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OSGeo Journal The Journal of the Open Source Geospatial Foundation Volume 3 / December 2007 Proceedings of FOSS4G 2007 Integration & Development - Portable GIS: GIS on a USB Stick - Automatic Generation of Web-Based GIS/Database Applications - db4o2D — Object Database Extension for 2D Geospatial Types - Google Summer of Code for Geoinformatics Topical Interest - A Generic Approach to Manage Metadata Standards - Towards Web Services Dedicated to Thematic Mapping - Interoperability for 3D Geodata: Experiences with CityGML & OGC Web Services - A Model-Driven Web Feature Service for Enhanced Semantic Interoperability - Spatial-Yap: A Spatio-Deductive Database System Case Studies - DIVERT: Development of Inter-Vehicular Reliable Telematics - GRASS GIS and Modeling of Natural Hazards: An Integrated Approach for Debris Flow Simulation - A Spatial Database to Integrate the Information of the Rondonia Natural Resource Management Project - GeoSIPAM: Free & Open Source Software Applied to the Protection of Brazilian Amazon - The Amazon Deforestation Monitoring System: A Large Environmental Database Developed on TerraLib and PostgreSQL OSGeo Journal The Amazon Deforestation Monitoring System Vol. 3, Dec. 2007 The Amazon Deforestation Monitoring System A Large Environmental Database Developed on biome covers an area of 4.7 million square kilome- TerraLib and PostgreSQL ters. Given this huge area, the task is very demand- ing. At every year a complete coverage of the region Freitas, U. M., Ribeiro, V. O., Queiroz, G. R., Petinatti, by satellite images, with 20 to 30 meters resolution, M. R. and Abreu, E. S. are acquired, automatically processed and analyzed by remote sensing specialists. Abstract The final deforestation data product has carto- graphic precision suitable for a 1:250,000 scale. This Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research and project is named PRODES – short for Legal Amazon the Foundation for Space Science, Technology and Deforestation Project - started at the end of the 1980s, Applications developed a complete monitoring sys- and has evolved from an analog interpretation pro- tem, based on TerraLib open source technology26 cess to a fully digital procedure. The current method- (Camara, G., et al., 2000), in order to map and cal- ology was implemented in 2005 and its technical fea- culate the annual deforestation rates in the Brazilian tures are presented in this paper. Amazon. TerraLib implements the archiving of ge- Before the new system became operational, de- ographic vector and raster data, on a variety of pro- forestation maps were produced using SPRING, a prietary and non-proprietary DBMS, including Post- free desktop image processing and geographic in- 27 greSQL. TerraLib supports methods for image and formation system developed by INPE. In order vector data processing and analysis. A client appli- to produce the complete deforestation map, 229 in- cation, named TerraAmazon, was developed using dependent databases, each one covering the area C++ and the free graphic user interface toolkit QT of one LANDSAT 5 satellite image were required. (version 3), which runs on LINUX or Windows ma- This methodology created a complex environment chines. The data is managed by PostgreSQL ver- for management since each database was transferred sion 8.2, running on a LINUX Server. The applica- from one workstation to another to be submitted to a tion manages all data work flow, gathering around specific process, involving dozens of specialists. 600 satellite images, pre-processing, segmenting and In addition to the complexity of the previous classifying these images, for further human interpre- methodology, new requirements forced the Brazilian tation and edition, on a concurrent multi-user envi- government in 2005 to improve the former method- ronment. The database stores approximately 2 mil- ology. The first new requirement was the need to in- lion complex polygons and 20 gigabytes of full res- troduce multi-satellite source, in order to guarantee olution satellite images are added every year, using data availability, even under a satellite operational TerraLib pyramidal resolution schema. A Web site interruption. Images from the 20 meter resolution is provided for visualization and analysis of full res- CBERS (China Brazil Earth Resources Satellite) CCD olution data, using the TerraLib PHP extension and sensor, 30 meter LANDSAT 5 images and 32 meter TerraLib OGC WMS server. DMC (Disaster Monitoring Constellation) satellites images are now used. Figure 1 shows the satellite im- ages used for 2005 deforestation mapping. The sec- Introduction ond requirement was the need for a fast data deliv- ery, in order to create conditions to implement gov- Brazil conducts a large environmental project to ernment policies to be applied earlier, before the next monitor deforestation in the Amazon biome using period of deforestation. satellite data. Every year a deforestation map and The use of CBERS images as the primary data the rate of yearly deforestation are produced and source increases the number of images to 570 and made public over the Internet by Brazil’s National the use of the previous methodology with indepen- Institute for Space Research (“Instituto Nacional de dent databases would have created a yet more com- Pesquisas Espaciais” – INPE). The Brazilian Amazon plex environment for data management. The solu- 26TerraLib Library: http://terralib.org/ 27INPE SPRING project: http://www.dpi.inpe.br/spring ISSN 1994-1897 FOSS4G 2007 — Case Studies 70 OSGeo Journal The Amazon Deforestation Monitoring System Vol. 3, Dec. 2007 Figure 1: The 221 CBERS, 223 LANDSAT, and 18 DMC satellite images used in 2005 tion was to create a unique corporate database which possible to deforest, due to the high rates of precip- is suitable for management of all data operations, in itation. Based on this fact, the annual deforestation a distributed and concurrent environment. rate is calculated for the period between August 1st The technology selected to achieve the project of the previous year and July 31st of the current year. goals was TerraLib. TerraLib is an Open Source The later date coincides with the end of the dry sea- Library developed by INPE and distributed under son for most part of the Amazon. In order to obtain GNU LGPL license.28 TerraLib implements the stor- the deforestation rate, images acquired during the age of geographic vector and raster data, on a variety dry season period are analyzed. The annual defor- of proprietary and non-proprietary Database Man- estation rate is estimated by interpolation, consider- agement System (DBMS), including PostgreSQL. Ter- ing that deforestation occurs linearly during the dry raLib implements methods for image and vector data season. In addition, deforested areas are estimated processing and analysis. FUNCATE under contract under regions covered by clouds, considering that with INPE developed the complete suite of computer the ratio of deforestation is the same in areas with programs to process all data and deliver the defor- and without clouds coverage. Detailed information estation maps and annual rate, on a full open source of this method can be found at INPE’s site.29 environment. This suite of programs was named Ter- TerraAmazon manages all operations required raAmazon. by the deforestation project, in an interactive, dis- tributed and concurrent environment using a corpo- rate database. In order to take full advantage of Ter- Methodology raAmazon, the whole Amazon region is divided into cells and each cell is manipulated by only one remote Deforestation and subsequent burnings occur in sensing specialist at a given time. Amazon during a short period: the dry season, from Cells are created by partitioning the project ex- July to September. After this season, it is virtually im- tents using a geographic grid with 0.25 degrees dis- 28TerraLib Library: http://www.terralib.org 29Detailed information available online: http://www.inpe.br/prodes ISSN 1994-1897 FOSS4G 2007 — Case Studies 71 OSGeo Journal The Amazon Deforestation Monitoring System Vol. 3, Dec. 2007 tance between grid lines. Each remote sensing spe- graphic user interface library QT.30 TerraAmazon cialist can lock one or more cells to process using a can be executed on LINUX or MS-Windows envi- long transactions schema. The expert manipulates ronments. All data is managed by the PostgreSQL one of these cells using image processing and vector DBMS31, running on a LINUX server. edition tools available in TerraAmazon. The follow- Each of the 0.25 degrees cell is blocked by the ing steps are applied to each of these cells. remote sensing specialist in a long term transaction schema, bounded by check-in and check-out oper- 1. Import a TIFF image ations. The cell field is used to clip all available 2. Register image with reference image and save geographic representations in order to reduce the used control points amount of geographic elements, guaranteeing man- 3. Audit image using reference image, and ageability of graphic features. For fast visualization 4. If image is not approved then repeat from step these graphic features are cached in memory and in- 2 dexed by a linear R-Tree (Guttman, 1984). Figure 5. Create shade and ground images 2 shows a region of Amazon with cell edges high- 6. If image has cloud coverage above a given lighted in green. threshold then TerraAmazon topological restriction operations (a) Classify image to extract regions with are used during the edition of new deforesta- clouds tion areas and clouds. Before a new