Database systems in the forest department: the experience in Karnataka and strategies for the future

Karnataka forest department (KFD) has repeatedly attempted to develop and implement comprehensive database systems under externally aided projects. None has survived. KFD has also attempted to develop a GIS, and now has a 1:50 000 GIS for each forest division, developed by the State Remote Sensing Applications Centre. However, interactions with front line staff (FLS) show that while technologies like GPS are eagerly embraced, the database system is not. The main reason for this selective uptake of technology is that the MIS/GIS systems developed in the past were oriented mainly to the higher level information needs of top management and the outside world on a broad landscape scale, whereas FLS need specific information that can be satisfied only with village maps. The immediate priority is to develop a forest document database for all forest notifications and village maps for FLS, linking these to the higher departmental-level GIS later.