Exploratory Analysis and Visualization of Brazilian Forest Data from the Forest Document System of the Brazilian Institute of the Environment

Abstract

This paper presents a study that makes use of several Exploratory Data Analysis and Information Visualization techniques to analyze forest data. Our goal was to carry out a data-driven investigation based on information from the so-called Forest Origin Document (DOF) system, which has been used by the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) to control and supervise wood harvesting. The data utilized in this study have been obtained from the IBAMA’s website. A comprehensive literature review covering the topics data analysis and visualization was conducted, allowing us to perform graphically oriented inspections and data-driven discussions when handling DOF-type data. Moreover, proposals have been presented in an effort to detect possible signs of fraud and illegality. Finally, by using data analysis tools, it was possible to originate different graphic models and data-based visualizations, thus obtaining summaries and preliminary results about the data of the Forestry Document system.