Back to news
22 Sep 2016 | News

Myanmar Officials Trained to Map and Monitor Glaciers

1 min Read

70% Complete
Participants and ICIMOD trainers, 25 - 29 July 2016, Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar

Twenty-three Myanmar government officials were trained on ‘Application of Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems for Mapping and Monitoring of Glacier’ 25 – 29 July 2016 in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar.

Participants were trained on basic geographic information system (GIS), remote sensing (RS) tools and techniques, glacier and snow cover mapping and monitoring. The training course provided a systematic approach for mapping and monitoring of glaciers to tailor international knowledge to mountain specific situations and to develop national and regional glacier databases which adhere to international standardisation.

The training was organised as part of ICIMOD’s on-going effort to build and enhance RS and GIS capacity of Myanmar professionals working in the water resource research and management. Training familiarises institutions with regional member countries and gradually develops their ability to generate and use glacier data of their own for research and future collaboration with ICIMOD.

Participants learn the basics of geographic information system (GIS), remote sensing (RS) tools and techniques, and glacier and snow cover mapping and monitoring.

The training was conducted by experts from the Cryosphere Initiative of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). Participating agencies were the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology (DMH), the Forest Department, Survey Department, Irrigation and Water Utilization Management Department, Relief and Resettlement Department, and the Directorate of Water Resources and Improvement of River System.

A half-day workshop was also organised at Yangon Technological University in Yangon, Myanmar 1 August 2016 to share ICIMOD data on glaciers, glacial lakes and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF) in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region including Myanmar.

As information on Myanmar glaciers is scarce,  more research is needed. Regular monitoring activities of glaciers and glacial lakes will help us better understand the impacts of global warming. Mapping and monitoring is only practically possible with the use of RS and similar tools due to rugged terrain and high altitudes.

Stay current

Stay up to date on what’s happening around the HKH with our most recent publications and find out how you can help by subscribing to our mailing list.

Sign Up

Related content

Continue exploring this page

31 Jan 2016 News
HKH Permafrost Distribution Maps Assessment

[caption id="attachment_8734" align="alignnone" width="211"] The cover image of the ‘Manual for Mapping Rock ...

13 Jun 2017 Atmosphere Initiative
Creating New Data Sets for Emissions Inventory

In Nepal, many community forests are involved in the production of charcoal from forest materials generated from the annual cutting ...

12 Jul 2016 News
HIMAP Author Writeshop Held

HIMAP Author Writeshop Held Hindu Kush Himalayas Monitoring and Assessment Program’s (HIMAP) Coordinating Lead Authors' Writeshop was organised by the ...

23 Feb 2015 Atmosphere Initiative
Doctors on front lines for health and climate

Doctors now find themselves on the front lines of two increasingly connected issues: protecting ...

4 Mar 2015 News
Humla landslide update

According to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM), Dadeldhura received 67 mm of ...

16 Apr 2015 News
Women learn to invest in flood preparedness

ICIMOD, in partnership with the Institute of Integrated Resource Management (IIRM) and Swayam Sikshyan Prayog (SSP), conducted flood preparedness training ...

30 Apr 2020 Cryosphere
New study finds that crevasses in Himalayan glaciers can play a key role in influencing ice temperature

Glaciers in cold and arid climates, such as in High Mountain Asia, can warm up much faster than expected because ...

30 Jul 2015 News
ICIMOD’s REDD+ Himalaya initiative kicks off in Nepal

The REDD+ Himalaya Initiative of ICIMOD was formally launched during an inception meeting on ‘REDD+ Himalayas: Developing and using experience ...