Abordagem comparativa entre a aplicação da metodologia KATAM e inventário tradicional em plantios de Khaya senegalensis (Desr.) A. Juss.

Abstract

The forest inventory helps forest managers taking decisions. Installing, measuring and managing a network of inventory plots is a costly and time-consuming activity. The remote sensing techniques are increasingly gaining ground in the forestry sector because they have the potential to reduce costs without incurring any loss of precision, but they are not widely used due to their high cost. In this context, the Swedish company Katam Technologies has developed a solution for acquiring and analyzing forest data: KATAM Forest, which works using the KASLAM algorithm, which has not yet been widely used and tested in national forests. The goal of this study was to compare, in terms of accuracy and operational performance, the application of KASLAM artificial intelligence through the KATAM Forest application in forest inventory activities in Khaya senegalensis (Desr.) A. Juss plantations (5 years old), located in the state of Pernambuco, with the sampling techniques of a traditional forest inventory. Diameter at breast height (DBH) data was collected within 9 plots, as well as videos with artificial intelligence, recorded within the coordinates of the sampling units. Descriptive statistics were performed on the DBH data by plot, followed by the parametric Shapiro-Wilk normality test, where, if the null hypothesis was rejected, a non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test was required to understand the difference in averages. Operational performance was assessed using the time data obtained during the inventory process within the plots in both approaches. The DBH variable in the two inventory methodologies does not have a clear distribution concentrated close to the mean. The non-parametric test resulted in the averages obtained for DBH not showing statistical differences between the methodologies at the 5% significance level. The operational performance of the Katam methodology was half of the traditional inventory. The Katam technologies are very promising in terms of reducing time and costs in forest inventory operations. Therefore, further studies are recommended so that the subject can be disseminated in a practical way.