Difference between revisions of "Forest informatics"

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==History==
==History==
In 1970, J. G. Grevatt wrote an article titled, "Management Information and Computers in Forestry."<ref>{{cite doi|10.1093/forestry/43.1.17}}</ref> In the article, the author describes and discusses different
The concept of using computers for any type of forestry management may have first appeared in 1966 with researcher Daniel E. Chappelle's paper "Economic Model Building and Computers in Forestry Research," representing one of the first known efforts to examine the role of computers and informatics in the field of foresty. In the paper he noted how "a computer can be a fundamental tool in the research process, best understood as an integral part of the [economic] model building process" in forestry.<ref name="ChappelleEco">{{cite journal |url=http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/saf/jof/1966/00000064/00000005/art00010 |journal=Journal of Forestry |title=Economic Model Building and Computers in Forestry Research |author=Chappelle, Daniel E. |volume=64 |issue=5 |year=May 1966 |pages=329–333 |accessdate=04 June 2014}}</ref> A few years later, researcher J. G. Grevatt's paper "Management Information and Computers in Forestry" was published.<ref name="GrevattMan">{{cite journal |url=http://forestry.oxfordjournals.org/content/43/1/17.abstract |journal=Forestry |title=Management Information and Computers in Forestry |author=Grevatt, J. G. |volume=43 |issue=1 |pages=17–30 |year=1970 |doi=10.1093/forestry/43.1.17 |accessdate=04 June 2014}}</ref> In that paper, Grevatt discusses different dimensions of management information (i.e. operation, expenditure, location, and time), including the nature of management information and decisions, management information in forestry, and the management of an information system itself.
dimensions of management information (i.e. operation, expenditure, location, and time) including the nature of management information and decisions, management information in forestry, the management information system itself, the application of computers, the structure of a computer based system, comparisons between clerical and computer systems, and the impact on the field manager. The author concludes that the use of computers to process management data may be justified on grounds of cost and improved information in organizations of a critical size.


At the time of that article, computers, databases, and geographic information systems were still in their infancy and tools like the Global Positioning Systems of today were yet invented. Management database systems for business were more prevalent. Over the next 30 years, computers became more powerful, smaller, and less expensive. Relational database management systems had become commonplace in business, interrogating the computer system had become standardized with languages like SQL, and faster networks for data and information integration have become highly integrated. In that time, geographic information systems that could run on desktop computers and could be customized for various tasks were also developed, but as separate systems.  
At the time of these articles, computers, databases, and geographic information systems were still in their infancy, and tools like the Global Positioning System were merely classified engineering design. Over the next 30 years, computers and relational database management systems became more prevalent and network data sharing became easier. These tools allowed scientists and researchers in forestry to describe, quantify, model, and predict forestry-related natural resources for the more effective management of forested ecosystems.<ref name="CushmanSpatial">{{cite book |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=utUlVsiMvYEC&pg=PA13 |chapter=Chapter 1: Introduction: Ecological Knowledge, Theory and Information in Space and Time |title=Spatial Complexity, Informatics, and Wildlife Conservation |author=Cushman, Samuel A.; Huettmann, Falk |publisher=Springer |year=2009 |pages=3–18 |isbn=9784431877714 |accessdate=04 June 2014}}</ref> As the number of shared forestry databases grows, even more powerful tools will be needed, including software systems that create a more natural interface between humans and databases.<ref name="VogtForests" /> 


Within the last 10 years, specialized fields of study at the University level are offered at the several forestry schools where students learn the principles of quantification, modeling, descriptive and predictive analyses of natural resources attributes needed for sound management of forested ecosystems.  
==Application==
Forestry informatics can help tackle problems and tasks such as the following<ref name="IliadisWildfire">{{cite book |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=-R9HAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA1073 |chapter=Chapter 53: Soft Computing Modeling of Wild Fire Risk Indices: The Risk Profile of Peloponnesus Region in Greece |title=Crisis Management: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools and Applications |author=Iliadis, L.; Betsidou, T. |publisher=IGI Global |pages=1073–1087 |year=2014 |isbn=9781466647084 |accessdate=04 June 2014}}</ref><ref name="JansenSpatial">{{cite book |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=cvMqnkqMN9UC&pg=PA3 |chapter=Chapter 2: Introduction |title=Spatial Modelling in Forest Ecology and Management: A Case Study |author=Jansen, Martin; Judas, Michael; Saborowski, Joachim |publisher=Springer |pages=3–10 |year=2002 |isbn=9783540433576 |accessdate=04 June 2014}}</ref>:
 
* the optimization of harvest scheduling and crew assignment
* the computation of wildfire risk indices
* the assessment of forestry management guidelines
* the treatment of log bucking problems
* the development and optimization of mathematical algorithms for ecological modeling
 
==Informatics==
Software specifically devoted to analyzing management decisions for forested ecosystems has been developed and used in several large scale planning projects. For example, the Ecosystem Management Decision Support (EMDS) system is spatial decision support system (SDSS) "designed to support natural resource and ecosystem management."<ref name="EMDSAbout">{{cite web |url=http://www.spatial.redlands.edu/emds/AboutEMDS/tabid/75/Default.aspx |title=The Ecosystem Management Decision Support system - History |publisher=EMDS Consortium |accessdate=04 June 2014}}</ref> Databases like the Global Forest Information Service also exist to help in "the dissemination and sharing of forest-related information and knowledge among the global forestry community."<ref name="GFISAbout">{{cite web |url=http://www.gfis.net/gfis/en/en/background/ |title=About GFIS |publisher=Global Forest Information Service |accessdate=04 June 2014}}</ref>


Software specifically devoted to analyzing management decisions for forested ecosystems have been developed, and used in several large scale planning projects. For example, the  Ecosystem Management Decision Support (EMDS) system is an [[application framework]] for knowledge-based decision support of ecological analysis and planning. Open source software solutions have also become more widely accepted as well, as is seen in the expansion of ecological extensions for statistical tools like R. A recent example would be the book written by Andrew Robinson and Jeff D. Hamann about using R for forest analytics<ref>http://www.springer.com/statistics/life+sciences,+medicine+%26+health/book/978-1-4419-7761-8</ref> .  
Open-source software solutions have also become more accepted, as is seen in the expansion of forestry and other ecological extensions for statistical tools like ''R''<ref name="RobinsonForest">{{cite book |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=z2m57dY4vgMC |title=Forest Analytics with R: An Introduction |author=Robinson, Andrew P.; Hamann, Jeff D. |publisher=Springer |year=2010 |pages=368 |isbn=9781441977625 |accessdate=04 June 2014}}</ref> and in the development of the Open Foris software tool set<ref name="OFAbout">{{cite web |url=http://www.fao.org/forestry/fma/openforis/en/ |title=Software Tools - Open Foris |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |date=03 April 2014 |accessdate=04 June 2014}}</ref>.


==Application==
==External links==


Common forestry problems include harvest scheduling, model fitting, optimal sampling, remote sensing, crew assignment, image classification, treatment timing, and log bucking problems, many of which can be formulated as optimization problems (e.g. generalized assignment problem, traveling salesman problem, knapsack problem, job shop scheduling, and vehicle routing problems).
* [http://www.spatial.redlands.edu/emds/Default.aspx Ecosystem Management Decision Support system] (EMDS)
* [http://www.gfis.net/gfis/en/en/ Global Forest Information Service] (GFIS)
* [http://www.fao.org/forestry/fma/openforis/en/ Open Foris]


==Notes==
==Notes==

Revision as of 19:59, 4 June 2014

Forest informatics is a multidisciplinary field of science that "harnesses the power of computational and information technologies to organize and analyze biological data from research collections, experiments, remote sensing, modeling, database searches and instrumentation and deliver them to users throughout the world."[1] Computational and information management technologies used to support decision-making activities in the field of forest informatics include decision support systems, mathematical modeling software, statistical and algorithmic analysis tools, geographic information systems, global positioning systems, and shared databases.[2]

History

The concept of using computers for any type of forestry management may have first appeared in 1966 with researcher Daniel E. Chappelle's paper "Economic Model Building and Computers in Forestry Research," representing one of the first known efforts to examine the role of computers and informatics in the field of foresty. In the paper he noted how "a computer can be a fundamental tool in the research process, best understood as an integral part of the [economic] model building process" in forestry.[3] A few years later, researcher J. G. Grevatt's paper "Management Information and Computers in Forestry" was published.[4] In that paper, Grevatt discusses different dimensions of management information (i.e. operation, expenditure, location, and time), including the nature of management information and decisions, management information in forestry, and the management of an information system itself.

At the time of these articles, computers, databases, and geographic information systems were still in their infancy, and tools like the Global Positioning System were merely classified engineering design. Over the next 30 years, computers and relational database management systems became more prevalent and network data sharing became easier. These tools allowed scientists and researchers in forestry to describe, quantify, model, and predict forestry-related natural resources for the more effective management of forested ecosystems.[5] As the number of shared forestry databases grows, even more powerful tools will be needed, including software systems that create a more natural interface between humans and databases.[2]

Application

Forestry informatics can help tackle problems and tasks such as the following[6][7]:

  • the optimization of harvest scheduling and crew assignment
  • the computation of wildfire risk indices
  • the assessment of forestry management guidelines
  • the treatment of log bucking problems
  • the development and optimization of mathematical algorithms for ecological modeling

Informatics

Software specifically devoted to analyzing management decisions for forested ecosystems has been developed and used in several large scale planning projects. For example, the Ecosystem Management Decision Support (EMDS) system is spatial decision support system (SDSS) "designed to support natural resource and ecosystem management."[8] Databases like the Global Forest Information Service also exist to help in "the dissemination and sharing of forest-related information and knowledge among the global forestry community."[9]

Open-source software solutions have also become more accepted, as is seen in the expansion of forestry and other ecological extensions for statistical tools like R[10] and in the development of the Open Foris software tool set[11].

External links

Notes

This article reuses some elements from the Wikipedia article.

References

  1. ↑ Shanmughavel, P.; Kannaiyan, Sadasivam (ed.) (2008). "forest+informatics"&dq="forest+informatics" "Biodiversity lnformatics: A Virtual Access to Global Resources". Forest Biodiversity, Volume 1. Associated Publishing Company. pp. 40–46. ISBN 9788185211763. http://books.google.com/books?id=Qb0sAQAAMAAJ&q="forest+informatics"&dq="forest+informatics". Retrieved 04 June 2014. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Vogt, Kristina A.; Patel-Weynand, Toral; Muller, Gretchen K.; Vogt, Daniel J.; Honea, Jon M.; Edmonds, Robert L.; Sigurdardottir, Ragnhildur; Andreu, Michael G. (2007). "Chapter 7: Emerging Issues in Forests". Forests and Society: Sustainability and Life Cycles of Forests in Human Landscapes. CABI. pp. 228–283. ISBN 9781845931117. http://books.google.com/books?id=KiZXErMOdK4C&pg=PA255. Retrieved 04 June 2014. 
  3. ↑ Chappelle, Daniel E. (May 1966). "Economic Model Building and Computers in Forestry Research". Journal of Forestry 64 (5): 329–333. http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/saf/jof/1966/00000064/00000005/art00010. Retrieved 04 June 2014. 
  4. ↑ Grevatt, J. G. (1970). "Management Information and Computers in Forestry". Forestry 43 (1): 17–30. doi:10.1093/forestry/43.1.17. http://forestry.oxfordjournals.org/content/43/1/17.abstract. Retrieved 04 June 2014. 
  5. ↑ Cushman, Samuel A.; Huettmann, Falk (2009). "Chapter 1: Introduction: Ecological Knowledge, Theory and Information in Space and Time". Spatial Complexity, Informatics, and Wildlife Conservation. Springer. pp. 3–18. ISBN 9784431877714. http://books.google.com/books?id=utUlVsiMvYEC&pg=PA13. Retrieved 04 June 2014. 
  6. ↑ Iliadis, L.; Betsidou, T. (2014). "Chapter 53: Soft Computing Modeling of Wild Fire Risk Indices: The Risk Profile of Peloponnesus Region in Greece". Crisis Management: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools and Applications. IGI Global. pp. 1073–1087. ISBN 9781466647084. http://books.google.com/books?id=-R9HAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA1073. Retrieved 04 June 2014. 
  7. ↑ Jansen, Martin; Judas, Michael; Saborowski, Joachim (2002). "Chapter 2: Introduction". Spatial Modelling in Forest Ecology and Management: A Case Study. Springer. pp. 3–10. ISBN 9783540433576. http://books.google.com/books?id=cvMqnkqMN9UC&pg=PA3. Retrieved 04 June 2014. 
  8. ↑ "The Ecosystem Management Decision Support system - History". EMDS Consortium. http://www.spatial.redlands.edu/emds/AboutEMDS/tabid/75/Default.aspx. Retrieved 04 June 2014. 
  9. ↑ "About GFIS". Global Forest Information Service. http://www.gfis.net/gfis/en/en/background/. Retrieved 04 June 2014. 
  10. ↑ Robinson, Andrew P.; Hamann, Jeff D. (2010). Forest Analytics with R: An Introduction. Springer. pp. 368. ISBN 9781441977625. http://books.google.com/books?id=z2m57dY4vgMC. Retrieved 04 June 2014. 
  11. ↑ "Software Tools - Open Foris". Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 3 April 2014. http://www.fao.org/forestry/fma/openforis/en/. Retrieved 04 June 2014. 
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