Situation and tendency of application of Remote
Sensing techniques in Vietnam
Prof. Nguyen Thuong Hung
Institute of Geography and Natural Resources
NCSR, NGHIA DO-TU LIEM-HA NOI-VIET NAM
Abstract
In the last over ten years, remote sensing techniques have paled an important role and have had considerable effects in surveying, researching natural conditions, resources and environment in Vietnam. However the demand on social and economic development is rising day by day, with the complexity of the humid tropical monsoon climate regime, application of remote sensing techniques still remain being limited.
In the next future, the application of remote sensing techniques in Viet nam will be developed according to following tendencies.
- Focusing on developing utilization of aerial photographs data another sensor's data.
- Expanding application remote sensing techniques is sea researching.
- Combining processing remote sensing data with GIS
- Setting up a National Sensing data Bank.
As many other countries in the South East Asia, Vietnam is located in the humid tropical monsoon region, having a variety of natural resources. Since it has an undeveloped, economy so the promotion of surveying, researching natural conditions, resources of the country is now considered necessary and urgent. Mountains and highland occupy about 4/5 of total area, hence it requires much time and high cost in using conventional methods to study, to assess natural resources, to monitor their changes caused by economic human activities.
With the purpose to limit mentioned difficulties, new remote sensing techniques, therefore, have been being applied in Vietnam. On the base of these techniques, more accurate information and knowledge on environment and natural resources are obtained faster with allowed expense.
Since 1980, when there was the USSR-VIET NAM international manned space flight, the utilization of remote sensing data has been became widely and systematically. A lot of facilities studying remote sensing have established in different ministries such as ministry of water conservation, Geology, Agriculture, Foresty, Geodesy and cartography….. including scientific research centres as National Centre for Scientific Research of Vietnam (NCRS).
All remote sensing activities in Vietnam are under direct leading of the National Committee For Space Research and Application (NCSRA), which was linked with scientific programmes of INTERCOSMOS.
It has to take into account of that an important landmark in history of remote sensing development in Vietnam has been the foundation of several projects sponsored by NNDP/FAO. It created initial technical and material basis to approach to the new technique.
Evaluating remote sensing activities during the last over ten year period, we can make following main assessment :
- Combining with traditional methods, remote sensing methods increase accuracy of acquired data, reduce time in studying natural conditions and resources of the different territories.
- Remote sensing methods have supported effectively in monitoring natural resources and environmental changes took play after human activities.
