An International Regional Science Training On "Remote Sensing of Land-Use/Cover Change and Climate Impacts In Coastal Zone"

Several countries in South and Southeast Asia are undergoing rapid land use/cover changes due to urbanization and industrial development. The population growth together with rapid economic development is causing immense pressure to convert land from forest to agriculture and from agricultural areas to residential and urban uses with significant impact on ecosystem services. Increased Land-Cover/Land-Use Change (LCLUC) in the region is perturbing atmosphere, forest resources, biodiversity, regional climate, biogeochemical cycles, water resources, and other ecosystem services. Climate change in turn is a major factor impacting the LCLUC. Specific to some of the coastal regions, LCLUC have been highly disruptive impacting the mangrove ecosystems which serve as the barrier between the land and ocean. They are also highly productive ecosystems of the world, thus, loss of mangroves is a significant concern in several regions of South/Southeast Asia. The main goal of this training is to address the above issues and showcase the potenital of remote sensing and geospatial technologies. The training will also review the availability, and potential and limitations of different data sources and methodologies for monitoring of the LCLUC as well as quantification and impact on the environment. The training lectures will focus on synergies among various approaches linking remote sensing data with the field data to quantify LCLUC and coastal zone impact studies.

During the training, the following themes was covered:

• Advanced Methods in Optical Remote Sensing
• Land-Use Cover Changes in Coastal Zone: Mapping and Monitoring using Remote Sensing Techniques
• Mangrove Forest Assessment Using Optical Remote Sensing
• Advanced Methods in RADAR Remote Sensing
• Mangrove Forest Assessment Using RADAR Remote Sensing
• Climate Change Impacts, and Coastal Erosion
• Cloud Computing using Google Earth Engine

Training Venue

Prince of Songkla University, Phuket Campus, Faculty of Technology and Environment, 80 Moo 1 Vichitsongkram Road. Kathu, Phuket 83120, Thailand

International Contact

Dr. Krishna Vadrevu, Remote Sensing Scientist, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, USA; Email: [email protected]

Dr. Garik Gutman, NASA HQ, USA, Email: [email protected]

Regional Contact

Dr. Pariwate Varnakovida, Director of KMUTT Geospatial Engineering and InnOvation Center (KGEO), King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, 126 Pracha Uthit Road, BangMod, ThungKru, Bangkok, Thailand 10400. Phone: (66) 089-866-5958, Email: [email protected]

Local Hosts – Prince Songkla University, Phuket Campus

Dr.Werapong Koedsin, Director of Remote Sensing & Geo-Spatial Science Research Unit, Faculty of Technology and Environment, Prince of Songkla University Phuket Campus, Phone: (669) 50438880; Email: [email protected], [email protected]

Local Logistics Contacts:

Dr.Rawee Rattanakom, Lecturer, Faculty of Technology and Environment, Prince of Songkla University Phuket Campus, Phone: +6681-9517325, Email: [email protected]

Mr.Surachet Pinkaew, Faculty of Technology and Environment, Prince of Songkla University Phuket Campus, Phone: 6694-5146392, Email: [email protected]

Nearby Hotels

PSU lodge

https://psu-lodge.hotelsofphuket.com/en/

Areca resort and spa  

http://www.arecaresort.com/

Dara hotel 

http://www.daraphuket.com/

Phuket Local Weather

https://www.bbc.com/weather/1151254