Katarzyna Cegielska

LEVEL OF SPATIAL DIFFERENTIATION OF ANTHROPOGENIC IMPACT IN MAŁOPOLSKA

Detailed spatial analysis of area coverage was performed in the present paper, which allowed to determine numerous derivative parameters connected with human activity as well as natural processes. Data from Database of Topographic Objects in nominal scale 1:10 000 (in short: BDOT10k) in GML format were used as source materials and processing of the source data to object-relational form of SpatialLite database was performed. Methods of areas classification and valorization on the basis of land coverage diversity were used in the research after using modification of classes selection to BDOT10k. Borders of spatial objects had geo-referential precision to 3 m and were not subjected to generalization process. It provided possibility to achieve high degree of credibility of calculated parameters. Materials that concern ecological corridors were obtained from the General Directorate for Environmental Protection by means of WFS service. Geoprocessing methods and spatial connections in GIS heterogenic systems were used to perform analyses. The effects of all the conducted analyses allowed to identify problem fields where areas of ecological corridors became strongly anthropogenized. The results were presented as multilayered compositions and cartograms. The research area covered 15,200 km2 and ranged the territory of Małopolska province.

SPATIAL DIVERSITY OF ECOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE INDEX IN PODKARPACKIE PROVINCE

The paper presents a method for the analysis of spatial distribution of land cover based on data from Topographic GeoDatabase in a nominal scale of 1: 10000 (abbreviation: BDOT10k). The analysis of land cover and its development allow to specify a number of parameters derived from human activities and natural forces. Researchers use a variety of methods for classification and valuation of areas which have been modified for Poland. The diversity of types and variability of land cover has been presented in a form of an object – vector. An additional aim of this work is the inventory of the condition of the Podkarpackie Province in terms of the location of the areas with varying degrees of ecological features intensity in the mesoregions for future analyzes of land cover changes. The source data have been obtained in GML format and processed into an object-relational SpatiaLite database. The accuracy of geo-referenced boundaries of objects does not exceed 3 meters and was not generalized, which ensures a high degree of reliability of the calculated parameters. This was confirmed by the evaluation of the quality of the data in the BDOT10k database. Geoprocessing methods and spatial relationships in heterogeneous GIS systems were used. The results of the analyzes are presented in a form of spatial data, multi-layered compositions and cartograms. The research was conducted in the area of 17 844 km2 of Podkarpackie Province.

The analysis of land cover macrostructure in the suburban area of Krakow

The suburban areas are lands under strong anthropogenic pressure which results in their significant transformation. Identifying the direction of changes and their intensity is the basis of research based on the analysis of land use and land cover. The study involved the analysis of land cover in the area of suburban zone of the city of Krakow based on the vector geodata available in the European Environment Agency database (Urban Atlas download service). Geographic data were classified according to various categories of coverage. The area was divided into evaluation clusters that included covering buffer zones with the given parameters according to the distance from the city: zones 0–5 km, 5–10 km, 10–15 km and 15–20 km. All analyzes were performed by means of the QGIS software using geoprocessing tools and additional ones of spatial statistics (among other things Group Stats). The percentage of each category of coverage in relation to the total area was made for each of the separate buffer zones’ statements. The theory of changing the structure of coverage categories along with diverging from the city according to the diagram of reducing participation of heavily anthropogenic areas to those less exposed to it was confirmed on the basis of this analysis.

Shannon entropy as a peri-urban landscape metric: concentration of anthropogenic land cover element

ABSTRACT Spatial concentration and quantitative spatial density of anthropogenic elements were assessed. The authors used original parameters of standing and progressive anthropogenic pressures in individual hexagons in a grid based on a land cover database and the current population structure. The calculated values of relative entropies for both parameters were similar. The relative entropy based on both pressures for the whole area was high (0.89). In peri-urban zones it was 50% less and in cities about 80% greater. A juxtaposition of standing and progressive pressure values revealed a trend towards a slight decrease in the values.

ANALYSIS OF THE SPATIAL STRUCTURE OF URBAN ANTROPOGENIC AREAS

The dynamic urbanization process, which results from widespread anthropogenic transformation, affects landscape changes. These changes, measured using various factors and indices, are the subject of research around the world. The purpose of the present work was to analyse the spatial structure of anthropogenic elements of land cover. On the basis of the landscape metric – the MSI index (Mean Shape Index), the geometry configuration of individual land cover elements was checked. A Kernel Density tool was used to create a map of the elements of density distribution. The information thus obtained about the surface of anthropogenic elements of land cover expressed in [m2], per 1 km2 of space, made it possible to indicate the location of areas most transformed by human activity. The area of research encompassed urban municipalities – of Tarnów and Nowy Sącz. As the source material, the vector layer of land cover was used (BDOT10k –Topographic Objects Database), which was reclassified into 11 new categories. The GIS (Geographical Information System) tools available in the QGIS and ArcGIS software were used for the purpose of the analysis. Based on the conducted studies, it was found that despite a similar percentage of anthropogenic elements of land cover, the studied areas show a different character in terms of their spatial distribution and complexity of their geometry. In the case of Nowy Sącz, small point enclaves of areas showing high density of anthropogenically transformed surfaces were observed. These surfaces are characterized by a considerable degree of dispersion but a small degree of geometrical complexity. In the city of Tarnów, the research we conducted showed a different tendency due to the much larger size of the aforementioned enclaves. Tarnów is characterized by a higher share of developed areas in the city centre, whereas Nowy Sącz is more uniform in the growth of such areas in particular density zones. Moreover, in Tarnów, along with the increase in the density of the anthropogenic land cover, the complexity of the geometry of land cover elements decreases, whereas in the case of Nowy Sącz, the value of the MSI landscape metric is proportionally inversed.

WIELOKRYTERIALNA OCENA POTENCJAŁU ROZWOJOWEGO WYBRANYCH JEDNOSTEK ADMINISTRACYJNYCH

Social and economic development always takes place in certain space. Space as a living environment for humans, is a limited and non-renewable factor. Interdisciplinary approach to space is a necessity arising from the law (application of the principles of sustainable development and spatial order). The aim of presented study was to examine the development potential level of the selected municipalities located in the district of Krakow, which borders directly with the city. The set of indicators concerned four thematic areas: society, economy, environment and spatial development. Statistical data, related to 2015, have been downloaded from the Local Data Bank (LDB). Benchmarking and typology were used for the analysis. Using two methods made the research more reliable. Presented study can be a valuable instrument to support decisions taken by the administrative units during the preparations of local development plans, strategies and programs in municipalities.

Fieldwork approach to determining the extent of agricultural land abandonment – case study

Agricultural land abandonment is an elusive phenomenon, as yet not fully defined. Even though it is common in Polish landscape, there are no measures to date that could quantify the phenomenon. Neither the data from the Central Statistical Office, nor the data from land registers include information on land abandonment. Therefore, there is a need for a systematic approach that could quantify and determine the extent of land abandonment. A fieldwork approach was designed for the purpose, and research was conducted on a test area of Okocim village in Małopolska region. Vegetation cover that could indicate the existence of land abandonment on the agricultural areas – such as trees, brushwood, and grass cover – was examined using a representative sample of 145 test fields. The fieldwork approach revealed that the extent of land abandonment in the test area is 37% of all areas officially classified as agricultural, which shows that the scale of the phenomenon is significant, and that there is a need to develop an approach to provide a more detailed picture of the distribution of land abandonment.