the united nations economic commission for europe virginia cram-martos director, trade and...
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The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
Virginia Cram-MartosVirginia Cram-MartosDirector, Trade and Sustainable Land Management Division
Geospatial World Forum, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
15 May 2013
The United Nations The United Nations Economic Commission for Economic Commission for
EuropeEurope
56 member States in Europe, Central Asia and North America
The United Nations Economic The United Nations Economic Commission for EuropeCommission for Europe – –
Eight thematic SubprogrammesEight thematic Subprogrammes
• Economic cooperation• Environment• Forestry• Housing and land
management• Statistics• Sustainable Energy• Trade• Transport
ECE-FAO Forestry and Timber Section, Geneva
ECE Committee on Forests and the Forest Industry &
FAO European Forestry Commission
United Nations Economic Commission for
Europe
Food and Agriculture Organizartion of the United Nations
1947
4 Work Areas of the ECE-FAO 4 Work Areas of the ECE-FAO GenevaGeneva
1. Data
2. Analysis
3. Policy/Management Advice
4. Capacity Building
• Pan-European and global reporting on forest resources
• Joint Forest Sector Questionnaire
• Joint Wood Energy Enquiry
• Short-term forecasts for Europe and North America
DataData
• Reports on State of Europe’s Forests
• Global Forest Resource Assessments
• Sustainable Forest Management
• Forest Products Annual Market Reviews
• Outlook Studies
• Forests and Economic Development
• Ecosystem Services
AnalysisAnalysis
15 May 2013, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
World’s and region’s forests
19%
18%
Source: FAO FRA 2010
15 May 2013, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Forests - Major Trends in the UNECE Region
Source : EEA 2006, SoEF 2011, TBFRA 2010
15 May 2013, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Supply and Demand in 2030
Source: UNECE/FAO EFSOS II, 2011
Forestry and Geospatial dataForestry and Geospatial Data
15 May 2013, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Forests in the ECE/FAO Region
1.6 BLN HA 40% WORLD’S FORESTS
Source: FAO FRA 2010
15 May 2013, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Consumption of wood per capita
Source: UNECE/FAO 2011
CIS – 0.3
NA – 1.6
E – 1.0
Remote sensing in international Remote sensing in international forest reportingforest reporting
Remote sensing has many and varied applications
Technological progress and the increased availability of data sets allowing comparisons over time are increasing the use of remote sensing technologies and information
Nonetheless
There are still problems that prevent full realization of the potential
Remote sensing in international Remote sensing in international forest reportingforest reporting
WHAT IS MISSING?WHAT IS MISSING?
• Comparability and interoperability across countries and regions
• Links between topographical map data and contextual data (land use, legal status, disaster impact, etc)
• Easy to use software – including for data uploading
• Applications tailored to end user needs
Remote sensing in international Remote sensing in international forest reportingforest reporting
WHY?WHY?
• National forest information systems are not harmonized
• The basic level of reporting is a country, which makes reference units extremely differentiated (Monaco – Russia)
• Differences in scope, definitions and timing affect data comparability
• Missing data and process standards
• Sampling granularity differs widely and the less granular, the more likely that samples extrapolated into national averages may distort the actual situation (for example, in cases of disaster damage or landscape phenomena)
15 May 2013, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Remote sensing in international Remote sensing in international forest reportingforest reportingOTHER ISSUESOTHER ISSUES
• Legal – national reporting is a prerogative of countries, international data cannot officially replace national data
• Nomenclatural – internationally endorsed definitions of forests include two basic criteria: (i) land use and (ii) land cover. Obtaining information about land cover via remote sensing is feasible, information on land use is not commonly available
• Incompleteness - only some information can be assessed via remote sensing, some can still be generated only through land or records based systems (ownership, employment, species mix, etc)
15 May 2013, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Remote sensing in international Remote sensing in international forest reportingforest reportingOTHER ISSUESOTHER ISSUES
• No one to one correspondences between many types of data – so very different maps have to be overlaid, creating work/costs.
• Capacity – insufficient knowledge and capacity in countries and organizations to analyze and utilize geo-referenced information
Remote sensing in international Remote sensing in international forest reportingforest reportingOPPORTUNITIESOPPORTUNITIES
• Multi-national geospatial data sets from identical periods and based on a common methodology could: i) create more harmonized data; ii) support cross-border resource management; and iii) help us better understand forest dynamics
• Geo-spatial data could provide increased numbers of samples and measured variables which are more precisely geo-referenced
• Linking forest-related data with data from other areas (e.g. water, climate, other land uses) can create new uses, for example in measuring ecosystem services
Remote sensing in international Remote sensing in international forest reporting forest reporting
EXISTING APPLICATIONSEXISTING APPLICATIONS
• FAO Global Forest Resources Assessment – Forest Area Monitoring with the use of Remote Sensing Survey– Tree Canopy density Survey– Forests in Climatic Zones
• European Forest Institute– Forests in Europe by Forest Types (simplified classification:
conifers, broad-leaves and mixed)
• EU Joint Research Ispra– Monitoring of Forest Fires– Forest Connectivity and Fragmentation
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Forests in climatic zones
Source: FAO FRA 2010
15 May 2013, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Forest connectivity – change 2000 – 2006
Source: EU JRC Ispra / SoEF 2011
The Committee on Housing and Land Management
• Inter-governmental dialogue
• The exchange of information
• Support for policy formulation and implementation:
- In-depth assessments
- Policy guidance and recommendations
- Advisory services and capacity-building activities
UNECE Committee on Housing and Land Management
STRUCTURE
Committee on Housing and Land Management
WORK AREAS
•Land administration and
management
•Sustainable housing and real estate
markets
•Sustainable urban development
•Country Profiles
• Property registration and the structure of cadastres and land registries
• Informal settlements• E-Government
Current priorities of the Working Party on Land Administration (WPLA)
The UNECE WPLA and property registration
• Encourages registration, access to data, and data sharing between countries.
• “Survey on the Benchmarking of Land Registration Systems”, 2013/2014.
The UNECE and geospatial data – land management
Urban and used land areas have expanded in the last 50 years:•agricultural land +13%•pasture land +10%,•total forest area -15%
World land cover, source: NASA
Property registration and geospatial media
• WPLA publication “Land registration and cadastre, one or two agencies”, 2015
Informal settlements in the UNECE region
• Significant in 20 UNECE countries, affecting over 50 million people
• Squatter settlements• Settlements refugees and
vulnerable people• Upgraded informal settlements• Illegal suburban land divisions• Dilapidated urban housing
Challenges from Informal Settlements
• Economic: Keeps funds from the formal sector and interferes with planning
• Social: Can marginalize already disadvantaged groups
• Environmental: Complicates regulation and compliance with standards
Informal settlements and geospatial media
E-Government and changes in Europe
• Lowers costs, brings faster service• Can make auditing and fact-checking
easier• Can present new challenges of fraud
and user verification
The UNECE and E-Government in land registration
• The Challenges of Fraud to Land Administration Institutions (2011)
• “Collaborating for secured ownership”, 29 to 31 May 2013, Uppsala, Sweden
E-Government and geospatial media
SummaryThe UNECE and geospatial data
THE BIG QUESTIONTHE BIG QUESTION
Standardized data and processes are needed
In order to achieve the international semantic interoperability required for success
This will require close collaboration with a broad range of users, everyone working together around the same table.
The tables are here, but where are the foresters, the farmers , the energy companies, the urban planners , and the government regulators ?
Without them the geospatial industry will never reach its full potential
Thank youVirginia Cram-MartosVirginia Cram-Martos
Director, Trade and Sustainable Land Management Division