ALPMON FINAL REPORT - ARC systems research

Contract ENV4-CT96-0359 ALPMON
surface model, thus indication surface roughness as a critical parameter for potential avalanche
release, and combining it with satellite image classification of the land cover.
The third field of application is concerning the modelling of water run-off. The ASGI model, on which
one of the ALPMON feasibility studies was based, is tested and applied to a test site in western Styria
in close co-operation with Mr. Molnar (Ingenieurbüro für Umweltmanagement u. Wasserwesen) who
was involved in the development of the ASGI model. The meteorological input parameters will be
further improved and the model further tested in the Styrian test site. It is expected that this model can
significantly support the Styrian government with respect to the support of the Styrian flood warning
system.
A main task of Joanneum Research will be to introduce the remote sensing based Alpine Information
System to the Alpine Convention, following the outlined methods as described in this report.
WSL
Furthermore at WSL, ALPMON serves as a knowledge basis for the examination of a remote-sensingbased
national landscape inventory, which is intended to replace, in a long-term perspective, the
existing national forest inventory (LFI). WSL is responsible for the development of new methods for this
purpose.
LMU
First of all the application of the ASGI water run off model in the Mangfall test site is planned for the
next future. Precondition for this is that the ASGI model is running stable on the LINUX platform with
the GRASS GIS software configuration as implemented during the last year.
The results of the ALPMON classifications as well as the ALPMON GIS data base of the Mangfall test
site should be delivered to the Forest Offices Schliersee and Kreuth. At this Forest Offices the
introduction of digital data handling is planned for the next month.
In the frame of the EU funded Interreg 2 project “Landeskulturelle Leistungen des Bergwaldes” the
ALPMON classification results have been used for the predefinition of the ground truth design.
The Sections for Redevelopment of Barrier Woodland (Funktionsstellen Schutzwaldsanierung) of the
Bavarian State Forest Administration plans to use the results of ALPMON for restoration planning
purposes.
RSDE
Methodologies for the assessment of alpine erosion risk based on remote sensing are expected to be
of great interest for several potential customers in Italy because the Italian alpine area involves five
regions (Piemonte, Valle d’Aosta, Lombardia, Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia) and two autonomous
provinces (Bolzano, Trento), accounting for 15% of the national surface and nearly 20% of the whole
alpine area, and playing a primary role on local economy. The issues of the erosion risk feasibility
study represent a sound basis to develop effective demonstrations to rise the interest of regional public
administrations toward the remote sensing approach to the preservation of alpine environment.
However it must be considered that, while the ALPMON land cover parameters selected for the erosion
risk application have a general validity over the Alps, the type and quality of auxiliary data (DEM,
geomorphology, geology, soil, climate) are very heterogeneous among Italian regions, therefore the
implementation of the erosion model in the other regions should require a customised approach and a
specific technical and costs analysis.
SEIB
According to the results of the feasibility study for integrating automatic classification results into the
update process of CORINE land cover a combined approach is foreseen. While for the final decision
on the land cover types the visual interpreter is still needed, automatic processing can significantly
reduce the effort of change detection. Current discussions between the Federal Environment Agency,
topic centre for land cover in Austria and end user in this project, and the Austrian Research Centers
are concentrating on the definition of a process scheme for a future application.
JR, RSDE, ALU, LMU, Seibersdorf, WSL 91