Use of multi‐platform,multi‐temporal remote‐sensing data for calibration of a distributed hydrological model: an application in the Arno basin,Italy

Images from satellite platforms are a valid aid in order to obtain distributed information about hydrological surface states and parameters needed in calibration and validation of the water balance and flood forecasting. Remotely sensed data are easily available on large areas and with a frequency compatible with land cover changes. In this paper, remotely sensed images from different types of sensor have been utilized as a support to the calibration of the distributed hydrological model MOBIDIC, currently used in the experimental system of flood forecasting of the Arno River Basin Authority. Six radar images from ERS‐2 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors (three for summer 2002 and three for spring–summer 2003) have been utilized and a relationship between soil saturation indexes and backscatter coefficient from SAR images has been investigated. Analysis has been performed only on pixels with meagre or no vegetation cover, in order to legitimize the assumption that water content of the soil is the main variable that influences the backscatter coefficient. Such pixels have been obtained by considering vegetation indexes (NDVI) and land cover maps produced by optical sensors (Landsat‐ETM). In order to calibrate the soil moisture model based on information provided by SAR images, an optimization algorithm has been utilized to minimize the regression error between saturation indexes from model and SAR data and error between measured and modelled discharge flows. Utilizing this procedure, model parameters that rule soil moisture fluxes have been calibrated, obtaining not only a good match with remotely sensed data, but also an enhancement of model performance in flow prediction with respect to a previous calibration with river discharge data only. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

利用高分辨率卫星影像进行地震损失评价所需的城市特征识别

高分辨率卫星影像已经在一些国家的民用领域得到应用。利用高分辨率卫星影像来收集地震损失评价所需要的各类城市信息不仅高效和有较好的时间分辨率，而且它可以减少以往所必需的大量的代价高昂且费力的城市调查。基于在印度城市台拉登所做的研究，讨论了如何利用高分辨率卫星影像进行城市特征识别的一些问题，同时也简单论述了利用GIS／RS软件综合所得的数据以便用于地震损失评价的方法。     

遥感影像三维可视化研究

利用DEM高程资料实现遥感影像的三维显示可大大提高遥感监测产品的使用价值，而商用软件成本高操作繁琐普及困难。利用计算机图形学知识和Delphi编程语言，开发了一套遥感影像三维可视化软件。对在开发过程中遇到的有关DEM数据的裁剪与拼接、图像配准、地表模拟、透视变换、消隐处理、光照和阴影效果以及颜色变换等问题的解决方案和实现方法作了简要的介绍。     

GPS水汽遥感中的大气干延迟局地订正模型研究

在GPS遥感水汽过程中,大气干延迟模型的精度直接影响水汽遥感的精度。根据广东清远站1995～2001年的气象探空资料,计算了GPS水汽测量中的实际大气干延迟。在此资料基础上,利用地面气象要素建立了大气干延迟的年和分月局地订正模型。分析结果表明,年模型的精度优于目前广泛使用的普适模型;月模型与年模型相比,效果不是很明显,建立局地分月订正模型意义不大;在对高度角的敏感程度上,局地模型略大些;当高度角小于75时,大气干延迟弯曲路径与直线路径之差ΔS随天顶角增大而迅速增大。     

Groundwater vulnerability mapping: A GIS and fuzzy rule based integrated tool

Contamination of groundwater has become a major concern in recent years. Since testing of water quality of all domestic and irrigation wells within large watersheds is not economically feasible, one frequently used monitoring strategy is to develop contamination potential maps of groundwater, and then prioritize those wells located in the potentially highly contaminated areas for testing of contaminants. However, generation of contamination potential maps based on groundwater sensitivity and vulnerability is not an easy task due inherent uncertainty. Therefore, the overall goal of this research is to improve the methodology for the generation of contamination potential maps by using detailed landuse/pesticide and soil structure information in conjunction with selected parameters from the DRASTIC model. The specific objectives of this study are (i) to incorporate GIS, GPS, remote sensing and the fuzzy rule-based model to generate groundwater sensitivity maps, and (ii) compare the results of our new methodologies with the modified DRASTIC Index (DI) and field water quality data. In this study, three different models were developed (viz. DI_fuzz, VI_fuzz and VI_{fuzz_ped}) and were compared to the DI. Once the preliminary fuzzy logic-based (DI_fuzz) was generated using selected parameters from DI, the methodology was further refined through VI_fuzz and VI_{fuzz_ped} models that incorporated landuse/pesticide application and soil structure information, respectively. This study was conducted in Woodruff County of the Mississippi Delta region of Arkansas. Water quality data for 55 wells were used to evaluate the contamination potential maps. The sensitivity map generated by VI_{fuzz_ped} with soil structure showed significantly better coincidence results when compared with the field data.     

Book Reviews

Pauline von Bornsdorff and Arto Haapala, eds. Aesthetics in the Human Environment James D. Proctor and David M. Smith, eds. Geography and Ethics: Journeys in a Moral Terrain G. Malcolm Lewis, ed. Cartographic Encounters: Perspectives on Native American Mapmaking and Map Use Richard Symanski, Blackhearts: Ecology in Outback Australia Donald W. Meinig, The Shaping of America: A Geographical Perspective on 500 Years of History Peter J. Taylor, Modernities: A Geohistorical Interpretation Keith Harries, Mapping Crime: Principle and Practice Leland T. Saito, Race and Politics: Asian Americans, Latinos, and Whites in a Los Angeles Suburb Frank McDonald, The Construction of Dublin Lisa M. Benton, The Presidio: From Army Post to National Park Bob R. O'Brien, Our National Parks and the Search for Sustainability Eric Damian Kelly and Barbara Becker Community Planning: An Introduction to the Comprehensive Plan Avinoam Meir As Nomadism Ends: The Israeli Bedouin of the Negev David Pinder, ed. The New Europe: Economy, Society, and Environment R. P. Misra and Kamlesh Misra Million Cities of India: Growth Dynamics, Internal Structure, Quality of Life, and Planning Perspectives. Vol 1     

基于多源遥感的聚落与多级人口统计 数据的关系分析

在四川省市州、区县和典型村等三级尺度上,探讨了基于多源遥感的聚落面积与多级人口统计数据的关系。首先,从LANSAT TM影像中提取农村和城镇聚落信息,从Quickbird 影像上提取农村聚落及其房屋地基信息。其次,通过叠加统计得到各级统计单元内的聚落面积;再次,在四川省市州和区县尺度上,分别对城乡聚落面积和总人口数、城镇聚落面积和非农业人口数、农村聚落面积和农业人口数等进行相关性分析, 城镇聚落和非农业人口数的相关系数最高,分别为0.962和0.791,并建立了基于城镇聚落面积的非农业人口数估算模型,其模型的判定系数分别为0.926和0.625;最后,在村级尺度上,对农村聚落及其房屋地基面积与农村人口数之间的相关性进行分析,其相关系数分别为0.806和0.825,分别建立基于农村聚落及其房屋地基面积的农村人口数估算模型,其模型的判定系数分别为0.65和0.68。研究表明,LANDSAT TM适用于大尺度的非农业人口估算,估算效果随尺度的降低而有所降低;Quickbird适合于精细尺度的农业人口估算。     

Landscape Controls on Structural Variation in Eucalypt Vegetation Communities: Woronora Plateau,Australia

Quantification of landscape-based vegetation structural variation and pattern is a significant goal for a variety of ecological, monitoring and biodiversity studies. Vegetation structural metrics, derived from airborne laser scanning (ALS or aerial light detection and ranging—LiDAR) and QuickBird satellite imagery, were used to establish the degree of plot-based vegetation variation at a hillslope scale. Topographic position is an indicator of energy and water availability, and was quantified using DEM-based insolation and topographic wetness, respectively, stratifying areas into hot-warm-cold and wet-moist-dry topographic classes. A range of vegetation metrics—maximum and modal canopy height, crown cover, foliage cover, NDVI and semivariance—were compared among randomly selected plots from each topographic class. NDVI increases with increasing landscape wetness, whereas ALS-derived foliage cover decreases with increasing insolation. Foliage cover is well correlated with crown cover (R ² =0.65), and since foliage cover is readily calculable for whole-of-landscape application, it will provide valuable and complementary information to NDVI. Between-plot heterogeneity increases with increasing wetness and decreasing insolation, indicating that more sampling is required in these locations to capture the full range of landscape-based variability. Pattern analysis in landscape ecology is one of the fundamental requirements of landscape ecology, and the methods described here offer statistically significant, quantifiable and repeatable means to realise that goal at a fine spatial grain.     

Vulnerability of Kuwait coast to sea level rise

Assessing coastal vulnerability to sea level rise (SLR) at local and regional scales is a fundamental step for designing successful long-term coastal management plans. This study was thus designed to assess Kuwait coastal vulnerability to SLR at four scenarios (.5, 1, 1.5 and 2 m). Potential inundated areas and the number of people at risk were estimated based on these SLR scenarios. A coastal vulnerability index (CVI) map of Kuwait was then computed based on the lowest scenario using eight parameters: elevation, coastal slope, geomorphology, distance to 20-m isobath, population, land use, cultural heritage and transportation. The geographic distribution of inundated areas at an SLR of .5 m revealed that the northern islands of Kuwait and coastal areas along Kuwait Bay would be highly impacted, whereas the coastal area near Shuaibah Port was the most influenced among the southern coasts. Most of the coastal area exhibited a moderate vulnerability to SLR, especially the northern islands. This study presented an initial vulnerability assessment for Kuwait coasts to SLR, which can be extended with more variables. The integrated remote sensing and geographic information system methodology demonstrated in this study can be applied in similar studies elsewhere.     

Estimation of Grassland Production in Central and Eastern Mongolia from 2006 to 2015 via Remote Sensing

Mongolia is an important part of the Belt and Road Initiative “China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor” and a region that has been severely affected by global climate change. Changes in grassland production have had a profound impact on the sustainable development of the region. Our study explored an optimal model for estimating grassland production in Mongolia and discovered its temporal and spatial distributions. Three estimation models were established using a statistical analysis method based on EVI, MSAVI, NDVI, and PsnNet from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) remote sensing data and measured data. A model evaluation and accuracy comparison showed that an exponential model based on MSAVI was the best simulation (model accuracy 78%). This was selected to estimate the grassland production in central and eastern Mongolia from 2006 to 2015. The results show that the grassland production in the study area had a significantly fluctuating trend for the decade study; a slight overall increasing trend was observed. For the first five years, the grassland production decreased slowly, whereas in the latter five years, significant fluctuations were observed. The grassland production (per unit yield) gradually increased from the southwest to northeast. In most provinces of the study area, the production was above 1000 kg ha ^-1, with the largest production in Hentiy, at 3944.35 kg ha ^-1. The grassland production (total yield) varied greatly among the provinces, with Kent showing the highest production, 2341.76×10 ⁴ t. Results also indicate that the trend in grassland production along the China-Mongolia railway was generally consistent with that of the six provinces studied.