More than 60 percent of the primary forest of tropical ecosystems has already been lost, and government agencies are struggling to prevent further destruction. In Honduras, GIS techniques, lifestyle surveys, and satellite imagery of forested areas all helped to determine the variables that predict deforestation behavior among rural families.

All stakeholders in agriculture — including producers, processors, resource managers, the marketing and finance sectors, and the government economies — need timely and reliable information on crop acreage, yield prediction, and production estimation for tactical and strategic decision making. Early prediction of crop yield is important for planning and making various policy decisions. In India, a remote sensing and GIS-based approach proves to be an accurate method for estimating yields and monitoring the health of sugarcane crops.

Using Mobile Mapping to Manage Wildfires A 30-year veteran of land management discusses his experience using electronic maps and their GIS data in the field to fight wildfires. Feb 1, 2006 By: Tom Patterson

The application of geospatial technologies to wildfire management is not a new phenomenon. As a 30-year veteran of public service land management, I've taken an active role in using the latest mobile GIS technology during and after firestorms. Most recently, I've put to use an important technological development that's one the best tools for fire management since the shovel: the handheld computer.

A spatial decision-support system developed by the Rocky Mountain Research Station provides forest managers with the tools to effectively remove a build-up of fuels while adhering to principles of ecological multiple-use forest management and responding to public interests.