Land Use / Cover Change and Vulnerability Evaluation in Olomuc, Czech Republic

Abstract

Abstract. This research work analyse environmental vulnerability evaluation from 1991 to 2013 in Olomouc, Czech Republic. Remote sensing (RS) and geographical information system (GIS) technology were used to develop an environmental numerical model for vulnerability evaluation based on spatial principle component analysis (SPCA) method. Land use/cover changes shows that 16.69% agriculture, 54.33% forest and 21.98% other areas (settlement, pasture and water-body) were stable in all three decade. Approximately 30% of the study area maintained as a same land cove type from 1991 to 2013. Based on environmental numerical modal an environmental vulnerability index (EVI) for the year of 1991, 2001 and 2013 of the study area were calculated. This numerical model has five thematic layers including height, slope, aspect, vegetation and land use/cover maps. The whole area vulnerability is classified into four classes: slight, light, medial and heavy level based on cluster principle. Results show that environmental vulnerability integrated index (EVSI) was continuously decreased from 2.11 to 2.01 from the year 1991 to 2013. The distribution of environmental vulnerability is vertical and present heavy in low elevation and slight in high elevation. The overall vulnerability of the study area is light level and the main driving forces are socio-economic activities.