WWF - P's Geographic Information System (GIS) facility uses computers to store and organise environmental information so that it can be combined and presented in many different ways. The aim is to improve environmental management and nature conservation by providing useful information.
GIS is a database which allows both descriptive and spatial information to be retrieved. The term spatial is used to describe things relating to size, area or position, so that people can see the relationships between them. For example, it can show a map of Pakistan with the distribution of different bird species marked on it.
GIS makes a vital contribution to many projects. Information for the database is obtained from a variety of sources, including books and satellite maps. Data from satellites, for example, provides landcover and forest maps to support projects from the mangrove swamps of the Baluchistan coast to the remote Palas Valley, home of the endangered Western Tragopan. In the Mountain Areas Conservancy Project, satellite remote sensing and field surveys will be used to create detailed maps of landcover and monitor changes. Activities of the GIS facility include:
Training courses to help people understand how GIS can be used in environmental research and projects.
Creation of a database containing distribution data for Pakistan's bird and mammal species. Major migratory bird routes have been identified, allowing analysis of their relationship with the landscape and related meteorological and biological conditions.
Identification of catchment boundaries from existing information about topography and rivers. Creation of databases of Pakistan's Protected Areas and Wetlands.
Production of maps for reports, brochures and decision making.
