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Intensive GIS and GPS Training by FANC and Mitsinjo
Effective forest management requires basic competency with handheld Global Posi-
tioning System units (GPS) and Global Information System (GIS) software. Using satellite
photos to assess changes in forest cover and GPS
points to track habitat disturbance, animal loca-
tions, and park boundaries, are powerful tools
available to conservationists. Although this map-
ping technology has improved greatly in the last
decade, park managers in developing countries
may still lack sufficient training or equipment.
When I first began my dissertation research in
mountainous Marojejy National Park in 2001,
there were no retail GPS units which could obtain
GPS point fixes within any reasonable amount of
time and with a tolerable amount of error. Around
that time, GPS error in rainforests worldwide was
frequently reported between 10m and 30m
(Dominy and Duncan, 2001). Fortunately, there
are now an assortment of effective hand-held GPS
units which can quickly and accurately (less than
5m or 10m of error) obtain location fixes even
within deep forest cover in Madagascar. Moreover, open-source GIS software such as
offers a no cost powerful and available means to evaluate satellite imagery and cre-
ate maps.
In October, SAVA Conservation hosted three Malagasy trainers from the
FANC) and
a Malagasy environmental organiza-
tion. The intensive 7-day training took place in the SAVA Conservation office with about 7
participants including staff from Marojejy National Park, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF),
reforestation collaborators Graine de Vie, and our own staff. The first few days included a
detailed GPS training. Many participants had used GPS units before, but were unaware
what settings were ideal, how to change the settings, the difference between “tracks” and
“waypoints”, and how to us the “point and go” function in which the GPS machine uses its
digital compass to point and lead one directly to a particular point of interest. The second
half of the training taught participants how to download the GPS points and use them to
make maps using various free software packages such Base Camp, Google Earth, and
QGIS. Finally, QGIS was used to examine and manipulate high resolution (.5m) satellite
imagery shared by FANC. We thank FANC and Mitsinjo for their collaboration!
References
Dominy, N.J. and Duncan, B. (2001). GPS and GIS methods in an African rainforest: Appli-
cations to tropical ecology and conservation. Conservation Ecology 5(2): 6. [online] URL:
by Dr. Erik Patel
GIS/GPS training team and participants at SAVA Conservation office.