12th Session of the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum

“Maximizing Space Benefits for the Society”

11 - 13 October 2005, Kitakyushu, Japan

APPLICATIONS OF GIS AND REMOTE SENSING

IN MYANMAR

U Myint Swe
Deputy Director
Planning and Statistics Division
Forest Department
 CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION

2. BACKGROUND HISTORY OF APPLICATIONS OF GIS AND

REMOTE SENSING IN MYANMAR

3. APPLICATIONS OF GIS AND REMOTE SENSING OF SOME

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES

4. PRIVATE SECTOR INVOLVEMENT IN THE APPLICATIONS OF

GIS AND REMOTE SENSING

5. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

6. BENEFITS OF SPACE TECHNOLOGY FOR HUMAN SOCIETY

7. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

REFERENCES
 1. INTRODUCTION
Physical Profile
NepalBhutan  Location
India
China Latitudes = 9° 30′ to 28° 31′ North
Bangladesh Longitudes = 92° 10′ to 101° 10′ East
Myanmar  Area
Laos
Total land area = 676,577 km2
Vietnam Length (north to south)= 2,090 km
Thailand
Maximum width(west to east)= 805 km
Cambodia

Climate Population (2005)

 Temperature 25° C to 33° C (Rainy Season) Total population = 54.3 million
10° C to 25° C (Cold Season) Male = 27 million
32° C to 38° C (Hot Season) Female = 27.3 million
43° C (Maximum
Temperature)
Rural Population = 76 %
 Rainfall Minimum rainfall < 800 mm
Growth Rate = 2.02%
Maximum rainfall = 5, 000 mm
 Figure 2.

Forest Cover Status

Forest Cover Status in 2002

Other Closed
Lands Forests
30.10% 37.38%

Forest
Fallows Shrubs Open
1.77% 15.85% Forests
14.90%

Forest Cover Status in 2002

Closed Forest 37.38 %
Open Forests 14.90 %
Total Natural Forests 52.28 %
(Closed and Open Forests)
Shrubs 15.85 %
Forest Fallows 1.77 %
Other Lands 30.10 %
Natural Forest Resources
z rich in forest resources
z about 7,000 plant species, of which 1,071 are endemic
z recorded vegetative species in Myanmar are:-
‹ Big Tree 1,347
‹ Small Tree 741
 2,088

‹ Bamboo 96
‹ Shrub 1,696
‹ Rattan 36
‹ Orchid 841
z Out of 2,088 big and small trees, 85 species have been recognized
and accepted as multiple-used timber of good quality.
 Major Forest Types in Myanmar

Hill and Temperate

Evergreen Forest

Indaing Forest

Dry Forest
Mixed Deciduous Forest

Beach & Dune Forest Tropical Evergreen Forest

Swamp Forest Tidal Forest

Wildlife Resources

Mammal 300
Reptile 360
Bird 1,000
Butterfly 1,200
Protected Areas Management
• So far, 30 wildlife
sanctuaries and 6 national
parks, constituting about
4.72% (31,938 sq. km) of the
total land area of the country
have been formed and
managed.
• In the short run, PAS will be
increased up to 5% of the total
land area.
• In the long run, PAS will be
increased up to 10% of the
total land area.

Protected Wildlife Species

Completely protected species 98
Normally Protected species 61
National Parks 6
Wildlife Sanctuaries 30 Seasonally protected species 15
2. BACKGROUND HISTORY OF APPLICATIONS OF GIS AND
REMOTE SENSING IN MYANMAR

z The Forest Department is one of the foremost organizations which

used aerial photographs for assessing the vegetative cover of the
Ayeyawady Delta Mangroves back in the 1920s.

z In Myanmar, Satellite Remote Sensing was first introduced in 1980 by

FAO/UNEP Project.

z With the financial assistance of the National Forest Management and

Inventory Project (MYA/85/003), a PC based Arc/Info GIS was
installed at the Forest Department in July 1993.
z PCI EASI/ PACE, a digital image processing system, was installed at the
Forest Department in early 1996 with the financial assistance of the
Watershed Management for Three Critical Areas Project (MYA/93/005).
z The global positioning systems (GPSs) are mainly used for locating of ground
control points in the process of ground truthing in digital image processing.
The Magellan GPSs were used to record the locations of permanent sample
plots established in Sagaing Division in 1998-99.

Magellan GPS
3. APPLICATIONS OF GIS AND REMOTE SENSING OF SOME
GOVERNMENT AGENCIES

When the Forest Department started using GIS and Remote

Sensing, there were no government agencies using these modern
advanced technologies. However, in Myanmar, nowadays, GIS,
GPS and Remote Sensing technologies have been widely used in
government agencies.

3.1 GOVERNMENT AGENCIES USING GIS AND REMOTE

SENSING
Currently, there are 29 government agencies using
GIS and Remote Sensing. Table 1 shows the government
agencies and their respective space-related activities.
Table 1. Government Agencies and their Space-Related Activities
Sr.
Name of Department/Enterprise Space-Related Activities
No.
1 Settlements and Land Records Department, Cadastral Mapping
Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation
2 Water Resources Utilization Department, Ministry GPS Surveying and GIS, Water Resources and
of Agriculture and Irrigation Hydrology Mapping
3 Department of Agricultural Planning and GPS Surveying and GIS
Statistics, Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation
4 Survey Department, Topographic Mapping, Map Publishing & Digital
Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation Photogrammetry
5 Irrigation Department, GPS Surveying and GIS, Water Resources and
Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation Irrigation Mapping
6 Department of Human Settlement and Housing Urban Planning and GIS
Development, Ministry of Construction
7 Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise, GPS Surveying and GIS
Ministry of Energy
8 Department of Geological Survey and Mineral GPS Surveying and GIS
Exploration, Ministry of Mine
9 Forest Department, Ministry of Forestry Forestry GIS
10 National Commission for Environmental Affairs, EIA using GIS and Remote Seining
Ministry of Forestry
11 City Planning & Land Administration Department, Streets Maps & City Guide Maps,
Yangon City Development Committee Land Information System & Municipal GIS
12 City Planning & Land Administration Department, Streets Maps & City Guide Maps, Land
Mandalay City Development Committee Information System & Municipal GIS

13 Department of Development Affairs, Land Information System & Municipal GIS

Ministry of Progress of Border Areas and National
Races and Development Affairs
14 Yangon University, Ministry of Education GIS Diploma Training Program
15 Mandalay University, Ministry of Education GIS Diploma Training Program
16 Pathein University, Ministry of Education GIS Lab & GIS Training Courses
17 Taungoo University, Ministry of Education GIS Lab & GIS Training Courses
18 Meteorology and Hydrology Department, Weather Forecasting
Ministry of Transport
19 Myanma Port Authority, Ministry of Transport GPS Surveying and GIS
20 Myanma Five Star Line, Ministry of Transport Ship Tracking
21 Myanma Maritime University, Ministry of GIS Lab & GIS Training Courses
Transport
22 Directorate of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Transport GPS Surveying and GIS

23 Directorate of Water Resources and
Improvement of River Systems, Ministry of
Transport
24 Myanma Posts and Telecommunications,
Ministry of Communication, Posts and Telegraphs
GPS Surveying and GIS, River Profile Mapping
with Satellite Image Data
GPS Surveying and GIS

25 Directorate of Health Planning , Ministry of Health Health Map & GIS

26 Department of Medical Research, Ministry of Health Map & GIS
Health
27 Remote Sensing Centre, Ministry of Science and GIS Lab & GIS Training Courses
Technology
28 Myanma Aerospace Engineering University, GIS Lab & GIS Training Courses
Ministry of Science and Technology
29 Myanma Economic Corporation, Ministry of Digital Mapping, Image Mapping, Image
National Planning and Economic Development Processing & Visualization Systems
 3 . 2 APPLICATIONS OF GIS AND REMOTE SENSING FOR SOME GOVERNMENT
AGENCIES
Out of 29 government agencies, GIS and Remote Sensing applications of only 3
major government agencies are presented.
3.2.1 Applications of GIS and Remote Sensing of the Forest Department
Regarding forestry applications, GIS and Remote Sensing technologies are used in
the fields of forest management, watershed management, desertification combat,
biodiversity management, environmental monitoring and evaluation, and so on.
Figure 3.
(a) Forest Management
• From forest management point of view, statistics of
forest cover, forest types, deforestation rate, etc. are
essential data for forest management. These data are
now available at the Forest Department. These data
are now effectively used for drawing Forest District
Management Plans and other purposes of forest
management.
• A map showing “Growing Status of Teak by Township”
is very useful for the Forest Department. This kind of
map can be produced by integrating forest inventory
data and GIS technology. By means of the information
obtained from this map, a decision-maker will be able
to know that which area is the best for establishing
teak plantations as well as which area should not be
selected for the establishment of teak plantation.
(b) Watershed Management Figure 4.

• Since the agricultural sector is the backbone of

Myanma economy, the government of the
Union of Myanmar has been exerting efforts in
the agricultural development while trying to
develop other sectors proportionally.
• To boost the agricultural production, new
reservoirs and dams have been constructed
throughout the country. At the same time, the
existing reservoirs and dams will be renovated.
The life spans of these reservoirs and dams
totally depend on the forests growing in the
watershed areas. Therefore, the effective
watershed management is very essential to
the country.
• Watersheds of all important dams and
reservoirs are now in Arc/Info format using the
latest satellite data. Critical watersheds are
being mapped in 3D GIS. Data are distributed
to the field staff with required administrative
layers.
• Thanks to the information obtained from the
land cover map of a watershed, a decision-maker or
a planner or a forester will be able to decide that
which area should be totally protected or
substituted by forest plantations or not.
 Figure 5.

(c) Desertification Combat

• Although the Central Dry zone of

Myanmar is a semi-arid region, the
situation is approaching to the
desertification level. The Remote
Sensing and GIS Section of the Forest
Department has done 1:50,000 scale
maps of current landuse, slope
information, erosion susceptibility and
regeneration planning data for 10.52
million hectares of the Central Dry
Zone.

• With the help of the information

obtained from the Land Cover Map of
the Central Dry Zone of Myanmar, it
can be decided that which area should
be naturally regenerated or artificially
regenerated or which area should be
totally protected.
(d) Biodiversity Management Figure 6.

• Myanmar is often cited as the last frontier

of global biodiversity in Asia. Recorded
numbers of wildlife species in Myanmar are
1,000 species of birds, 300 species of
mammals, 360 species of reptiles, and
1,200 species of butterflies.

• For biodiversity management, the map

showing locations of wildlife sanctuaries
and national parks is available in Arc/Info
format at a scale of 1:1,000,000. Regarding
biodiversity Management, some more staffs
from the Forest Department need to be
trained in the field of biodiversity
management using GIS and Remote
Sensing. For this issue, technical assistance
or training should be required.
 Figure 7.
(e) Environmental Monitoring
and Evaluation
• The Forest Department has assisted
its GIS and Remote Sensing facilities
to carry out environmental impact
assessment (EIA) operations in the
critical areas such as the Total Gas
Pipeline Project, Yeywa Hydropower
Project, and Mekong River Basin
Project.
• However, the Forest Department
itself did not carry out any EIA
project using GIS and Remote
Sensing. For this issue, it is required
to train the staffs of Forest
Department in the field of EIA using
GIS and Remote Sensing. It is hoped
that MEXT, JAXA, RESTEC, GAC,
Malaysian Centre for Remote Sensing
and etc. will be able to support
technical assistance or to give
training.
 3 .2.2 GIS & Remote Sensing Applications of the City Planning and Land
Administration Department under YCDC

• There are 20 functional departments, Figure 8. Urban Landuse Classification Map of Yangon City using
Landsat ETM+ (2002)
under the management of YCDC in
developing the city and render services
to the citizens of Yangon. City Planning
and Land Administration Department is
one of them. GIS facility has been
installed at the City Planning and Land
Administration Department of YCDC since
1999. The goal is to provide geo-spatial
information that is required for city
planning, administration and
development.
• The establishment of GIS will provide the
groundwork for the management of
public services, and will eventually lead
to the implementation of a variety of
projects in Yangon that would create a
comfortable and safe city environment. Legend
• Urban Landuse Classification, Cadastral River [Red] 287 points, Lake [Green] 10 points
Mapping, Water Supply Network & Forest [Blue] 161 points, Mangrove [Yellow] 197 points
Urban1 [Cyan] 605 points, Urban2 [Magenta] 634 points
Management System are some Urban3 [Maroon] 663 points, OpenLand [Sea Green] 318 points
RiceField [Purple] 709 points
applications of GIS and Remote Sensing.
 3.2.3 GIS & Remote Sensing Applications of Settlement and
Land Records Department
• The Settlement and Land Records
Department (SLRD) is responsible for Figure 9. Cadastral Map of Kwin No. 643a in
land administration. Since 1992, SLRD is Bogale Township, Ayeyarwady Division
determined to change its system to GIS-
based data entry and analysis. SLRD has
to maintain different types of records for
each Kwin map.
• Nowadays, SLRD is trying to digitize
from Orthophotos which is produced
from the Survey Department in the area
of Ayeyarwady Division (Delta Area). The
production of digital Kwin maps from
Orthophotos will be useful than scanned
Kwin maps and it is already solved some
constraints and limitations. The digital
data for all parcels are recorded by using
Microsoft Excel/Access and link to the
GeoMedia Software.
• The Remote Sensing system is not yet
started. The SLRD is intended to use
satellite images and aerial photographs to
investigate the crops area and crops yield
estimations with the help of Credent
Technology in Myanmar.
4. PRIVATE SECTOR INVOLVEMENT IN THE APPLICATIONS OF
GIS AND REMOTE SENSING
• Many countries and governments are encouraging private sector involvement in
the applications of space technology.
• The private sector, which is market-oriented, has resources and motivation.
• When the Forest Department started using GIS and Remote Sensing, there
were no private companies investing in these modern advanced technologies.
Table 2. Private Companies and other Organizations using GIS and Remote Sensing

Sr.
Name of Private Company/Organization Space-Related Activities
No.
1 United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) GPS Surveying & GIS

2 World Health Organization (WHO) GPS Surveying & GIS

3 Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) GPS Surveying & GIS
4 Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) GPS Surveying & GIS for Wildlife
Habitat
5 Design Printing Services Street Maps & City Guide Maps
6 Olympic Construction Company Satellite Image Mapping
7 Mg Weik and Family Construction Company Satellite Image Mapping
8 Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA) Water Resources and Hydrology
Mapping, UTM Mapping Project &
Malaria Project
9 Myanmar Credent Technology Company Geospatial Services & GIS Training
Program
10 Suntac Technologies Company Geospatial Services & GIS Training
Program
11 Myanmar Computer Company Geospatial Services
12 Geocomp Myanmar Company Geospatial Services
4.1 Private Technology Companies Investing in GIS and Remote
Sensing

Currently, there are four private technology companies investing in

Remote Sensing and GIS technologies. They are as follows: -
(1) Myanmar Credent Technology Company
(2) Myanmar Computer Company
(3) Suntac Technologies Company
(4) Geocomp Myanmar Company

4 . 2 Applications of GIS and Remote Sensing for Some Private

Technology Companies

Out of 4 private technology companies, the applications of GIS and

Remote Sensing for only 3 companies are separately presented in this
presentation.
4.2.1 GIS and Remote Sensing Applications of Myanmar Credent
Technology Company
• Myanmar Credent Technology Company, previously known as Myanmar
Intergraph, was established in 1996. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Credent Technology Asia which is a management-owned enterprise
comprising a unique network of companies in South-East Asia and
Australia.
• The Myanmar Credent Technology Company is a Geospatial and IT
Solutions provider. Also, it is a vendor of GeoMedia Professional and
associated modules such as ENVI. The following services are being
provided by the Myanmar Credent Technology Company.
Figure 10. Yangon/Phugyi 3D Map
(i) Geospatial Services
(ii) Business Process
Services
(iii) Engineering Services
(iv) IT Infrastructure Services
(v) Training Services (GIS
Certificate & GIS
Diploma)
(vi) Technology Transfer
Services for GIS, GPS and
Remote Sensing
4.2.2 GIS and Remote Sensing Applications of Myanmar Computer
Company (MCC)
Figure 11. GIS Project of Kyauktada Township
• Myanmar Computer Company (MCC) was
established in 1989 as a limited
company. Having got over 15 years
experience in IT industry, it becomes one
of the biggest computer companies in
Myanmar.
• MCC is one of the business partners of
the ESRI. In Myanmar, MCC acts as sole
distributor of ESRI products. Yangon City
Development Corporation, Ministry of
Mine, Ministry of Forestry, Ministry of
agriculture and Irrigation, JICA, etc. are
some customers of MCC. Also, MCC
innovates GIS projects with customized
applications, such as Telephone Network
System, Yangon City Land Management
and Information System, Electric Cable
Line Network System, and etc.
• Now, MCC is building a web-based g-GIS
which is flexible and cheap for users.
This is one benefit of space technology
for the users.
 4.2.3 GIS and Remote Sensing Applications of Suntac Technologies
Company
Figure 12. GIS Project for Maubin Town
• Suntac Technologies was
established in 1999. Its main
objectives are (i) to introduce
advanced technology (ii) to
provide quality engineering
services (iii) to establish a
leading Technology Center for
Remote Sensing, GIS,
Geodetic Engineering and
Survey Engineering fields.
• Suntac Technologies is one of
the leading companies which
provides services on Remote
Sensing, GIS and Mapping in
the country. The company
introduced TNTmips, the
premiere Remote Sensing and
GIS Software developed by
Microimages Inc., of America.
• The company also carried out
many successful projects and
seminars regarding Remote
Sensing and GIS.
5. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

Regarding international cooperation, Myanmar has good cooperation

with both international organizations and countries including UNDP/FAO,
JICA, JAFTA, ESCAP, NASDA, ICIMOD, Japan, Thailand, and India.
Cooperation of some international organizations is briefly mentioned
below.

UNDP/FAO

International organizations, mainly UNDP/FAO, supported the

capacity building of GIS and Remote Sensing infrastructure of the
Forest Department by providing technical assistance as well as logistics.
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)

z In Myanmar, a three-year Information System Development Project (ISDP),

funded by JICA was started in the fiscal year 1995-96 for the management of
tropical forests in Myanmar.

z During the project period, the Japan Forest Technical Association (JAFTA)
acquired the most recent Thematic Mapper (TM) satellite data and conducted
digital image processing in Japan.

z After the termination of the three-year project, the project was extended for
another one year and 5 more Landsat scenes were digitally classified.

z During the four-year project period, altogether 23 Landsat scenes had been
finished in digital image processing.

z On the whole the project provided the Forest Department with computer
hardware and software, satellite digital data, false color composites, forest
type maps and forest registers.
NASDA and ESCAP

National Space Development

Agency of Japan (NASDA) and
Economic and Social Commission for
Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP ) also
gave financial assistance and satellite
digital data to the Myanmar Forest
Department for a research project on
"Monitoring the Landuse Changes in
Thaton District of Mon State between
1993 and 1997". This study adopted
the integrated applications of Remote
Sensing and GIS and applied it to a
landuse change monitoring situation
in Thaton District of Mon State. The
Map showing All Landuse Changes of
Thaton District between 1993 and
1997 is shown in Figure 10.
International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD)
z ICIMOD has been engaged in GIS capacity building of national
institutions of the regional member countries in the Hindus Kush-
Himalayan region and has been promoting the use of GIS and
related technologies during the early phase of Mountain
Environment and Natural Resources' Information Systems
(MENRIS).

z Some professionals from Myanmar had already been trained in GIS

technology through ICIMOD training courses. The Ministry of
Forestry and other ministries had sent the staff abroad to pursue
basic and advanced trainings on Remote Sensing and GIS.

z Now, Myanmar has many technicians trained in these technologies

in various ministries. However, to keep abreast with the quick pace
of these technologies, further refresher courses, advanced trainings
and adequate facilities are needed to maintain the current
efficiency.
 Forestry Agency of Japan
z The Forest Dynamism Study Project for
the Eastern Part of Asia (FDSP) has been
formulated by the Forestry Agency,
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries in Japan as a part of its
international cooperation since 2001. This
project aims at provision of satellite data
to assess forest conditions in the eastern
part of Asia. The Japan Forest Technology
Association (JAFTA) under the auspices of
the Forestry Agency is responsible for the
implementation of FDSP. The Regions
Covered by FDSP is shown in Figure 6.
z The main objectives of the Project are
(a) to study the situation of forest
degradation in the eastern part of Asia
and (b) to forecast future forest
degradation in the eastern part of Asia.
z The Myanmar Forest Department is a
counterpart agency of the JAFTA study
team. The term of the project is 5 years
from 2001(April 2001) to 2005(March
2006). The Regions Covered by FDSP is
shown in Figure 11. Myanmar belongs to
zone A and zone B.
JAXA and GAC

Caravan training program on "GIS and

Remote Sensing for Watershed Management",
sponsored by JAXA and jointly organized by
Myanmar Forest Department, Suntac
Technologies and GAC, was conducted at the
MICT Park in Yangon from 16-20 September,
2004. 26 participants attended the training Opening Ceremony of
course. Caravan Training

Other International Organizations

Other international organizations, such as
Remote Sensing Technology Centre of
Japan (RESTEC), Indian Institute of
Remote Sensing (IIRS), and etc. had also
made significant contributions to the
development of Remote Sensing and GIS
applications in Myanmar. E-learning Centre of MICT Park
6. BENEFITS OF SPACE TECHNOLOGY FOR HUMAN SOCIETY

• Space and space-related activities are an indispensable part of human society

and they have to be necessarily a part of education of all children to build a
sustainable world. In this context, space technology has to be more and more
introduced into education in space faring countries as well as developing
countries.
• The following benefits are expected to be available for the human society.
(a) Because of space technology, mapping and survey needs of some government
agencies are being fulfilled.
(b) Integration of advanced remote sensing data and GIS technology has a
significant potential for urban planning and environmental research applications.
(c) Knowledge of space technology can be provided to the public through the
distribution of space newsletters and inaugurating of GIS and Remote Sensing
Training Courses.
(d) Transfer of space technology and provision of space-related services can be
obtained through the private technology companies.
(e) The use of space technology is proven to be one of the most effective and
economical approaches for natural resources management.
(f) Due to advancement of space technology (i.e. micro and mini satellites), many
countries are capable of having satellite programs to meet their national space
objectives.
7. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
• From this report, it will be noticed that the Myanmar has been using GIS, GPS and
Remote Sensing technologies in various sectors of the country to bring about optimum
social and economic benefits for the country.
(a) Successful implementation of sustainable management of natural resources requires the
availability of appropriate state-of-the-art technologies and adequate finance.
(b) For effective management and planning of natural resources, precise, frequent and
timely data and information are required. In this context, remote sensing data should be
used as inputs to a GIS for analysis and decision supporting system.
(c) Involvement of private sectors in the applications of space technology should be
encouraged as well as strengthened.
(d) National Resource Center for GIS and Remote Sensing ( e.g. Myanmar Center for GIS
and Remote Sensing) should be established in Myanmar as early as possible to make
sharing and integration of multi-sectoral data easy and smooth.
(e) Building up in-house capacity and upgrading GIS and Remote Sensing skills and
knowledge of the professionals should be carried out through international cooperation.
(f) Collaboration among government agencies using GIS and Remote Sensing should be
encouraged to carry out space-related activities effectively.
(g) Technology transfer as well as technical trainings will need to be provided to the
developing countries by the high potential countries.
Let's make our world more sustainable through
better utilization of space technology.