A new supercomputer system that uses satellites to monitor changes in native vegetation was expected to revolutionise natural resource management across NSW according to the Deputy Premier and Minister for Climate Change and the Environment, Carmel Tebbutt.
Ms Tebbutt said the Spatial Monitoring and Analysis Computer (SMAC) was able to store and analyse high resolution satellite images and was so powerful that individual trees could be identified and monitored.
“NSW has used satellites for several years to monitor change in the extent of woody vegetation and to detect illegal clearing,” Ms Tebbutt said, “and now we have invested $24 million over four years to upgrade to high-resolution imaging, such as Spot 5, across all of NSW.”
She said SMAC would be the powerhouse of the satellite monitoring and reporting program and NSW was the first place in the world where high resolution imagery would be used for monitoring vegetation over such a large area.
She said SMAC had enough electronic storage to house more than 50 years worth of continuous DVD movies, and would allow the DECC to interpret the images and prepare reports on vegetation change.
Ms Tebbutt said the new system would be used in collaboration with other Agencies to develop bushfire management programs, protect threatened species, better plan urban developments and assist in water compliance programs.
She said the software was also expected to help the Department of Environment and Climate Change model for climate change.
“From the end of next year we hope to be able to produce scientifically validated reports of what’s happening to the native vegetation of NSW based in the high resolution imagery,” Ms Tebbutt said.
“We are now adding to our knowledge base with the recent completion of the 2007/08 image capture of NSW which will be repeated annually for the next three years. With the help of SMAC, we’ll then compare and identify any changes to the vegetation extent.”
She said satellite imagery and aerial photography had already been used as evidence in several prosecutions for illegal land clearing.
Source : http://nsw.psnews.com.au
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