IF REMOTE SENSING IS SO GREAT, WHY DON'T MORE PEOPLE USE IT?
SHIRE OF MELTON - CASE STUDY IN APPLICATIONS
Remote Sensing and the associated technologies of Geographic Information systems and global positioning systems have been readily adopted by some sections of the resource management community. Other sections however appear to be ignorant or indifferent to the existence of these technologies and the benefits they can provide. To varying degrees this is the current situation within local government authorities in Australia. The case study presented sought to demonstrate the utility of integrating remotely sensed data into the day to day management of resources at the Local Government level, using geographic information systems. Many Local Governments are understaffed and overworked. Under such a working environment, matters of lower priority (usually environmental) are attended to when the situation reaches crisis level. Under these circumstances, remote sensing and geographic information systems can provide timely and accurate information thus allowing for a quicker and more informed decision. This in turn frees the local government officer to continue with more routine tasks.
The current problem is that many local governments are not aware or remote sensing technology and what it can provide and so the status quo is perpetuated.
The Shire of Melton in Victoria, Australia was chosen as a test site. Melton was considered to be an ideal for such a project for several reasons, these being, it is a satellite community (pop 36 000) close to Melbourne, it is considered a rural-urban region with a rapidly expanding urban base leading to land use conflicts, a wide variety of land uses are represented and the Shire Council is very progressive and responsive with respect to the adoption of new technologies.
"The Earth Resources satellites will enormously advance our knowledge of this planet's capabilities and the ways in which we may exploit them. The time is going to come when farmers, fishermen, public utility companies, and departments of agriculture and forestry will find it impossible to imagine how they ever operated in the days before they had space borne sensors continually scanning the planet"
(Arthur C. Clarke, 1969)
Some sectors of the resource management community were quick to recognise the potential of remote sensing as a means of gathering reliable and repetitive data over a region at a competitive cost. Despite dedicated satellite remote sensing celebrating its 20th birthday this year, there are still many sectors of the resource management community who are unaware of indifferent to the existence of remote sensing and the benefits it has to offer. It must be concluded that we in the remote sensing industry have performed poorly when promoting our profession to the user community.
This paper describes some of the experiences of the RMIT Centre for Remote Sensing while introducing the technology of remote sensing to a local government authority.
For the purpose of this paper the term "remote sensing" shall mean all digital image processing techniques involving space-borne and air-borne scanned images as well as photogrammetry and digital photogrammetry.
Local Government
It would appear logical that remote sensing would be of particular use to the organisations that are responsible for creating and maintaining our immediate environment - Local Government.
Municipal authorities throughout Victoria have identical legal powers and duties, however the activities of each council vary according to local circumstances. Hence specific applications of these technologies would vary from council to council. the functions of Victorian municipalities may be classified under the following headings:
Transport
Construction and maintenance of roads, streets, bridges,
Parking (provision and inspection), Ferries, wharfs and marinas, Traffic control, Street lighting, Aerodromes,
Bus shelters,
Trading
Electricity generation and supply, water supply, caravan parks and camping grounds, sewerage leasing of land and buildings, fire protection, beach inspection, animal control, emergency services, national disaster relief and restoration, pest control, vermin and noxious weed control, building control.
Environmental
Planning and development, town planning, community development, urban renewal, public conveniences cemeteries, protection of environment, sanitation services, agricultural drainage schemes, sewerage services, flood mitigation, drainage, soil conservation, protective patrols, beach restoration and foreshore protection.
Recreational
Walking and cycling paths, community centres playgrounds, swimming pools, baths and beaches picnic facilities, recreation reserves, public open space.
(Board of Review Final Report, 1979)
The above list is not complete and some of the functions listed above are mandatory for Victorian municipalities, however, most are optional and can be undertaken at the discretion of the local authority in question.
Any remote sensing professional looking at the above list should recognise a multitude of applications for remote sensing technology.
If this is the case then we should first ask ourselves, why is remote sensing not more widely used by local government?
IF REMOTE SENSING IS SO GREAT, WHY DON'T MORE PEOPLE USE IT?
There are many and varied reasons why some organisation or individual may not use remote sensing. This topic is sufficient enough for a conference in its own right. A brief look at some of these reasons and how they relate to local government is appropriate here.
Some of the reasons potential users might not be using remove sensing would be:
(1) They don't know it exists!
It is often surprising for someone who thinks of remote sensing as an everyday activity to find that there are people who have never heard of it. This is inexcusable as we stand on the boundary of the new "information age" as defined by Toffler (1990) and others. It points to poor technology transfer between the research sector and the users, and poor promotion by the private sector, although it would be wrong to place too much blame on the private sector of the remote sensing industry. This is because (at least in Australia) the private sector is very small and restricted to a few specialist consultants. This lack of a large (applications) private remote sensing industry is mainly due to the high level of applications consulting activity undertaken by government agencies and universities. The role of the universities and government remote sensing groups needs to be redefined in order to allow the private sector to expand its activities.
If we accept for the moment that there are groups who are unaware of remote sensing, our next question becomes: How is it that Local Government can find out about the technology of remote sensing? A short term solution may be as follows.
Local Government bodies employ a diverse range of professionals such as Engineers, Building Surveyors, Health Officers, Property Valuers, Town Planners, Librarians, Mechanics, Rate Collectors, Accountants etc.
Licensed Land Surveyors and (to a lesser extent) environmental consultants are occasionally employed by large municipalities and may provide exposure to the technology of remote sensing to Local Government. This would rely on the professional having the necessary knowledge on how and where remote sensing experience applications can be identified.
Based on experience, it would appear that a large proportion of Remote Sensing applications fall under the jurisdiction of environmental/planning departments. So it is here that we should be looking for professionals who have an awareness of the different technologies available to monitor the environment.
(2) They don't know what it can do.
Groups may be aware of the technology but are unaware of its potential and what it can achieve. This problem is similar to (1) above.
(3) They don't believe it is useful.
For various reasons groups or individuals may not think the technology is useful or may have had a previously bad experience with the technology. This is unusual.
(4) They don't know how to manage it or what to ask for.
It is difficult to quantify the costs and benefits associated with remote sensing projects for inclusion into budget statements. Many of the activities of local government are based on reductionist approaches to economic evaluation which makes non-quantifiable entities difficult to include in project budgeting. Some of the benefits of using remote sensing are not short term and are often intangible. Finegan and Rollings (1992) demonstrated the need for models that can evaluate and manage the economic aspects of remote sensing projects, particularly by new users of the technology.
As for local government knowing what to ask for with respect to remote sensing technology, there is a need for consultants to fill this role.
Another problem that may be less apparent is one which our industry has little control over, but is one that may be overcome by coordination. This problem is concerned with the size of some Local Government bodies.
(5) Municipal Boundaries
The size of the municipal units is a matter of basic importance to a system of local government. The evaluation of rateable property in the district, on which the local revenue is based, is the life-blood of the council. It is a fact that some local government units in Australia were allowed to decline in financial strength until they reached a point of financial impotence and amalgamation with other authorities then became essential. Remote Sensing is a technology that may assist Local Government bodies, however unless the Local Government body is of a reasonable size then it may not be affordable. In addition, environmental problems do not usually follow Local Government boundaries, it is here that it may be necessary for a consultant to act as a co-ordinator for several shires in order to make the investment in Remote Sensing financially viable.
Finally, for a consultant to be successful in the area of local government it is necessary to be aware of the procedures, politics and funding mechanisms that act at this level. Local governments are very conservative and are not generally quick to adopt new methods or techniques that challenge the status quo.
The case study outlined in this paper is an on-going joint project between the RMIT Centre for Remote Sensing (Department of Land Information) and the Shire of Melton. The project is overseen by key personnel in both institutions with the majority of the remote sensing work being undertaken by final year and post-graduate students. The venture provides an excellent opportunity for the essentially "technology driven" RMIT research programme to meet the "user requirement" driven local government side.
A study is presently underway investigating the practical applications of Remote Sensing to Local Government at the Shire of Melton. Melton is a Shire located 40km west of Melbourne. The Shire measures approximately 40 x 30km and has a population of 36 000. The long term population potential is at least 80 000 residents. In order for a Shire to expand, careful planning is required from all perspectives. Significant changes in the environment will take place if this population potential is realised. Careful planning and monitoring of the environment is needed in order to create healthy and attractive surroundings. The Shire experiences many resource management problems typical to those faced by local government managers. The Shire has rapidly expanding urban areas resulting in competing land use with agriculture and thoroughbred horse breeding as well as conservation zones relating to native forest and grassland species. Poor land management practices have also lead to land degradation in the form of soil erosion, salinity and structure loss, weed infestation and a decline in native plant and animal species.
The Shire is currently implementing a computer based mapping and management system based on geographic information system (GIS) technology. At the time RMIT first made contact with the Shire, they were well under way with the implementation of their land information system (LIS). It seemed logical, therefore, that RMIT might be able to assist them in acquiring the relevant data on the bio-physical parameters of the Shire and if (or when) required, assistance with their LIS. This has proven to be a fruitful arrangement and the Department of Land Information currently has a higher degree student working within the Shire Offices.
The following list of projects have "evolved" as useful applications of remote sensing within local government.
Soil Erosion Mapping, Monitoring and Modelling
A current trend in the region is to sub-divide larger farms into so called hobby-farms. This provides a pleasant living environment and has a low visual impact on the landscape. However, the land management practices sometimes used by inexperienced land managers can result in rapid land degradation. Soil erosion is particularly prevalent in the foot hill regions of the Shire. The ability to map out, monitor and predict where such erosion has and may occur is of great use to the Shire for two reasons. First it allows them to keep track of the condition of the land in the Shire. Secondly, because remote sensing techniques are very quick at detecting this kind of problem, the officer normally charged with this duty can address the problem in the minimum amount of time. High resolution satellite imagery was shown to be effective in this instance.
Consolidation of Water Body Plans
One large problem in local government is that they often carry a variety of maps of varying ages and scales. In the case of the presence of water features, the Shire was keen to consolidate their existing plans into one plan. The use of remote sensing in the near-infrared and the middle infrared parts of the spectrum was able to achieve this.
Consolidation of Forest Plans - Mapping Native Forest
Similar to the previous example, consolidation and updating of plans was required. State government initiatives introduced in 1990 made local government authorities responsible for their areas of native vegetation. This requires the mapping and monitoring of native vegetation areas which is important, particularly with respect to the granting of clearing permits for areas greater than 0.4 of a hectare.
Weed Infestation Mapping, Monitoring and Modelling
The local landcare groups are concerned at the spread of serrated tussock grass and the decline of the native grasses. This project has just commenced and seeks to map the distribution history of serrated tussock in the extended region. This is a good example of where a problem is not restricted to one Shire boundary. Ideally coordination of this project should include all surrounding local government areas that are, or may potentially be affected by serrated tussock grass.
Digital Photo Mosaic of Whole Shire
Aerial photography, although not flown as regularly as satellite imagery, provides a highly detailed record of the Shire. By using photomosaics in conjunction with satellite imagery, benefit can be maximised.
A digital photomosaic is currently being compiled and tests are underway using new software to produce digital ortho-photography.
Once sewn together using an image analysis system, the digital photomosaic provides an excellent base for planning purposes. An additional benefit of a digital photomosaic is that it can be used as a back drop to and LIS and absolute measurements both as bearing and distance or as AMG coordinates can be made directly from the image. Bellman et. al. (1992) demonstrated the additional benefits of digital photomosaics over conventional mosaicing techniques.
Surveillance of Rural Building Construction
Recent council initiatives to restrict the construction of large rural out buildings have recently been adopted. High resolution satellite imagery may be appropriate to monitor the construction of these structures on an annual basis.
Verification of Land Parcel and Road Centreline Database
Once created, a digital photomosaic provides a convenient and quick method of checking the position and classification of features entered into an LIS. Experience has also shown that even high resolution satellite imagery can be useful in this regard.
Land Use History of Shire
The past land use history and land capability of regions in the Shire can be used as a guide to future zoning and use of land. Using archived satellite imagery and aerial photography it is possible to construct a land use history of the Shire which can then be incorporated into the planning process. This is particularly relevant as there is some dispute at the moment over the land use history of some regions within the Shire.
Remote sensing and associated technologies have a definite role to play at all scales of resource management. It is an unacceptable situation to see that a large potential user of remote sensing, such as local government, is unaware of this technology.
Remote sensing can offer local government timely, repetitive and accurate information which is relevant to the management of the resources under their custodianship.
There is a need for consultants to fill the role of both applications specialist and coordinator.
Being aware of the operating and funding procedures for Local Government. Wider exposure of the profession may increase present demands placed on the industry of Remote Sensing by local government.
Board of Review (1979) Local Government in Victoria, role structure and administration. Final report, F.D. Atkinson, Government Printer, Melbourne.
Bellman, Deakin and Rollings (1992) Colour Photo Mosaics from Digitised Aerial Photography. Proceedings of the 34th Australian Surveyors Congress, Cairns, 23-29 May.
Clarke, A.C. (1969) Beyond Babel - The Century of the Communications Satellite. Address to UNESCO Space Communications Conference, Paris, December 8, 1969 in Clarke (1972) Report on Planet Three and other Speculations, Pan Books London, pp 163-4.
Finegan and Rollings (1992) A Project management Model for the Cost Benefit Analysis of Remote Sensing Applications. Proceedings of the 6th Australasian Remote Sensing Conference, Wellington, New Zealand.
Rollings and Morriss (1991) Satellite Imagery and Resource Management at the Local Government Level. Poster paper and workshop at, An Important Role to Play : A National Conference on Environmental Initiatives at the Local Government Level, Melbourne University, 2-5 Oct.
Toffler, A.T., (1990) Powershift - Knowledge, Wealth and Violence at the edge of the 21st Century. Bantam Books, New York.