Bangladesh Forest Department August 2016 The Forest Department of Bangladesh leads actions to improve forest management and conservation,adoptingforwardthinking,innovativeapproachesinitsmanagementofapproximately 1.5millionhectaresoflandacrossthecountry.

In2015,theForestDepartmentbeganaprocesstoestablishaNationalForestInventoryandSatellite Land Monitoring System for improved forest and natural resource management. The process supports national objectives related to climate change mitigation and provides information in support of the UN REDD programme aimed at Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation(REDD+).Theprocessalsoaddressesdomesticinformationneedsandsupportsnational policyprocessesrelatedtoforestsandthemultitudeofinterconnectedhumanandenvironmental systemsthatforestssupport.

The activities implemented under the Bangladesh Forest Inventory process are collaboration between several national and international institutions and stakeholders. National partners from multiplegovernmentdepartmentsandagenciesassistinprovidinganationallycoordinatedapproach to land management. International partners, including the United Stated Agency for International Development (USAID), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and SilvaCarbonaresupportingthedevelopmentoftechnicalandfinancialresourcesthatwillassistin institutionalisingtheprocess.

The results will allow the Forest Department to provide regular, updated information about the statusoftreesandforestsforamultitudeofpurposesincludingforassessmentofroleoftreesfor firewood,medicines,timber,climatechangemitigation.

CONTACTS:  Md. Zaheer Iqbal MatieuHenry National Project Coordinator ChiefTechnicalAdvisor Bangladesh Forest Department Food&AgricultureOrganizationoftheUnited Nations Email: [email protected] Email:[email protected]  

Suggested Citation: Hadi, A., AU, K., Ahmed, A. & Henry, M. 2016. National Land Cover Classification System using LCCS v3. Final report. August 2016, , Bangladesh. Bangladesh Society of Geoi nformatics, BangladeshForestDepartment, FoodandAgricultureOrganizationoftheUnitedNations.



Disclaimer This report is designed to reflect the activities and progress related to the project GCP/GD/058/USAID “Strengthening National Forest Inventory and Satellite Forest Monitoring System in support of REDD+ in Bangladesh”. This report is not authoritative information sources – it does not reflect the official position of the supporting international agencies including USAID or FAO and should not be used for official purposes. Should readers find any errors in the document or would like to provide comments for improving its quality they are encouraged to contact one of above contacts.



2  ProjectTeam:

CoordinationandLead:MohammadAbdulHadi,GeneralSecretary,BSGI TeamMembers: Ͳ AmanatUllahKhan,Professor,UniversityofDhaka Ͳ AfzalAhmed,Professor,MIST Ͳ FazleRezaSumon,JointSecretary,BSGI Ͳ Dr.Md.GolamMahboob,SSO,BARI Ͳ GolamMonwarKamal,VP,BSGI

Reviewer: Ͳ ASMMaksudKamal,President,BSGIandProfessor,UniversityofDhaka Ͳ AfzalAhmed,Professor,MIST Ͳ MasudHasanChowdhury,GeneralMember,BSGI

SurveyTeam: Ͳ MohammadMahbuburRahman,GISandRSSpecialist,LandZoningProject Ͳ AzizulArifJewel,Member,BSGI Ͳ AshrafulIslam,Asst.Professor,UniversityofDhaka Ͳ ShakhawatHossain,Asst.Professor,UniversityofDhaka Ͳ Md.AshrafHossain,Surveyor Ͳ RashedulIslam,Survyor

TrainingTeam: Ͳ MohammadAbdulHadi,GeneralSecretary,BSGI Ͳ FazleRezaSumon,JointSecretary,BSGI Ͳ TariqulIslam,ScientificOfficer,BARI Ͳ MohammadMahbuburRahman,GISandRSSpecialist,LandZoningProject Ͳ AshrafulIslam,Asst.Professor,UniversityofDhaka

AdminandAccounts: Ͳ ASMMaksudKamal,President,BSGIandProfessor,UniversityofDhaka Ͳ DelowarHossain,SupportingStaff

ContactInformation:

ProfessorASMMaksudKamal President,BSGIandProfessor,UniversityofDhaka and MohammadAbdulHadi GeneralSecretary BangladeshSocietyofGeoInformatics(BSGI)  Address:

2/7DrMoshinComplex(3rdFloor),MirpurSareEgaro,Pallabi,Dhaka1216,Bangladesh and FacultyofEarthandEnvironmentalSciences,UniversityofDhaka Cell:01713Ͳ399789,EͲmail:[email protected]

3  

TableofContents

Introduction:...... 5

TechnicalMethodology:...... 6

BSGIActivities(duringJanuary–April2016):...... 7 Activity1:Identificationofupgradingneedsforthenationallandclassification...... 7 StudyofExistingLandCover/Usemapsfromdifferentorganization:...... 7 LegendGapAnalysis:...... 8 Activity2:Preparationofafieldinventoryprotocol...... 10 PreparationofFieldInventoryForm:...... 10 PreparationofFieldDataCollectionManual:...... 11 Activity3:Fielddatacollectionforthedevelopmentofthenationalclassificationsystem...... 12 TrainingandCapacityBuilding:...... 12 FieldDataCollection:...... 13 DataAnalysis:...... 14 Activity4:DocumentationoftheNationalLandCovernationalconsultation...... 15 FeedbackonFieldmanualondatacollectionandNationalReferenceSystem:...... 16 Activity5:Establishmentofanationalclassificationsystem...... 16 DocumentationonNationalReferenceSystem:...... 16 ExampleClass:...... 21 Activity6:SupportknowledgeexchangeonLCCSv.3...... 21 TrainingonlegendtranslationatSRDI...... 22 SummaryProceedingsofthetraining:...... 22 TechnicalcooperationonNationalLandCoverDatabasepreparation...... 23 ANNEX–A...... 24 

















4  Introduction: 

Gatheringinformationonlandcoverandnaturalresourceshasmultiplepotentialapplicationsand manyassociatedbenefitsacrossthethematicdomainassociatedwiththeenvironmentandnatural resources including natural resources monitoring, natural resource management, climate change mitigationandtrackingofgreenhousegasemissions,environmentalprotectionandfoodsecurity.In theREDD+contextofassessingforestrelatedcarbonstockandstockchanges,classifyinglandcover andlanduse isessentialtomapandmonitorchangesandassesstheeffectivenessoftherelated emissionsreductionpoliciesandmeasuresovertime.FAO’slandcoverclassificationsystem(LCCS) allowsuserstocreateclassificationsthataretransparentandcomparable,andassociatedwithahigh degree of standardization and replicability. LCCS thus provides a sustainable basis for long term environmentalmonitoring.Inaddition,itprovidesastrongbasistoensurethattheforestmonitoring activities are consistent with the preparation of the GHG inventory and various reporting to internationalconventionsandagencies.

Severalproblemsintermsoftransparency,accuracy,consistency,completenessandcomparabilityof landcoverassessmentslimitthepotentialuseofthoseexistingmaps. Manyofthedescriptionof legends used for land cover mapping are not available and the classes are not appropriately described. Accuracy assessment is not performed in most cases. In some cases, the classification systemforasinglethematicareaisnotthesamefordifferentprojectsinanorganisationitself.

Withadvancementsingeospatialtechnology,theassessmentandclassificationoflandcover/usehas becomeakeymanagementtoolacrossarangeofdisciplesallowinginformationofthestateofflux of the earth’s surface observed from time to time. In addition, issues related to the semantic interoperabilitybetweenthedifferentlandcover/useactivitiescanbesolved.Solvingtheproblem relatedtothesemanticinteroperabilityallowsthedevelopmentoflandcover/usemapsthatcanbe usedforamultitudeofpurposes.Whiledevelopingonenationalsystemforlandcover/usemapping improve the costͲefficiency, it also contributes to improve the consistency between the various classificationsystems,increasemanagementefficiencyasstandardizedinformationcanbeusedfor multiplepurposes.However,definingaunifiedclassificationsystemthatbothallowinteroperability acrossdisciplineandspacerespondingtotheneedsofthevaryingagenciesisdifficultduetotheir inherentlydifferingpriorities.

However,asinmostofcountriesintheworld,theuseofexistinglandcovermapsislimitedbecause of: (i) absence of distinct definition of different terms, (ii) different types of legends and inconsistency among them, (iii) question marks about reliability of source data, (iv) difference in projectionandcoordinatesystemsandscales,and(v)ground/spatialinaccuracy.

There is need for consistency in land cover maps to (i) maximize their utilization among different stakeholdersforachievingobjectives/purposesofrespectiveinstitutionsandavoidanceofconflicts, (ii)ensurecostandtimeeffectivenessandeasyinterpretationofLandUsechange,and(iii)usethem innationalplanningandmanagement.



5  DifferentmodalitiesofintroductionoftheLCML/LCCSconceptintoanationalsystemexistandthey have different levels of complexity. Therefore, the practical adoption of LCML/LCCS methodology requires different levels of expertise at different time periods for it full implementation. The followingapproachesareconsidered:

(1) Translationoftheexistingnationallegend/nomenclatureintoLCML/LCCS (2) Fieldinventoryprotocoldevelopment (3) Fielddatacollection,and (4) Developmentofnationallandcover/usereferencesystemusingtheLCML/LCCS (5) Capacitybuildingandsupport

TechnicalMethodology: Theoverallconceptandunderstandingoftheprojectisdiagrammedbelow:



6  BSGIActivities(duringJanuary–April2016):  –‹˜‹–›ͳǣ †‡–‹ˆ‹ ƒ–‹‘‘ˆ—’‰”ƒ†‹‰‡‡†•ˆ‘”–Š‡ƒ–‹‘ƒŽŽƒ† Žƒ••‹ˆ‹ ƒ–‹‘ 

IncollaborationwithnationalinstitutionsandinparticularFD,SoB,CEGIS,SRDI,SPARRSO,thegaps and needs for upgrading the national legends were planned to identify. While studying the maps frommentionednationalinstitutesBSGIidentifiedanotherimportantprojectofLandministrywas skippedfromthelist.Later,BSGIcommunicatedwithLandZoningProjectinthelistandincludeone key person from that project in the team. Identification of potential needs for upgrading existing legendsconsistsinidentificationofgapsorpotential areasofimprovement,bothintermofclass number,extensionandrationalizationofclassmeaning.Thetransitionfromatraditionallegendtoa LCML/LCCS approach allows evaluating the coherence, completeness and semantic content of a traditionallegend.LCML/LCCSisaperfecttooltoensuretheconsistent,systematicandfunctional upgradingofapreviouslegendstructure.Theidentificationofthegapshasconsideredthelegends developedbySPARSO,SRDI,CEGIS,LandMinistry,FDͲRIMS,andSoB.

–—†›‘ˆš‹•–‹‰ƒ†‘˜‡”Ȁ•‡ƒ’•ˆ”‘†‹ˆˆ‡”‡–‘”‰ƒ‹œƒ–‹‘ǣ  1. NFA2005–BangladeshForestDepartment 2. SRDI–LandUseMap2004 3. LegendsofLandZoningProject 4. LegendsofLGEDPaurashavaMasterPlans 5. LegendsofSOBTopographicMap 6. LegendsofUDDMasterPlan 

























7  LegendGapAnalysis:Thefollowingtableshowsthecomparisonbetweenthelegendsinmaps



N Generalized BFDClasses SRDI(2004) Land Zoning Project LGED SOB(2015) Class (NFA2005) LandUseClasses Classes(2012Ͳ16) LandUse Topographical (ofLandMinistry) Classes Classes

 FOREST HillForest Mixed Thickets & HillForest Forest Forest Forest Zone

 Sal/GazariForest Deciduous forest Natural Forest (sal) (Sal)/Natural Forest (Gazari)

 Swamp Mixed Thickets & Natural Forest Forest/Woody Forest (Swamp) WetlandForest

 Natural Mangrove Mangroveforest Other Forest Vegetation/Farm Land Forest

 ForestPlantationsͲ Planted Mangrove Plantation/Forest Mangrove Forest

 ForestPlantationsͲ Mixed Thickets & RubberPlantation Rubber Forest

 Long Rotation Mixed Thickets & Plantation/Forest Forest Plantation Forest (Mixed)

 Bamboo or Mixed Mixed Thickets & Other Bamboo/Broad Forest Vegetation/Farm Land LeavedForest Forest

 Wooded land with Mixed Thickets & Other shifting Forest Vegetation/Farm Land cultivation/Jhum Forest Cultivation  Shrubs Shrubs  Shrubs     Rangeland/Pasture      Orchard MangoPlantation Perennialcrops OrchardͲMango OrchardͲ OrchardͲ (Orchards) Mango Mango  TeaGarden TeaGarden Perennialcrops TeaGarden Tea TeaGarden (TeaGarden) Garden

8  SN Generalized BFDClasses SRDI(2004) Land Zoning LGED SOB(2015) Class Project Classes (NFA2005) LandUseClasses (2012Ͳ16) Land Use Topographical Classes Classes

2 Agriculture/ VegetablesRotation

 Cropland RabiCropsRotations

(3differentLUClasses)

 T.AmanRotations

(4differentLUClasses)

 Rabi Crops/FallowͲ Jute/FallowͲT.Aman

(5differentLUClasses)

SingleCrop  FallowͲAusͲAman DoubleCrop (3differentLUClasses) Agricultural TripleCrop  Land and Boro–T.Aman Agricultural Agricultural Rural MixedCrop Land Land Settlement (5differentLUClasses)

 FallowͲFallowͲT.Aman

(4differentLUClasses)

 B.AmanRotations

 Boro–B.Aman

(4differentLUClasses)

 BoroRotations

(4differentLUClasses)

 AnnualCrops Sugarcane

(PineappleandSugarcane)



Intheabovecomparativetable,ithasbeenclearlydepictedthatmanyofthelegendsofthemapare inindividualclassandmanyofthemaregroupedinotherclassesandthosearenotclearlydefinedas landcoverorlanduseclasses.

9  AfterstudyallthemapsanddiscussionbetweenexpertsfromdifferentorganizationBSGIidentifythe followinggaps:

x Inconsistencybetweenmaps(Scaleanddefinition) x Inconsistencybetweenlegends(consideredorganizationalobjectives) x Incompletenationaldatabases x Accuracyassessmentnotdone/considered 

 –‹˜‹–›ʹǣ”‡’ƒ”ƒ–‹‘‘ˆƒˆ‹‡Ž†‹˜‡–‘”›’”‘–‘ ‘Ž InclosecollaborationwithCEGIS,RIMS,BUET,SRDI,SPARRSO,andSoB,afieldinventoryprotocolis developedtoensurethattheLCCS.v3attributesareproperlydescribedduringthefieldinventoryfor the development of the national legend. The field inventory manual is concisely prepared, and practicaltoallowdecentralizedfieldofficerstocollectthenecessarydata.ThedescriptionofLCCS.v3 attributesalsokeptwithexamplesinannexandthoseinformationiscollectedduringfieldsurvey. ThefieldinventorymanualdescriptionalsoincludeshowtousetheformusingOpenForisCollect application.

”‡’ƒ”ƒ–‹‘‘ˆ ‹‡Ž† ˜‡–‘”› ‘”ǣ InitiallyBSGIconsidered,previousfieldinventoryfromthathasbeenusedinTheAfriCoverProject. Experts from BSGI met several professionals from Survey of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Forest Department, SRDI, University of Dhaka, BUET, CEGIS, Land Zoning Project of and Ministry, Local Government Engineering Department, Urban Development Directorate and Water Development boardanddiscussedlandcoverfeaturesavailabilityindifferentregionsofthecountryandgapsand took suggestions on field inventory form. Based on the feedback from the experts BSGI prepared draft field Inventory form and later developed/customized form using Open Foris Collect (mobile baseddigitalapplicationinterface).TwoexpertsfromBSGIconductedapilotsurveyinTangaliarea toevaluatetheform.

Later, BSGI finalized the form based on expert’s opinion in national consultations and technical expertsfromFAO.

10  

”‡’ƒ”ƒ–‹‘‘ˆ ‹‡Ž†ƒ–ƒ‘ŽŽ‡ –‹‘ƒ—ƒŽǣ BSGIhaspreparedtheProtocolforDescribingLandFeaturesinBangladeshwithcontributionfrom Bangladeshforestdepartment,FoodandAgricultureOrganizations,BUET,SPARRSO,CEGIS.

Themanual,BSGIprepared,describesthefielddatacollectionmethodforclassifyinglandfeaturesin Bangladesh.Theclassificationoflandfeatureisusefulforvariouspurposesincludinglandcovermap development, accuracy measurement of satellite imagery and contributing to the national forest inventory.Theuseofthismanualwillaimstostrengthenthelinkbetweenfielddataandsatellite imagery used in remote sensing by clearly describing the attributes, that are referred to in this processas‘objects’,thatformthebasisoflandcoverclassesandtheirdefinitions.



Apartfromsomebasicdescriptionoflandcoverclassificationsystem,themanualdescribedhowto usethefieldformbothhardcopyanddigitalversion.

Itdescribedall(four)sectionsavailableinbothhardcopyandinopenforiscollectappstouse: x Thefirstsectionrecordslocationanddescriptionsofthestudyunit. x Thesecondsectiondescribes‘howtocapturesphotographs’ofthestudyunit. x Thethirdsectionrecordscanopymeasurementinformation. x Thefinalsectionrecordstheattributesofthestudyunit.

11  Diagrams,pictures,symbolsandtextsareusedtomakethismanualsimpleandeasytouse.



 –‹˜‹–›͵ǣ ‹‡Ž††ƒ–ƒ ‘ŽŽ‡ –‹‘ˆ‘”–Š‡†‡˜‡Ž‘’‡–‘ˆ–Š‡ƒ–‹‘ƒŽ Žƒ••‹ˆ‹ ƒ–‹‘ •›•–‡ 

BSGIconductedfieldsurveytocollectdatafromalloverthecountrytosupporttheestablishmentof thenationalclassificationsystem.Fielddatacollectionwasundertakenwithoutasamplingstrategy but considered most of the physiographic and ecological footprint of Bangladesh except the area belongstoDECCMAproject(coastalbeltofBangladeshfromSundarbantoTeknaf).Thenumberof targetsamplesiteswas1000basedon2weeks’offiendsurvey.Fivesurveyteamshasconductedthe field data collection survey at a time in different region. Each team will be assign a certain geographicalregionandequippedwithnecessaryequipment’s(GPS,Cameraetc).

Group1:RangpurandDivision;Group2:DhakaandDivision;Group3: divisionandGreater,Group4:Khagracharri,Noakhali;Group5:Bandarban,Cox’s BazarandChittagong(part);Group6:Kushtia,,Faridpuretc.

Thefielddatacollectionincludesthecollectionofattributes,pictures,geographiccoordinatesand anyadditionalinformationthatwouldbeofhelptodevelopthenationallegend.

”ƒ‹‹‰ƒ†ƒ’ƒ ‹–›—‹Ž†‹‰ǣ BSGIconductedboththeoreticalandpracticaltrainingtothefieldsupervisorsandfieldcrew.Mostof thetraininghasconductedinUniversityofDhaka.BSGIusedtheGISandRemoteSensingLabofthe DepartmentofDisastermanagementandsciences,FacultyofEarthandEnvironmentalSciences.





12  ‹‡Ž†ƒ–ƒ‘ŽŽ‡ –‹‘ǣ TargetSiteSelectionforthefieldsurvey:

Thefollowingcriterialhasbeenconsideredforzoningthecountryfordifferentgroups: o Riverandnaturalfeaturesconsideredfordividinggrouparea o Diversityoflandcover/landusesofexistingmaps o (Part)–notconsideredforsurvey(Anotherprojectcovers) o 150points/sitesarefixedforeachgroupforsurvey

NotSurveyed





Green points are randomly generated (it helps field crew to understand approximate distance betweenthepoints,fieldcrewhavethefreedomtoselectcloseplotsdistinguishablebetweenother takeobservedpoints)

13  



Randompointcreationprocedure:

Thefieldsurveydurationconsideredmaximum12Ͳ14dayswhichmeans12Ͳ15pointsvisitisplanned for each day. In this situation field crew cannot cover unmettalled/village road through a hired vehicle.2kmfrompuccaroad(bufferareacreatedfromroadlayer)fromeachregionisconsidered tocreaterandompoints.Pointscanbeclosedtomaximumof200meter.Agroecologicalzonemap, GeneralSoilandphysiographicmap,NFA2005mapwasconsideredforgroupzonecreation.

ƒ–ƒƒŽ›•‹•ǣ Basedonthecollected832pointsthefollowinganalysishasbeenmade:

Districtwisecollectedplotsummary:

14  

Landfeaturewisecollectedsummary:

Vegetation Abiotic: Presenceoftrees–455 PresenceofHouse/building–142 Presenceofshrubs–232 Road–97 Herbs–200 Railway–8  Sanddeposit–21 IndustrialStructure–30 DumpsiteͲ0 OthersͲ91  Waterandassociatedfeatures: Presenceofpond/aquaculture–78 Lake–11 River–62 Inundated–3 Others–14  



 –‹˜‹–›Ͷǣ‘ —‡–ƒ–‹‘‘ˆ–Š‡ƒ–‹‘ƒŽƒ†‘˜‡”ƒ–‹‘ƒŽ ‘•—Ž–ƒ–‹‘ 

BSGIcontributedtopreparethefollowingdocumentsbasedonthepapersanddiscussionpresented attheNationalLandCovernationalconsultation.

x Proceedings of the National Consultation Conference on Land Cover/Use Classification in Bangladesh.

15  x FeedbackonFieldmanualondatacollectionandNationalReferenceSystem

‡‡†„ƒ ‘ ‹‡Ž†ƒ—ƒŽ‘†ƒ–ƒ ‘ŽŽ‡ –‹‘ƒ†ƒ–‹‘ƒŽ‡ˆ‡”‡ ‡›•–‡ǣ In the open discussion session, experts from different organization were divided into four groups eachcontainingamemberfromtheBSGItohelpthemunderstandtheprocedurestheydeveloped andusedtoconductthefieldsurvey.Thefollowingfeedbackcamefromthegroups:  x EducationqualificationofFieldCrew:Toemphasizeonthequalificationbackgroundof the graduate students, while considering the selection of a field crew who will be responsibleforthecollectionofdataonaprimarybasis.Thefieldobserversmusthave theiracademicbackgroundinscienceandadiplomainforestryandtheymustbehaving agoodknowledgeaboutthemoderntechnology,mustbequicklearners. x Agriculture:Tocapturetemporalvariations,arepeatedapproachand/orFGDforlocal knowledge for the history of the land and for agroforestry: information on all strata/canopywithbiophysicalattributesmustbestoredinordertocollectthedatafora multiplecroppingland.Tosuggestontakinginterviewsandconductingperiodicsurveys inadditionwiththeuseofsecondarydatainmultiplecroppinglandareas. x Photographsalongwitheverypossibledetailofanunknownfeatureshouldbecollected andtheyagreedonusingtheGPSforhigheraccuracy. x Themanualshouldincludeuserfriendlyterminologiestoavoidanyconfusion. x ThemanualcanassistinForestInventoryDataCollection. x Resolutionshouldbekeptinmindwhileconsideringthedevicesthatneedtobeusedfor datacollection.TheTabof10inches,2GBRAM,64GBstorageshouldbeprovidedtothe crew.Alongwiththe“openforis”applicationNexusTABcanbeusedwiththeadvantage of using WiͲFi in it for the data collection. And the detail functions of the application shouldbeexplainedinthemanualinBengali. 

 –‹˜‹–›ͷǣ•–ƒ„Ž‹•Š‡–‘ˆƒƒ–‹‘ƒŽ Žƒ••‹ˆ‹ ƒ–‹‘•›•–‡ 

UsingtranslatednationallegendspreparedbySRDI,thelegenddevelopedbyCEGISandBUETforthe deltaecoͲzones,thelegenddevelopedbyMinistryofLandandthefieldinventorydata,onedetailed national classification system for land cover/use is developed. One separate report has been developed to document the national classification system for each proposed class the LCML and descriptionofpastclasseswillbeprovided.

‘ —‡–ƒ–‹‘‘ƒ–‹‘ƒŽ‡ˆ‡”‡ ‡›•–‡ǣ Landcoveriscomposedofvariousnatural,modifiedorartificialsystemsanddataonLCandchanges tothatareimportantforacademicandresearchpurposesatregionalandglobalscales,thoughonly limitedeffortsaregiventoimprovethequalityofthedata.Manyglobalandregionallandmapping productsareproducedforspecificapplications,whichexistasindependentdatasets.Itischallenging to derive ‘efficient’ maps that are interoperable and potentially harmonized. In order to attain worldwideconsistencyandtolinkslocalandgloballevelsofobservationanintegratedsystemforLC observationisnecessary.Inthisapproach,itisassumedthatthereisobservationalcontinuityonall

16  observation scales and that the data and information products are consistent and compatible for standardization,harmonization,andvalidation.

Classification,inthecaseofspatialinformation,isusuallyalistofpredefinedcategoriesthattryto signifyanabstractrepresentationoftherealworld.BowkerandStardefinethisclassificationas:“a spatioͲtemporalsegmentationoftheworld”.Classificationthusrequiresclearandprecisedefinition of class boundaries, and should possibly be quantitative and based upon objective criteria. But in reality,anypartitionofthisrealworldisintrinsicallyarbitraryandoftenreflectsspecificneedsofthe dataproducer,whileignoringthevariedneedsofindividualendusers.

Anotherproblemariseswiththewaytheauthorexplainsthethematiccontentofeachclass,where theauthorofaclassificationsystem(legend)makesofficialandmanifeststheontology(intendas “meaning “or “significance” of the things) of the categories and explains their relationship. Such processmaydemonstraterigidityinthetransferofinformationfromthedataproducertotheend usercommunity.

Inmostofthecases,classdefinitionsareimprecise,ambiguousor,sometimes,absent.Thismakes the semantic interoperability (understanding of the ‘meanings’ of different classes and relations among concepts) main challenge in Spatial Data Infrastructures. On these aspects, current classificationandlegendsshowsseverelimitations,whichaffectsthepracticaluseofLCinformation. Toovercometheclassificationproblems,theLandCoverMetaLanguage(LCML)isdeveloped,which isapowerfultooltocharacterizegeographicfeaturesusingamoremodernapproach.

LCML/LCCS3 is an innovativeobjectorientedmetaͲlanguagethatoffers anewperspectiveforthe semanticrepresentationoflandfeatures.Inthismethod,thelandfeaturescanbecharacterizedin suchamannerthatitdevelopsaspecificmodelforrepresentingtheobjects,attributesandrules.As a result, this new approach is ergonomic and dynamic in nature, which allows an adequate management of geographic data.However,the adoptionoftheLCML/LCCS methodologyrequires differentlevelsofexpertiseatdifferenttimeperiodsforitscompleteimplementation.Gnerallyland mapping activities are assumed to improve over time. The proposed method allows any present choicetobefullyergonomicwithanyfuture(moretechnicallyadvanced)options.Anyactiontaken withactualmethodologywouldproducesasolidtechnicalfoundationforthefutureones.

NationalReferenceSystemwhich isinfactadocumentandreferenceguidethatpresentnational landcover/useinanyscaleandthatwillserveasthebasisforthedevelopmentofthenationalland cover map, but also various national initiatives such as the national forest inventory or the greenhousegasinventoryandothernationalactivitiesthatrequireinformationaboutnationaland subͲnationallandcover/use.









17  

















Source:FAO



IncollaborationwiththeForestDepartment,about800fieldinventorydatahavebeencollectedby BSGI all over the country to identify different classes and set attribute of the classes. Technical support from FAO and national experts from various organizations the national reference system structurehasdeveloped.

The whole process towards developing a National Reference System has been presented with a structuralformbelow(Figure):











Source:ProposedNationalSystemfor

landcover/useRepresentation2016

18  The National Reference System for the Land Cover Classification System can be divided into six distinctlevelsforthecompleteunderstandingofallthefeaturesinBangladesh.Eachcategoryfalls withinonemastercategoryandthatishowahierarchyoflegendhasbeendeveloped.Thefigure showsthehierarchyofclasses:

Level Figure I

 II

 III

 IV



19  V

 VI

  Firstleveloflandcoverclasshasbeendividedonthebasisofecologicalconditions(bioticandabiotic) andsurfacetype (Terrestrialor aquatic).Second level distinctbasedon artificialityofthe objects. Then vegetation’s physionomy and structures then leaf phenology and floristic aspects. After that elevationandmanagementpracticeshasconsideredtoclassifytheobjectsindifferentlevel.

20  šƒ’Ž‡Žƒ••ǣ SwampPlantation(FSp):Cultivatedfreshwaterswampforests,orfloodedforests,areecosystems withuppermostcanopylayerdominatedbywoodylifeformwithheightabove5morabletoreach thisthresholdinsituandwithwhichareinundatedwithfreshwater,eitherpermanentlyor seasonally.Theynormallyoccuralongthelowerreachesofriversandaroundfreshwaterlakes. WaterisconsideredasFreshwhenTDSislessthan1000ppm.

Characteristics:

GrowthForm: Trees Artificiality:CultivatedorManagedVegetation LeafType: WoodyGrowthLeafType/ BroadLeaved WaterPresenceType: Mandatory WaterPeriodicVariation: Observed WaterSalinity: Fresh WaterPosition: AboveSurface MajorSpecies: Koroch(Pongamiapinnata),Pitali(Trewianudiflora),Hijal(Barringtonia acutangulata)

SaltPans(SP):Saltpansareflatexpansesofgroundcoveredwithsaltandothermineralsandare foundallaroundthecoastinBangladesh.Mostlysaltpansarelocatedalongthesoutheastcoastal beltandtidalflatsarea.

Characteristics: SurfaceType:NaturalAbioticSurface Presencetype:Inorganicdeposit Soil/SandDepositType:SaltFlat Waterpresence:Optional Watersalinity:Saline/Brackish  



 –‹˜‹–›͸ǣ—’’‘”–‘™Ž‡†‰‡‡š Šƒ‰‡‘˜Ǥ͵ 

Thedevelopmentofanationallegendistheresultofthecollaborationbetweennationalinstitutions involved in land cover and forest mapping. Under this activity, support will be provided to the implementationofLCCS.v3,thepreparationofthetrainingmaterialsandforknowledgeexchange betweentheparticipants.Underthisactivity,specificsupportwillbeprovidedtoinstitutionssuchas theSoilResearchDevelopmentInstitute(SRDI)andResourcesInformationManagementSystemof theForestDepartment(RIMS)forthetranslationofthenationallegendsandtheharmonisationof theexistingnationallegends.

21  ”ƒ‹‹‰‘Ž‡‰‡†–”ƒ•Žƒ–‹‘ƒ–  From15to17February2016,FAOandSRDIconductedatrainingon‘TranslationandHarmonization ofSRDILandUseMapLegendintoLCCS(v.3)’towardtheintegrationofforestandotherlanduse mappingactivities’withthetrainerssupportfromBangladeshSocietyofGeoinformatics(BSGI)asa partofcapacitybuildingprogramandtechnicalcooperationattheSRDIpremises,Dhaka.Theaimof thetrainingwastopresentandsharetheknowledgeofcommonpracticesoflandcoverandlanduse mapping in Bangladesh and leading the methodology of land cover classification system (LCCS) developedbyFAOandtotranslatemaplegendusingthissystem.AnoverviewoftheLCCSsystem has been presented and a handsͲon exercise conducted in order to develop and understand the currentlandusemapofSRDI.AthreeͲdaystrainingwasconductedandatotalofsixparticipants fromBFDaswellasfromSRDIattendedtheprogram.

—ƒ”›”‘ ‡‡†‹‰•‘ˆ–Š‡–”ƒ‹‹‰ǣ ThemainobjectiveofthetrainingwastobuildcapacitytotheprofessionalsofSRDIandBFDonland coverandlandusemappingusingLCCSandexploringharmonizationpossibilitieswithlandusemaps producedatnationallevelaswellastointegratenationalreferencesystem.  Thespecificobjectiveswere: x TointroduceLandCoverClassificationSystems(LCCSv3)toSRDIthatisdevelopedbyFAO x ToprovidetechnicalassistancetotranslateexistingmapsofSRDIandBFD x ToexploreharmonizationpossibilitiesofSRDIandBFDmaps Totaltrainingwasdividedintocoupleofsessionsandinthefirstsessionofthetraining,Mr.Hadiof the BSGI presented common practices of land cover mapping in Bangladesh highlighting understanding of Land Cover, ‘Land Cover Mapping: Common practices’, ‘Organizations producing LandCoverorrelatedmapsforBangladesh’,ExampleLandCoverMap,comparisonsofdifferentland covermapsamongdifferentorganizations,ExampleofaLandCoverMap,Challengesoflandcover representationsandfinallyinitiativesthatareneeded.

Secondsessionsofthetrainingcovered Ͳ LCCS3softwareinstallation Ͳ StepbystepproceduresforcreatinglegendsinLCCS3withdemodata

Thefirstsessionofthesecondofthetrainingcovered‘howtocreatelegendfilefromexistingmap’. Example legends chosen from SRDI Land Use 2004 and NFA 2005 map and how to update lccs attribute. Later on the trainers and the participants had open discussion to discuss detail about differentattributeofthemapandtroubleshotproblems.

Inthenextsession,theparticipantsfromSRDIhasstartedtocreatelegends(lccsfiles)for‘LandUse Map 2004’ by one group and ‘Land Use Map 1997’ by another group. The participants from BFD involvedinpreparinglccsfileforNFA2005map.

Inthefinaldayofthetraining,theresourcepersonsreviewanddiscussedthetechnicalquestions raisedbytheparticipants.Thesessionsalsodiscussedonhowtointegrateandharmonizedifferent legendsthatarepreparedbytheparticipantsfromdifferentorganization.

22  ‡ Š‹ ƒŽ ‘‘’‡”ƒ–‹‘‘ƒ–‹‘ƒŽƒ†‘˜‡”ƒ–ƒ„ƒ•‡’”‡’ƒ”ƒ–‹‘ Different professionals from BSGI exchanged their technical thoughts and contributes in different technicalsessionsandgroupdiscussionsorganizedbyFAOandBFD.

IntheworkingSessionsonSupportingthePreparationoftheLandCoverMapDevelopmentandthe IntegrationofLandCoverandForestMonitoring,BSGIexpertsprovidedtheirtechnical opinionto supportandenrichlandcoverlegendsandlandcovermapof2015aswellastodevelopthetechnical procedureofsatelliteimageprocessing.



23  Ȃ 

ImportantNotesthatwerecreatedforfieldgroupsduringexpertdiscussion:

Importantfeatureinformationweareexpectingfromgroup5

1. Vegetation:(belaicharri,rowangchhari,ruma,alikadam,thanchi,nikhonchhari,ukhia)40Ͳ50 points a. TeaktreesofbothplantedandsemiͲnatural(10/12samples)ashillforest b. Naturalshrubs,(10/12)bandarbanandteknafandsomepartrangamati(downpart ofkaptailake) c. Shiftingcultivation(2/3) d. Orchard(banana,others)8/10 e. MaheskhaliMangroveplantation(4/5)91.87915421.563410(mayberequireboat tovisit) f. Rubberplantations(3/4)(Coordinate:92.11221521.456006,92.19870621.542077 etc.) g. Bamboogarden/forest(CTGandHilltractseasebutdon’tknowlocation) 2. Para/Settlement a. Hillsettlement(3/4)housesandvegetationofpara b. Ruralsettlement(10/12)withtreesandwithouttrees 3. Waterbody a. River(3/4) b. Pond/Dighi(naturalandartificial)4/5 c. Lake(faysandbogalakeorother)2/3 d. Aquaculture/Shrimps(2/3) 4. Artificialsurface a. Saltpan(2/3)banshkahaliandteknaf(ifyouliketogo) b. Sand/Beach(6/7)naturalsandincharorbankofriverandbeach(3/4+3/4)patenga, cox(sandybeach),inani(coralbeach)etc. c. Mud(3/4) d. Airportrunway(1/2)Maybeyourstartingpointatcoxairport e. Harbor(1/2) f. Road(4/5)withandwithouttreesinmainhighway,zilaroad,hillyroad,urbanroad g. Railway(2/3)andstationctg h. Brickfield(1/2)(lohagora–chakoriaroadside),ctg,bandarbaneonekase i. Urbansettlement(12/15),withparks,stadium,bazar,Eidgaonsurface,residential andcommercialbuildings(Ctg,bandarban,cox’sbazar) j. Industrialsurface(5/6)bigstructures k. Religioussurface(3/4) l. Playground(2/3)school/college(considercoxandbandarbanzila) m. Monuments 5. Agriculture(15) a. Cropswithtemporal(timebasedsequences)forexample:singlecropfieldmaybe likeamanrich(junͲoct/nov)restoftimefallow;multiplecropsmaybelike:Rabi cropsorplusesandvegetable(novtofeb),jute(mar–june)andAman(jul–oct)etc.



24  Importantfeatureinformationweareexpectingfromgroup4

1. Vegetation:(Sitakunda,upperpartrangamatifromkaptai,khagracharri)40Ͳ50points a. TeaktreesofbothplantedandsemiͲnatural(10/12samples)ashillforest (Khagrachhari,Mirsharai,Sitakundaandsomepartrangamati) b. Naturalshrubs,(10/12)Khagrachhari,Mirsharai,Sitakundaandsomepartof rangamati(upperpartofkaptailake)justfromtheroadside,mostoftheplace seemsshrubsinkhagrachhari c. Shiftingcultivation(2/3)Mustneededtocollect d. Orchard(banana,othersnotsure)8/10 e. Rubberplantations(3/4)(MirsaraitoKhagracharriroad:somearethere)(Coordinate: 91.65319422.895618and91.67858222.938582)twodifferentgardenatleast there f. Bamboogarden/forest(CTGandHilltractseasebutdon’tknowlocation) g. Grassland(Golf:Bhatiari)  2. Para/Settlement a. Hillsettlement(3/4)housesandvegetationofpara(karbarietc.) b. Ruralsettlement(10/12)withtreesandwithouttrees c. Ruralsettlementroadswithtreesandnotrees 3. Waterbody a. River(3/4) b. Pond/Dighi(naturalandartificial)4/5 c. Lake(kaptaiandbogalakeorother)2/3 d. Aquaculture(2/3) 4. Artificialsurface a. Sand/Beach(6/7)naturalsandincharorbankofriver(feni,littlefeni,others)and beach(3/4+3/4)sitakunda b. Mud/clay(3/4)seaside,sandwip,subornacharetc. c. Road(4/5)withandwithouttreesinmainhighway,zilaroad,hillyroad,urbanroad d. Railway(2/3)andstationctg e. Brickfield(1/2)(lohagora–chakoriaroadside),ctg,bandarbaneonekase f. Urbansettlement(12/15),withparks,bazar,Eidgaonsurface,residentialand commercialbuildings(zilaheadquarters) g. Industrialsurface(5/6)bigstructuresincludingshipbreakingyards,Cargo (sonaicharriͲsitakunda,ctggate) h. Religioussurface(3/4) i. Playground(2/3)school/college j. Monumentssurfaces 5. Agriculture(15) a. Cropswithtemporal(timebasedsequences)forexample:singlecropfieldmaybe likeamanrich(junͲoct/nov)restoftimefallow;multiplecropsmaybelike:Rabi cropsorplusesandvegetable(novtofeb),jute(mar–june)andAman(jul–oct)etc.

Anyotheridenticalareanotlistedabovecanbeaddedbasedonyourjudgementconsideringland coverrepresentationofBangladesh

Importantfeatureinformationweareexpectingfromgroup3

25  1. Vegetation:(Madhabpur,chunarughat,Bahubal,Sreemongal,Kamalganj,Rajnagar,Kulaura, Juri,Jaintiapur,SylhetGowainghat,Companiganj)atleast50points a. BothplantedandsemiͲnatural(10/12samples)ashillforest(Kanaighatand jaintiapurandsylhet) b. Teagarden,(10/12)Sylhet,kulaura,Rajnagar,Juri,sreemongal c. Naturalshrubs4/5,SreemongalandRajnagar,barlekha d. Swampforest(6/7)Sylhet,companiganj,gowainghat e. Orchard(orange,andothersnotsure)8/10 f. Rubberplantations(5/6)(HabiganjͲChunarughat,Sreemongal,Rajnagar) g. Bamboogarden/forest(Juri,Kulaura,Kamalganj)  2. RuralSettlement a. Ruralsettlement(10/12)withtreesandwithouttrees b. Ruralsettlementroadswithtreesandnotrees 3. Waterbody a. River(3/4) b. Pond(naturalandartificial)4/5 c. Lake(oxbowlake)1/2 d. Haor7/8 e. Aquaculture(2/3) 4. Artificial/Naturalsurface a. Sand(6/7)naturalsandincharorbankofriver(Surma,Kushiara,others) b. Road(4/5)withandwithouttreesinmainhighway,zilaroad,hillyroad,urbanroad c. Railway(2/3)roadandstation d. Brickfield(1/2) e. Urbansettlement(12/15),withparks,bazar,Eidgaonsurface,residentialand commercialbuildings(zilaheadquarters) f. Industrialsurface(3/4)visiblebigstructures g. Religioussurface(3/4) h. Playground(2/3)school/college i. Monumentssurfaces 5. Agriculture(15) a. Cropswithtemporal(timebasedsequences)forexample:singlecropfieldmaybe likeamanrich(junͲoct/nov)restoftimefallow;multiplecropsmaybelike:Rabi cropsorplusesandvegetable(novtofeb),jute(mar–june)andAman(jul–oct)etc.

Anyotheridenticalareanotlistedabovecanbeaddedbasedonyourjudgementconsideringland coverrepresentationofBangladesh



26  

Importantfeatureinformationweareexpectingfromgroup2

1. Vegetation:(belaicharri,rowangchhari,ruma,alikadam,thanchi,nikhonchhari,ukhia)40Ͳ50 points a. TeaktreesofbothplantedandsemiͲnatural(10/12samples)ashillforest (Khagrachhari,Mirsharai,Sitakundaandsomepartrangamati) b. Naturalshrubs,(10/12)Khagrachhari,Mirsharai,Sitakundaandsomepartrangamati (upperpartofkaptailake)justfromtheroadside,mostoftheplaceseemsshrubsin khagrachhari c. Orchard(banana,othersnotsure)8/10 d. Rubberplantations(3/4)(MirsaraitoKhagracharriroad:somearethere)(Coordinate: 91.65319422.895618and91.67858222.938582)twodifferentgardenatleast there e. Bamboogarden/forest(CTGandHilltractseasebutdon’tknowlocation) f. Grassland(Golf:Bhatiari)  2. Para/Settlement a. Hillsettlement(3/4)housesandvegetationofpara(karbarietc.) b. Ruralsettlement(10/12)withtreesandwithouttrees c. Ruralsettlementroadswithtreesandnotrees 3. Waterbody a. River(3/4) b. Pond/Dighi(naturalandartificial)4/5 c. Lake(kaptaiandbogalakeorother)2/3 d. Aquaculture(2/3) 4. Artificialsurface a. Sand/Beach(6/7)naturalsandincharorbankofriver(feni,littlefeni,others)and beach(3/4+3/4)sitakunda b. Mud/clay(3/4)seaside,sandwip,subornacharetc. c. Road(4/5)withandwithouttreesinmainhighway,zilaroad,hillyroad,urbanroad d. Railway(2/3)andstationctg e. Brickfield(1/2)(lohagora–chakoriaroadside),ctg,bandarbaneonekase f. Urbansettlement(12/15),withparks,bazar,Eidgaonsurface,residentialand commercialbuildings(zilaheadquarters) g. Industrialsurface(5/6)bigstructuresincludingshipbreakingyards,Cargo (sonaicharriͲsitakunda,ctggate) h. Religioussurface(3/4) i. Playground(2/3)school/college j. Monumentssurfaces 5. Agriculture(15) a. Cropswithtemporal(timebasedsequences)forexample:singlecropfieldmaybe likeamanrich(junͲoct/nov)restoftimefallow;multiplecropsmaybelike:Rabi cropsorplusesandvegetable(novtofeb),jute(mar–june)andAman(jul–oct)etc.

Anyotheridenticalareanotlistedabovecanbeaddedbasedonyourjudgementconsideringland coverrepresentationofBangladesh

27  Importantfeatureinformationweareexpectingfromgroup1

1. Vegetation:(Thakurgaon,,Rangpur,Naogaon)40 a. Bothplantedandnatural/semiͲnatural(10/12samples)(SalForest) b. Naturalshrubs:notsuretheplaces,(4/5) c. Orchard(Mango,Orange,Lichi,Banana,othersnotsure)15Ͳ20 d. TeaGarden(PanchagarhͲTentulia)3/4 e. Floatingvegetation(Beelarea)  2. RuralSettlement15Ͳ20 a. Ruralsettlement(10/12)withtreesandwithouttrees b. Ruralsettlementroadswithtreesandnotrees 3. Waterbody a. River(6/7)andcharland(3/4) b. Pond/Dighi(naturalandartificial)5/6 c. Aquaculture(2/3) 4. Artificialsurface a. Mud/clay(3/4)Riverside. b. Road(4/5)withandwithouttreesinmainhighway,zilaroad,hillyroad,urbanroad c. Railway(2/3)andstations d. Brickfield(4/5) e. Urbansettlement(12/15),withparks,bazar,residentialandcommercialbuildings (zilaheadquarters) f. Industrialsurface(5/6)bigstructures(example:BSCICIndustrialestates,) g. Religioussurface(3/4)eidgaon h. Playground(2/3)school/college i. Monumentssurfaces/Archeologicalsites 5. Agriculture(25) a. Cropswithtemporal(timebasedsequences)forexample:singlecropfieldmaybe likeamanrich(junͲoct/nov)restoftimefallow;multiplecropsmaybelike:Rabi cropsorplusesandvegetable(novtofeb),jute(mar–june)andAman(jul–oct)etc.

Anyotheridenticalareanotlistedabovecanbeaddedbasedonfieldjudgementconsideringland coverrepresentationofBangladesh





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