GIS
Project overview
Background
The Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) has been contracted by the World Bank Group to conduct a program on capacity development in use of geospatial tools for natural resource management in Tajikistan. The program aimed to help improving natural resource management by fostering the use of geospatial tools among governmental and non-governmental institutions in Tajikistan. For this purpose a database including a Geographic Information System (GIS) has been prepared, which combines spatial data on various sectors for case study analysis related to the Community Agriculture and Watershed Management Project (CAWMP).
Objectives and components of CDE’s mandate
Objectives
The overall goal of CDE’s mandate is to build capacity in the use of geospatial tools and data for natural resources management in Tajikistan. The three major objectives are:
- To conduct a land degradation assessment in the four watersheds of Zerafshan, Surkhob, Toirsu, and Vanj, and to compile a comprehensive database in a Geographic Information System (GIS);
- To conduct training courses for the enhancement of local skills in the application of GIS;
- To avail inexpensive geospatial tools and data to institutions and stakeholders concerned with sustainable natural resources management.
Web-GIS application
To meet basic dissemination requirements, the web GIS tool to be implemented has to fulfill certain criteria in terms of usability, supported features and operativeness which are introduced in more detail in the concept (cf. Anex). The application will hold an undefined number of informative data layers covering the area of all four watersheds. The minimal setup will include the following data layers:
- Topography
- Precipitation
- Land cover classification
- Land degradation risk
The range of features available will allow exploring and visualizing the dynamic maps generated from the different data layers by panning, zooming, searching, querying and measuring. Additional functions can be integrated upon request in line with the project budget.
Overview on Internet Links
Links to webpages in English language
Overview on thematic datasets obtained from the internet:
| Topic | Dataset | Spatial resolution | Source |
Topographic information | SRTM | 90 m | |
Precipitation data | Worldclim | 1000 m | |
Land cover information at medium resolution | Landsat ETM+Aster | 6189 | |
| Land cover information at high resolution | Quickbird | 30 (15) m | http://archivetool2.digitalglobe.com http://earth.google.com/intl/en/ http://maps.google.com/ |
| Land cover information at high resolution | Corona | 0.6 | www.eros.usgs.gov |
| Tajik Atlas of Natural Resources | Soil types | 1:500’000 | Pamir WebGIS (only available for Pamir) http://cdegis.unibe.ch/pamir/ |
| Administrative boundaries | Jamoat boundaries | www.untj.org |
The “Insitutional Database” for Geoprocessing in International Cooperation/Humanitarian Aid provides information on a wealth of institutions that provide access to data: http://www.cde.unibe.ch/Tools/GIS_DB_3_Ts.asp
Open source GIS
Various open source GIS softwareQGIS
Collection of free GIS Software : www.freegis.org
ILWIS: www.itc.nl/ilwis
SAGA: http://www.saga-gis.uni-goettingen.de/html/index.php
gvSIG: http://www.gvsig.gva.es/index.php?id=gvsig&L=2
QGIS: www.qgis.orgMichael Shapiro, U.S.Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory:
Movies, tutorials: http://blog.qgis.org/
Wikipedia: http://wiki.qgis.org
QGIS User mailing list. Use this list for discussion of QGIS in general, as well as specific questions regarding its installation and use. You can subscribe to this list at:
http://lists.qgis.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/qgis-user
eVis: http://biodiversityinformatics.amnh.org/open_source/evis/download.php?mid=60
GRASS : http://grass.itc.it/index.php
http://grass.itc.it/grass62/manuals/html62_user/imageryintro.html
http://grass.online-mirror.de/screenshots/imagery.php
GRASS Reference Manual – Imagery commands: http://www.udel.edu/johnmack/frec682/docs/Iman.PDF
Free GIS tools
Free software by Zonum, mainly connected to kml-files (Google Earth), e.g. Shp2kml: http://www.zonums.com/index.html
Web-GIS
Tajikistan Web-GIS: http://cdetux2.unibe.ch.ch/tajikistan
MapServer: http://mapserver.gis.umn.edu
CartoWeb: http://www.cartoweb.org
GPS
GPS tutorial: http://www.trimble.com/gps/index.htm
Trimble’s planning software: http://www.trimble.com/planningsoftware_ts.asp DNR
GARMIN:
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/mis/gis/tools/arcview/extensions/DNRGarmin/DNRGarmin.html
The Geographer’s Craft Project: www.colorado.Edu/geography/gcraft/notes/gps/gps_f.html
GPS Applications Exchange: http://gpshome.ssc.nasa.gov/
GPS Resource Library: www.gpsy.com/gpsinfo/
List of GPS books: www.gpsy.com/gpsinfo/bibliography.html
The Casual Cartographer: www.mentorsoftwareinc.com/CC/CCDIR.HTM
Map and compass training: http://www.nwcg.gov/pms/training/map_comp.pdf
Survey and Land Glossary: http://www.or.blm.gov/NILS/welcome.htm
Coordinate system overview: www.ncgia.ucsb.edu/education/curricula/giscc/units/u013/u013.html
GIS