The author has identified the following significant results. Forest inventory of Thailand was completed in January 1975, using LANDSAT-1 imagery and ground truth survey. Results showed the existing forest covers only 37% of the land area. The last country-wide survey using aerial survey photographs at 1:60,000 scale conducted in 1961 gave the figure of 58%. ERTS-1 imagery showed that Thailand's mangrove forest covers an area of approximately 3130 sq k. The previous aerial survey showed 3681 sq k of mangroves

Sabhasri, S.

Swasdiyakorn, C.

English

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THAILAND NATIONAL PROGRAI-1ME
OF THE
RFCErm
NASA ST! FACI
ACQ. BR. 
Nov zo 1975
a a a rt t
G 28080
E7.6-
G ^ y S Sad
FARTH RESOURCES TECHNOLOGY SATELLITE
Sanga Sabhasri
Secretary-General
, National Research Council
Bangkok 9, Thailand ...t_
October 1975
First Type I Progress Report to NASA
I
National Research Council
196 Phahonyothin Road, Bangkhen
Bangkok 9
Thailand
Goddard Spare Flight Center
Greenbelt',
Maryland 20771
U. S. A.
(E76- 1005`)	 THAIIAND NATICNAI FRCGEACME CF
	 N76-12443
THE EAFTH FESCUFCES TECHNCICGY SATELLITE
Prcgress Repert (Naticnal Fesearch Ccuncil,
Bangkok (Thailand).) 6 p HC $3.50 CSCL 05E
	 Unclas
G'/43 00055
1
First Type I Progress Report to NASA
1. Title of Investigation: The Thailand National Program of the
Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS-B)
2. Proposal Number: G28080
3. Principal Investigator: Dr. Sanga Sabhasri, Secretary-General,
National Research Council of Thailand
4. Reporting Date: October 15th, 1975.
5. Objective: The overall objective of the Thailand National Program
is to produce, based on satellite data, an up-to-date and accurate
information required for planning for development and management of
natural resources at the national level. The LANDSAT-2 program is an
ERTS-1 follow-on program with refinements and revised objectives
C.erived from experience with ERTS-1 data.
6. Summary of Acconplishments:
(1) As part of a project agreement between the Government of Thailand
and the U.S. operations Mission to Thailand (USOM), eight Thai
scientists from various government agencies received training in
remote sensing at various centers of expertise in the U.S.,durinq
the period September 1974 to September 1975, in the field of
agriculture, forestry, geology, hydrology, cartography, sensors
and automatic data processing. These scientists will further
strengthen the team of technical personnel presently engaged in
remote sensing applications under the national program.
(2) In November 1971, The National Research Council sought approval
from the Civil Service Commission for ten permanent positions in
the Thailand National Remote Sensing Coordinating Center. The
application was subsequently approved in May 1975 and the new
manpower scheme went into effect October 1, 1975. These are all
full time positions including one Director,one Assistant-Director,
four scientisto,one administrative assistant, one secretary and
two phcto-technicians. In addition to the above permanent staff,
five more technical personnel are hired on a yearly basis. The
actual manpower of the Center is more than the above since several
of the existing staff are loaned from the Applied Scientific
'research Corporation of Thailand and other related agencies.
(3) The National Research Council in October 1974, surmitted a request
to the National Economic and Social Development Bond (NESDB) for
conducting a feasibility Ftudy of an Earth 'resources Technology
Satellite Data Receiving and Data Processing and Analysis Facility
i
2in Thailand. NESDB agreed on principle for such study and
requested The United Nations Development Program (LNDP) for
assistance. The terms of reference call for four expert
advisors, each for 2-3 months, to make a study on LANDSAT
receiving station, satellite data reproduction, remote sensing
computer software and economic eva.uation under the objectives
of: (1) determining the probable economic and social benefits
to Thailand and to countries within the geographical region
served by the station in 5 to 10 years time frame; and (2)
determining parameters and alternatives for implementation,
such as, location, equipment, timing, operating staff, initial
costs, and annual operating costs, etc. UNDP is favorable to
such study but considers such undertaking to be more of a
regional or global nature and has provided financial assistance
to the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
(ESCAP) to conduct such study which will begin in a few months.
(4) A new two story building, to be located in the present NRC/ASRCT
compound on Pahonyothin Road, has teen authorized by the RTG.
The ground floor will house the working facilities and offices
of the Thailand National Remote Sensing Program, and will be the
future national center of activity for data reproduction, dis-
semination, and anal,sis. The NRC/ASRCT Remote Sensing Working 2
Unit designed the ground floor facilities, totalling about 900 m
with assistance fran the Technical Advisor. Offices, data handling
roam, interpretation, instrumentation, copy camera, document
printing, final inspection, and storage spaces are grouped around
a central core divided into rooms for photographic film and paper
processing and reproduction. C-n;truction of the building, esti-
mated to cost Baht 6,000.000, is expected to start in December,
1975.
(5) The Ac idn Institute of Technology recently proposed a study of
automatic data processing techniques based on adaptation of
existing software to a tropical frame of reference, with empha-
sis en identification and mensuration of major agricultural
crops. The project has been funded by the Regional Economic
Development sector of AID through the Mekong Secretariat in
Eangkok. Processing routines will be developed starting with
LARS afid CSU software, and using the present CDC 3600 computer
at AIT and .Later an IBM 370/145 machine to be installed early
in 1976. Intensive ground observations and low altitude aerial
photographs conincident with LANDSAT-2 overpasses are currently
being made to accumulate data for development of training sets.
(6) The Agricultural Economics Division, Miristry of Agriculture,
has been awarded a grant form the Environmental Research
Institute of Michigan, under a program funded by the AID Office
of Science and Technology. The primary objective of the grant is to
3develop superior agricultural crop distribution and production
statistics using automatic data processing techniques developed
by experiment and verified by an extensive statistical program,
called area frame sampling, currently under development by Iowa
State University on a USOM contract. This project compliments
the AiT computer processing project, and the two agencies are
expected to cooperate closely.
(7) A color satellite photomap depicting the January 1973 scene of
Central Plain of Thailand at a scale of 1:500,000 with general
description of sensors and interpretation was reproduced by
offset printing on art paper. The original color print is made
available by courtesy of TRW, Corp. A large quantity of the
photomap was printed for distribution to government agencies,
universities and schools, etc.
7. Problems Encountered
A four-band aerial camera acquired in 1974 for support of image
interpretation projects under the Thailand National Remote Sensing
Program was found to be deficient in several respects and was returned,
after ground and flight tests, to the manufacturer. Problems encount-
ered have not been resolved, and planning has been revised to insure
ti,at aerial photographs will be provided by the Royal Thai Survey
Department (RTSD) and the Royal Tbai Air Force (RTAF). The RTAF is
presenl:lY acquiring one or more four-band cameras from the U.S., and
RTSD can supply panchromatic and black and white infrared photographs
of excellent quality. During September 1975 the RTSD obtained large
scale aerial photos of test areas designated for the AIT project.
8. Significant Results Obtained
(1) Following a cwo year struggle to obtain adequate and reasonably
low-cost equipment from U.S. commercial sources through USOM and
USGS channels, a precision photo reproduction facility has been
partially implemented in Thailand. With generous technical assis-
tance from the USGS EROS Data Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota,
precision black and white photo reproduction from 70 mm :iegatives
can now be done at scales of 1:1,000,000 and 1:500,000, and
facilities recently completed will allow production also of
1:250,000 scale prints. Monochrome prints in these three scales
and diazochrone color transparencies at 1 :1,000,OuO scale are at
present the most widely used data products for research in Thai-
land.
(2) Forest inventory of the whole country was completed in January,
1975 using LANDSAT-1 imagery and ground truth survey. The result
of the study which was conducted by the Royal Forestry Department,
4a tithowed the existing forested area to cover only 37% of the
land area. The last country-wide survey using aerial photo-
graphs at 1:60,000 scale conducted in 1961 gave the figure of
58%. Refinement of the areas under cloud cover during ERTS-1
coverage is being made using LANDSAT-2 imagery. Attemp'. to
differentiate some different forest types using B & W and
diazochrome transpire cies has been partially successful.
(3) Photo-interpretation of ERTS-1 imagery together with ground
truth checks have been completed for the ma:-grove study. The
result showed that Thailand's mangrove forest covers an area of
approximately 3130 square kilometers. The last aerial survey
conducted in 1965 gave the figure of 3681 square kilometers.
A paper is being prepared for presentation at the Workshop on
Mangrove Ecology to be held at Phuket Marine Biological Center,
South Thailand, in December 1975, co-sponsored by UNESCO and NRC.
(4) Study of sedimentation as revealed by ERTS-1 imagery leads to
the possible interpretation of the distribution of littoral
mudflats along the coal-- of Thailand. Knowledge of the er.tent
of mudflat is useful for shrimp and oyster farming which is
fast Leccxning an important ecoriaitic factor. A paper is also
being prepared for presentation at the Workshop on Mangrove Eco-
logy.
9. Operating Procedures, Publications, Recommendations
.1) List of publications
- The Earth Resources Technology Satellite Program in Thailand,
by Joseph n. Morgan, USGS Remote Sensing Advisor from USOM
to the National Research Council, Thai American Business
Magazine, Sep-Oct 1974, pp 15-19
- Technical Note 14o. 750328, Satellite Data Receiving Station,
Area Coverage and Data Acquisition Parame_ers for a Station
Located Near Bangkok, Thailand National ERTS Programme,
March 1975, 12 pages.
- instrument Note No. 74-1, Cleaning and Nechanical Adjustment
Four Channel Viewer/Projector Spectral Data Corp. Model 64,
First Draft, August 1974
- ERTS Print 740920, Thailand Experimental Satellite Photomap
- ERTS Print 750428, Thailand National LANDSAT Programme,
Condensed Summary of the Thailand National Remote Sensing
Project, 1974-1975
5Surveying of Forestry Resources Using Imagery from Satellite,
by Dr. Chumni Boonyopas and Boonchana Klankamsorn, Royal
Forestry Department, Dec. 1974, 40 pages
- Earth Resources Technology Satellite (FRTS-1) for Agricultural
Appli-:Gtions, Pongpit Piyapongse, Report to Agricultural
Technical Department, 1974
- Thailand Benefits from Earth Resources Technology Satellite,
by Suvit Vibulsresth, Assistant Coordinator, Thailand National
ERTS Program, US Information Service Magazine, '74-148(10)
- Benefits Thailand Received through ERTS Data, by Dr. Sanga
Sathasri, Secretary-General National Research Council, presented
at Seminar on "ERTS and S.E. Asia", May 1974
(2) Recommendations
The data products hitherto provided are of excellent quality.
However, the restriction of data cost limits the scope and
timeliness of investigation to sane extent. It is thus recom-
mended that data cost should be further increased from the
present ceiling of $2,300.00.
*******************
•
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