Decentralization of governance and natural resource management is an ongoing process in many parts of Africa and Asia. Natural resource management requires spatial land resource data for planning. However, currently the financial and human capacity for natural resource mapping, monitoring and modelling remains low in local governments. In this context, this paper explores how new opportunities provided by the increasing availability of free satellite imagery, digital elevation data and open source spatial analysis software, can be applied by local government and NGOs to conduct sophisticated natural resource mapping and modelling in ways that meet their needs and incorporates local knowledge. Reported are cases of a local government using free geospatial data and GIS software to improve evidence-based natural resource management in the developing world with a focus on raster data applications for satellite image analysis and terrain modelling. It is argued that, through removing barriers to uptake, such applications provide a means of decentralizing landscape analysis skills to improve local natural resource management. This hypothesis is supported through examples of a local government applying these tools in eastern Indonesia, and within this context barriers to wider adoption are explored.

Road maintenance, repair, and rehabilitation are important parts of road infrastructure. Before that steps are needed to identify each type of road distress. UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) is a platform that has advantages to produce a geographical database. The location of this research is Jembangan road which is in Tulung District, Klaten Regency. The road structure was studied in flexible pavement. Aerial photo data is processed and analyzed by using SfM software to produce orthophoto. orthophoto is used in the process of visual interpretation to identify road distress. The results were obtained by several types of road distress in the form of alligator cracking, potholes, edge cracking, shoving, and depression. This type of road distress classification was obtained an accuracy rate of 96.36 %.

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Background: Health services are strongly influenced by regional topography. Road infrastructure is a key in access to health services. The geographic information system becomes a tool in modeling access to health services.Objective: To analyze geospatial data of the travel time to medical facilities in Muna Barat district, Southeast Sulawesi Province, Indonesia.Methods: This research used geospatial analysis with classification of raster data then overlaid with raster data such as Digital Elevation Modeling (DEM), Road of Vector data, and the point of Public Health Center (Puskesmas).Results: The result of geospatial analysis showed that the travel time to Puskesmas in Napano Kusambi and Kusambi sub districts is between 90-120 minutes, and travel time to the hospital in Kusambi sub district is required more than 2 hours. Conclusion: The output of this geospatial analysis can be an input for local government in planning infrastructure development in Muna Barat District, Indonesia.