Remote Sensing, GIS & GPS as a toll to map the forest plantation in the catchment of the Chilika lagoon, India R.N.Samal Scientific Officer Chilika Development Authority, India Email: rnsamal@hotmail.com Nihar Ranjan Das Project Assistant Chilika Development Authority Email: nihar_das@sify.com Dr. Ajit Kumar Pattnaik Chief Executive Chilika Development Authority Email: ajitpattnaik@hotmail.com Any successful management program is dependent upon having sufficient information to make proper decisions about the resource. Many forest inventories in the past identified the location and extent of forest using topographic maps. Others were mapped using a traditional method. Both techniques were very time consuming and contained significant error. Recent advances in military satellite technology has led to methodologies that allow describing forest plantation area more accurately, more speedily, and at a lower cost. GPS technology can be an excellent tool in forest management. Such technology is being utilized to map forest plantation on the catchments of the Chilika lagoon. Much of the current forest management practices can be improved through the use of current technologies including Remote Sensing, GIS (Geographic Information System) and GPS (Global Positioning System) which can enhance any decision making process. This paper highlighted the use of current technologies including remote sensing, GIS and GPS to map the plantation area year wise and development in the catchment canopy. These comprise both spatial and attribute data and information. The spatial data information is continuously updated with the help of remote sensing input, maximizing the usage of available satellite data such as Indian Remote Sensing satellite IRS-IC, ID & P6, LISS III imageries. At operational level spatial data analysis is employed in order to identify areas that need to be taken up on a priority basis for treatment. The forest plantation area inventories is carried out using the GPS.