Presenter(s):Date:

FORMIS Implementation 2009-2012

F O R M I S Development of Management Information System for Forestry Sector

Presenter(s): Tapio LeppänenDate: 7 January, 2012

2

FORMIS project objectiveOverall objective:

To build a modern forest information system from central to local level to provide accurate information for decision making for forest sector at all levels.

National level

Province level

District level

Commune level

Forest owner level

F O R M I S | Development of Management Information System for Forestry Sector

FORMIS Project Document did not specify the information systems to be built so the project started from information need assessment. Later project steering committee decided on the information systems to be built.

3

The main stages in FORMIS project implementation

1. Assessing

information need

2. Deciding on information

System Architechture

3. Selecting

information systems to be

built

4. Proposing

information standards and

–sharing mechanisms

5. Building

capacity for maintaining and using FORMIS

F O R M I S | Development of Management Information System for Forestry Sector

4

Information Need Assessment

Method• Examination of regulations on forestry

planning and reporting• Identifying core processes of SFM in Vietnam• Interviewing key people in VNFOREST and

other stakeholder organisations

F O R M I S | Development of Management Information System for Forestry Sector

5

Conclusions from Information Need Assessment

• Resource information• Information on activities and incidents• Information on products and services• Information on benefits and impacts

1. Forest information consists of several

information categories

• Forest production• Forest conservation• Special use of forests

2. Information on forest resources is needed in all core forestry processes

• VNFOREST Departments• Forest Inventory and Planning Institute (FIPI)• National University of Forestry (NFU)• Vietnamese Acadamy of Forest Sciences (VAFS)• Forestry projects

3. Several organisations collect

and store information on forestry

F O R M I S | Development of Management Information System for Forestry Sector

6

Information System Architecture of FORMIS

F O R M I S | Development of Management Information System for Forestry Sector

• FORMIS system is an ICT platform for many applications and databases

• Modern Architecture: Service Oriented Architecture (SOA)• Provides solid infrastructure for sustainable development of IT

systems in forestry sector• Improves investment efficiency by making IT resources

reusable• Unified management of IT systems in a heterogeneous IT

environments

7

FORMIS Information System Architecture

F O R M I S | Development of Management Information System for Forestry Sector

8

The Nature of FORMIS

• FORMIS is a system that can provide access to several databases and applications

• Any forestry organisation or –project can develop and maintain a database or application and make it accessible through FORMIS

• VNFOREST owns FORMIS and decides on permissions to access

F O R M I S | Development of Management Information System for Forestry Sector

9

Forest Resource Database SystemCORE INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN FORMIS

Main fuction: • Storing forest resource data in standard

format from periodic inventories • Local or national level

F O R M I S | Development of Management Information System for Forestry Sector

FOREST RESOURCE DATA 2010

FOREST RESOURCE DATA 2005

FOREST RESOURCE DATA 2000

Users:• Goverment forestry agencies• National and local level administration• Forest owners & managers• Forestry companies

Current status: • Ready for use• Data owners permission is required for

sharing

10

Forest Resource Database SystemEXAMPLE OF USE: REPORTING ON FOREST COVER CHANGE

F O R M I S | Development of Management Information System for Forestry Sector

11

Operational Forest InventoryCORE INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN FORMIS

Main fuction: • Data collection with web-based

application • Data transfer to central cerver via internet• Inventory analysis and production of

reports

F O R M I S | Development of Management Information System for Forestry Sector

FOREST RESOURCE DATA

Users:• Inventory service providers• Big forest owners: companies, boards• Forestry projects

Current status: • Ready for field testing by users• This is an example of the benefits from

web-based inventory application

INVENTORY METHOD FOLLOWING MARD

REGULATIONSCOMPUTER BASED SATELLITE IMAGE INTERPRETATION

WEB-BASED DATA ENTRY

DATA ENTRY WITH MOBILE PHONE IN THE FOREST

INVENTORY ANALYSIS APPLICATION

12

Forest Monitoring SystemCORE INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN FORMIS

F O R M I S | Development of Management Information System for Forestry Sector

REPORT ON CHANGE IN FOREST

STATUS PLOT

AGGREGATED REPORT: COMMUNE. DICSTRICT, PROVINCE, COUNTRY

CHANGE REPORT FOR FOREST

OWNER

Functions• A modern Geographic Information System

(GIS)• Monitoring change in forest status in the

smallest aerial unit, the forest status plot• Includes also spatial data: location,

boundaries of forestUsers• Forest owners and managers• State management agencies at different

levels of administration• Forestry projects

Current status• Prototype completed• Beta version ready for testing on the ground• Great potential for updating for different

purposes of forest reporting

13

Other Information Systems in FORMISInformation System

Functions Current status

Forest Maps Viewing forest status map with national coverage. Selection of data layers. Zooming down to sub-compartment level.

Data collection: FIPI. Integration , map interface: FORMIS.

FPD Quick Reporting System

Sub-FPD at province level enters forestry statistics into the system. Selecting indicators from drop down menu, retrieving reports.

Conceptual reporting system: FPD. Upgraded web application: FORMIS

VNFOREST eOffice VNFOREST staff members share work programmes, documents.

Application completed by FORMIS.

Data sharing Data catalog through which user can look for forest data and download it for their own use.

Application completed by FORMIS

Forest Sector Progress Report (FOMIS)

Viewing and downloading sector reports and government regulations on forestry.

Reporting model: FSSP. Web application, data collection: FORMIS

VNFOREST Portal One gateway to all the applications and data resources.

Technology completed by FORMIS. Content to be created by users.

FORMIS Platform ICT platform used by IT professionals containing services used by applications.

Completed by FORMIS.

F O R M I S | Development of Management Information System for Forestry Sector

14

Sharing through FORMISOperating environment

F O R M I S | Development of Management Information System for Forestry Sector

Province level

District level

National level:

FOREST RESOURCE DATA IN A CENTRALISED SERVER AT PROVINCE OR AT NATIONAL LEVEL

WITHIN VNFOREST WITHIN MARD MONRE, GSO

SUB-FPD SUB-DOF DONRE & OTHERS

FOREST OWNERS FPD TEAM DA & OTHERS

15

Sharing Mechanisms

TECHNOLOGY

FORMIS PlatformVN Forest Information PortalData sharing: VNFOREST Data Catalog

STANDARDS

Forest inventory informatoin standardReporting standardSpecification for forestry map dataMetadata standard

REGULATIONS AND LEADERSHIP

Regulation on transferring forest resource data (PROPOSAL)Guideline for data sharing in MARD and between MARD and MONRE (PROPOSAL)

F O R M I S | Development of Management Information System for Forestry Sector

16

Building capacityBuilding competence• In total 1826 users trained• No of training courses: 27• No of training events: 68 ICT infrastructure

Competence in forestry ICT

Competence in basic ICT

ICT Organisation

F O R M I S | Development of Management Information System for Forestry Sector

ICT infrastructure• Total value of investment: EUR 330 000 • Servers, 5• 48 desktop computers and printers, 2

laptop computers• Printer, A3, 3• GPS, 59• 15 mobile phones for testing mobile

technology• Accessories, 2• Software, 17• Local Area Network for VNFOREST office

17

Cross Cutting IssuesParticipation

& collaboration

FORMIS working groups REDD+ Network Collaboration

with projects

Gender and ethnic

minorities

Gender disaggregated

training statistics

Plan for mainstreaming x

cutting issues

Assessment of forest sector indicator set

SustainabilityInformation

system architechture

Data sharing will reduce data collection

Scalability & pilot areas

FORMIS technology is

scalable

Information standards

Information architecture

F O R M I S | Development of Management Information System for Forestry Sector

18

Lessons learnedLesson 1: procurement regulations do not support agile infomation system

development

Information need

Business process

description

Information system design

Implementation of information

system

F O R M I S | Development of Management Information System for Forestry Sector

Agile development • Learning during the development

process• Building a prototype • Changing the plan• Software & hardware requirements

are determined at the end of system design

Procurement practice• Master procurement plan must be

done at the beginning of the project when system requirements are not yet known

• It is very difficult and time consuming to change the plan

19

Lessons learnedLesson 2: Agreeing on information standards takes longer than anticipated

• Overlapping mandates between organisations • Conflicting working practices and regulations• Agreeing on working processes, planning &

reporting practices takes time

F O R M I S | Development of Management Information System for Forestry Sector

20

F O R M I SDevelopment of Management Information System for Forestry Sector

F O R M I S | Development of Management Information System for Forestry Sector

Supported by:

Implementing Agency: Lead consultant: In consortium with: