DENR and USAID train to become first ever users of newest SMART software feature

Jeff Lounsbury of the SMART programming team at Refraction Research discusses the new features of the software's latest version. (Photo credit: USAID/B+WISER)

Technical staff from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Forest Management Bureau (DENR-FMB) and USAID’s Biodiversity and Watersheds Improved for Stronger Economy and Ecosystem Resilience (B+WISER) Program underwent a two-day workshop on the new threat tracking feature of the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool’s latest version, SMART 6. An open-source software, SMART is the data management platform used for the Lawin Forest and Biodiversity Protection System (Lawin), an integral part of the DENR’s national forest protection strategy.

The participants were the first among SMART’s global users to acquire official training on this new feature. They will be deployed as coaches in the nationwide upgrade of Lawin’s SMART software in September. This new feature was developed based on feedback and technical inputs from DENR and USAID. It will allow field offices to add information on responses to threats, enabling the DENR to monitor the status of actions taken to address these threats and determine which ones are most effective. This feature will be available to SMART users globally upon the release of SMART 6 later this year; and DENR will be the first to utilize this feature.