Multi‐scale correlations between topography and vegetation in a hillside catchment of Honduras

All systems have causes and effects that can be appreciated at different spatial scales. Understanding and representing the complexity of multi‐scale patterns in maps and spatial models are key research objectives. We describe the use of three types of correlation analyses: (1) a standard Pearson correlation coefficient, (2) a ‘global’ multi‐scale correlation, and (3) local geographically weighted correlation. These methods were applied to topographic and vegetation indices in a small catchment in Honduras that is representative of the country's hillsides agro‐ecosystem which suffers from severe environmental degradation due to land‐use decisions that lead to deforestation, overgrazing, and unsustainable agricultural. If the geographical scale at which topography matters for land‐use allocation can be determined, then integration of knowledge systems can be focused. Our preliminary results show that: (1) single‐scale correlations do not adequately represent the relationship between NDVI and topographic indices; (2) peaks in the global multi‐scale correlations in agricultural areas coincided with the median farm size, but there was no evidence of any community or larger‐scale land‐use planning or optimization; and (3) local multi‐scale correlations varied considerably from the global results at all scales, and these variations have a strong spatial structure which may indicate local optimization of land use.     

Land cover dynamic changes in northern China: 1989?2003

The 13 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) in northern China are located in latitude 31°–54°N and longitude 73°–136°E including Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Jilin, Liaoning, Heilongjiang, Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai, and Xinjiang, where environments are fragile. In recent years, the eco-environmental problems such as vegetation destruction, desertification and soil erosion etc. become serious because of climate change and unreasonable human activities. In this paper, landscape pattern and its evolution in northern China from 1989 to 2003 was investigated by the combined use of RS and GIS based on the basic theory and method of landscape ecology. Land use/cover maps of the study area in 1989, 1999 and 2003 were produced by using 1 km monthly NOAA Ad-vanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) and SPOT/VGT Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) dataset from national climate bureau of China which were geo-registered to Lambert azimuthal equal-area map projection and were used in the paper. Landscape evolution in the area over the study period was investigated by two methods: (a) the changes of various landscape metrics were analyzed using the landscape structure analysis program FRAGSTATS; (b) the transition matrix of landscape patch types was cal-culated with the help of the RS and GIS software. The results showed that from 1989 to 2003, the landscape within the study area had undertaken a complicated evolution in landscape structure and composition. The diversity index and evenness index increased during the pe-riod, which means that the landscape pattern tended to be diversified and even. The fragmentation index of grassland, forestland and water areas also increased significantly. This showed that the distribution and structure of forestland, grassland and water areas had been changed greatly during the period, especially grassland which became more and more fragmentized, and its fragmentation index increased from 19.23% to 88.72%. The transitions of the landscape types were mainly shown by the changes among forestland, grassland and farmland, and grassland changing into unable land. Over the study period, grassland and water areas had decreased remarkably, accounting for 15% and 37% from 1989 to 1999 and 24.79% and 49.25% from 1999 to 2003 respectively. The grassland and water resources play an important role in the eco-environment and economic development of the region. So, they must be protected carefully. According to the analysis, we can conclude that the eco-environment in the study area is obviously degenerated due to unreasonable human activities and climate changes and some measures should be taken to combat the environ-mental degradation.     

NET‐DBSCAN: clustering the nodes of a dynamic linear network

NET‐DBSCAN, a method for clustering the nodes of a linear network, whose edges may be temporarily inaccessible, is introduced. The new method extends the idea of a well‐known spatial clustering method, named density‐based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN). The new algorithm is described in detail and through a series of examples. A prototype system, which implements the algorithm, developed in Java and tested through a series of synthetic networks, is also presented. Finally, the application of NET‐DBSCAN method to support real‐world situations is briefly discussed.     

The spatial—temporal dynamic characteristics of the marsh in the Sanjianlg Plain

Using the methods of combining landscape ecology with GIS spatial analysis,this paper analyses the dynamics of the marsh landscape stucture of the Sanjing Plain in the past 20 years,furthermore,taking Fujin County,located in the north of the plain,as an example,analyzes the conversion between marsh and other land use types.It is shown that the marsh in the Sanjiang Plain decreased greatly in the past 20 years,but the trend has begun to reverse,The marsh area decreased by 51.33% from 1980 to 1996,whereas it decreased by 4.19% from 1996 to 2000.The fragmentation of the marsh increased;the number of the patches increased by 326 from 1986 to 1996,whereas it only increased by 18 patches from 1996 to 2000,It is obvious that the speed of patches number diminished and the marsh fragmentation decreased,which shows that the reclamation of the marsh converted from the fragmentation to the brim in a large area of the marsh.The reclaimed marsh has mainly converted to paddy field and dry land .Large area of the marsh.The reclaimed marsh has mainly converted to paddy fiedld and dry land.Large-scale reclamation in the Sanjiang Plain influences its natural environment directly:the climate of the region turns from cold and wet to warm and dry,which makes the marsh both in the low-temperature northern part and in the deeply stagnant eastern part suitable for further agricultural development.     

An agent-based micro-simulation framework for modelling of dynamic activity–travel rescheduling decisions

The simultaneous implementation of daily activity–travel schedules of individuals in a given spatial environment generally gives rise to time- and location-varying congestion levels, which affect the conditions for subsequent activity and travel choices. Although such dynamics are commonly recognized, current activity-based models typically ignore the adaptive behaviour of individuals. In this article, we propose an agent-based simulation system that allows one to simulate, in addition to activity-scheduling behaviour, also the execution of schedules in space and time. Congestion levels at specific times and places emerge in the system and may lead to discrepancies between scheduled and actual activity and travel times. Agents respond to such unforeseen events by reconsidering an existing schedule (within-day re-planning) and by adapting their expectations about traffic conditions for subsequent days (learning). The system is illustrated using the activity–travel diary data collected in the Eindhoven region, the Netherlands, to better understand the choice of urban parks in the study area. We discuss the merits of the system for transport and spatial planning and identify avenues for future research.     

What motivates single women to migrate from northern Ghana to Accra?

In recent decades there has been a large migration stream of single women from the north to Accra in Ghana. Existing studies have focused on young migrant women’s livelihood strategies in their place of destination. However, once-married women – divorced and widowed women and neglected wives – also migrate, and their motivations for migration are less known. Drawing on qualitative and quantitative methods, the authors investigate the effects of gender norms, age, marital status, socio-economic status, and position in households on women’s decisions to migrate. The results revealed that migrant women from resource-poor households, regardless of age, marital status and position in households, commonly cited a gain in autonomy as an important motivation for their migration. From a differentiated perspective, young unmarried women aspired to prepare themselves for often expensive religious marriage ceremonies, whereas once-married women invest in their children’s education and build their own housing. By paying attention to the effects of gender norms, age, marital status, socio-economic status, and position in households on women’s decisions to migrate, the study illuminates the contradictory ways in which their migration practices are both shaped by and shape gender ideologies in parts of contemporary northern Ghana.     

Distribution patterns of SOC/TN content and their relationship with topography,vegetation and climatic factors in China’s north-south transitional zone

Journal of Geographical Sciences - The spatial distributions and variation mechanism of key soil indices in the Qinling-Daba Mountains are important indicators for the identification of the...     

Searching for a new dynamic of industrialization and urbanization: anatomy of China’s characteristic town program

The characteristic town program is one of China’s latest industrialization and urbanization strategies. Originating in Zhejiang, characteristic towns are expected to serve as platforms for industrial upgrading and the promotion urbanization. This paper attempts to analyze the characteristic town program by examining the reasons behind the origination of characteristic towns, as well as elucidating the towns’ components. The paper argues that this exploratory local program has been leveraged into a national-level strategy because the primary idea underlying characteristic towns has been in accordance with several of China’s critical policies. Furthermore, the paper presents the challenges that the characteristic town program has encountered. The characteristic town program can be viewed as a new effort of entrepreneurial governments and a spatial fix for capital during the period of industrial upgrading. This paper helps us to better understand one of China’s explorations in searching for a new dynamic of industrialization and urbanization.     

Foreword to Journal of Geographical Sciences

In order to strengthen academic exchange of geography between China and other countries, and to offer a publication for exchanging academic ideas of geog-raphers in the world, The Journal of Chinese Geog-raphy is changed to Journalof Geographical Sciences in 2001. The Journal of Geog-raphical Sciences is a periodical of natural sciences. It publishes articles relating to physical process and spatial pattern of the earth's surface, physio-geographical elements and their interaction, global …     

Analyzing vegetation dynamic trend on the Mongolian Plateau based on the Hurst exponent and influencing factors from 1982–2013

This study analyzed the spatial and temporal variations in the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) on the Mongolian Plateau from 1982–2013 using Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies (GIMMS) NDVI3g data and explored the effects of climate factors and human activities on vegetation. The results indicate that NDVI has slight upward trend in the Mongolian Plateau over the last 32 years. The area in which NDVI increased was much larger than that in which it decreased. Increased NDVI was primarily distributed in the southern part of the plateau, especially in the agro-pastoral ecotone of Inner Mongolia. Improvement in the vegetative cover is predicted for a larger area compared to that in which degradation is predicted based on Hurst exponent analysis. The NDVI-indicated vegetation growth in the Mongolian Plateau is a combined result of climate variations and human activities. Specifically, the precipitation has been the dominant factor and the recent human effort in protecting the ecological environments has left readily detectable imprints in the NDVI data series.     

David Mark’s contribution to ethnophysiography research

This article describes Professor David Mark’s considerable contributions over the last 11 years to research in Ethnophysiography, the study of terms used for landscape features in different languages, and toponyms (place-names). His preceding research is briefly discussed to provide a summary of the foundation from which ethnophysiography emerged. This article describes the key stages of development of this new field, including David Mark’s collaborations with Andrew Turk, David Stea, and others. It briefly summarizes the key theories used and the two ethnophysiography case studies undertaken thus far. This article provides an overview of how this collaborative transdisciplinary area of research has developed. It highlights the importance of David Mark’s scholarship in this process and indicates some of the impacts of the research.     

An ensemble approach to space–time interpolation

The availability of spatial data on an unprecedented scale as well as advancements in analytical and visualization techniques gives researchers the opportunity to study complex problems over large urban and regional areas. Nevertheless, few individual data sets exist that provide both the requisite spatial and/or temporal observational frequency to truly facilitate detailed investigations. Some data are collected frequently over time but only at a few geographic locations (e.g., weather stations). Similarly, other data are collected with a high level of spatial resolution but not at regular or frequent time intervals (e.g., satellite data). The purpose of this article is to present an interpolation approach that leverages the relative temporal richness of one data set with the relative spatial richness of another to fill in the gaps. Because different interpolation techniques are more appropriate than others for specific types of data, we propose a space–time interpolation approach whereby two interpolation methods – one for the temporal and one for the spatial dimension – are used in tandem to increase the accuracy results.

We call our ensemble approach the space–time interpolation environment (STIE). The primary steps within this environment include a spatial interpolation processor, a temporal interpolation processor, and a calibration processor, which enforces phenomenon-related behavioral constraints. The specific interpolation techniques used within the STIE can be chosen on the basis of suitability for the data and application at hand. In this article, we first describe STIE conceptually including the data input requirements, output structure, details of the primary steps, and the mechanism for coordinating the data within those steps. We then describe a case study focusing on urban land cover in Phoenix, Arizona, using our working implementation. Our empirical results show that our approach increased the accuracy for estimating urban land cover better than a single interpolation technique.     

A flexible multidimensional evaluation model for the dynamic values of traditional villages: Empirical study of cases in Northern Shaanxi北大核心CSCD

乡村振兴过程中,全面系统地认知传统村落活态化价值,对其进行客观有效地评估,具有重要的社会现实意义。面对类型多样且动态演化的传统村落,传统标准化的评价体系已难以适应不断变化的发展现实,因此构建一个更具弹性的评估模型是目前亟待解决的一个关键技术问题。论文从功能空间、景观意象和人文精神3个逻辑层面重新认知活态化价值的构成、关联及特征,据此构建出包括资源价值、要素延续、活化条件、功能适应、活化影响、发展潜能的多维评估框架,形成由3种类型和50项指标所构成的弹性评估模型,并以陕北地区54个国家级传统村落为案例进行模型验证。结果表明:(1)传统村落活态化价值具有多元性、交融性、动态性、脆弱性和适应性5个显著特征;(2)维度分析,运用多维弹性评估模型对传统村落展开评价,评价结果基本符合陕北地区的现实情况,且在不同评价维度上呈现出明显的结果差异,突显了不同类型传统村落的自身价值特征;(3)综合分析,陕北地区54个国家级传统村落活态化价值水平分值处于42.42~83.60区间内,平均为62.55分,活态化价值较高及以上的传统村落占比为39%左右,活态化价值一般及以下的传统村落占比61%左右,由此可见,陕北地区仍存在很多传统村落活态化价值发展水平不足的问题。传统村落活态化价值多维弹性评估模型兼具普适性和典型性的特点,适用于类型多样的传统村落,适应现阶段乡村振兴和遗产保护的现实需求。研究通过探索从单维静态评价向多维动态评估的技术提升,可进一步丰富和推动传统村落价值评估的理论研究和社会实践。     

Who has long commutes to low-wage jobs? Gender,race, and access to work in the New York region

Geographies of home and work have changed as public investment has favored central and distant suburban locations and as income inequality has increased. These changes result in shifting geographies of advantage that (dis)benefit gender and racial/ethnic groups unevenly. We examine commuting differentials by gender and race/ethnicity based on combinations of wages and commute times using data for the New York region.We find that Black, Asian, and Hispanic women and men are concentrated in jobs that have long commutes and low-wages, and Black and Hispanic workers’ concentrations increased from 2000–2010.Although Asian men and women remain overrepresented in that category, their share decreased in the 2000's.The urban core has become a region of heightened advantage, as White men, and an increasing share of White women, commute short times to well-paid jobs. Disadvantage has expanded for Black and Latina women whose long commutes are not compensated by well-paid employment.