Benthic coverage and bottom topography of coral reef environment over Pirotan reef,Gulf of Kachchh region,India

Remote sensing measurements in coral reef environments commonly confront the problem of overlying atmosphere and modification of spectral signal due to water column over the bottom substrates. In order to correct these problems, hyperspectral observations offer an advantage over multispectral observations. Airborne hyperspectral remote sensing data from Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer- Next Generation (AVIRIS-NG) sensor was acquired during low tidal condition on 14 February 2016 at Pirotan reef, Gulf of Kachchh region, India. The objective of this study is to map benthic coverage and bottom topography over Pirotan reef. The methodology involved atmospheric correction, simultaneous retrieval of water parameters, bathymetry, water column correction and mapping. Atmospheric correction was performed by removing path radiance and aerosol contribution and dividing by atmospheric transmittance and incoming solar irradiance to obtain remote sensing reflectance. Model derived error minimization technique was used for simultaneous retrieval of water parameters and bathymetry. Derived water parameters were used to account for water column attenuation and retrieve concomitant true bottom signature.     

Mapping and monitoring of Rann (tidal) ingress in Banni Plains,Kachchh, Gujarat using multi-temporal satellite data

The Rann ingress into the ‘Banni Plains’ of Kachchh district, Gujarat which is famous for the sprawling grasslands supporting significant cattle population is taking place at an alarming rate. This has resulted in the desertion of many villages due to intrusion of Rann waters. In the present investigation multi-date satellite data has been analysed to map and monitor the Rann ingress during the period 1975 to 1989. Detailed analysis has brought out that the inundation is quite rapid affecting about 244 sq. km area during 1960–1989 period. Mapping of the creeks has also been done to understand the possible mechanism of ‘Rann ingress’.     

Forest cover monitoring using remote sensing and GIS — A case study in Dhaulkhand range of Rajaji National Park,Uttar pradesh

Rajaji National Park in U.P. is a protected area where large number of nomad population live within the park area. Their dependence on the forest for cattle rearing and firewood has caused degradation of the forests. Proximity to settlements outside the park further adds to the problems. In the present study, forest cover and river, bed changes have been attempted by using temporal aerospace data of the year 1960 and 1993. Subsequently, PAMAP GIS package has been used for the change detection analysis. The study indicates that the land cover changes are mainly due to biotic factors. Some of the important changes in forest cover are: (i) transformation of mixed forest to scrub forest in 67 ha (ii) the sal mixed and mixed sal forest categories have replaced sal forest in 262 ha (iii) significant increase in forest plantation i.e. 2075 ha in the year 1960 to 3793 ha in 1993 (iv) eighteen times increase in Chirpine area, it increased from 13 ha in 1960 to 230 ha in 1993. The land cover changes in 6663 ha (45%) out of 14962 ha of the study area. The consequential changes in the river beds due to the change in the forest cover was also analyzed. During this period river beds with boulders have increased by 87 ha. These river bed changes include lengthening and broadening of river and change in river course.     

Towards a National Atlas of the Netherlands as part of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure

Abstract

This paper is about different worlds, and how we try to unite them. One of these worlds is the world of National Atlases: collections of complex, high-quality maps presenting a nation to the geographically interested. The second is the world of National Spatial Infrastructures: highly organized, standardized and institutionalized large collections of spatial data and services. In the paper, we describe the two worlds and their fundamental differences and we present the theoretical framework in which these worlds could be united. We introduce a test bed we are using to try out the theoretical framework in a real-life use case. In the architecture of that test bed, we introduce a National Atlas Services layer and describe how we have created an Atlas Map Viewer component, using the Open Web Platform. We conclude by commenting on the results thus far and taking a look into future developments.     

Assessment and monitoring of estuarine mangrove forests of Goa using satellite remote sensing

The present study highlights the application of satellite remote sensing in the assessment and monitoring of the mangrove forests along the coastline in Goa state of India. Based on onscreen visual interpretation techniques various land use and land cover classes have been mapped and classified. An attempt has been made to analyse changes in the mangrove forest cover from 1994 to 2001 using IRS-1B LISS-II and IRS-1D LISS-III data. An increase in the mangrove vegetation in the important estuaries has been found during 1994 and 2001. During this period, the mangrove forest increased by 44.90 per cent as a result of increased protection and consequent regeneration. Plantation of mangrove species has been raised in 876 ha (1985 to 1997) by the State Forest Department¨     

Mapping dominant vegetation communities at Meili Snow Mountain,Yunnan Province,China using satellite imagery and plant community data

Mapping dominant vegetation communities is important work for vegetation scientists. It is very difficult to map dominant vegetation communities using multispectral remote sensing data only, especially in mountain areas. However plant community data contain useful information about the relationships between plant communities and their environment. In this paper, plant community data are linked with remote sensing to map vegetation communities. The Bayesian soft classifier was used to produce posterior probability images for each class. These images were used to calculate the prior probabilities. One hundred and eighty plant plots at Meili Snow Mountain, Yunnan Province, China were used to characterize the vegetation distribution for each class along altitude gradients. Then, the frequencies were used to modify the prior probabilities of each class. After stratification in a vegetation part and a non-vegetation part, a maximum-likelihood classification with equal prior probabilities was conducted, yielding an overall accuracy of 82.1% and a kappa accuracy of 0.797. Maximum-likelihood classification with modified prior probabilities in the vegetation part, conducted with a conventional maximum-likelihood classification for the non-vegetation part, yielded an overall accuracy of 87.7%, and a kappa accuracy of 0.861.     

Identification of Loriya Fault,Its Reactivation Due to 2001 Bhuj Earthquake, (Using Remote Sensing Data) and Its Bearing on the Kachchh Mainland Fault,Kachchh District,Gujarat

The 2001 Bhuj earthquake (M_w 7.7), one of the most severe earthquakes in the recent history of India, reactivated various existing active faults. It is manifested in the form of coseismic ground fissures/cracks and upheaval of land in the form of bumps. Identification and reactivation of Loriya Fault is established by 1—Geomorphic changes with the help of digital imagery (LISS III images). 2—Coseismic changes through ground checks and 3—Geophysical signatures through magnetic and gravity survey. A lineament cutting the north-western part of the Pur River alluvial fan has been revealed by satellite imagery. The streams flowing along the lineament add to the evidences of a weak plane, while the occurrence of coseismic ground fissures confirms the existence of an active fault. No dip slip movement is recorded in the trenches made across the Loriya active fault while the en-echelon pattern of ground fissures suggest strike slip movement along the fault due to 2001 earthquake.     

Applications of ALOS PALSAR for monitoring biophysical parameters of a degraded black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) forest

Within the last few decades mangrove forests worldwide have been experiencing high annual rates of loss and many of those that remain have undergone considerable degradation. To understand the condition of these forests, various optical remote sensing platforms have been used to map and monitor these wetlands, including the use of these data for biophysical parameter mapping. For many mangrove forests a reliable source of optical imagery is not possible given their location in quasi-permanent cloud cover or smoke covered regions. In such cases it is recommended that Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) be considered. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the relationships between various ALOS-PALSAR modes, acquired from eight images, and mangrove biophysical parameter data collected from a black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) dominated forest that has experienced considerable degradation. In total, structural data were collected from 61 plots representing the four common stand types found in this degraded forest of the Mexican Pacific: tall healthy mangrove (n = 17), dwarf healthy mangrove (n = 15), poor condition mangrove (n = 13), and predominantly dead mangrove (n = 16).Based on backscatter coefficients, significant negative correlation coefficients were observed between filtered single polarization ALOS PALSAR (6.25 m) HH backscatter and Leaf Area Index (LAI). When the dead stands were excluded (n = 45) the strength of these relationships increased. Moreover, significant negative correlation coefficients were observed with stand height, Basal Area (BA) and to a lesser degree with stem density and mean DBH. With the coarser spatial resolution dual-polarization and quad polarization data (12.5 m) only a few, and weaker, correlation coefficients were calculated between the mangrove parameters and the filtered HH backscatter. However, significant negative values were once again calculated for the HH when the 16 dead mangrove stands were removed from the sample. Conversely, strong positive significant correlation coefficients were calculated between the cross-polarization HV backscatter and LAI when the dead mangrove stands were considered. Although fewer in comparison to the HH correlations, a number of VV backscatter based relationships with mangrove parameters were observed from the quad polarization mode and, to a lesser extent, with the one single VV polarization data.In addition to backscatter coefficients, stepwise multiple regression models of the mangrove biophysical parameter data were developed based on texture parameters derived from the grey level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) of the ALOS data. A similar pattern to the backscatter relationships was observed for models based on the single polarization unfiltered data, with fairly strong coefficients of determination calculated for LAI and stem height when the dead stands were excluded. In contrast, similar coefficients of determination with biophysical parameters were observed for the dual and quad polarization multiple regression models when the dead stands were both included and excluded from the analyses. An estimated mangrove LAI map of the study area, derived from a multiple regression model of the quad polarization texture parameters, showed comparable spatial patterns of degradation to a map derived from higher spatial resolution optical satellite data.     

大冶铁矿国家矿山公园规划实践

大冶铁矿的开发利用在为我国的钢铁事业作出巨大贡献的同时,也给矿区的地表环境、森林资源带来了很大的破坏。矿山公园的规划实施可极大地改善矿山环境,为矿山的可持续发展提供较好的途径。     

大冶铁矿国家矿山公园规划实践

大冶铁矿的开发利用在为我国的钢铁事业作出巨大贡献的同时,也给矿区的地表环境、森林资源带来了很大的破坏。矿山公园的规划实施可极大地改善矿山环境,为矿山的可持续发展提供较好的途径。     

Landscape characterization of Sariska National Park (India) and its surroundings

Landscape characterization gives an overall information on the status of Land Use and Land Cover(LULC),changes in its composition and the impact of natural and human influences operating at different spatial and temporal scales.This information can be used to monitor changes in natural forest resources and protected areas,delineate potential conservation areas and can serve in effective management of ecologically fragile landscapes.In the present study,geo-spatial tools were used to characterize the landscape of Sariska National Park and its surroundings.Satellite data was used to prepare LULC maps for 1989 and 2000,change detection analysis and computation of landscape metrics.Climatic data,field records and modeling tools were used to map the po-tential spread of two invasive species,Prosopis juliflora and Adhatoda vasica.The results show that the forest area increased from 1989 to 2000,indicating better management practices.Landscape metrics(PAFRAC,PLADJ and AI)also support this argument.Improvements in the degraded forest can further enhance this effect.The entire reserve however is suitable for the invasion of P.juliflora and A.vasica but is more pronounced in Boswellia serrata and Anogeissus pendula-Acacia catechu(open)forests.A detailed landscape characterization map can help forest managers to make important policy decisions concerning issues such as in-vasive species.     

Change detection and classification of land cover at Hustai National Park in Mongolia

Land cover types of Hustai National Park (HNP) in Mongolia, a hotspot area with rare species, were classified and their temporal changes were evaluated using Landsat MSS TM/ETM data between 1994 and 2000. Maximum-likelihood classification analysis showed an overall accuracy of 88.0% and 85.0% for the 1994 and 2000 images, respectively. Kappa coefficients associated with the classification were resulted to 0.85 for 1994 and 0.82 for 2000 image. Land cover types revealed significant temporal changes in the classification maps between 1994 and 2000. The area has increased considerably by 166.5 km² for mountain steppe and by 12 km² for a sand dune. By contrast, agricultural areas and degraded areas affected by human being activity were decreased by 46.1 km² and 194.8 km² over the 6-year span, respectively. These areas were replaced by mountain steppe area. Specifically, forest area was noticeably fragmented, accompanied by the decrease of ∼400 ha. The forest area revealed a pattern with systematic gain and loss associated with the specific phenomenon called as ‘forest free-south slope’. We discussed the potential environmental conditions responsible for the systematic pattern and addressed other biological impacts by outbreaks of forest pests and ungulates.     

大九湖国家湿地公园的GIS管理实施探析

以神农架大九湖湿地公园为研究对象,介绍了大九湖国家湿地公园GIS管理系统功能和目标;分析了该系统构架体系;阐述了该系统空间数据库建设;指出大九湖高山湿地公园GIS管理系统将为湿地研究和湿地管理提供技术和决策支持,从而实现湿地公园管理科学性和规范性。     

对大冶铁矿黄石国家矿山公园景观应用的设想

国家矿山公园的建立主要是针对资源枯竭型矿山的可持续发展提供心得思路。论文从矿山景观资源的类型分析入手,探讨大冶铁矿的公园景观资源,针对大冶铁矿景观资源特点,提出应用途径,为大冶铁矿黄山国家矿山公园的建设提供开发和设计依据。     

GEE环境下联合Sentinel主被动遥感数据的国家公园土地覆盖分类

国家公园的土地覆盖分类对于掌握自然资源现状、查明存在的生态安全威胁并快速应对具有基础性数据支撑作用。基于谷歌地球引擎（Google Earth Engine,GEE）平台,结合哨兵（Sentinel）主被动遥感数据及其导出的光谱指数、纹理特征和地形特征,分别采用基于像元的随机森林（random forest,RF）算法和面向对象的简单非迭代聚类（simple noniterative clustering,SNIC）+RF算法实现了钱江源国家公园异质性景观的土地覆盖（耕地、森林、草地、水体、人造地表和裸地）分类。地面实验表明,在多种输入数据组合中,基于像元和面向对象方法分类获得的最高总体精度分别为92.37%和93.98%。合成孔径雷达（synthetic aperture radar,SAR）数据的纳入能够提高基于像元方法的分类精度,但在面向对象方法中未能体现精度提升效果。通过SNIC+RF算法生成的土地覆盖分类图完整性更好,所需特征数量较少,并且算法能够在GEE环境下快速执行,适用于国家公园管理实践。     

Hydromorphology of a part of Azamgarh and Ghazipur districts,Uttar Pradesh

Hydrogeological studies in the Quaternary alluvial plain of a part of Azamgarh and Ghazipur districts, using air photos on scale 1:60,000 indicate the presence of five hydromorphic units namely, Alluvial upland, older alluvial plain of Mangat-Besu, older flood plain of Ganga—Gomti, youngest terrace of Ganga—Gomti and present flood plain of Ganga-Gomti. From the groundwater point of view older flood plain of Ganga—Gomti is the most promising hydromorphic unit. Abandoned channel of river Ganga offers favourable site for deep groundwater exploration with high potentiality. Chemical quality of shallow and deep aquifers is suitable for irrigation and other purposes.     

宝华山国家森林公园旅游地理信息系统设计与实现

“You”时代的到来更彰显了信息化在社会各行业和生活领域的重要性.旅游作为第三产业,对国民经济起着支柱性作用,并逐渐融合为人们生活的一部分,其信息化的快速普及将使我国旅游业的发展步入国际化的规范竞争行列.而地理信息系统(GIS)强大的数据管理、空间查询和分析功能,为旅游服务提供了技术手段.本文利用地理信息系统平台MapInf07.8与ArcView3.3,在Visual Basic6.0编程环境中利用组件MapObjects2.3完成宝华山国家森林公园旅游信息系统(TGIS)的初步设计.根据系统设计的原则、目标和功能结构,文章通过宝华山国家森林公园TGIS基础数据库的建立,实现了TGIS的地图控制、查询分析、信息管理和旅游服务系统功能.