Knowledge Transfer for Large‐Scale Urban Growth Modeling Based on Formal Concept Analysis

Cellular automata (CA) are useful for studies on urban growth and land‐use changes. Although various methods have been developed to define transition rules, modeling urban growth of large areas remains a tough challenge owing to heterogeneous geographical features. To address the problem, we present a novel method based on the combination of Formal Concept Analysis (FCA) and knowledge transfer techniques. FCA is used to solicit association rules among cities within a large area. This method can provide a theoretical basis for the knowledge transfer process. A cutting‐edge algorithm called TrAdaBoost is then integrated with the commonly‐used Logistic‐CA as the modeling framework. The proposed method is applied to the urban growth modeling of Guangdong Province, a large region with 21 cities in China, from 2005 to 2008. Compared with traditional methods, this method can achieve better results at the provincial and local levels, according to the experiments. The combination of FCA and knowledge transfer is expected to provide a useful tool for calibrating large‐scale urban CA models.     

基于支持向量机的元胞自动机及土地利用变化模拟

提出了利用遥感数据，并采用支持向量机来确定元胞自动机非线性转换规则的新方法。元胞自动机在模拟复杂地理现象时，需要采用非线性转换规则。目前元胞自动机主要采用线性方法来获取转换规则，在反映复杂的非线性地理现象时有一定的局限性。以城市扩张的模拟为例，将模拟城市系统的主要特征变量映射到Hilbert空间后，通过SVM建立最优分割超平面，分割超平面的分类决策函数由径向基核（Radial Basis Kernel）构造。利用历史遥感数据校正超平面的决策函数，确定城市元胞自动机的非线性转换规则，计算出城市发展概率。利用所提出的方法，对深圳市1988-2010年的城市发展进行了模拟，取得了较理想的模拟效果。研究结果表明，基于SVM-CA模型的模拟精度比传统MCE方法模拟精度高，MoranⅠ指数与实际更为接近。     

Spatiotemporal variability of urban growth factors: A global and local perspective on the megacity of Mumbai

The rapid growth of megacities requires special attention among urban planners worldwide, and particularly in Mumbai, India, where growth is very pronounced. To cope with the planning challenges this will bring, developing a retrospective understanding of urban land-use dynamics and the underlying driving-forces behind urban growth is a key prerequisite. This research uses regression-based land-use change models – and in particular non-spatial logistic regression models (LR) and auto-logistic regression models (ALR) – for the Mumbai region over the period 1973–2010, in order to determine the drivers behind spatiotemporal urban expansion. Both global models are complemented by a local, spatial model, the so-called geographically weighted logistic regression (GWLR) model, one that explicitly permits variations in driving-forces across space. The study comes to two main conclusions. First, both global models suggest similar driving-forces behind urban growth over time, revealing that LRs and ALRs result in estimated coefficients with comparable magnitudes. Second, all the local coefficients show distinctive temporal and spatial variations. It is therefore concluded that GWLR aids our understanding of urban growth processes, and so can assist context-related planning and policymaking activities when seeking to secure a sustainable urban future.     

Integration of neural networks and cellular automata for urban planning

This paper presents a new type of cellular automata (CA) model for the simulation of alternative land development using neural networks for urban planning. CA models can be regarded as a planning tool because they can generate alternative urban growth. Alternative development patterns can be formed by using different sets of parameter values in CA simulation. A critical issue is how to define parameter values for realistic and idealized simulation. This paper demonstrates that neural networks can simplify CA models but generate more plausible results. The simulation is based on a simple three-layer network with an output neuron to generate conversion probability. No transition rules are required for the simulation. Parameter values are automatically obtained from the training of network by using satellite remote sensing data. Original training data can be assessed and modified according to planning objectives. Alternative urban patterns can be easily formulated by using the modified training data sets rather than changing the model.     

Integration of neural networks and cellular automata for urban planning

This paper presents a new type of cellular automata (CA) model for the simulation of alternative land development using neural networks for urban planning. CA models can be regarded as a planning tool because they can generate alternative urban growth. Alternative development patterns can be formed by using different sets of parameter values in CA simulation. A critical issue is how to define parameter values for realistic and idealized simulation. This paper demonstrates that neural netowrks can simplify CA models but generate more plausible results. The simulation is based on a simple three-layer network with an output neuron to generate conversion probability. No transition rules are required for the simulation. Parameter values are automatically obtained from the training of network by using satellite remote sensing data. Original training data can be assessed and modified according to planning objectives. Alternative urban patterns can be easily formulated by using the modified training data sets rather than changing the model.     

Modelling coastal land use change by incorporating spatial autocorrelation into cellular automata models

This paper presents a spatial autoregressive (SAR) method-based cellular automata (termed SAR-CA) model to simulate coastal land use change, by incorporating spatial autocorrelation into transition rules. The model captures the spatial relationships between explained and explanatory variables and then integrates them into CA transition rules. A conventional CA model (LogCA) based on logistic regression (LR) was studied as a comparison. These two CA models were applied to simulate urban land use change of coastal regions in Ningbo of China from 2000 to 2015. Compared to the LR method, the SAR model yielded smaller accumulated residuals that showed a random distribution in fitting the CA transition rules. The better-fitting SAR model performed well in simulating urban land use change and scored an overall accuracy of 85.3%, improving on the LogCA model by 3.6%. Landscape metrics showed that the pattern generated by the SAR-CA model has less difference with the observed pattern.     

A grey wolf optimizer–cellular automata integrated model for urban growth simulation and optimization

This article proposes a grey wolf optimizer (GWO) and cellular automata (CA) integrated model for the simulation and spatial optimization of urban growth. A new grey wolf‐inspired approach is put forward to determine the urban growth rules of CA cells by using the GWO algorithm, which is suitable for solving optimization problems. The inspiration for GWO comes from the social leadership of wolf groups, as well as their hunting behavior. The GWO‐optimized urban growth rules for CA describe the relationship between the spatial variables and the urban land‐use status for each cell in the formation of “if–then.” The GWO algorithm and CA model are then integrated as the GWO–CA model for urban growth simulation and optimization. By taking Nanjing City as an example, the simulation accuracy in terms of urban cells is 86.6%, and the kappa coefficient is 0.715, indicating that the GWO algorithm is efficient at obtaining urban growth rules from spatial variables. The validation of the GWO–CA model also illustrates that it performs well in terms of the simulation and spatial optimization of urban growth, and can further contribute to urban planning and management.     

Simulating urban growth in a megalopolitan area using a patch‐based cellular automata

Although traditional cellular automata (CA)‐based models can effectively simulate urban land‐use changes, they typically ignore the spatial evolution of urban patches, due to their use of cell‐based simulation strategies. This research proposes a new patch‐based CA model to incorporate a spatial constraint based on the growth patterns of urban patches into the conventional CA model for reducing the uncertainty of the distribution of simulated new urban patches. In this model, the growth pattern of urban patches is first estimated using a developed indicator that is based on the local variations in existing urban patches. The urban growth is then simulated by integrating the estimated growth pattern and land suitability using a pattern‐calibrated method. In this method, the pattern of new urban patches is gradually calibrated toward the dominant growth pattern through the steps of the CA model. The proposed model is applied to simulate urban growth in the Tehran megalopolitan area during 2000–2006–2012. The results from this model were compared with two common models: cell‐based CA and logistic‐patch CA. The proposed model yields a degree of patch‐level agreement that is 23.4 and 7.5% higher than those of these pre‐existing models, respectively. This reveals that the patch‐based CA model simulates actual development patterns much better than the two other models.     

利用生物地理学优化算法获取城市扩展元胞自动机模型参数

提出了一种基于生物地理学优化算法寻找城市扩展元胞自动机（cellular automata,CA）模型最佳参数的方法。转换规则制定及相应权重参数获取是构建城市扩展CA的核心和难点。生物地理学优化算法（biogeography-based optimization,BBO）通过模拟生物物种在栖息地的分布、迁移和灭绝来求解优化问题。利用BBO算法自动获取城市扩展CA模型参数值,构建BBO-CA模型进行城市扩展模拟实验,并与粒子群算法（particle swarm optimization,PSO）、蚁群算法（ant colony optimization,ACO）、遗传算法（genetic algorithm,GA）及逻辑回归（logistic regression,LR）等方法相比较。结果表明,BBO算法具有较好的收敛性,可有效地快速自动寻找城市扩展CA模型最佳参数组合,获取的空间变量权重参数较为合理;BBO-CA模型明显提升了城市用地模拟精度,城市用地模拟精度为72.5%,相对PSO、ACO、GA、LR各算法分别提升了1.1%、1.2%、2.7%和4.0%,Kappa系数达到0.700,分别提升了0.015、0.016、0.034和0.046,且整体空间布局与实际情况更为接近,验证了应用BBO算法的可行性与优势。     

Assessing the effect of temporal dynamics on urban growth simulation: Towards an asynchronous cellular automata

Time is a fundamental dimension in urban dynamics, but the effect of various definitions of time on urban growth models has rarely been evaluated. In urban growth models such as cellular automata (CA), time has typically been defined as a sequence of discrete time steps. However, most urban growth processes such as land‐use changes are asynchronous. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of various temporal dynamics scenarios on urban growth simulation, in terms of urban land‐use planning, and to introduce an asynchronous parcel‐based cellular automata (AParCA) model. In this study, eight different scenarios were generated to investigate the impact of temporal dynamics on CA‐based urban growth models, and their outputs were evaluated using various urban planning indicators. The obtained results show that different degrees of temporal dynamics lead to various patterns appearing in urban growth CA models, and the application of asynchronous (event‐driven) CA models achieves better simulation results than synchronous models.     

土地利用变化模拟模型及应用研究进展

元胞自动机CA(Cellular Automata)和多智能体ABM(Agent-Based Model)模型是土地利用格局和演化模拟的主流方法,两者在模拟自然因素影响和人文驱动机制方面具有突出优势,为LUCC研究提供了重要的工具。当前,ABM无论在模型构建还是应用研究方面,CA和ABM均取得了显著进展。论文从数据基础、模拟尺度、CA转换规则挖掘、ABM行为规则定义、CA和ABM的耦合4个方面梳理土地利用模拟模型和方法的研究进展。并总结这些模型在虚拟城市模拟与理论验证、真实城市模拟与规划预测以及多类用地模拟与辅助决策等方面的应用。最后,总结土地利用模拟模型在精细模拟和全球变化研究方面存在的局限性,认为未来发展将主要集中于解决从2维模型向3维模型发展、大数据与规则精细挖掘以及大尺度模拟与知识迁移等问题。     

A multi‐label cellular automata model for land change simulation

The use of cellular automata (CA) has for some time been considered among the most appropriate approaches for modeling land‐use changes. Each cell in a traditional CA model has a state that evolves according to transition rules, taking into consideration its own and its neighbors’ states and characteristics. Here, we present a multi‐label CA model in which a cell may simultaneously have more than one state. The model uses a multi‐label learning method—a multi‐label support vector machine, Rank‐SVM—to define the transition rules. The model was used with a multi‐label land‐use dataset for Luxembourg, built from vector‐based land‐use data using a method presented here. The proposed multi‐label CA model showed promising performance in terms of its ability to capture and model the details and complexities of changes in land‐use patterns. Applied to historical land use data, the proposed model estimated the land use change with an accuracy of 87.2% exact matching and 98.84% when including cells with a misclassification of a single label, which is comparably better than a classical multi‐class model that achieved 83.6%. The multi‐label cellular automata outperformed a model combining CA and artificial neural networks. All model goodness‐of‐fit comparisons were quantified using various performance metrics for predictive models.     

Dynamic land use change simulation using cellular automata with spatially nonstationary transition rules

The dynamic relationships between land use change and its driving forces vary spatially and can be identified by geographically weighted regression (GWR). We present a novel cellular automata (GWR-CA) model that incorporates GWR-derived spatially varying relationships to simulate land use change. Our GWR-CA model is characterized by spatially nonstationary transition rules that fully address local interactions in land use change. More importantly, each driving factor in our GWR model contains effects that both promote and resist land use change. We applied GWR-CA to simulate rapid land use change in Suzhou City on the Yangtze River Delta from 2000 to 2015. The GWR coefficients were visualized to highlight their spatial patterns and local variation, which are closely associated with their effects on land use change. The transition rules indicate low land conversion potential in the city’s center and outer suburbs, but higher land conversion potential in the inner near suburbs along the belt expressway. Residual statistics show that GWR fits the input data better than logistic regression (LR). Compared with an LR-based CA model, GWR-CA improves overall accuracy by 4.1% and captures 5.5% more urban growth, suggesting that GWR-CA may be superior in modeling land use change. Our results demonstrate that the GWR-CA model is effective in capturing spatially varying land transition rules to produce more realistic results, and is suitable for simulating land use change and urban expansion in rapidly urbanizing regions.     

Integrating cellular automata,artificial neural network,and fuzzy set theory to simulate threatened orchards: application to Maragheh,Iran

Urbanization processes challenge the growth of orchards in many cities in Iran. In Maragheh, orchards are crucial ecological, economical, and tourist sources. To explore orchards threatened by urban expansion, this study first aims to develop a new model by coupling cellular automata (CA) and artificial neural network with fuzzy set theory (CA–ANN–Fuzzy). While fuzzy set theory captures the uncertainty associated with transition rules, the ANN considers spatial and temporal nonlinearities of the driving forces underlying the urban growth processes. Second, the CA–ANN–Fuzzy model is compared with two existing approaches, namely a basic CA and a CA coupled with an ANN (CA–ANN). Third, we quantify the amount of orchard loss during the last three decades as well as for the upcoming years up to 2025. Results show that CA–ANN–Fuzzy with 83% kappa coefficient performs significantly better than conventional CA (with 51% kappa coefficient) and CA–ANN (with 79% kappa coefficient) models in simulating orchard loss. The historical data shows a considerable loss of 26% during the last three decades, while the CA–ANN–Fuzzy simulation reveals a considerable future loss of 7% of Maragheh’s orchards in 2025 due to urbanization. These areas require special attention and must be protected by the local government and decision-makers.     

Calibration of a Multi-criteria Evaluation Based Cellular Automata Model for Indian Cities Having Varied Growth Patterns

The study aims to investigate the efficiency of Cellular Automata (CA) based models for simulation of urban growth in two Indian cities (Dehradun and Saharanpur) having different growth patterns. The transition rules in the CA model were defined using Multi-Criteria Evaluation technique. The model was calibrated by varying two parameters namely the neighbourhood (type and size) and model iterations. The model results were assessed using two measures, i.e., percent correct match and Moran’s Index. It was found that for Dehradun, which had a dispersed growth pattern, Von Neumann neighbourhood of small size produced the highest accuracy, in terms of pattern and location of simulated urban growth. For Saharanpur, which had a compact growth pattern, large neighbourhoods, produced the most optimum results, irrespective of the type of neighbourhood. For both study areas, large number of model iterations failed to increase the accuracy of urban growth assessment.     

集成GIS和细胞自动机模型进行地理时空过程模拟与预测的新方法

目前商用地理信息系统（GIS）不能完整地表达地理实体的时态信息和时空关系，缺乏时空分析和时空动态模拟的能力，这已成为GIS界的一个共识，然而，未来GIS在各应用领域的深入发展以及在实现“数字地球”战略过程中，都要求发展新的时空分析和模拟方法，细胞自动机（Cellular Automaton)是一种“自下而上”的动态模拟建模框架，具有模拟地理复要系统时空演化过程的能力，首先将标准CA模型的4元组进行扩展以满足GIS环境下时空动态模型的要求，然后以城市土地利用演化这一动态过程为例，建立了土地利用演化动态模拟与预测模型（LESP），最后运用此模型对包头市城市扩展和土地可持续利用演化进行了比较成功的模拟和预测。     

Calibration of cellular automata models using differential evolution to simulate present and future land use

A key issue in cellular automata (CA) modeling is the minimization of the differences between the actual and simulated patterns, which can be mathematically formulated as an objective function. We develop a new hybrid model (termed DE‐CA) by integrating differential evolution (DE) into CA to solve the objective function and retrieve the optimal CA parameters. Constrained relations among factors were applied in DE to generate different sets of CA parameters for prediction of future scenarios. The DE‐CA model was calibrated using historical spatial data to simulate 2016 land use in Kunming and predict multiple scenarios to the year 2026. Assessment of quantitative accuracy shows that DE‐CA yields 92.4% overall accuracy, where 6.8% is the correctly captured urban growth; further, the model reported only 5.0% false alarms and 2.6% misses. Regarding the simulation ability, our new CA model performs as well as the widely applied genetic algorithm‐based CA model, and outperforms both the logistic regression‐based CA model and a no‐change NULL model. We projected three possible scenarios for the year 2026 using DE‐CA to adequately address the baseline urban growth, environmental protection and urban planning to show the strong prediction ability of the new model.     

Deriving urban dynamic evolution rules from self-adaptive cellular automata with multi-temporal remote sensing images

Cellular automata (CA) have proven to be very effective for simulating and predicting the spatio-temporal evolution of complex geographical phenomena. Traditional methods generally pose problems in determining the structure and parameters of CA for a large, complex region or a long-term simulation. This study presents a self-adaptive CA model integrated with an artificial immune system to discover dynamic transition rules automatically. The model’s parameters are allowed to be self-modified with the application of multi-temporal remote sensing images: that is, the CA can adapt itself to the changed and complex environment. Therefore, urban dynamic evolution rules over time can be efficiently retrieved by using this integrated model. The proposed AIS-based CA model was then used to simulate the rural-urban land conversion of Guangzhou city, located in the core of China’s Pearl River Delta. The initial urban land was directly classified from TM satellite image in the year 1990. Urban land in the years 1995, 2000, 2005, 2009 and 2012 was correspondingly used as the observed data to calibrate the model’s parameters. With the quantitative index figure of merit (FoM) and pattern similarity, the comparison was further performed between the AIS-based model and a Logistic CA model. The results indicate that the AIS-based CA model can perform better and with higher precision in simulating urban evolution, and the simulated spatial pattern is closer to the actual development situation.     

Simulating urban land-use change based on the multi-hierarchal planning–environment interaction process

Urban land-use change is the result of coupling interaction between planning and environment systems. The aim of our study was to construct an effective model to show how the urban land-use changes under the planning–environment interaction system with multi-hierarchy and major function oriented zoning. Combining the Cellular automata (CA) model with logistic regression model, the proposed multi-hierarchal vector CA model (MH-VCA3) was constructed by mining multi-hierarchal land-use transition rules under the planning–environment interaction system. Taking Jiangyin City (China) as an example, we compared the simulated result of the proposed model to those of the well-accepted Logistic CA and traditional multi-level CA models to demonstrate the effectiveness of the consideration of top-down decomposition constraint and bottom-up updating. Furthermore, by simulating the land-use changes under different population regionalization scenarios, we found that in order to form the spatial pattern of “agglomeration in the north and ecology in the south,” the planned population growth at the global hierarchal level should be allocated to the district units according to the law of Central district > Chengxi district > Chengdong district > Chengnan district > Chengdongnan district. The proposed model is expected to provide scientific support for the formulation of urban planning schemes in the future.     

城市规划CA模型在城市空间形态演化中的应用研究

传统的CA模型基于自下而上的思路模拟城市复杂系统,忽略了宏观决策对城市空间形态演化的影响。本文基于传统CA模型,从城市规划角度,通过引入控制性详细规划层,把整个城市空间划分成不同组团片区,将传统的自下而上CA模型改进为自下而上和自上而下相结合的城市规划CA模型(UPCA),并取得了较好的实证模拟结果。结果表明:该模型简化了传统CA城市模拟模型的数据量,提高了模型的模拟精度,并增强了模型的规划决策功能,使模型具备了一定的社会经济分析能力。