Land Use Carbon Analysis System (LUCAS)

The NorthSouth GIS Group built the geospatial system component of the Land Use and Carbon Analysis System (LUCAS) using Esri technology. The LUCAS programme led by the New Zealand Ministry for the Environment, enables New Zealand to meet its international reporting and accounting obligations for the provision of a transparent, complete and accurate operational Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) system.

LUCAS has been designed to integrate and manage the national coverage of historical and current Land Use mapping. This includes the national forest inventory, satellite imagery, and a national Green House Gas (GHG) inventory, all delivered to comply with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

This enterprise GIS implementation includes land use mapping components, QA/QC modules, summary carbon calculation components, deployed via desktop and server based web delivery solutions.

LiDAR can be used as an alternative to exotic forest plot measurements, where access to estate forest is limited or restricted

The NorthSouth GIS Group’s experience with LUCAS is relevant to anyone looking for analysis of land use change and MRV best practice compliant with the requirements of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and to support reporting on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing countries i.e. (REDD+) activities.