assist her in GIS based biodiversity, sociological and resource utilization surveys of areas to be declared as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
- Requested by UNESCO to assist them in GIS based conservation action planning for the Government of Sri Lanka 10 year Development agenda.
- Filming with Discovery Channel “Snake Busters” program where SLWCS will present its case for GIS based landscape management being the best long term solution to biggest conservation challenge in Sri Lanka –Human Elephant Conflict.
- Working with the Human Elephant Conflict Task Force (HECT) of the IUCN Asian Elephant Specialist Group to look at GIS based regional solutions. Visiting Bengkulu, Sumatra on the invitation of the Govt. body there and the International Elephant Foundation in March/April 2008.
· January 2008:
December 2007:
- Conducted the first GIS based survey of the biodiversity, resource utilization and socio-economic status survey of the Seruvila area of Tricomallee District (North-East Sri Lanka) for the proposed UNESCO declaration of the area as a World Heritage Site.
- Provided GIS based maps for the proposed UNESCO declaration of the area as a World Heritage Site.
- Received a grant from the Canadian International Development Agency for imagery and GIS based Land-Use change analysis of the Lahugala area as part of the SEHP project in the region.
- Organizing the first GIS training for conservationists and field researchers in February 2008 with the GISSL and SCGIS.
- Supplied GIS maps and data for newspaper articles about environmentally harmful commercial activities which lead to the suspension of them.
· November 2007:
- Conducted the first lecture on Field Conservation GIS to students of the Survey and Estate Management Department of the Univesity of Sri Jayawardenepura.
- Students from a University in Sri Lanka will be trained in field GIS and GPS use, data entry and basic field skills including orienting and will collect useful data and produce final products which are useful for SLWCS conservation projects.
- Formed a collaboration with All One River GIS Services of Colorado USA which continues to build as they assist us in resolving GIS issues and developing a master plan and proposal for a conservation GIS center in SL
· October 2007: Presentation of GIS based SLWCS, Kalpitiya Wetland Project at Symposium on Water Resources at Peradeniya University, Sri Lanka.
· June 2007:
- SCGIS/ESRI Training in in California USA. Presentation of SLWCS GIS at ESRI and SCGIS Conferences in California, USA
- ESRI Donated multiple copies of ArcINFO in July 2007
GIS WILL SAVE LIVES by helping to reduce HEC and lower the number of deaths per year of humans and elephants which will have a long-term impact on elephant and habitat conservation.
PROJECTS, DATA and MAPS
The following links have some basic GIS data sets which can be downloaded and viewed using ESRI's free Arc Reader software. This section of our website will also contain waypoints and tracklogs of Sri Lankan roads and trails of certain areas. These sets are organised according to the Sri Lanka Survey Department 1:50,000 Maps and/or SLWCS project sites.
You will need a password to access the GIS section of the website. It is FREE and will be emailed to you after you fill in the form available here. It is not the same as the general access password for the rest of the website.
If you already have the username and password (for the GIS Section) please click here for projects , here for base data sets, presentations and papers and here for maps and finished/draft products.
GIS
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