Laos is to conduct forest monitoring through the Space Application for Environment (SAFE) prototype project, according to the 3rd SAFE Workshop held in Vientiane from June 16-17.

The project was developed in cooperation with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

“The aim of the project is to develop a prototype methodology and create an updated spatial land cover assessment in Laos,” Deputy Director General of the Water Resource and Environment Research Institute-WREA, Mr Sangkhane Thiangthammavong, said.

The main goal of today's meeting is to offer an opportunity to Lao technical staff, environment officers and other concerned experts to share their expertise and experiences and learn about other international initiatives for the application of space technology for sustainable development, he added.

The project will develop capacities, elaborate prototype approaches for gaining insight into current land cover dynamics in Laos, and pilot applications in the field of water resource management.

Several SAFE prototype projects are being implemented in countries such as Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.

Those countries that were approved by the panel in Melbourne, Australia, have been invited to the meeting in Vientiane to discuss the progress that has been made on the project.

Reviewing current development in Laos, Mr Sangkhane feels the workshop will be very useful for supporting and guiding economic development in South East Asia.

“It is my understanding that in Laos, worldwide space application technology - like the earth observation satellite activities of JAXA - is used in many sectors, including service provision, forestry, and agriculture,” he noted.

“Currently, planning and monitoring activities in Laos are using satellite images for things like natural resource management, and environm ental assessment and planning.”

The Earth Observation Research Centre (EORC) was established under JAXA in 1995 as Japan's core organisation for earth observation satellite data processing, analysing, calibration, and archiving.

By continuing to carry out these activities using space-based earth observation technology, JAXA hopes to assist humankind to adapt to climate change.

Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases have been continuously observed from numerous ground-based observation points around the world, but there are still gaps in coverage.

The Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite has been monitoring the global distribution of carbon dioxide, methane column abundance, and changes in the distribution of gases over time.

The EORC is working to calibrate and validate satellite observation data.

Global climate changes have increased the risk of extreme weather events such as heavy rains that have increased in frequency and intensity, typhoons and water-related disasters such as floods, high tides, landslides and droughts.

“To protect the public from such risks and to take appropriate measures, we must monitor the water cycle accurately and in a timely manner,” Mr Sangkhane said.

Phase 1 of the SAFE Workshop was held in Pattaya, Thailand, a Mini Workshop was convened in Jakarta, Indonesia, and the Phase 2 workshop took place in Cambodia.