Western Ghats, a global biodiversity hotspot, is facing huge crisis due to developmental demands. While this poses a biodiversity management challenge, localised studies and disparate datasets limit the ability to upscale studies/results to a level that can provide actionable inputs to decisi on makers and planners. New and innovative methods using geospatial technology can help bridge this gap if stakeholders have access not only to the data but also to the appropriate tools for informed decision making. This activity will train participants to equip policy makers and other stakeholders converting science-questions to an appropriate geospatial query that can provide the right insights/answers drawing upon the data base. As a part of the proposed activity, OSGeo-India along with the Energy & Wetlands Research Group, CES, Indian institute of Science, Bengaluru would like to begin an initiative to equip stakeholders of Biodiversity of Western Ghats of Karnataka state to harness the state of art open source geospatial technology tools at multiple levels, viz., mobile, desktop and web platforms. Toward this goal, one day stakeholder workshop, has been planned.
The one day biodiversity awareness workshop is scheduled on 20th August 2015 for a cross section of stakeholders, such as NGOs, Students, State Biodiversity Board officials, Forest department officials and line agencies impacting on Biodiversity.
The topics to be covered during the workshop
include the following.
1. An overview of Western Ghats
biodiversity and the need for Spatial
data- Limitations and lacunae in current
understanding based on description,
monitoring and management of
biodiversity.
2. How Spatial data helps provide the larger
perspective for systemic understanding
3. Demonstration and Case studies of
Applications of desktop, web and mobile
GIS in management of biodiversity
4. Plan for int ensive two week TOT
workshops, utility of the trai nees and
mainstreaming capacity building in the
respective agencies using FOSS4G tools.
5. Open Discussion session to highlight the
challenges in the State for adoption and
use of Geospatial and related
technologies and
6. Identifying and nominating a state level
nodal agency for follow-up activiti es in
the use of open source GIS for
Biodiversity.