| Company | CSIRO Data 61 |
| Country | Australia |
| Website | https://research.csiro.au/data61/ |
| Category | Planning & Inventory › Remote sensing & mapping |
Data / digital science arm of Australia’s national science agency
Mapping and data analysis tools in forestry encompass a broad suite of hardware, software, and analytical platforms that enable forest managers to capture, process, interpret, and act on spatial and tabular data about forest resources, operations, and environmental conditions. At the foundation of modern forest mapping are geographic information systems (GIS) such as Esri ArcGIS and the open-source QGIS platform, which allow managers to overlay spatial datasets — including timber inventory cruises, soil maps, watercourse buffers, road networks, and harvest coupes — to support operational planning and compliance with environmental codes of practice. These GIS platforms are increasingly connected to field data collection tools such as mobile apps (e.g., Collector for ArcGIS, Survey123, and Fulcrum) that allow field crews to capture geolocated observations, measurements, and photographs in real time. In parallel, remote sensing data streams derived from satellite imagery, airborne LiDAR surveys, and drone-based photogrammetry are being integrated into forest analysis workflows to produce high-resolution canopy height models, stand volume estimates, and change-detection maps that were previously obtainable only through expensive and time-consuming ground-based inventory. In the Australian context, tools such as the CSIRO-developed Auscover products and state agency forest inventory systems provide baseline spatial data, while commercial platforms including Interpine, Remsoft, and Silviaterra offer advanced analytical capabilities for yield forecasting, harvest scheduling, and carbon accounting. The growing volume of data generated by machine telematics, UAV surveys, and satellite monitoring has driven demand for automated data processing pipelines and machine learning-assisted analysis tools capable of extracting actionable insights from complex, multi-source datasets, representing a significant evolution in how Australian forest enterprises manage information across their land base.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Company | CSIRO Data 61 |
| Country | Australia |
| Type | Company |
| FWPA RD&E | 7.3 |