APPLICATIONS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TECHNIQUES TO REMOTE SENSING*

Remote sensing is a geographic analysis tool capable of producing large quantities of data in the spectral, temporal and spatial domains. Techniques for automating the image analysis process would be advanced by the inclusion of artificial intelligence techniques in the design of image processing systems. The remote sensing application which show promise for successful implementation of artificial intelligence techniques are intelligent onboard processing, advanced database interrogation, and the automated analysis of multispectral imagery.     

SUMMER MEASUREMENTS OF DISSOLVED ION CONCENTRATIONS IN ALPINE STREAMS,BLANCA PEAK REGION,COLORADO*

Chemical weathering is commonly assumed to be negligible in the denudation of alpine landscapes. Spot samples of dissolved ions from alpine streams on the Blanca Massif had minimum average concentrations in 1978 of 35.53 ppm (range: 14.9–75.6 ppm) and in 1979, 20.23 ppm (range: 7.35–35.0 ppm). Correlations between the variation in the concentration of dissolved ions (silica, pH, and minimum ion concentration) and the elevations and drainage-basin areas of sample sites were significant at the 0.05 level.     

Integration or Self-Sufficiency? Peninsular Malaysia and the Rice Trade in Southeast Asia

The issue of food self-sufficiency has recently come under scrutiny as global trade liberalisation has been in conflict with national development strategies founded on protection and encouragement of staple food production. This paper examines the case of rice in Peninsular Malaysia from an historical perspective. It traces the evolution of self-sufficiency strategies from colonial times tothe present and notes how and why such policies have been questioned both in the past and in recent years. It then suggests that a more integrated Southeast Asian regional rice economy may evolve as support for national self-sufficiency wanes and, in this, there may be much to learn from the colonial era when such a regional rice trade thrived.     

Analysing telemetry data with a GIS-based vector structure

Abstract

This paper proposes a unique method for plotting field bearing locations, of the kind typically taken by wildlife biologists on free ranging species, directly on a computer-compatible habitat map. We show how to use a GIS data base to identify differential habitat use directly from the polygon formed by each set of bearings. A geometric algorithm is developed to interpret the bearings accurately. The technique avoids the most difficult errors associated with using point locations, namely those due to animal movement, and distance from receiver to transmitter, and is especially useful for habitat preference studies.