A review of assessment methods for cellular automata models of land-use change and urban growth

ABSTRACT

Cellular automata (CA) models are in growing use for land-use change simulation and future scenario prediction. It is necessary to conduct model assessment that reports the quality of simulation results and how well the models reproduce reliable spatial patterns. Here, we review 347 CA articles published during 1999–2018 identified by a Scholar Google search using ‘cellular automata’, ‘land’ and ‘urban’ as keywords. Our review demonstrates that, during the past two decades, 89% of the publications include model assessment related to dataset, procedure and result using more than ten different methods. Among all methods, cell-by-cell comparison and landscape analysis were most frequently applied in the CA model assessment; specifically, overall accuracy and standard Kappa coefficient respectively rank first and second among all metrics. The end-state assessment is often criticized by modelers because it cannot adequately reflect the modeling ability of CA models. We provide five suggestions to the method selection, aiming to offer a background framework for future method choices as well as urging to focus on the assessment of input data and error propagation, procedure, quantitative and spatial change, and the impact of driving factors.     

China＇s regional transport dominance： Density, proximity, and accessibility

Transport infrastructure plays an important role in shaping the configuration of spatial socio-economic structures and influences regional accessibility. This paper defines transport dominance from three aspects: quality, quantity, and advantage, measured by density, proximity, and accessibility indices. County is the basic unit for analysis. The results reveal: (1) Transport dominance statistically follows a partial normal distribution. A very few counties, 1.4% of the total, have extremely high transport dominance which strongly supports the socio-economic development in these areas. In contrast, one eighth of all counties have poor transport dominance which impedes local socio-economic development to some extent. The remaining areas, about 70% of the counties, have median transport dominance. (2) Transport dominance is spatially unevenly distributed, with values decreasing gradually from the coastal area to the inland area. Areas in the first-highest level of transport dominance are mainly concentrated in the Yangtze River Delta, the Greater Beijing area, and the Pearl River Delta. Areas in the second-highest level are focused in Chengdu, Chongqing, and Wuhan metropolitan areas. Provincial capitals and a few other counties belong to the third-highest level.     

Spatial Process of Green Infrastructure Changes Associated with Rapid Urbanization in Shenzhen,China

Through a case study of Shenzhen City,China,this study focused on a quantitative method for analyzing the spatial processes involved in green infrastructure changes associated with rapid urbanization.Based on RS,GIS and SPSS statistics software,the approach includes selection of the square analysis units and representative landscape metrics,quantification of the change types of landscape metrics in all analysis units through two indices and hierarchical cluster analysis of the above analysis units with different landscape metric change types(i.e.spatial attributes).The analyses verify that there is a significant sequence of continuous changes in green infrastructure in Shenzhen.They are the perforation,the segmentation,the fragmentation,the evanescence and the filling-in processes,which have a good spatio-temporal correspondence with urbanization and reflect the synthetic influence of urban planning,government policies and landforms.Compared with other studies on quantifying the spatial pattern,this study provides an alternative probe into linking the spatial pattern to spatial processes and the corresponding ecological processes in the future.These spatio-temporal processes offer many opportunities for identifying,protecting and restoring key elements in an urban green infrastructure network for areas in the early stages of urbanization or for non-urbanized areas.     

云南哈尼梯田景观格局指数筛选研究（英文）

本文旨在筛选出一系列适合描述哈尼梯田景观格局的指数。我们从面积与边缘、形状、核心面积、隔离度/临近度、聚集度、多样性6个方面选取了47个景观指数,基于ArcGIS平台,将土地利用图矢量数据转化成栅格数据,栅格大小由30m×30m,以5m为间隔,增加至175m×175m,共计30幅土地利用图。运用SPSS软件,通过Pearson相关分析,47个景观格局指数分为21个小组,组内指数的两两相关性都在90%以上。每组选取代表性的指数,进行主成分分析,得出前5个主成分的方差变量能够占总方差变量的93%。选取旋转后各分量中具有最大相关性的5个景观结构指数来表达主成分的5个因子分别是分散指数(Splitting index[SPLIT]),斑块面积分布方差指数(Patch area distribution[AREA_CV]),香农多样性指数(Shannon’s diversity index[SHDI]),几何最近邻距离加权平均值指数(Euclidean nearest neighbor distance distribution[ENN_AM]),总核心面积指数(Total core area[TCA])。考虑到哈尼梯田的实际景观特征并结合前人的研究成果,我们增加平均分维数(Patch fractal dimension distribution[FRAC_MN])作为第6个指数。由于景观指数具有尺度效应,我们通过景观格局指数与尺度变化关系图,计算得出红河哈尼梯田景观格局指数的尺度域为40–45m之间。通过分维分析法,识别出哈尼梯田的特征格局在40–45m之间,即研究哈尼梯田的景观格局的最适宜栅格大小为40–45m之间。通过研究,我们认为以上6个景观指数能够反映哈尼梯田的景观格局特征,同时也可以运用这6个指数来描述类似哈尼梯田的景观格局。     

重庆市浅丘带坝区土地利用与景观空间格局分析

选取重庆市沙坪坝区陈家镇为研究区,采用其建立的土地利用现状数据库,运用GIS的图形处理与空间分析功能,生成6种景观格局图并输入Fragstats for ArcView3.X软件,提取景观格局指数,借助于景观格局指数在生态过程与土地利用间所建立的一种关联,分析并探讨土地利用诱发下景观空间格局特征的响应.其结果:水田景观在景观类型中占据着绝对优势,其连接度表现较高,是景观类型明显的基质,受人类活动干扰强;冬水田景观要素接近于水田景观本底,且冬水田景观要素斑块个数、类型面积随着河流缓冲区距离的增大而增加;旱地景观中各景观要素斑块总体上分布比较零散,规律性不强;农村居民点景观要素是建设用地景观的主要类型,其斑块几何形状简单、规整,各斑块间的相似性强,外围边界接近于正方形或者矩形.     

Quantifying flow–ecology relationships with functional linear models

Abstract

Hydrologic metrics have been used widely to quantify flow-ecology relationships; however, there are several challenges associated with their use, including the selection from a large number of available metrics and the limitation that metrics are a synthetic measure of a multi-dimensional flow regime. Using two case studies of fish species density and community composition, we illustrate the use of functional linear models to provide new insights into flow–ecology relationships and predict the expected impact of environmental flow scenarios, without relying on hydrologic metrics. The models identified statistically significant relationships to river flow over the 12 months prior to sampling (r² range 36–67%) and an environmental flow scenario that may enhance native species’ densities while controlling a non-native species. Hydrologic metrics continue to play an important role in ecohydrology and environmental flow management; however, functional linear models provide an approach that overcomes some of the limitations associated with their use.

Editor Z.W. Kundzewicz; Guest editor M. Acreman

Citation Stewart-Koster, B., Olden, J.D., and Gido, K.B., 2014. Quantifying flow–ecology relationships with functional linear models. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 59 (3–4), 629–644.     

Performance evaluation of underwater platforms in the context of space exploration

Robotic platforms are essential for future human planetary and lunar exploration as they can operate in more extreme environments with a greater endurance than human explorers. In this era of space exploration, a terrestrial analog that can be used for development of the coordination between manned and robotic vehicles will optimize the scientific return of future missions while concurrently minimizing the downtime of both human explorers and robotic platforms. This work presents the use of underwater exploratory robots - autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV), remotely operated vehicles (ROV), and manned submersibles - as analogues for mixed human-robot exploration of space. Subaqueous settings present diverse challenges for navigation, operation and recovery that require the development of an exploration model of a similar complexity as required for space exploration. To capitalize on the strengths of both robotic and human explorers this work presents lessons learnt with respect to the fields of human-robotic interface (HRI) and operator training. These are then used in the development of mission evaluation tools: (1) a task efficiency index (TEI), (2) performance metrics, and (3) exploration metrics. Although these independent evaluations were useful for specific missions, further refinement will be required to fully evaluate the strengths and capabilities of multiple platforms in a human-robotic exploration campaign in order to take advantage of unforeseen science opportunities in remote settings.     

高阶模糊地理现象建模和度量研究

模糊地理现象的建模和度量方法已经取得了一些进展,但是现有的模型不能度量隶属度的误差,不足以客观描述复杂的模糊地理现象。认为尺度效应和测量误差是客观上引起模糊地理现象隶属度误差的主要方面,相关人员的主观性和部门间标准的差异性是主观上引起隶属度误差的主要方面.基于区间II-型模糊集理论建立了模糊地理对象模型,研究了区间II-型模糊线长度、区间II-型模糊面面积的度量方法和它们隶属度误差的度量方法。该模型能表达隶属度误差,克服了现有模型的诸多缺陷。在自然灾害分析、全球变化和植被变化等方面有良好的应用前景。     

Between close and distanced links: Firm internationalization in a subsea cluster in Western Norway

Karlsen, A. & Nordhus, M. 2011. Between close and distanced links: Firm internationalization in a subsea cluster in Western Norway. Norsk Geografisk Tidsskrift–Norwegian Journal of Geography Vol. 65, 202–211. ISSN 0029-1951.

The cluster concept has attracted attention from scholars and become increasingly popular in regional politics, as exemplified by The Norwegian Centres of Expertise programme. External linkages of cluster firms have become a concern inspired by the notions ‘local buzz’ and ‘global pipelines’. Viable clusters are dependent on the quality of both internal industrial environment and external linkages. The article focuses on internationalization of SMEs from a cluster perspective and discusses how cluster firms take advantage of different dimensions of proximity in their internationalization endeavours. By applying the industrial network approach, firms’ strategies and positions at different stages of internationalization are integrated in the analysis. The cases are four SMEs located in a ‘subsea cluster’ close to Bergen, Norway. Data were collected through interviews with top managers and observations during cluster-related meetings. The cases differ with regard to size and international experiences. Firms that are highly internationalized rely on cognitive or organizational proximity when they internationalize further. Such firms provide opportunities for other cluster firms. In contrast, less internationalized firms rely on social and institutional types of proximity. As they collaborate with larger and more experienced cluster firms they can skip some of the resource-demanding steps in the internationalizing process.