SATELLITE IMAGES AND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM FOR LANDSCAPE STRUCTURE ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT, NAKHON RATCHASIMA, THAILAND

摘要

The study aimed to evaluate and examine on landscape structure metrics in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand. Satellite images, Geographic Information System (GIS), including other related ancillary data and landscape metrics were used as datasets and analysis approaches. A groups of landscape indices and GIS landscape analysis technique were integrated to assess and characterize the spatial structures and conditions of the interested landscapes. The results of the study designated better understanding of the complex landscape dynamics and changes, whereas landscape spatial structure and ecological condition had been fully described by the groups of landscape indices. The study indicated that the dynamic changes occurred mostly in the disturbed forest, urban and forest plantation landscapes in which disturbed forest landscape had dramatically decreased their area extent whereas forest plantation landscape had an opposite trend of increasing in their extent overtime. Urban landscape showed rapid changes in their expansion from 1980 to 2010. Overall landscape composition and configuration analysis indicated high tendency of fragmentation, rapid rate occurred in the first period (1980-2002) and slowdown in the second period (2002-2010). As a result, interior habitat of patches had reduced in their size this affected to increase patches isolation in the whole landscape. Assessment of landscape ecological conditions and the priority level of management, the results revealed that the magnitude of gain and loss in ecological significance that evaluated from selected indices had congregated landscape classes into two groups of priority level which were high and moderate priority of management. Urban, disturbed forest, and miscellaneous landscapes had a high priority level, whereas agriculture, natural forest and forest plantation landscapes had a moderate priority level. The results can serve as a guide to answer future research questions relating to sustainability and environmental conservation management, including climate change study within urbanization and national development. However, further research should be regularly conducted with the same pattern in order to yield a systematic monitoring.