Keywords
customised gis, land cover change modelling, empirical extrapolation modelling, biodiversity, spatial decision support system
Start Date
1-7-2010 12:00 AM
Abstract
Spatially explicit models linking biological field data with remotely-sensed landcover data have become commonplace for landscape-scale biodiversity assessments, butthey usually neither consider time series data nor include future scenarios. Extrapolationmodels addressing these deficiencies for three keystone species/groups of the Kakamega-Nandi forests in western Kenya proved to be a suitable means for investigating the effectsof long-term land change processes on the development of forest biodiversity in space andtime. However, the experimental modelling design of the approaches is not consideredconvenient for a more comprehensive, interlinked assessment including morespecies/groups and also ecosystem functions and services, nor is it adequate for a stronglocal stakeholder engagement. Here we introduce a conceptualisation for an integratedforest ecosystem assessment tool to be used as regional spatial decision support system inparticipatory forest management and planning. The tool is based on ArcEngine technologyand composed of two tightly coupled frameworks, land cover change modelling andempirical extrapolation modelling, which use a common visualisation component. The landcover change modelling framework allows creating prospective normative scenarios aswell as running future landscape projections and provides an interface for sketch-basedmodelling, thus enabling freehand drawings from stakeholders to be directly included. Theresults from the land cover change modelling will directly feed in the extrapolationmodelling framework which will provide a tailored suite of GIS functionalities typicallyneeded for establishing spatially explicit procedures (e.g. local and focal functions). Allfunctionalities of the tool will be embedded into a user-friendly GUI.
From landscape-scale models of forest biodiversity change towards an integrated planning tool – a GUI for building empirical ecological extrapolation models based on land cover data –
Spatially explicit models linking biological field data with remotely-sensed landcover data have become commonplace for landscape-scale biodiversity assessments, butthey usually neither consider time series data nor include future scenarios. Extrapolationmodels addressing these deficiencies for three keystone species/groups of the Kakamega-Nandi forests in western Kenya proved to be a suitable means for investigating the effectsof long-term land change processes on the development of forest biodiversity in space andtime. However, the experimental modelling design of the approaches is not consideredconvenient for a more comprehensive, interlinked assessment including morespecies/groups and also ecosystem functions and services, nor is it adequate for a stronglocal stakeholder engagement. Here we introduce a conceptualisation for an integratedforest ecosystem assessment tool to be used as regional spatial decision support system inparticipatory forest management and planning. The tool is based on ArcEngine technologyand composed of two tightly coupled frameworks, land cover change modelling andempirical extrapolation modelling, which use a common visualisation component. The landcover change modelling framework allows creating prospective normative scenarios aswell as running future landscape projections and provides an interface for sketch-basedmodelling, thus enabling freehand drawings from stakeholders to be directly included. Theresults from the land cover change modelling will directly feed in the extrapolationmodelling framework which will provide a tailored suite of GIS functionalities typicallyneeded for establishing spatially explicit procedures (e.g. local and focal functions). Allfunctionalities of the tool will be embedded into a user-friendly GUI.
