An Assessment of Land Use/Cover Suitable for Peri-urban Green Space Development: an Example of an Integration of GIS with the Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) Approach

Land allocation priorities to urban green cover are usually neglected particularly in the countries of developing economies such as Turkey. Lack of urban green space can cause many social and physical problems among the residents. Therefore, urban planning and policy should incorporate suitable green land in the urban planning of cities to optimise the benefits obtained from urban green spaces. Land suitability analysis is a commonly used methodology which provides a framework for developing strategies in the planning of green land development. Two different approaches will be utilised for the assessment of suitability of land uses for urban agriculture, forest and natural vegetation in the Pendik district of Istanbul. Standardisation of values in criteria maps was done using the deterministic approach in the first case whereas fuzzy membership was utilised as an alternative in the second case. Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) was used for the weighting of sub-criteria and map layers were overlaid using the weighted linear combination using the GIS software. Geophysical factors, transport and services accessibility, land cover/use, blue and green amenities, soil properties, geology and erosion susceptibility are the main criteria selected for the assessment of urban green land suitability. The provision of suitable land for urban agriculture, forest and natural vegetation uses will provide a framework to the land use planning and decision support aimed at contributing to urban sustainable development

Multi-criteria suitability analysis for neglected and underutilised crop species in South Africa

Several neglected and underutilised species (NUS) provide solutions to climate change and creating a Zero Hunger world, the Sustainable Development Goal 2. Several NUS are drought and heat stress-tolerant, making them ideal for improving marginalised cropping systems in drought-prone areas. However, owing to their status as NUS, current crop suitability maps do not include them as part of the crop choices. This study aimed to develop land suitability maps for selected NUS [sorghum, (Sorghum bicolor), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), amaranth and taro (Colocasia esculenta)] using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) in ArcGIS. Multidisciplinary factors from climatic, soil and landscape, socio-economic and technical indicators overlaid using Weighted Overlay Analysis. Validation was done through field visits, and area under the curve (AUC) was used to measure AHP model performance. The results indicated that sorghum was highly suitable (S1) = 2%, moderately suitable (S2) = 61%, marginally suitable (S3) = 33%, and unsuitable (N1) = 4%, cowpea S1 = 3%, S2 = 56%, S3 = 39%, N1 = 2%, amaranth S1 = 8%, S2 = 81%, S3 = 11%, and taro S1 = 0.4%, S2 = 28%, S3 = 64%, N1 = 7%, of calculated arable land of SA (12 655 859 ha). Overall, the validation showed that the mapping exercises exhibited a high degree of accuracies (i.e. sorghum AUC = 0.87, cowpea AUC = 0.88, amaranth AUC = 0.95 and taro AUC = 0.82). Rainfall was the most critical variable and criteria with the highest impact on land suitability of the NUS. Results of this study suggest that South Africa has a huge potential for NUS production. The maps developed can contribute to evidence-based and site-specific recommendations for NUS and their mainstreaming. Also, the maps can be used to design appropriate production guidelines and to support existing policy frameworks which advocate for sustainable intensification of marginalised cropping systems through increased crop diversity and the use of stress-tolerant food crops

Water harvesting in Erbil Governorate, Kurdistan region, Iraq : detection of suitable sites using geographic information system and remote sensing

The drought effects on Iraq, and specifically on the Kurdistan region, is on the rise due to the climate change. Management of the water resources has become necessary to solve this problem. The aim of this study is to identify suitable zones for rainwater harvesting in Erbil governorate, Iraqi Kurdistan Region, by using Geographic Information System (GIS) and Multi Criteria Evaluation (MCE) as a tool for decision support. Multi criteria evaluation is carried out in Geographic Information System to help the decision makers in determining suitable zones for rainwater harvesting. The criteria which were taken into account for multi criteria evaluation are; soil texture, slope, rainfall data (2000-2011), land use/cover and drainage network. The soil conservation service model was used to estimate the runoff depth. Land use/cover was extracted from LANDSAT satellite imagery (2006) by using remote sensing technique (Idrisi software). An analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method was used to estimate the weight for each criterion. The weighted linear combination method was used to incorporate the criteria weight in the multi criteria evaluation operation. The multi criteria evaluation is supporting determination of suitable areas for rainwater harvesting, and suitable zones to construct small and medium dam sites. The total suitable area for water harvesting is 36% of the study area, where 14% represents moderate suitability while 33% indicate very low suitability. Macro catchment is significant in the selection of suitable areas for rainwater harvesting. A contour line map and the drainage network, represented as a Triangulare Irregular Network (TIN), were used to suggest six sites for small and intermediate dams. The total water capacity of these dams is about 165 million cubic meters.Popular science: Find a suitable area for rainwater harvesting Rainwater harvesting is a technique to capture and store rainfall where it falls. The technique of water harvesting can be used for different purposes, e.g providing irrigation water, drinking water, increase groundwater recharge, and reduce flood risk. The application of rainwater harvesting is suitable in arid and semi-arid areas, where the amount of the water (rainwater as well as available water in strems, wells etc.) changes from year to year. Erbil governorate in Iraqi Kurdistan Region needs to find suitable zones for rainwater harvesting to be used for different purposes, mainly because of irregular rainfall and drought. Geographic Information System have suitable tools to help the decision makers in identifying suitable areas for water harvesting. There are different factors that are used to determine suitable areas, including rainfall data, slope map, soil information, drainage map and land cover/use map. Each factor has a certain importance/weight, which depends on the importance of this factor in determining suitable zones for rainwater harvesting. In this study a multi-criteria evaluation method was used to estimate the weight of each factor, and to combine these factors in order to find suitable areas for water harvesting. The result shows that the total suitable area for water harvesting is 36% of the whole study area, mainly located in the northern parts of Erbil governorate. This means that it will be relatively easy to select suitable sites for water reservoirs, in this study exemplified by small and medium dams, in this part of the study area

Developing a habitat suitability model for the spotted turtle using a hybrid-deductive approach

Knowledge of species with multiple habitat needs for conservation and species survival planning is scarce. In order to predict areas of habitat suitability and potential further research, suitability modeling is necessary. This research created a GIS-based model to predict habitat suitability potential for the spotted turtle (Clemmys guttata) in four counties of western New York. Because of scarce and conflicting information on spotted turtle habitat needs, a survey was sent out to experts that evaluated spotted turtle habitat parameters. The goal of the habitat model was to predict optimal habitat for sustainable spotted turtle populations in an area where viable populations had not been confirmed. The surveys were designed to assign relative values to various habitat parameters and derive qualitative and quantitative information for future field assessment measures. The survey and data collection were based on the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). The method ultimately used for habitat selection was a Hybrid-Deductive approach because of the inductive and deductive reasoning used with scarce and conflicting information on spotted turtle habitat preference. The GIS model selected sites based on an iterative process, resulting in four sites being selected as the “best” habitat sites, combining survey, literature, and GIS data. Model results were compared to historic state sighting records from the NY DEC and fit reasonably well in two of the four counties, but the model did not account for populations that seem to prefer atypical habitats, such as ditches. The model also discarded potentially viable sites (based on land cover) minimally impacted by roads. Results also suggest the need for more detailed soil, road, and land cover data to help determine connectivity between potential habitat sites

Application of Geographic Information Systems

The importance of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can hardly be overemphasized in today’s academic and professional arena. More professionals and academics have been using GIS than ever – urban & regional planners, civil engineers, geographers, spatial economists, sociologists, environmental scientists, criminal justice professionals, political scientists, and alike. As such, it is extremely important to understand the theories and applications of GIS in our teaching, professional work, and research. “The Application of Geographic Information Systems” presents research findings that explain GIS’s applications in different subfields of social sciences. With several case studies conducted in different parts of the world, the book blends together the theories of GIS and their practical implementations in different conditions. It deals with GIS’s application in the broad spectrum of geospatial analysis and modeling, water resources analysis, land use analysis, infrastructure network analysis like transportation and water distribution network, and such. The book is expected to be a useful source of knowledge to the users of GIS who envision its applications in their teaching and research. This easy-to-understand book is surely not the end in itself but a little contribution to toward our understanding of the rich and wonderful subject of GIS