Remote Sensing for Environmental Data in Albania: A Strategy for Integrated Management

243 Pages·2000·15.69 MB·English

by  Manfred F. Buchroithner (auth.)

Remote Sensing for Environmental Data in Albania:
A Strategy for Integrated Management
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Series2.EnvironmentSecurity- Vol.72
Remote Sensing for
Environmental Data in Albania:
A Strategy for Integrated
Management
edited by
Manfred F. Buchroithner
Dresden University of Technology,
Institute for Cartography,
Dresden, Germany
111...
"
Springer Science+Business Media, B.V.
Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on
Remote Sensing for Environmental Data in Albania: A Strategy for Integrated Management
6 to 10 October 1999
A C.I.P. Catalogue record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN 978-0-7923-6528-0 ISBN 978-94-011-4357-8 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-94-011-4357-8
Printed on acid-free paper
AII Rights Reserved
© 2000 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
Originally published by Kluwer Academic Publishers in 2000
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1s t edition 2000
No part of the material protected by this copyright notice may be reproduced or utilized in
any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, includ ing photocopying, recording or by
any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the copyright
owner.
TABLEOFCONTENTS
Preface vii
Acknowledgements... ix
Opening Address 1
Dr. AlfredMoisiu
Opening Address.. 7
Dr. MyslymPasha
Opening Address . 9
Prof Dr. Ergjin Samimi
EnvironmentalProblemsofAlbania. 13
PerikliQiriaziandSkenderSala
AvailabilityofCurrentSpaceborneEarthObservationData 31
Wolfgang Baetz
MappingfromSpace..... 41
GottfriedKonecny
WWWInformationServicesforEarthObservationandEnvironmental
Information 59
NinaD. Costa, MichelMillot, CliveBestandBerndtEckhard
MapMaking withRemoteSensing Data 65
ThierryToutin
LandCover- LandUseMappingwithintheEuropeanCORINEProgramme 89
GeorgeBiittner, C. Steenmans, M. Bossard, J. FeranecandJ. Kolar
Computer-assistedLargeAreaLand UseClassificationwithOpticalRemote
Sensing 101
NikolasPrechtel
ExperienceswiththeImplementationofGISandRemoteSensingintheCzech
ForestManagement 127
Tomas Benes
ResourceAssessmentsandLandDegradationMonitoring withEarthObservation
Satellites 133
Joachim Hill
vi
CoastalZoneGeomorphologicalMappingUsingLandsatTMImagery: An
ApplicationinCentral Albania 153
PaoloCiavola, U. Tessari, F. Mantovani, M. MarzottoandU. Simeoni
SnowRunoffModelsUsingRemotelySensedData 165
EberhardParlow
GIS andSpatialDatabasesforLandMineMapping 179
HelmutKraenzle
InfrastructureRequirementsforNon-motorisedTransport 187
RoadsandStreetsforAnimal-basedTransportation
EveIversen
PotentialsandLimitationsofTechnologyTransferintheDevelopmentCo-
operation,ShownfortheTransferofInformationTechnology................................. 211
AppropriateInformation Technology Transfer: A Contribution to Development
GerhardBechtholdandBertholdHansmann
ManifestoofTirana - Resolution ofNATO Remote Sensing&
GIS Workshop 1999..................... 221
ListofSpeakers......... 223
Appendix....... 227
SubjectIndex 241
PREFACE
From October 6th to 10th 1999 a NATO Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) on
"Remote Sensing for Environmental Data in Albania - A Strategy for Integrated
Management" tookplace in thePalace ofCulture inTirana, Albania'scapital. It would
take too long to recall here in detail how this event finally came about. (Some aspects
are, anyway, given in the opening address of Ergjin Samimi. (Cf. page 9 of this
volume.) Let me just briefly state that after the first submission of the initial idea to
NATO it took more than three years until I, as the designated Workshop Director was,
inconjunction with Brussels, able to decide that the ARW shouldtakeplaceinOctober
1999. Some two weeks after this decision had been made, however, the allied NATO
airforces started their attackson Serbia and the whole region was in a riot. Aperiod of
anxious waiting for stable - or at least secure - conditions in the Tirana area began. In
closecontact with the NATO Headquarters we proceeded in our preparatory work and
couldeventually,induetimebeforethesummerbreak,confirmtheannounced ARW to
all invitedspeakersandourfriends from Albaniaandsurroundingcountries.
TheWorkshop, withits high-levelscientific and technical presentations, stimulating
discussions, social events before and after work and the speakers' field excursion to
Kruja, Albania's former capital, with its magnificent mountain hinterland was - in
everybody'sopinion-acompletesuccess.
Being the first of its kind in the Balkans, the ARW tried to show the enormous
potential of both remote sensing and GIS technology for Albania, Kosovo and the
whole region. Through the selectionofspeakers and topics we did not only succeed in
covering the whole spectrum of relevant remote sensing applications but also to
document it with concrete examples and link it with geo-information data bases.
Lecturers from the U.S.A., Canada and WesternEurope, butalso from former socialist
countries, guaranteed the workshop participants a good mix of experiences. The
availability ofdemonstration facilities for digital data sets and software, together with
theexcellentlypreparedvenueatTirana'sPalaceofCulturealsocontributedto the high
degreeofefficiencyofthelectureseries.
The Workshop was directed towards a wide spectrum of participants reaching from
advanced students in environmental, social, engineering and goo-sciences via
employeesoftechnical bureaus and administrative authorities up to decision makers on
industrial management and ministerial level. The "Manifesto of Tirana" which was
jointlyphrasedandunanimouslyadoptedbylecturersand participantsonthe lastday of
the ARW outlines a possible strategy and master action plan for the implementation of
remote sensing and GIS technology in Albania. This request for urgent implementation
was subsequently sent to the President and the Prime Minister of Albania and to all
relevant ministries. I hope that it will be translated into action soon. This would then
mean a long-term "sustainability" of the NATO ARW "Remote Sensing for
EnvironmentalDatainAlbania-AStrategyforIntegratedManagement".
Dresden,Germany,May2000
ManfredF.Buchroithner
WorkshopDirector
vii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
AsWorkshopDirectorandEditorofthis volumeIshouldliketoconveymy gratitudeto
NATO and their initiative "Science for Peace". The Director of the NATO
Environmental Programme, Dr. L. Veiga da Cunha, and his successor, Dr. Alain H.
Jubier, kindly and strongly supported the whole undertaking until the delivery of this
book.Meeting withDr.JubierinTiranawasauniqueexperienceandpleasurefor me.
WithouttheinitiativeandWorkshopCo-DirectorshipofProf.Dr.ErgjinSamimi the
whole event would never have taken place. My humblest thanks go to him for all his
assistance,encouragementandfriendship.
All the logistic supportonthe spotcame from Mr. Hir Dedei, hotel owner, landlord
and businessmaninTirana. He managedeverythingfrom theairportshuttle service,our
accommodation and food to the joint field trip, and even fulfilled rather extravagant
wishes. In the preparationphaseand duringthesymposiumhebecamemore thanjusta
"projectpartner".
Our"liaisonofficerfor eastrelations" attheDresdenUniversityofTechnology, Dr.
GUnther Krause, was my "right hand" during the complex organisation of all the
lectures. He was assisted by Matthias HOfner, one ofmy students, whose major merit,
however, wastherealisationofall theeditorial"legwork" which was necessary to make
thisbookappear inasomewhatconsistentandhomogenous structure. Whoeverediteda
volumeof254 pages with 17 different contributions knows how much gratitude lowe
Matthias.Thankyou!
Last, butnot leastthesmoothco-operation with Kluwer AcademicPublishershas to
begratefullyacknowledged.
ManfredF.Buchroithner
WorkshopDirector
ix
OPENINGADDRESSBYDR.ALFREDMOISIU, PRESIDENTOFTHE
ALBANIANATLANTICASSOCIATION
LadiesandGentlemen,
Itis a pleasure and honour for me as Presidentofthe Albanian Atlantic Association to
address the speakers and participants ofthis workshop concerning some contemporary
scientific problems related to a more vigorous and prospective developmentofAlbania
andtheentireregion.
It is true that Albania is a profoundly European country and inhabited by a people
rankingamong the mostancientontheBalkanPeninsula, theiroriginderivingfrom the
Illyrians. Unfortunately, however, the historic events and developments have made our
country oneofthe poorest and leastdeveloped inEurope. But the desire ofour people
and especiallyofthe youthofAlbaniais that we mustcontinueto be partofEuropenot
only geographically. We must be an active member in all fields, including the most
advanced scientific ones. It is not my duty here to teach you how important this is. I
would, however, like to tell you thatjust like people are supposed to know a common
language to improve their communication, they should also know and exchange the
newestinformationinscience,thuspavingtheroadtowardsprogress.
Albania, inhabited by a people who uses unique language, encircled by neighbours
using quite different languages, also with a different history, different traditions and
culture, has had a tragic destiny. Although known as a militant people, the Albanians
have never been aggressive throughout their history. They have never attacked others,
but unfortunately always been victims of foreign aggression and, naturally, in these
casesthey have tried torespond totheseaggressions. Icannotsay whetherthis has been
negative or positive for the Albanian people, but it is a fact. Only within this century,
Albania has been turned into a battlefield several times, in two Balkan Wars in 1912
and 1913,inWorldWarIandWorldWarII.
Albania has always been a crossroad. The Byzantine, Roman, Ottoman, Austrian
Hungarian empires have passed through its territory. All these have left their positive
andnegativetracesonAlbania'sdevelopment.
Unfortunately, theruinoftheOttomanEmpirefound Albania without powerful friends.
Hence, beginning with the Berlin Congress in 1878, the London Conference in 1913
and the agreements after World War I, Albania was truncated and deprived ofits most
fertile, richest grounds and underground parts. In this way, of whole Albania which,
according to some foreign scholars, covers an areaofabout 80000km2, remainedonly
28000km2•Wemay saythat Albaniais theonlycountry inEurope, which along all its
state frontiers is bordered with its compatriots. There are nearly 7 million Albanians in
theBalkans,ofwhomonlyhalfliveinAlbania.
It is understandable that after all these unjust actions, the Albanians experienced a
series ofopposite events. To his end, Albania became a rather important factor for the
M.F.Buchroithner(ed.),
RemoteSensingforEnvironmentalDatainAlbania:AStragegyforIntegratedManagement, 1-6.
©2000KluwerAcademicPublishers.
2
peaceand stability in the Balkans. It iscommon knowledge now that the destructionof
YugoslaviastartedinKosovoin 1981 and laterin 1989,whenMiloseviccurbedKosovo
ofits autonomy of 1974. But since the very beginning, it has also been clear that this
destruction wouldend inKosovo as well. Although by now the war in Kosovo is over,
stilltimeand workisneededtocompletelycalm-downtheregion.
What has been attained is a result ofthe efforts ofthe Albanian people ofKosovo.
Butitmustbeopenlyadmitted thattheAlbanians would nothavebeenabletosolvethe
problembasedontheirownforces alone. IfAlbanians wereleftalone to face theSerbs,
thewarwouldnotonlyhavebeenlonger,butalso mankindwouldhavehad to face even
more serious crimes, and the situation would have aggravated to an extent that it might
haveled to theburstofa war in theBalkans and broader. Itisaknown fact thata great
number of Albanians are living in Macedonia, in Montenegro and in other countries.
Consequently, the outbreak of a very long war between Serbs and Albanians would
haveinvolvedallthesecountries.
Itisclearthatonedaytheinjusticeswouldbelaidfor solution. TheSerbselaborated
afIrst theory ontheeliminationand assimilationofthe Albanians in 1844,described in
"Na~ertanija" ofIlia Garashanin. But the Albanians, fIrst ofall, opposed this inhuman
and colonial theory with the demographic "weapon". Hence, although again and again
the Serbs violently expelled hundreds of thousands of Albanians and massacred and
eliminatedthousandsofothers,stilltheAlbanianpopulationkeptgrowing.
It is an undeniable reality that the crisis was solved by NATO, the U.S. and the
European Union. Without their decisive, military and diplomatic aid and interference,
the crisis would have continued too long, claiming many sufferings and blood of
innocent people. The Albanians will never forget this. NATO demonstrated their value
as a powerful political-military organisation, which after the end of the cold war, is,
along with other things, taking a new dimension with a new strategy, as a defender of
democracy, human values and the values ofEuropean civilisation. Likewise, the U.S.
andEuropeclearly showedthat they stand indefenceofthe U.N. principles notonly in
theorybutinpracticeaswell.
International diplomacy proved it has started to draw lessons from the events in
Bosnia. The political, diplomatic and military operations we saw, showed that the time
when every regime may do what it wants with its own nationals - although it has
accepted and signed the international documents on the human rights, on national
minoritiesandfortheprotectionofdemocratic values-hascometoanend.
Europe cannot make a progress without strictly respecting and implementing the
norms it has set to ensure freedom, equality and normal development. Every country
must completely observe the accepted norms, otherwise it will be reminded of these
normsandfInally beforced to implementthem. Thesenorms will beonthebasisofthe
securityandstabilityforthecomingcentury.
We cannot say that the Kosovo crisis has been solved completely. Still there are
hostilities and mutual persecutionsexistingbetween Albanians and Serbs. Certainly the
Albanians have it difficult to forget the sufferings and humiliations made to them for
nearly one century, especially the events of 1998 and 1999, until the land forces
intervenedinKosovo. YouallknowthisbecauseithasbeenshownonTV.