The system has already been tested in the field in Congo-Brazzaville where Helveta has worked with the Forest Peoples Programme, the Tropical Forest Trust and timber producer Congolaise Industrielle des Bois to help local people map forest resources.
Through the use of CIS applications and CIEarth, indigenous Mbendjele Pygmy community members were able to use icon-driven handhelds to capture GPS data and map the surroundings and sensitive resources of their land.
A free limited use version of CIEarth has been made available by Helveta at www.helveta.com/CIEarth for download.