SPC Geoscience Division

The Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) has embarked on a programme to build capacity in mapping land/forest cover in Fiji using very high resolution satellite images. The programme has three phases consisting of both theory and practical work, including ‘ground truthing’ (on-site verification of data from satellite imagery) exercises to be held later this month.

The training, which is jointly organised by SPC’s Land Resources Division (LRD) and its Applied Geoscience and Technology (SOPAC) Division, involves participants from the Fiji Department of Forestry and SPC.

The ground truthing exercise will be undertaken in Drawa – a model area for sustainable natural resource management located in Vanua Levu that covers about 6,400 hectares of indigenous forest.

The first phase of the training exercise focuses on enhancing and analysing satellite images of Drawa forest to classify it into different forest types and using the information to conduct forest inventory for the estimation of forest carbon stock per unit area of each forest type.