Application of GIS and Remote Sensing to Analyses Landscape Structures
Kazuyuki Takahasi1 and Keitarou Hara2
Graduate School of Businees Administration and Information Science,
Tokyo University of Information Sciences,
1200-2 Yatoh-cho,Wakaba-ku, Chiba 265-8501 Japan
Tel: +81-4-236-4628 Fax:+81-236-2601
Email: 1kazuyuki@rsch.tuis.ac.jp, 2hara@rsch.tuis.ac.jp
Keywords: landscape classification, regional planning, remote sensing, GIS
Abstract
Landscape structure of Sakura-city, central Japan was analysed using GIS and remotely sensed data in order to examine the methodology of landscape classification and eŽectiveness of utilization of GIS and remote sensing. Sakura-city is situated on the fringe of the Tokyo metropolis and urban development has been done in the suburb/rural areas. Following -ve landscape types were classi-edon the basis of the topographic features and land cover types derived from Landsat TM data: 1. Marsh landscape, 2. Lowland rural landscape, 3. Upland rural landscape, 4. Yatsuda rural landscape, and 5. Urban landscape. Ecotopes (the minimum units of landscape) were de-ned by topographic features (altitude and inclination of slope) and land cover types. Then the characteristics of each landscape type were examined according to the composition of ecotopes. The eŽectiveness in the use of GIS and remotely sensed data was veri-ed by this data. Secondly, the resolution of the TM data coincides with the scale of the landscape analysis. Thirdly, the latest information of land cover could be obtained from the area concerned where the rapid urbainization is promoting.
1.Introduction
Rising public concerns on natural environment have accelerated needs in recent years to implement, as part of any development projects, speci-c measures to preserve our environment. The conservation of natural environment should not stop at simple protecting one ecosystem. As pointed out by Forman & Godron (1986) and by Forman (1995), it is essential to tackle this issue from a wider perspective - to conserve an overall landscape that represents composites of many ecosystem.
Many researchers have classi-ed the natural environment by landscape types to come up with indicator to evaluate environment (Blankson & Green, 1991; Bunce, 1996). Land-scape classi-cation systems proposed so far tried to extract landscape elements based on topographic features and land use. These previous systems tended to have unclearly de-ned judgment criteria, which resulted in inconsistent evaluation between researchers. Reasons for such inconsistency included: 1) the ambiguity of the class-cation themselves, and 2) diŽerences between individual researchers on de_ning topographic boundaries. Meanwhile, with the rapid progress in accumulation and improvement of digitized geographic data, the level of availability of topographic ad land use information has improved substantially in Japan. For more rational land use and for implementing suburban and urban planning in a manner following natural landscapes more closely, it is necessary to introduce a standardized landscape classi?cation method which yields consistent classi-cation results independent of a person doing the job.
We examine for use in landscape classi-cation methods the generation of standard algorithms such as for handing digital terrain models (DTM) and Landsat TM data in order to attain the standardization mentioned above.
2. Study Area
Landscape structure of Sakura City in Chiba prefecture in central Japan was analyzed in this study. Sakura is located at the center of the shimousa upland in the northern part of Chiba Prefecture. Around Lake Inbanuma located in the northwest part of Sakura, a marshy lowland spreads and this lowland together with the Shimousa upland forms an inter-winding complicated topography. At the head of rivers, a rural landscape speci-c to this region, called the Yatsuda paddy-elds, spreads in tree-branch shapes. Being only 40 kilometers away from the center of Tokyo, there is a rapid housing land development around Sakura Station and other commuter train stations along JR and Keisei commuter train lines, Needs are therefore high for development harmonious with the nature.
3.Method
3.1 Analysis System
The Environmental Data Analysis System at the Tokyo University of Information Sciences was used in the landscape analyses. The hardware and software composition is given below:
| Hardware: | Software |
| *SUN S-7/300 U | * ARC/INFO Ver7.2.1 |
| *Gateway GP6-450, 700 | * ERDAS IMAGINE Ver8.3.1 |
| | * ArcView Ver3.2 |
