AN EXPERIENCE OF FOREST INVENTORY BY PHOTO INTERPRETATION METHOD BASED ON ADVANCED FIRMWARE AND DIGITAL AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS OF NEW GENERATION
The main stages of the developed technology of forest inventory by interpretation method, named «From survey - to project», with the use of modern aerial survey data, special software and hardware are discussed in the paper. A need for development of high-end technology of forest inventory is due to increasing demands of state, business, and civil community for actual and correct information about forests. The tasks of research were: integration software and hardware into single technology, testing on the real object, and development of recommendations for introduction into production and forming of system of preparing specialists for forest interpretation. Positive results of experimental works by measurement and analytical forest interpretation in stereo regime on base of photogrammetric software were obtained by specialists from Russia, Croatia, Belarus, and Sweden. In the technology «From survey - to project», the following instruments are used: photogrammetric complex Vision Map A3, digital photogrammetric system Photomod, program «ESAUL», GIS ArcGIS, special hardware for stereo visualization. Results of testing this technology are shown on example of model territory. Comparison of results of forest inventory obtained by interpretation method and results of control inventory obtained by enumeration method demonstrated that errors of determination of main forest inventory characteristics do not exceed the norms. The advantages of practical use of the technology are shown. It has been noted that forest inventory by interpretation method is a complex psychophysiological process and it requires an attraction of specialists with high qualification on base of special training. It is indicated the necessity of forming system for training forest inventory specialists on interpretation method. The designed and prepared curriculums and training manuals for interpretation method in forestry are listed.