FAME: a forest assessment and monitoring environment scenario

Effective management of forest resources requires suitable, up-to-date information on the state, extent and distribution of forest. Remote sensing data can provide this information. To enable the use of remote sensing data for global forest monitoring, provisions are required to allow operational processing of the data to standardized products. A scenario for the development of a Forest Assessment and Monitoring Environment is presented. Firstly, a pilot RESPAS (REmote Sensing Preprocessing and Archiving Systems) is developed, a suitable tool for forest management, to compile information on global forests. Secondly, RESPAS is upgraded to improve its functionality and to introduce FMS (Forestry Management System). Thirdly, RESPAS is extended by introducing remote sensing data from newly launched sensors. By introducing this three-step approach, standardized remote sensing products will become available for use in sustainable forest management giving information on the state, extent and distribution of tropical forests