Computerized database on salt affected soils in western and central India using GIS

Salt affected soils occupy significant areas in western and central India manifested by the arid and semiarid climate, sandy/clayey soil texture, absence of natural drainage, and inadequate infrastructure and irrigation development. These soils are productive following reclamation and appropriate management. The National Remote Sensing Agency, Hyderabad (India) published state-wise maps of salt affected soils in India on 1:250,000 scale using a legend that includes physiography, soil characteristics, and the aerial extent of the mapping units. In the analogue form, voluminous data contained in such maps were difficult to handle by users of varied backgrounds. An attempt was made to prepare a computerized database of salt affected soils for easy access, retrieval, and manipulation of spatial and attribute data useful for management of salt affected soils. The salt affected soils maps were prepared, for Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra states, overlaying digitized layers of SAS polygons and the Survey of India basemap using the ILWIS (Integrated Land and Water Information System) software. GIS was used to prepare a composite (master) database of western and central India that showed the extent and distribution of salt affected soils. A relational database was prepared combining the digitized polygons with soil characteristics such as nature and degree of salinity (presence of higher concentration of neutral salts and neutral soil reaction), sodicity (presence of higher concentration of basic salts and alkaline reaction) and ground coverage. The regional and zonal databases of salt affected soils were prepared at a suitable scale overlaying agro-climatic regions agro-climatic zones. Spatial relation of salt affected soils with physiography, climate, geology, and agro-eco-sub-regions were evaluated employing map calculations in GIS. Saline soils were prevalent in Gujarat, and Rajasthan while sodic soils were dominant in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. These were distributed primarily in the arid (B) plain of Rajasthan, alluvial (A) and coastal (D) plains of Gujarat, and peninsular plain (F) of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. It occupied 2,596,942 ha (78%) in the western (Rajasthan and Gujarat) and 733,608 ha (22%) in the central (Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra) regions. The SAS occupied 3.3 million ha in the western and central region constituting 50% of the total salt affected soils in India. The saline and sodic soils occupied 2,069,285 ha (62%) and 1,261,266 ha (38%), respectively.     

Catchment storm runoff modelling using the geomorphologic instantaneous unit hydrograph

A lumped empirical model, the Geomorphologic Instantaneous Unit Hydrograph (GIUH) rainfall-runoff model, is developed for the Can Le catchment in the upstream region of the Sai Gon river Basin (Vietnam). This model can serve to simulate catchment runoff into the Dau Tieng Reservoir and can be used as a flood forecasting tool for the ungauged Can Le catchment. The GIUH couples geomorphology and hydrology quantitatively. The obtained Unit Hydrograph is based on Horton's morphometric parameters; bifurcation, length and area ratios. A new functionality within the ILWIS GIS-RS package, namely ‘DEM-hydro processing’, is applied to effectively process a Digital Elevation Model to extract these ratios from the drainage network. To supplement the limited field data available, various satellites images have been used such as ASTER, SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission) and METEOSAT 5. A short field campaign to collect missing ground data was executed between September and October 2005. The data collected included discharge (and stage – discharge curve), meteorological data, soil, land use information that are used for paramerisation, calibration and validation of the GIUH. The model was successfully applied for the Can Le catchment. Using the Horton's morphometric parameters derived from the DEM with estimated overland and stream flow velocities, the model is easy-to-use.     

Identifying lichenometrically datable,glacierized terrains: a case study in the cascade range of western North America

Climatic interpretations of recent glacier fluctuations rely on ice-extent chronologies developed from lichenometric ages of Holocene landforms. However, lichenometry requires time- and resource-consuming field surveys, which limit our understanding of glacier chronologies, especially in remote locations. This study presents a rapid, coarse, a priori approach to predicting new field sites where lichenometry can be applied. Geologic, geographic, climatic, and landcover data were used in spatial and supervised classification analyses to identify areas in the Cascade Range of Washington and northern Oregon with similar environmental conditions to those where lichenometric dating techniques had previously been applied. These results focus the attention of researchers to only 1100 km², or 3%, of the broader Cascade Range study area. Though this study concentrates on the utility of lichenometry for dating recent glacier activity in the Cascade Range, the screening method presented is easily translatable to a variety of geomorphic and environmental applications.     

From data to decision-making – experiences in Integrated Earth Observation (IEO)

Within the confines of Earth Observation Scientific Knowledge and Technology Transfer in Hungary (EKAT) titled ESA PECS project we gained forum for utilization of our earth observation (EO) knowledge and possibility for further development of experiences. The project aims the horizontal preparation of Hungary for ESA membership – for a dynamically developing sphere in the common part of science, technology and business. For the efficient transfer and dissemination, we preconceived target groups and principles to reach main take-up points and to open new forums of information exchange. Nowadays, user-friendly service, complex supply and real-validation process all have great importance. Joining units of suitable data choice, entire ingestion–processing chains and ergonomic interfaces can only offer a timely and professional solution for the challenges of industry and business sectors. It has to be clearly seen, that information and communication technologies (ICT) and information control becomes a more and more significant part of EO services.     

Use of high-resolution satellite data,GIS and NRCS-CN technique for the estimation of rainfall-induced run-off in small catchment of Jharkhand India

The present study demonstrates the use of NRCS-CN technique for rainfall-induced run-off estimation using high-resolution satellite data for small watershed of Palamu district, Jharkhand. The CN model was applied to the daily rainfall data of 15 years (1986–2000) along with use of large-scale thematic maps (1:10,000) pertaining to land use/land cover using IRS-P6 LISS-IV satellite data. The LU/LC map was spatially intersected with the hydrological soil group map to calculate the watershed area under different hydrological similar units for assigning CN values to compute discharge. The study showed that Daltonganj watershed exhibits an average run-off volume of 7,881,019 m³ from an average cumulative monsoon rainfall of 821 mm and the average actual direct run-off generated during the southwest monsoon season was 203 mm. The strong correlation between rainfall and run-off as well as between observed run-off and estimated run-off indicated high accuracy of run-off estimation by NRCS-CN technique.     

From historical map to online 3D recreation: the 1861 cadastral map of Horta (Barcelona)

The recent study and classification of over 200 cadastral maps created in the nineteenth century in Catalonia have provided a valuable source of information about the agricultural landscape country’s past, but by linking them with data recorded in tax books known as amillaramientos, it is possible to gain a better knowledge of the past. By applying this method to the 1861 cadastral map of Horta and its corresponding amillaramiento, a planimetric map showing the land use distribution in the town was created. The resulting land use map was subsequently overlaid on top of a digital elevation model to create 3D visualizations which show the altitudinal distribution of crops and other features. Finally, the article explores a way of distributing the results online, making them accessible to the public and increasing the research impact of future findings. Therefore, the method described in this article allows the systematic recreation and distribution of past landscapes by using Catalan cadastral maps of the nineteenth century, something which can help enrich the scientific knowledge of many disciplines.     

A block-based selection method for road network generalization

Abstract

When road symbols are shown in a size proportionate to the reduced scale, several problems of legibility may arise concerning the urban blocks. By the method proposed in this paper, in order to overcome these problems, urban block areas are enlarged through amalgamation and the intervening roads in the amalgams are eliminated. This method includes two new approaches for computation of threshold used in determination of important roads based on the connectivity measure, and for definition of minimum block space and area requirements based on graphic limits. A block life cycle was designed for amalgamation of blocks. For the amalgamation process, a new algorithm was developed. The experimental testing indicates that important roads and the roads surrounding the urban area have been preserved. A simpler and more legible road network has been acquired. This method can be described as a more holistic approach as the buildings are taken into account. The problems arising in the experimental testing indicate that the cartographic selection/elimination process is not sufficient by itself for road network generalization, which can be assumed as one of the integral parts of Digital Earth. As well as the selection/elimination, processes such as displacement and caricaturizing are also needed.     

Land use and land cover changes over a century (1914–2007) in the Neyyar River Basin,Kerala: a remote sensing and GIS approach

Abstract

Land use and land cover change, perhaps the most significant anthropogenic disturbance to the environment, mainly due to rapid urbanization/industrialization and large scale agricultural activities. In this paper, an attempt has been made to appraise land use/land cover changes over a century (1914–2007) in the Neyyar River Basin (L=56 km; Area = 483.4 km²) in southern Kerala – a biodiversity hot spot in Peninsular India. In this study, digital remote sensing data of the Indian Remote Sensing satellite series I-D (LISS III, 2006–2007) on 1:50,000 scale, Survey of India (SOI) toposheet of 1914 (1:63,360) and 1967 (1:50,000) have been utilized to map various land use/land cover changes. Maps of different periods have been registered and resampled to similar geographic coordinates using ERDAS Imagine 9.0. The most notable changes include decreases in areas of paddy cultivation, mixed crops, scrub lands and evergreen forests, and increases in built-up areas, rubber plantations, dense mixed forests, and water bodies. Further, large scale exploitation of flood plain mud and river sand have reached menacing proportions leading to bank caving and cut offs at channel bends. Conservation of land and water resources forms an important aspect of ecosystem management in the basin.     

Evaluation of environmental parameters in logistic regression models for landslide susceptibility mapping

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine how well the landslide susceptibility parameters, obtained by data-dependent statistical models, matched with the parameters used in the literature. In order to achieve this goal, 20 different environmental parameters were mapped in a well-studied landslide-prone area, the Asarsuyu catchment in northwest Turkey. A total of 4400 seed cells were generated from 47 different landslides and merged with different attributes of 20 different environmental causative variables into a database. In order to run a series of logistic regression models, different random landslide-free sample sets were produced and combined with seed cells. Different susceptibility maps were created with an average success rate of nearly 80%. The coherence among the models showed spatial correlations greater than 90%. Models converged in the parameter selection peculiarly, in that the same nine of 20 were chosen by different logistic regression models. Among these nine parameters, lithology, geological structure (distance/density), landcover-landuse, and slope angle were common parameters selected by both the regression models and literature. Accuracy assessment of the logistic models was assessed by absolute methods. All models were field checked with the landslides resulting from the 12 November 1999, Kayna?li Earthquake (Ms = 7.2).     

嵌入式跨平台GIS应用中间件设计

为了解决嵌入式GIS跨平台的软件开发问题,针对嵌入式环境的资源有限性和平台多样性特点,设计了一种嵌入式GIS应用中间件——EGIS_MW平台,该平台能够有效屏蔽不同嵌入式软硬件环境的差异,为上层应用程序提供统一高效并且适合嵌入式GIS应用的编程接口。EGIS_MW平台已经在一款支持多种不同软硬件环境的嵌入式导航系统中得到了应用。应用表明该中间件能够很好地满足嵌入式GIS跨平台软件开发的技术需求。