Land Evaluation Models Research Articles

An Approach to Comparing Different Land Evaluation Methods with NDVI

Land evaluation is a necessary process for determining the potential cabilities of the land under different uses and for sustainable soil fertility.Today, many land evaluation models are being developed and using for this purpose. But the availability of models is constantly being investigated by the researcers. In this study, Storie Index (SI) and Productivity Index (PI) models were compared with NDVI values which is a remote sensing analysis in Konya Besgozler agricultural field on the GIS environment. In the results of the study, SI land evaluation model was determined with higher accuracy coefficient (r 2 : 0.86) as far as PI model (r 2 : 0.29) to the ability of the soil cability depends on the density of vegetation and the use of this model is recommended for Arid region soils.

OPTIMALISASI PENGGUNAAN LAHAN UNTUKAGROFORESTRI DI DAERAH ALIRAN SUNGAI CIMANUK PROPINSI JAWA BARAT

Watershed-based management in areas at the boundary of water sheds until now has not been realized. Basicadministrative process is still practiced in management, and sectoral ego is still high. Though watershed area is asystem, when an error occurs in the upper management, it will have an impact on down stream are as. Watershedmanagement is still focused on the economic benefits compared to environmental aspects. This research aims todevelop land evaluation models and economic evaluation to support the optimization of the use of land-based agroforestry. This study uses the physicall and evaluation with Ver.1.0 SPKL land evaluation model, which aims todetermine the level of suitability of the land for agro forestry crops and the economic valuation of environmentalservices approach. The results of this study are in the form of land use optimization appropriate tothe physicaland economic aspects of the approach, for the development of sustainable agriculture(agro forestry). The resultsobtained from this research can bring an idea about the amount(dollars) that can be produced by a plant agroforestry.

Potential and limitations of using soil mapping information to understand landscape hydrology

Abstract. This paper addresses the following points: how can whole soil data from normally available soil mapping databases (both conventional and those integrated by digital soil mapping procedures) be usefully employed in hydrology? Answering this question requires a detailed knowledge of the quality and quantity of information embedded in and behind a soil map. To this end a description of the process of drafting soil maps was prepared (which is included in Appendix A of this paper). Then a detailed screening of content and availability of soil maps and database was performed, with the objective of an analytical evaluation of the potential and the limitations of soil data obtained through soil surveys and soil mapping. Then we reclassified the soil features according to their direct, indirect or low hydrologic relevance. During this phase, we also included information regarding whether this data was obtained by qualitative, semi-quantitative or quantitative methods. The analysis was performed according to two main points of concern: (i) the hydrological interpretation of the soil data and (ii) the quality of the estimate or measurement of the soil feature. The interaction between pedology and hydrology processes representation was developed through the following Italian case studies with different hydropedological inputs: (i) comparative land evaluation models, by means of an exhaustive itinerary from simple to complex modelling applications depending on soil data availability, (ii) mapping of soil hydrological behaviour for irrigation management at the district scale, where the main hydropedological input was the application of calibrated pedo-transfer functions and the Hydrological Function Unit concept, and (iii) flood event simulation in an ungauged basin, with the functional aggregation of different soil units for a simplified soil pattern. In conclusion, we show that special care is required in handling data from soil databases if full potential is to be achieved. Further, all the case studies agree on the appropriate degree of complexity of the soil hydrological model to be applied. We also emphasise that effective interaction between pedology and hydrology to address landscape hydrology requires (i) greater awareness of the hydrological community about the type of soil information behind a soil map or a soil database, (ii) the development of a better quantitative framework by the pedological community for evaluating hydrological features, and (iii) quantitative information on soil spatial variability.

A multilingual soil profile database ( SDBm Plus) as an essential part of land resources information systems

The multilingual soil profile database (named SDBm Plus) is user-friendly software designed to store and retrieve in an efficient and systematic way the large amounts of geo-referenced soil attribute data collected in soil surveys and laboratories. The database has the following main characteristics: (i) running on Windows platforms; (ii) ‘assist menus’ facilitating data entry; (iii) automatic translation from English to Spanish, French and German; (iv) metadata facility to describe the methods used in laboratory analysis; (v) temporal mode to collect over time the analytical, physical and hydraulic soil properties; and (vi) interface for the automatic transfer of soil attribute data to GIS and computerised land evaluation models. The following soil attribute datasets are included in SDBm Plus: (i) site characteristics, information related to the identification and taxonomic classification of the soil profile; (ii) horizon description; (iii) conventional soil survey analytical results; (iv) soluble salts and most trace elements present in the soil or considered as major soil contaminants; (v) general soil physical analytical results; (vi) water retention and hydraulic conductivity at different tensions; (vii) photographs; and (viii) analytical methods and procedures used. This database can be used in soil monitoring and evaluation regardless of scale (regional, national or local), and especially to implement tools on choosing optimal land use and management decisions in sustainable agriculture development.

Agro-ecological zoning and potential yield of single or double cropping of potato in Argentina

Potato is the most important horticultural crop in Argentina and at present 100,000 ha are grown in different regions and seasons. The four possible growing seasons are defined as early (June–October), medium-early (July–November), medium-late (October–March) and late (February–June) and have already been characterized by assessing weather, soil and crop type, yield level and yield determining, yield limiting and yield reducing factors. However, there is scarce or no information on the possibilities of expanding actual crop frontiers, either at regional or national level and on the potential yield of the crop in different agro-ecological zones. Hence, in this work, we (1) characterize agro-ecological zones for potato production, (2) establish potential duration of the crop cycle and potential growing seasons, (3) estimate the potential yield of the crop in these zones and seasons and (4) demonstrate how Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for land evaluation and simulation models that establish potential yield of the crop can be used together to assess possibilities for increasing crop production at regional or national scales. Seven potential growing seasons ranging from <1500 to >3500°C day were identified for areas where one crop can be grown per year, whereas four areas were identified where there is a potential for a second crop of potatoes. In these areas and seasons, potential tuber yields ranged from <10 to >20 Mg ha −1 dry matter. The study identified suitable soils and ascertained the corresponding potential duration of the growing seasons and the potential yield for each of the suitable sites and seasons.

Integration and visualization of the ecological value of rural landscapes in maintaining the physical environment of Japan

A study was undertaken to map and evaluate the role of rural landscapes in maintaining the physical environment of Japan. Over 80% of the land area of Japan is used for agriculture and forestry, and while their economic value is well known, they have additional value in preventing landslides and soil erosion as well as in increasing the water retention capability of soils and purifying air. These roles, or ‘functions,’ were investigated through the use of a geographic information system and previously-validated land evaluation models. The study defined the ‘ecological value’ of rural land uses by mapping the differences between scores that land would receive with actively managed woods and farms and those same lands if the woods and farms had been abandoned. The results were illustrated at a national scale, on a watershed basis, and provided both inter- and intra-prefecture comparisons. A national map was developed that utilized elements of landscape structure to model ecological functions based on potential land use change. These elements (structure, function, and change) are central to landscape ecology, and this map has provided a step toward achieving landscape sustainability. This map will assist planners in understanding the relative importance of the various ecological roles of land uses in the watershed and will clarify what land use changes can and cannot be made. This quantification of the beneficial effects of woods and farms on the physical environment has come at a critical time, as rural land uses in Japan are being threatened by politics and economics. The results of this study will be of considerable benefit in landscape planning in Japan, but will also provide a prototype for the investigation of effects of open spaces elsewhere, especially in other Asian nations that share with Japan the characteristics of monsoons, rice production, and extreme physical environments.

A theoretical framework for land evaluation

Land evaluation is the process of predicting the use potential of land on the basis of its attributes. A variety of analytical models can be used in these predictions, ranging from qualitative to quantitative, functional to mechanistic, and specific to general. This paper classifies land evaluation models by how they take time and space into account, and whether they use land qualities as an intermediate between land characteristics and land suitability. Temporally, models can be of a static resource base and static land suitability, a dynamic resource base but static land suitability, or both a dynamic resource base and dynamic land suitability. spatially, land evaluation models can be of a single area with no interaction between areas, with static inter-area effects, or dynamic inter-area effects. In the most complex case, land suitabilities for several land uses are interdependent.