The overall aim of this thesis is to investigate and to evaluate an alternative method for monitoring changes in land use through a selected study for a test location in south-east Scotland, with application of state-of-the-art approaches where possible. The specific objectives are: (1) to consider existing methods for image classification and integrated mapping of land use/land cover; (2) to construct the patterns and trends of recent changes in land use/land cover in south-east Scotland with a combination of different data sources and methods; (3) to test the feasibility of remote sensing data in land use/land cover studies integrated with GIS techniques and (4) to evaluate different data and methods adopted in the study and to explore their relationships. Using the available data sources of agricultural statistics, Landsat images and additional statistical and cartographic data, the principal methods include cartographic representation of the parish summaries, analysis of their temporal changes and establishment of relationships between different land use variables, as well as training, classification, accuracy assessment and comparison of Landsat images. They are integrated in the GIS to meet the research requirements and to supplement findings of each other. The main facets of changes in land use in south-east Scotland since the late 1940s are revealed in the study, through analysis of the available parish summaries. The general characteristics of the land use/land cover patterns show a continuation of previous findings. They also reflect changes in government policies.

No description available.

The aims of this thesis are threefold, to develop a set of reconnaissance techniques to allow the determination of the size and location of sand and gravel deposits in recently glaciated lowland areas, to construct predictive models of quality parameters, including rock type, particle size distribution and aggregate shape and to set these essentially supply orientated estimates - within the context of regional demand forecasts and planning constraints. North East Scotland is chosen as an area in which to develop these procedures, but it is hoped that the methodological nature of the thesis will allow similar exercises to be performed in other recently glaciated lowland areas. Hence, while the specific parameters of each predictive technique are unique to the study area, the general approach is of wider applicability. In general, all three aims of the thesis are fulfilled, with the exception of a few techniques developed with the intention of predicting aspects of the particle size characteristics of the sand fraction. The reasons for this difficulty being fully discussed in Chapter 4 and the Conclusion. The main finding of the thesis is that, in contrast to previous methodologies, it is possible to estimate the location, size and quality of sand and gravel deposits with a speed and cost commensurate with the budget usually available to consultants from either local authority planning departments or private commercial firms. Despite substantial cost and time savings, predictions are only marginally poorer than those achieved using more conventional techniques such as borehole drilling and geophysical procedures. However, it is stressed throughout the present work that the proposed techniques are only applicable at the reconnaissance scale and more detailed investigations are essential at individual sites before extraction of minerals can take place. The model of regional demand prediction, discussed in Chapter 4, presents the first technique of its kind and in spite of the need for more refinement and empirical testing in other areas, should be of value to regional planners throughout Britain provided similar data sets are available.

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The data, methods and research organisation involved in palaeoenvironmental reconstruction and paleoclimatic investigation are analysed to establish the research requirements that information systems approaches must support. The issues of using GIS technology in general and for palaeoenvironmental research in particular are then explored to ascertain how computing technology is currently being used in palaeoenvironmental work, how this could be enhanced, and what further work is required. A conceptual model (PERIS, PalaeoEnvironmental Research and Information System) and organisational framework is then proposed which would support international palaeoenvironmental research and allow coherent development by maximising the use of current resources and capitalising on existing data, techniques and knowledge. A role for GIS is thus established in the context of international collaboration and individual scientific endeavour and a clear path of development is provided for the production of a system which is flexible enough to accommodate changes in ideas and theories. Two case studies are used to exemplify the issues involved and illustrate the conceptual and methodological approaches generated. These focus on the creation of a system to handle data and explore theories associated with sea level change and glacial geomorphology for the Scandinavian area in North West Europe during the last glacial-interglacial cycle. These data sets play an important role in the reconstruction of ice sheet evolution and related environmental parameters to derive knowledge about the controls on and consequences of climate change. They are felt to be representative of the variety of data available and methods used, and serve as a basis for identifying the issues. The adoption of GIS technology for research makes the inherent issues in this study, which it has been possible to avoid addressing until now, more immediate, and therefore implementing GIS supported research must revolutionise the way in which scientific work is conducted. Conventional methods of research and collaboration will have to adapt and will become more rigorous in order to exploit GIS technology. In addition there are important areas in GIS technology that need further development to allow flexible handling of palaeoenvironmental data for reconstruction purposes. These issues are examined, and the utility of the conceptual PERIS model is explored in some detail, using the case studies.

Biodiversity and its conservation are an important subject as human pressure on natural resources increases continuously. Without accurate means of measuring biodiversity, however, monitoring is very di cult and conservation e orts might not be targeted e ectively. There is a great demand for biodiversity assessment on a regional scale in order to support national conservation aims as stated, for example, in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan. Remote sensing lends itself to interpretation at the landscape scale and this study aims to assess a variety of optical and laser remote sensing data with regard to their usefulness for biodiversity assessment in Wales. The study was divided into four distinct areas to evaluate di erent remote sensing data with regard to their utility for facilitating the measurement and assessment of distinct elements of biodiversity. These components are vegetation composition and condition, land cover on a regional scale, three-dimensional woodland structure and the interaction of ora and fauna within the landscape structure. Methodological advances include a novel land cover mapping approach from multispectral remote sensing data comparable to traditional manual habitat surveys as well as an analysis of forest vertical pro le under consideration of bird habitat preferences. Remote sensing data investigated included airborne hyperspectral data, multispectral satellite imagery and airborne LiDAR. The potential of hyperspectral data for the di erentiation of grasslands of varying levels of improvement was tested at two experimental grassland study sites and the results suggest a strong correlation between biomass and the red-edge region of the electromagnetic spectrum. A relationship between the presence of nonphotosynthetic vegetation and the level of agricultural improvement was further established and utilized in the formulation of rules for the classi cation of grassland habitats. The outcomes of this study were used to support the landscape-scale land cover mapping of the extent of 38 classes from a multi-temporal combination of two spaceborne multispectral sensors (SPOT 5 HRG and IRS LISS IV). The derived maps achieved a moderate accuracy of 64%, though individual classes, especially woodlands and bogs, exceeded this value. The ability of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and terrestrial laser scanner data to capture the three-dimensional structure of forests was investigated. It was found that both sensor types were limited in their ability to accurately represent forest vertical pro le due to respective downward and upward signal attenuation through the canopy. However, both provided an accurate digital terrain model and correlated well in their estimation of canopy height. Despite the limitations of vertical forest structure assessment from airborne Li- DAR, observation of bird species could be linked to distinct forest vertical pro les. Specialist woodland species were found to have the strongest habitat preferences with regard to the vertical forest structure. This project has achieved advancements in the mapping of agricultural land and habitats in Wales, using remote sensing data, speci cally in the di erentiation of grassland improvement levels and tree species discrimination from multispectral satellite imagery. Furthermore, a strong correspondence between airborne and terrestrial laser scanner outputs has been established and LiDAR forest pro les have been shown to relate well to known woodland bird habitat preferences. The added value derived from examining these four research areas as part of a single study, consists of the knowledge gained in how best to harness the respective remote sensing methods for the evaluation of very di erent aspects of biodiversity. It has further been shown that it is possible to use optical remote sensing data at a high spatial and spectral resolution, but low availability to inform and improve the utilization of more widely accessible, but less detailed images. Furthermore, a method has been developed which allows the interpolation of avian diversity from the assessment vertical forest structure. As biodiversity consists of many di erent elements at a wide variety of scales it is crucial to be able to perform such integrated analyses of its various components. However, only a combined approach towards the utilization of remote sensing, as demonstrated in this study, is likely to gain the necessary data. The outcomes of this research support Wales-wide assessment of biodiversity and facilitate the production of regional or national vegetation maps as well as structural attributes for input into models. Components of the study can be used to support, for example, climate change research, assessments of biodiversity and policy decisions. Optical and laser remote sensing data can be successfully utilized for Wales-wide biodiversity components analysis.

This research investigates the role of land titling and registration in economic development with the aim of adding knowledge by: (i) extending economic analysis from a sector to a macro level and across many countries; (ii) establishing the feasibility of applying a cost-benefit analysis to public investment in land registration; and (iii) deepening understanding of government regulations that restrict land transactions and, consequently, limit potential economic benefits of land registration. It addresses three questions: (i) whether land registration affects financial development; (ii) whether land registration affects economic growth; and (iii) whether public investment in land registration generates an economic rate of return higher than the opportunity cost of capital. The first two questions are addressed inconclusively with cross sectional regression techniques, due to econometric problems. The third question is addressed, with positive findings, using a case study of the Thailand land titling programme. In addition to the three questions, the study reviews government regulations on land transactions, using Cambodia and Philippines as case studies, and finds that they are considerable in number and, at least in the Philippines where they are enforced, are found to restrict land transactions with adverse effects on the potential economic benefits of land registration.

Geodetic networks have been observed for centuries with the designs based on intuition and empirical formulae. More recently, computer simulation has been pioneered in order to test networks prior to any observations being made. This involves the computation of the covariance matrix of the parameters from which the designer may determine whether or not the quality requirements of the prospective user are met. With the increasing cost of field operations it is becoming more important to find a set of observations that will meet the quality requirement whilst keeping costs to a minimum. Such a network is called an optimum network. The success'of the foregoing methods depends on the skill and experience of the designer. Accordingly, investigations have been carried out to determine the suitability of determining the optimal design of level networks. Four methods which solve the second order design problem to find the optimal design have been tested. These involve the Khatri-Rac matrix product to transform the problem into one which may be solved using either generalised matrix inverses or linear programming. In addition a way of automating the established simulation method of network design by removing observations using a criteria based on the relative error between stations, whilst considering the reliability of the network, is examined. The identification of the requirements of the user and their presentation in a form which is convenient for inclusion in mathematical models is also discussed. It is concluded that the particular methods of finding the optimal design via a solution to the second order design problem, which were investigated, are unsuitable. The automated simulation technique is, however, found to be succesful when applied to both small and large level networks and allows a great deal of flexibility with respect to different optimal criteria.

Areas of high conservation value in the UK often have a legal requirement for some form of regular monitoring of their status. This thesis investigates the use of methods in Earth Observation to achieve this both reliably and faster than land based approaches. This is done through the use of a case study in south Wales, Kenfig National Nature Reserve. The site is a candidate Special Area for Conservation under the European Union's Habitats Directive. This is due to the presence of the fen orchid, <i>Liparis loeselii</i>, and petalwort, <i>Petalophyllum ralfsii</i>. Use is made of data from two principal airborne multispectral sensors, the Compact Airborne Spectrographic Imager (CASI) and the Airborne Thematic Mapper (ATM) as well as a Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) instrument. Simple methods of EO data processing are used to classify these data and produce accurate maps of habitat in an area of high conservation value. Habitats with similar spectral properties are hard to classify in this way. Methods of data fusion and information aggregation were thus applied to assist in the identification of habitats inaccurately identified with the simpler methods of classification. These are shown to produce more robust results. Furthermore, ancillary data, in the form of elevation information, may also be used to refine the classification process again. Using a method of information aggregation that allows constituent sources to be differentially weighted in light of <i>a priori</i> knowledge regarding classifier accuracy, a robust classification is produced. It is concluded that the data fusion approaches allow more robust classification products to be supplied to the end users of the data, the managers of sites of conservation interest such as Kenfig NNR. The availability of such approaches in commonly available computing environments is currently limited; it is therefore suggested that they be made more widely available by suppliers of GIS technology to conservation organisations.

No description available.