Sachsenforst State Enterprise manages and administers Saxony’s state forests in Germany, and has economic, ecological and social responsibilities. It manages approximately 200,000 hectares (about 494,210 acres) of forest, protecting natural habitats and ensuring recreational opportunities for residents and visitors. The digitalization of data management and the use of modern remote sensing technologies have revolutionized the foundation for the sustainable management of Saxony’s forests.
Originally, the challenge was to manage very large and heterogeneous datasets. Satellite images from different sensors and resolutions, aerial photographs, digital terrain models, LiDAR data, historical maps and reports were decentralized, with original maps or files in various formats and locations. This made data exchange difficult and searching for relevant information a time-consuming task. In some cases, employees had to manually search through tens of thousands of maps and orthophotos as well as hundreds of terabytes of data, which significantly slowed down workflows and restricted the use of valuable information.
The solutions developed by GEOSYSTEMS based on Octave technology are the foundation of our data management and remote sensing workflows.
The solutions developed by GEOSYSTEMS based on Octave technology are the foundation of our data management and remote sensing workflows.
Sachsenforst, represented by the Centre of Competence for Forests and Forestry, relies on solutions from GEOSYSTEMS GmbH, Germany built with Octave Imagine (formerly ERDAS IMAGINE) and Octave Alto Data Management (formerly ERDAS APOLLO) . A central spatial data management system was developed. Since then, the FGIS_ raster platform and its extensions have made it possible to efficiently catalog and centrally store all map, image, aerial photo and LiDAR data. Through the integration of remote sensing data into the GIS, a wide range of information is now available for forest management planning, the Federal Forest Inventory (BWI) and the State Forest Inventory Saxony (WISA). Third parties also benefit from historical forest maps, and numerous thematic map services (WMS) have been developed that enable hydromorphological analyses. These services are available via the Geoportal Sachsen and GeoMIS.Sachsen, both in the intranet and on the internet.
The new system has significantly improved the daily work of the forestry administration. All relevant specialist departments, especially the forestry field offices, can access up-to-date and historical forest information regardless of location. In particular, the long-term observation of forest changes is greatly facilitated by access to extensive archive data. The system currently comprises around 20,000 digitized historical forest maps, dating back to 1711, as well as orthophotos from 1953 onward. This data pool is supplemented by digital elevation models, satellite images, georeferenced soil reports and extensive documentation on peatland sites. The system currently holds around 300 terabytes of data and is continuously being expanded. New data, such as from current aerial surveys, is quickly and reliably integrated into the system by automated processes and promptly available for further processing.