Application of GIS for the Analysis of Hotspot Accessibility in the Forest Areas

Abstract

                With the advancement of satellite remote-sensing technology and processing algorithms, hotspots can be detected faster and over a wider coverage area. Hotspots are regions of high temperature in a forest and include forest fire, volcanic eruptions, and other areas, which a forester must have access to in order to inspect and control the spread, say in the case of a forest fire. Hotspot accessibility in forest areas is the key to efficiently investigate and prevent forest fires from spreading further. The objective of this research was to evaluate the accessibility to hotspots in a forest area in the Mae Hong Son province. Slope, forest fire control station, road, and distance from stream were used as factors in the analysis hierarchy process. Each factor was classified into three groups and each group was given a suitability score based on the view of forest fire experts. Geographic information system was used to overlay all the weighted score factors. The results showed that having an access road played an important factor in this study, with a weighted score of 0.406. The weighted scores of forest fire control station, distance from stream, and slope were 0.316, 0.154, and 0.124, respectively. Accessibility levels to hotspots in the forest were divided into 3 groups as difficult, moderate, and easy, with a percentage of 74.104, 18.412, and 7.484, respectively. The results of this study can be used to manage and prepare appropriate access to potential hotspot areas in a given forest.