MalaysiaGIS.com

Source: The Star

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said remote sensing technology at the Malaysian Centre for Remote Sensing (Macres) should be used by the relevant agencies in their work.

"We can check on illegal logging immediately and not wait for the public to tell us so," he said at the joint opening of the Macres headquarters here and its receiving station in Termerloh, Pahang.

Present at the event was Science, Technology and Innovations Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis.

Najib said remote sensing was important in planning where to develop, especially in steep areas.

"We don’t have to always use the line 'act of God' every time a landslide or disaster happens.

"The use of such technology is no longer science fiction. It is here and it is real.

"Malaysia can be at the forefront of remote sensing. We don’t have to just use it, we can be a provider and also an innovator in this arena," he said.

Najib said the remote sensing technology had so far been used in precision farming, fish forecasting, spatial biodiversity database development and forest management in the country.

"The accuracy of the information is 98%. We can improve agricultural yield by embarking on precision farming by using information like how much fertiliser to use and when.

"In the fishing industry, we can even use satellite images to look for fish-rich areas out at sea," he added.