This research developed a versatile land-use information system (VLUIS) based on moderate- and high-spatial resolution imagery for supporting local planning in Indonesia. It was motivated by the fact that the existing land-use information contained by the Key Dataset for Local Development (KDLD) was not adequate to support environmental planning at local levels in Indonesia. This was due to its inconsistent mapping methods, contents/classification scheme, and inflexibility to be used as an input to local physical planning processes. Although the KDLD was developed by most local coordinating agencies for development planning (Bappedas), the land-use map was not used as a common reference by various local and provincial institutions in assessing the state of environment. Therefore, each institution had a tendency to develop its own land-cover/land-use information, resulting redundant works of land-cover/land-use mapping, which were incompatible to each others. With regard to that problem, the objectives of this study were: (a) to specify land-use related planning tasks at local level in Semarang-Salatiga area, Java, Indonesia; (b) to design a versatile landuse classification scheme for urban and rural environment at local level in Java in order to support various applications in the local planning context; and (c) to develop and verify the versatile land-use mapping methods based on moderate- and high-spatial satellite imagery. Semarang-Salatiga area was chosen due to its relatively complex land-use phenomena and data availability. In this study, two types of satellite image dataset were used, Landsat-7 ETM+ and Quickbird, representing moderate- and high-spatial resolution imagery respectively. To achieve the research objectives, a methodology comprising three stages of activity was developed. The first stage specified local physical planning tasks and their required land-cover/land-use information, based on literature study and interview with 36 stakeholders in the study area. In the second stage, versatile land-use information contents were specified in a classification scheme containing five land-use dimensions, i.e. spectral, spatial, temporal, ecological, and socio-economic. In the third stage, a set of image classification methods was developed for generating all land-use dimension maps with the specified classes. For each type of imagery, the study area was divided into northern and southern parts. The northern part represents more developed/urbanised area, while the southern part represents less developed or rural areas. Multi-spectral classification in terms of both standard and non-standard approaches were explored to derive the spectral-related land-cover classes, while visual interpretation and object-oriented image segmentation were compared to find most accurate method in generating the spatial dimension classes. The standard multi-spectral classification approach made use of original bands as input to the classification process, while the non-standard approach involved texturally filtered and texturally aggregated bands in addition to the original ones. The spectral-related land-cover and spatial dimension maps, supported by a terrain unit map, were integrated in a raster GIS environment to derive the temporal, ecological, and socio-economic maps in separate processing methods. After that, all derived maps were integrated into a single dataset of VLUIS, ready for query-based activation at will and translation to other classification systems. Based on the interview with the respondents, a list of variables related to land-cover/land-use information required by various local planning tasks was regrouped with respect to the developed five land-use dimensions. After that, a classification scheme containing five columns representing spectral-related land-cover, spatial, temporal, ecological, and socioeconomic dimensions were created. The specified classes under each dimension referred to the variables used in various local planning and to the existing, widely used, classification systems. The spectral-related land-cover mapping results showed that standard multi-spectral classification methods using the original spectral bands gave higher accuracy results (84.63% or Kappa=0.8276 for Landsat-7 ETM+ and 68.75% or Kappa=0.6813 for Quickbird) than non-standard classification methods involving textural filtering (80.55% or Kappa=0.7988 for Landsat-7 ETM+ and 66.45 or Kappa=0.6503 for Quickbird) and textural aggregation (66.68% or Kappa=0.6512 for Landsat-7 ETM+ and 63.91% or Kappa=0.6222 for Quickbird) approaches. This was due to the fact that the texture is closer to spatial rather than spectral concept, while the specified categories in the spectral-related land-cover dimension is purposively developed for spectral classification. For the same image coverage and number of classes, Landsat-7 ETM+ gave higher accuracies (84.63% or Kappa=0.8276 for 40 classes, and 87.05% or Kappa=0.8535 for 25 classes) than Quickbird’s (82.81% or Kappa=0.8118 for 40 classes, and 83.23% or Kappa=0.8184% for 25 classes). In terms of spatial dimension mapping, the object-oriented image segmentation could not generate an accurate spatial dimension map in comparison with the visual interpretation, since the categories were specified using location/site and regularity criteria in addition to shape and density, which were not possible to recognise using the available software. However, by integrating the spectral-related land-cover dimension and the visual interpretation-based spatial dimension maps in a raster GIS environment, the temporal, ecological and socio-economic dimension maps could be derived in relatively accurate levels, i.e. with overall accuracies higher than 80%. For all land-use dimensions, the results obtained using Landsat-7 ETM+ and Quickbird imagery consistently showed that rural areas were more accurately classified than urban areas. This study demonstrated that a VLUIS could be developed based on moderate- and highspatial resolution imagery. In this VLUIS, a multi-dimensional classification scheme was developed first, with separate column representing spectral-related land-cover, spatial, temporal, ecological, and socio-economic dimensions. After that, the classification scheme was used as reference in extracting information and mapping each dimension into separate map layers. The five layers were then stacked into a single dataset. An example of querybased translation from the VLUIS to the Indonesian National Land Agency (BPN)’s classification system was given to show its versatility. However, it was also realised that land-use is too complex to be mapped merely using remotely sensed imagery and be modelled simply based on the five dimensions. With its limitations, remote sensing should be put in the context of complementary and alternative approach, where field surveys often fail to generate comprehensive, efficient and rapidly provided information that is required in a planning process. This study also recommends future work for more effective impact of the results, i.e. (a) development of information extraction methods of versatile land-use information system (VLUIS)’s dimensions using state of the art image and spatial data analyses, (b) development of translation system from the VLUIS to widely used landcover/ land-use classification schemes, and (c) demonstration of versatility in supporting several applications related to local planning tasks.

Riparian ecosystems of the southwestern United States are highly valuable to both the ecological and human communities which surround them. Over the past century, they have been subject to shifting management practices to maximize human use, control, ecosystem service, and conservation. This creates a complex relationship between water policy, management, and the natural ecosystem necessitating research on spatial and temporal dynamics of riparian vegetation. The San Acacia Reach of the Middle Rio Grande, a 60 mile stretch from the San Acacia Diversion Dam to San Marcial, has experienced multiple management and river flow fluctuations over the past 80 years, resulting in threats to riparian and aquatic ecosystems. This research was completed through the use and analysis of multi-source remote sensing data, GIS, and a review of the on-the-ground management decisions to better understand how the location and composition of the riparian vegetation has been affected by these shifting practices. This research focused on four phases, each highlighting different management practices and river flow patterns during the last 80-years. Each of these periods provides a unique opportunity to observe a direct relationship between river management and riparian land cover response and change. Overall, management practices reduced surface river flows and limited overbank flooding and resulted in changes in the composition, density, and spatial patterns of the vegetation, including increased non-native vegetation growth. Restoration efforts over the past few decades have begun to reduce the presence of non-native species. Despite these changes, this ecosystem was shown to be extremely resilient in maintaining its function/service throughout the entire study time frame.

abstract: Spatial uncertainty refers to unknown error and vagueness in geographic data. It is relevant to land change and urban growth modelers, soil and biome scientists, geological surveyors and others, who must assess thematic maps for similarity, or categorical agreement. In this paper I build upon prior map comparison research, testing the effectiveness of similarity measures on misregistered data. Though several methods compare uncertain thematic maps, few methods have been tested on misregistration. My objective is to test five map comparison methods for sensitivity to misregistration, including sub-pixel errors in both position and rotation. Methods included four fuzzy categorical models: fuzzy kappa's model, fuzzy inference, cell aggregation, and the epsilon band. The fifth method used conventional crisp classification. I applied these methods to a case study map and simulated data in two sets: a test set with misregistration error, and a control set with equivalent uniform random error. For all five methods, I used raw accuracy or the kappa statistic to measure similarity. Rough-set epsilon bands report the most similarity increase in test maps relative to control data. Conversely, the fuzzy inference model reports a decrease in test map similarity. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.A. Geography 2010

Coarse resolution satellite observations of the Earth provide critical data in support of land cover and land use monitoring at regional to global scales. This dissertation focuses on methodology and dataset development that exploit multi-temporal data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) to improve current information related to regional forest cover change and urban extent. In the first element of this dissertation, I develop a novel distance metric-based change detection method to map annual forest cover change at 500m spatial resolution. Evaluations based on a global network of test sites and two regional case studies in Brazil and the United States demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of this methodology, where estimated changes in forest cover are comparable to reference data derived from higher spatial resolution data sources. In the second element of this dissertation, I develop methods to estimate fractional urban cover for temperate and tropical regions of China at 250m spatial resolution by fusing MODIS data with nighttime lights using the Random Forest regression algorithm. Assessment of results for 9 cities in Eastern, Central, and Southern China show good agreement between the estimated urban percentages from MODIS and reference urban percentages derived from higher resolution Landsat data. In the final element of this dissertation, I assess the capability of a new nighttime lights dataset from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Day/Night Band (DNB) for urban mapping applications. This dataset provides higher spatial resolution and improved radiometric quality in nighttime lights observations relative to previous datasets. Analyses for a study area in the Yangtze River Delta in China show that this new source of data significantly improves representation of urban areas, and that fractional urban estimation based on DNB can be further improved by fusion with MODIS data. Overall, the research in this dissertation contributes new methods and understanding for remote sensing-based change detection methodologies. The results suggest that land cover change products from coarse spatial resolution sensors such as MODIS and VIIRS can benefit from regional optimization, and that urban extent mapping from nighttime lights should exploit complementary information from conventional visible and near infrared observations.

Submitted by Iris Romagnoli (irisromagnoli@gmail.com) on 2018-08-15T18:29:49Z No. of bitstreams: 1 romagnoli_i_me_botfca.pdf: 4122951 bytes, checksum: 86363b90e3b9b21809d2d8e978ab4d11 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Maria Lucia Martins Frederico null (mlucia@fca.unesp.br) on 2018-08-15T18:56:00Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 romagnoli_i_me_botfca.pdf: 4122951 bytes, checksum: 86363b90e3b9b21809d2d8e978ab4d11 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-15T18:56:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 romagnoli_i_me_botfca.pdf: 4122951 bytes, checksum: 86363b90e3b9b21809d2d8e978ab4d11 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-06-13 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Dentre os principais riscos que o agrohidronegócio traz para a região do Pontal do Paranapanema (SP) estão os relacionados ao uso indiscriminado de agrotóxicos. A utilização de defensivos agrícolas aliada ao manejo incorreto pode acarretar na contaminação das águas subterrâneas, e consequentemente refletir prejudicialmente na saúde humana e ambiental. O Pontal do Paranapanema (SP) possui uma recente expansão da cultura da cana-de-açúcar, iniciada nos anos 2000. Recoberta por sedimentos do aquífero Bauru, toda região pode ser considerada como naturalmente vulnerável, já que é um aquífero com recarga direta. Sendo assim, o objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a vulnerabilidade natural do Aquífero Bauru a partir do método GOD e realizar estimativas de contaminação de água subterrânea por agrotóxicos utilizados na produção de cana-de-açúcar, a partir do software ARAquá, verificando o potencial de contaminação no Pontal do Paranapanema. Os resultados mostraram que apesar de uma expansão nos cultivos superior a 1.000 % em área plantada, a classe de alta vulnerabilidade foi que apresentou menor avanço das áreas de cultivo de cana-de-açúcar. Ao que se refere as simulações realizadas, foi possível concluir que não houveram concentrações de ingrediente ativo estimadas acima do valor para o padrão de potabilidade na região. O agrotóxico que mais se destacou com maiores valores de concentração nas estimativas realizadas foi o Tebuthiuron, apresentando risco às plantas aquáticas e animas em risco de extinção nos municípios de Sandovalina e Mirante do Paranapanema. / Among the main risks that agro-business brings to the region of Pontal do Paranapanema (SP) are those related to the indiscriminate use of pesticides. The use of pesticides combined with improper handling can lead to contamination of groundwater and consequently to harmful effects on human and environmental health. Pontal do Paranapanema (SP) has a recent expansion of the sugarcane crop, begun in the year 2000. It is covered by sediments of the Bauru aquifer, and the whole region can be considered as naturally vulnerable, since it is an aquifer with direct recharge. Therefore, the objective of this work was to evaluate the natural vulnerability of the Bauru Aquifer from the GOD method and to estimate groundwater contamination by pesticides used in sugarcane production from the ARAquá software, verifying the potential of contamination in Pontal do Paranapanema. The results showed that, despite a crop expansion of more than 1,000% in planted area, the high vulnerability class was the one that presented the least advance of the sugarcane cultivation area. Regarding the simulations carried out, it was possible to conclude that there were no active ingredient concentrations estimated above the value for the potability standard in the region. The most toxic pesticide with the highest values of concentration in the estimates was Tebuthiuron, presenting a risk to aquatic plants and animals at risk of extinction in the municipalities of Sandovalina and Mirante do Paranapanema.

The submitted thesis deals with landscape analyzing and permanent landscape structures evolution in chosen area with respect to land relief. Also with documentation and evaluation of landscape values (such as medieval field patterns, scattered vegetation, viewpoints, relief, etc.) and last but not least with suggestion of recommendations for future development, including proposal of new development, specific for chosen area. The theoretical part consists of summary of current status. Mainly the elements characterizing landscape of the Czech Republic are defined here. The thesis also describes history of Czech landscape since the Neolithic period and also evolution of medieval field patterns. The landscape aesthetics and its influence to humans from emotional and content point of view is mentioned in the theoretical part as well. In the next chapter there is an evaluation of maps and description of possibilities of their usability for evaluation of landscape evolution. The practical part is about project itself. At first the suitable area based on maps from 1 952 was chosen and their comparison with present state. By maps vectorization (both historical and present one) supported by personal exploration, two map underlays were created. Based on them, the statistical data for evaluation and comparison of land use categories evolution were created. Also the analysis of appearance of given land use categories was performed. Comparison of changes in evolution of balks is the part of the project as well.. One of this thesis purposes was also evaluation of landscape directly on the spot. Based on this evaluation and personal feelings from the area, design for better land usability was created. This design was also economically considered. In discussion at the end of the thesis was determined that epoch around year 1952 was a breakthrough for landscape evolution. After this year, there was a huge decrease of ploughland area. This decrease was replaced by permanent grassland and forests. In the end there is an estimation about medieval field patterns important for landscape in chosen area and also anywhere else.

As civilizações humanas iniciaram o seu desenvolvimento a partir do uso da terra nas atividades agrícolas. Esse uso da terra na agricultura está condicionado às questões biofísicas, atividades socioeconômicas e contextos culturais das populações da qual dependem. O Estado do Paraná tem se apresentado com uma agricultura forte e vinculada diretamente às principais commodities agrícolas mundiais com uma produção agrícola diversificada, que espelha a evolução dos agronegócios do Brasil. O presente estudo busca analisar a evolução das principais culturas agrícolas do Estado do Paraná de 1996 a 2006 e relacioná-las aos fatores reconhecidos como determinantes do uso da terra, estimando a repercussão desse uso nas respectivas condições socioeconômicas prevalentes nos municípios. Observou-se que as culturas agrícolas da soja, milho e trigo apresentaram ampliação de áreas principalmente em regiões de solos mais férteis. O café teve uma significativa retração em área, principalmente nas regiões mais a noroeste do Estado, mas, em contrapartida, a cana-de-açúcar apresentou uma grande expansão, principalmente nas regiões próximas a Maringá e Paranavaí. As áreas de pastagens no Estado do Paraná sofrem retração ou aumento em decorrência das oportunidades de mercado que as principais commodities apresentam. As matas e florestas, em 1996, apresentavam-se mais concentradas na região sudeste do estado, e, observou-se que, em 2006, esta concentração foi diminuída e suas áreas tornaram-se mais presentes em todo o Estado do Paraná. Após, calculou-se o Índice de Diversificação das Commodities Agrícolas (IDCA) e o Índice de Desenvolvimento Municipal (IDM) para cada município do Estado do Paraná nos anos de 1996 e 2006. O IDCA apresentou maiores valores nos municípios das regiões do estado apresentando solos mais férteis e sem uma grande restrição climática. De 1996 para 2006, houve um aumento de 9,6 % nos valores médios de IDCA no estado, mostrando, assim, um aumento de sua diversificação. O Índice de Desenvolvimento Municipal (IDM) apresentou-se de uma forma homogênea, o que mostra uma ausência de regiões com maior ou menor desenvolvimento, nos anos de 1996 e 2006. A correlação entre o IDCA e o IDM revelou-se baixa, mostrando uma ausência de relação direta entre a diversificação das commodities agrícolas nos muncípios, IDCA, e seu respectivo desenvolvimento municipal, IDM. Após esta análise, separou-se o Estado do Paraná em duas regiões edáficas distintas: a região A que apresenta solos, em sua maioria, de origem sedimentar ou metamórfica e a região B com solos basálticos, reconhecidamente mais férteis. Com o teste de diferença mínima significativa (5% de nível de significância) nas médias dos indicadores IDCA e IDM entre as regiões A e B, observou-se diferença entre médias para o IDCA e uma igualdade para o IDM. A produção das commodities agrícolas paranaenses responde aos mercados internacionais influenciados pela oferta e demanda mundiais e pelos seus respectivos preços e cotações internacionais. Os incrementos verificados no indicador de diversificação agrícola utilizado sugerem que, na última década, ocorreu um aumento da resiliência do Estado do Paraná frente às oscilações do mercado. / Agricultural land-use is related to the environmental, biophysical conditions and to the cultural and socioeconomical context of the populations, which depend upon it. The Parana State, Brazil, is charaterized by a vigorous agriculture that responds directly to fluctuations of the world commodities markets. Its agriculture is diversified and follows the Brazilian agribusiness trends. This study aims towards the analysis of the evolution of the major cultures of the Parana State between the years of 1996 and 2006 and relates it to the main, recognized drivers of land-use, trying to establish its eventual effects on the socioeconomical conditions prevalent in the municipalities of the Parana State, taken here as analytical grid cells. It was seen that in the past decade the areas of cultivation of soybean, corn and wheat expanded, mostly in the regions of more fertile soils. Coffee presented a significant reduction of cultivation area, mostly in the northwest of the state, contrasting with sugarcane fields that expanded into this area. Pasture areas in the Parana State have changed as a result of the new opportunities of the world market for grain commodities. In 1996 wild and cultivated forests were more concentrated in the southeast of the Parana State. In 2006 this concentration was reduced and the forests were more spread throughout the state. In an attempt to relate the agricultural diversification of the Parana State with the local, prevalent socioeconomical conditions, an Agricultural Commodities Diversification Index (ACDI) and a Municipal Development Index (MDI) were calculated for each municipal grid cell, for both the years 1996 and 2006. ACDI values were higher for the municipalities located in the regions of more fertile soil, with no markedly climatic restrictions for agriculture. From 1996 to 2006 average values for ACDI in the State of Parana soared around 9.6 %, suggesting an increase in agricultural diversification. MDI values throughout the Parana State are quite homogeneous, showing an absence of regions of markedly diffentiated level of development. The calculated correlation between ACDI and MDI was low, suggesting an absence of direct relationship between the agricultural commodities diversification and the socioeconomic development of the municipalities of the Parana State. There are two distinct, edafic regions in this state. One presents mostly sedimentary or metamorphic soils, the other presents mostly basaltic, markedly more fertile soils. A test for significant minimal difference (5 % significance level) was carried out with the average values for ACDI and MDI for the two distinct, edafic regions. A significant difference was found between the average values for ACDI, but no difference between the average values for MDI. As a whole, it was concluded that the production of agricultural commodities in the Parana State responds to international markets, and is mostly affected by supply and demand and by the international commodities prices. The increments of the index for agricultural diversification suggest that in the last decade the agriculture of the Parana State became more resilient towards the unstabilities and uncertainties of the global commodities markets.

As civilizações humanas iniciaram o seu desenvolvimento a partir do uso da terra nas atividades agrícolas. Esse uso da terra na agricultura está condicionado às questões biofísicas, atividades socioeconômicas e contextos culturais das populações da qual dependem. O Estado do Paraná tem se apresentado com uma agricultura forte e vinculada diretamente às principais commodities agrícolas mundiais com uma produção agrícola diversificada, que espelha a evolução dos agronegócios do Brasil. O presente estudo busca analisar a evolução das principais culturas agrícolas do Estado do Paraná de 1996 a 2006 e relacioná-las aos fatores reconhecidos como determinantes do uso da terra, estimando a repercussão desse uso nas respectivas condições socioeconômicas prevalentes nos municípios. Observou-se que as culturas agrícolas da soja, milho e trigo apresentaram ampliação de áreas principalmente em regiões de solos mais férteis. O café teve uma significativa retração em área, principalmente nas regiões mais a noroeste do Estado, mas, em contrapartida, a cana-de-açúcar apresentou uma grande expansão, principalmente nas regiões próximas a Maringá e Paranavaí. As áreas de pastagens no Estado do Paraná sofrem retração ou aumento em decorrência das oportunidades de mercado que as principais commodities apresentam. As matas e florestas, em 1996, apresentavam-se mais concentradas na região sudeste do estado, e, observou-se que, em 2006, esta concentração foi diminuída e suas áreas tornaram-se mais presentes em todo o Estado do Paraná. Após, calculou-se o Índice de Diversificação das Commodities Agrícolas (IDCA) e o Índice de Desenvolvimento Municipal (IDM) para cada município do Estado do Paraná nos anos de 1996 e 2006. O IDCA apresentou maiores valores nos municípios das regiões do estado apresentando solos mais férteis e sem uma grande restrição climática. De 1996 para 2006, houve um aumento de 9,6 % nos valores médios de IDCA no estado, mostrando, assim, um aumento de sua diversificação. O Índice de Desenvolvimento Municipal (IDM) apresentou-se de uma forma homogênea, o que mostra uma ausência de regiões com maior ou menor desenvolvimento, nos anos de 1996 e 2006. A correlação entre o IDCA e o IDM revelou-se baixa, mostrando uma ausência de relação direta entre a diversificação das commodities agrícolas nos muncípios, IDCA, e seu respectivo desenvolvimento municipal, IDM. Após esta análise, separou-se o Estado do Paraná em duas regiões edáficas distintas: a região A que apresenta solos, em sua maioria, de origem sedimentar ou metamórfica e a região B com solos basálticos, reconhecidamente mais férteis. Com o teste de diferença mínima significativa (5% de nível de significância) nas médias dos indicadores IDCA e IDM entre as regiões A e B, observou-se diferença entre médias para o IDCA e uma igualdade para o IDM. A produção das commodities agrícolas paranaenses responde aos mercados internacionais influenciados pela oferta e demanda mundiais e pelos seus respectivos preços e cotações internacionais. Os incrementos verificados no indicador de diversificação agrícola utilizado sugerem que, na última década, ocorreu um aumento da resiliência do Estado do Paraná frente às oscilações do mercado. / Agricultural land-use is related to the environmental, biophysical conditions and to the cultural and socioeconomical context of the populations, which depend upon it. The Parana State, Brazil, is charaterized by a vigorous agriculture that responds directly to fluctuations of the world commodities markets. Its agriculture is diversified and follows the Brazilian agribusiness trends. This study aims towards the analysis of the evolution of the major cultures of the Parana State between the years of 1996 and 2006 and relates it to the main, recognized drivers of land-use, trying to establish its eventual effects on the socioeconomical conditions prevalent in the municipalities of the Parana State, taken here as analytical grid cells. It was seen that in the past decade the areas of cultivation of soybean, corn and wheat expanded, mostly in the regions of more fertile soils. Coffee presented a significant reduction of cultivation area, mostly in the northwest of the state, contrasting with sugarcane fields that expanded into this area. Pasture areas in the Parana State have changed as a result of the new opportunities of the world market for grain commodities. In 1996 wild and cultivated forests were more concentrated in the southeast of the Parana State. In 2006 this concentration was reduced and the forests were more spread throughout the state. In an attempt to relate the agricultural diversification of the Parana State with the local, prevalent socioeconomical conditions, an Agricultural Commodities Diversification Index (ACDI) and a Municipal Development Index (MDI) were calculated for each municipal grid cell, for both the years 1996 and 2006. ACDI values were higher for the municipalities located in the regions of more fertile soil, with no markedly climatic restrictions for agriculture. From 1996 to 2006 average values for ACDI in the State of Parana soared around 9.6 %, suggesting an increase in agricultural diversification. MDI values throughout the Parana State are quite homogeneous, showing an absence of regions of markedly diffentiated level of development. The calculated correlation between ACDI and MDI was low, suggesting an absence of direct relationship between the agricultural commodities diversification and the socioeconomic development of the municipalities of the Parana State. There are two distinct, edafic regions in this state. One presents mostly sedimentary or metamorphic soils, the other presents mostly basaltic, markedly more fertile soils. A test for significant minimal difference (5 % significance level) was carried out with the average values for ACDI and MDI for the two distinct, edafic regions. A significant difference was found between the average values for ACDI, but no difference between the average values for MDI. As a whole, it was concluded that the production of agricultural commodities in the Parana State responds to international markets, and is mostly affected by supply and demand and by the international commodities prices. The increments of the index for agricultural diversification suggest that in the last decade the agriculture of the Parana State became more resilient towards the unstabilities and uncertainties of the global commodities markets.

abstract: Rapid urbanization and population growth occurring in the cities of South Western United States have led to significant modifications in its environment at local and regional scales. Both local and regional climate changes are expected to have massive impacts on the hydrology of Colorado River Basin (CRB), thereby accentuating the need of study of hydro-climatic impacts on water resource management in this region. This thesis is devoted to understanding the impact of land use and land cover (LULC) changes on the local and regional hydroclimate, with the goal to address urban planning issues and provide guidance for sustainable development. In this study, three densely populated urban areas, viz. Phoenix, Las Vegas and Denver in the CRB are selected to capture the various dimensions of the impacts of land use changes on the regional hydroclimate in the entire CRB. Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model, incorporating the latest urban modeling system, is adopted for regional climate modeling. Two major types of urban LULC changes are studied in this Thesis: (1) incorporation of urban trees with their radiative cooling effect, tested in Phoenix metropolitan, and (2) projected urban expansion in 2100 obtained from Integrated Climate and Land Use Scenarios (ICLUS) developed by the US Environmental Protection Agency for all three cities. The results demonstrated prominent nocturnal cooling effect of due to radiative shading effect of the urban trees for Phoenix reducing urban surface and air temperature by about 2~9 °C and 1~5 °C respectively and increasing relative humidity by 10~20% during an mean diurnal cycle. The simulations of urban growth in CRB demonstratedii nocturnal warming of about 0.36 °C, 1.07 °C, and 0.94 °C 2m-air temperature and comparatively insignificant change in daytime temperature, with the thermal environment of Denver being the most sensitive the urban growth. The urban hydroclimatic study carried out in the thesis assists in identifying both context specific and generalizable relationships, patterns among the cities, and is expected to facilitate urban planning and management in local (cities) and regional scales. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering 2017

Orientador: Maria de Lourdes Bueno Trindade Galo / Banca: Erivaldo Antonio da Silva / Banca: Edson Eyji Sano / Resumo: Os mapeamentos da cobertura da terra apresentam o relevante papel de permitir avaliar as alterações na paisagem provocadas pela ação antrópica e fornecer importantes informações para o manejo eficiente dos recursos naturais constituindo-se, assim, em ferramentas essenciais para o planejamento regional e urbano. Entretanto, os atuais mapeamentos atendem a propósitos muito específicos e, conseqüentemente, são limitados na sua capacidade de definir a ampla variedade de tipos existentes de cobertura da terra. Nesse contexto, a proposta central desta pesquisa é desenvolver um sistema hierárquico de classificação, amplo e abrangente, partindo de um nível generalizado de definição de classes de cobertura da terra, para mapeamentos em escala regional, e especializando essas classes para ambientes urbanos. Para cada escala de mapeamento é proposta a nomenclatura das classes e os critérios usados para defini-las. Um estudo de caso é desenvolvido para testar o sistema hierárquico em dois níveis de detalhamento distintos, nas escalas regional e urbana, e são utilizadas diferentes abordagens de classificação multiespectral para extrair as informações temáticas de interesse a cada nível de aplicação... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Land cover mappings present the relevant role of allowing to evaluate the changes in the landscape caused by the man's action and to supply important information for the efficient handling of the natural resources. Thus, those are essential tools for the regional and urban planning. However, current mappings are related to very specific purposes and, consequently, they are limited in their capacity to define the wide variety of existent types of land cover. In that context, the main proposal of this research is to develop a wide and including hierarchical classification system, starting from a generalized level of definition of land cover classes for mappings in regional scale and specializing those classes for urban environment. It is proposed the nomenclature of the classes and the criteria used to define them for each scale of mapping. A study case is developed to test the hierarchical system in two detailing levels, in the regional and urban scales, and different approaches of multispectral classification are used to extract the thematic information of interest to each application level... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre