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This study takes the Zhouyuan site region, which is the most representative Western Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC-771BC) large city-site in China, as an example. Based on the interpretation results of satellite remote sensing images from 1973 to 2021, the paper systematically analyzed the evolution of landscape patterns in the Zhouyuan site region spanning for about 50 years using 4 methods, including land use classification, land use transfer matrix, landscape pattern distribution gravity center model and landscape pattern index. Additionally, the results show that nowadays Zhouyuan site is still in a period of accelerated invasion and destruction by natural and human factors, which indicates that the protection of the Zhouyuan site has been inadequate or even unsuccessful for a long time. For the purpose of making more accurate and better protection of the Zhouyuan site, four challenges and six protection recommendations have been put forward. Based on remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS), this paper contributed a method combining 4 models to analyze the spatial-temporal evolution characteristics of landscape pattern of ancient large city-sites, in order to provide more basis for the formulation of cultural relic protection strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper empirically visualizes the spatial patterns of the inter-provincial electricity flows in relation to the distribution of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita using spatial geographical information system (GIS) and cartograms. It highlights how developed provinces in eastern China are net importers of electricity from western and central China, which creates a west-east power transmission pattern and helps deepen the regional economy disparity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving sustainable development through China's national territory spatial planning requires comprehensive knowledge of all land characteristics. This paper introduces a land-type map of Jiangsu province (104 km2) in eastern China to provide such knowledge. The land-type map focuses on both physical geographic components (e.g. climate types, landforms, and soil types) and human-related components (e.g. land-use types and intensities). These components were represented by parameter layers and integrated with the help of the Geographic Information System (GIS) overlay function. A hierarchical land-type classification system was generated to provide land mapping units that represented certain degrees of geographic homogeneity and land-use potential. Trading off the relationship between resource protection and resource utilization, the space of Jiangsu was divided into seven land-use zones with different land-use policies based on the land-type map. The land-type map can thus be taken into consideration for land planning and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a decision support system (DSS) for evaluation of the ecological benefits of rehabilitation of coal mine waste areas. The system was used as a tool to evaluate the ecological benefits; it supported users to select the proper models and index systems according to the waste type or the users' predilection. The DSS was applied in the Fuxin coal mine dump area. Our novel integrated web-GIS DSS was implemented using a web server and ServletExec technology over an ArclMS plat form to support data access and processing in a distributed environment. The DSS allows the generation and evaluation of suitable alternatives with respect to salient features of the problem, especially environmental consequences. The paper describes the identification and collection of relevant information, the structure of a database, the design of algorithms for solving the core location problem, the study of models for evaluating the different alternatives and their framing in a complete multicriteria decision model. In particular, the model management subsystem supports the user to choose a corresponding algorithm and modify the index for ecological benefits. Finally, the solution of the case study, by means of the DSS, is described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The definition of "Digital Water Conservancy" is proposed on the basis of "Digital Earth" in this paper. The necessity, feasibility, construction principles of "Digital Water Conservancy" are analysed, and the framework of it is proposed, that is: key technology, basic infrastructure, and comprehensive applications. The key technology is composed of spatial information technology, management information technology, and comprehensive information technology; the basic infrastructure consists of National Information Infrastructure (Nil), National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI), special data of water conservancy and security measures; the comprehensive applications are made up of the management system, decision-making models, and application systems. The above three levels supply hardware and solftware to water conservancy around data acquisition and updating, processing and accessing, information extraction and analysis, propagation of information, building and updating of databases, web and transmission, and decision-making support. A spatial information infrastructure, special data of water conservancy, and decision-making models are the core and are discussed in detail. Digital Water Conservancy is a large and complex systematic engineering, but it can be regarded as being composed of points (reservoirs and lakes), lines (rivers and their watersheds), and regions (oceans). A digital reservoir analysis is carried out in Xue Ye Reservoir, Shandong Province to provide experience for informatisation of water conservancy in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ecological environment in the Tarim River Basin is extremely fragile. The ecological problems resulting from local economic development in this region have been a hot topic for the ecological scientists. There is a new trend to use information technologies to monitor the ecological environment dynamically by means of the modem information technologies. To meet the constant requirements of long-term monitoring of a region ecological environment, this paper focuses on the vegetation coverage and land desertification on the basis of the information technologies of remote sensing (RS), geographic positioning systems (GPS), geographic information systems (GIS), and data warehouse, applying the theory of the integrative spatial and attribute data, seamless integration of multi-source data. The ecological environment for the lower reaches of the Tarim River is analysed qualitatively and quantitatively. The investigated database is established and managed through multisource and multi-type massive data, which are collected from three periods of the remote sensing images and background data in 1999, 2002 and 2004, respectively. The methods of system classification, remote sensing interpretation, vegetation coverage, conversion models construction, and massive data built database are applied to analyse the data concerned during the dynamically monitoring the ecological environment in the Tarim River Basin. The results show that the vegetation coverage has increased gradually each year after the emergent water transportation project was started, whereas the desertification area has decreased, some sand areas have obviously retreated. The speed of improvement in the east part of the river has been higher than in the west. The ecological environment in the lower reaches of the Tarim River has tended to improve after the emergent water transportation project in the lower reaches of the Tarim River Basin. In conclusion, the emergent water delivery plays a decisive and significant role in promoting the ecological environment in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geographical information systems (GIS) are essential tools for mineral prospectivity modeling (MPM). Three-dimensional (3D) MPM is able to learn the association between geological evidence and mineralization in shallow zones and thereby build a prospectivity model for deep zones, making it a desirable technique to target deep-seated orebodies. However, existing 3D MPM methods directly generalize the model learned in shallow zones to the deep zones without attention to model transferability caused by the different metallogenic mechanisms between the two zones. In this study, we aim to robustly transfer the prospectivity model learned from shallow zones to deep zones. We cast the 3D MPM as a domain adaptation problem, which is an important realm of transfer learning. Because the metallogenic mechanism can be closely associated with spatial locations, we specifically focus on domain adaption concerning the spatial locations that are ignored by conventional domain adaptation methods. To measure the spatial-associated domain discrepancy, we propose a novel spatial-associated maximum mean discrepancy (SAMMD), which compares the joint distributions of features and spatial locations across domains. Based on the SAMMD criterion, a deep neural network, referred to as the spatial-associated domain adaptation network, is devised to learn cross-domain but mineralization-indicative features for building prospectivity model that is transferable to deep zones. A case study of the world-class Sanshandao gold deposit, in eastern China, was carried out to validate the effectiveness of the proposed methods. The results show that compared with other leading MPM methods and other domain adaption variants, the proposed method has superior prediction accuracy and targeting efficiency, demonstrating the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed method in targeting deep-seated orebodies in areas with different metallogenic mechanisms and no labeled data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landslide susceptibility mapping is essential in delineating landslide prone areas in mountainous regions. The primary purpose of this study is to evaluate landslide susceptibility mapping using three methods, information value (IV), weights-of-evidence (WofE), and certainty factor (CF) in southeastern Gansu province, China. Firstly, the landslide in the study area was located mainly using aerial-photo interpretation and field surveys. A total of 529 landslides were randomly divided using a ratio of 70/30 for training and validation of these methods. Eight landslide conditioning factors including slope angle, altitude, NDVI, distance to faults, distance to roads, distance to rivers, rainfall, and lithology, were considered. Landslide susceptibility maps were produced for each of the three methods. Susceptibility maps were verified and compared using the area under the curve (AUC) method. The success rate curve demonstrated that the AUC for the IV, WofE, and CF methods was 88.02, 87.56, and 89.04%, respectively, and the prediction rate curve showed that the AUC was 86.24, 86.34, and 87.44%, respectively. Furthermore, results showed that CF method had the highest accuracy in comparison with other methods. Generally, the three methods showed reasonable accuracy in landslide susceptibility mapping. Results of this study can serve as guidelines to managers and policy makers regarding the prevention and mitigation of landslide hazards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is a major coal producing country, and also one of the countries which has the most serious coal mine accidents around the world. As a result of geological conditions, underground mining is the main way that coal is exploited in China; serious underground disasters and the corresponding fatality rate are much higher than is the case for surface mining. Although safer modern underground mining methods have been introduced across China, accidents still lead to fatalities and the loss of revenue in some mines. It is important to establish a georeferenced coal mine disasters (CMD) database to aid researchers and decision makers in better understanding the spatio-temporal distribution of such accidents across in China. This study has proposed a method to develop a georeferenced spatio-temporal CMD database via a geographic information system (GIS) platform based on statistical data released by the State Administration of Coal Mine Safety (SACMS) for the period between 2000 and 2015. The different levels and spatio-temporal characteristics of coal mining accidents were analyzed, and the space-time scan statistic permutation (STSSP) model was carried out to detect the CMD clusters; and finally, a spatio-temporal cluster analysis of Chinese coal mining accidents in 2000 and 2015 was conducted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluation indices were proposed and rated based on statistical analysis of collapse by an improved backward cloud algorithm considering internal and trigger factors. The evaluation index weight was calculated by a G1 method. A hazard evaluation of a highway collapse in China was established on the basis of a spatial analysis function of ArcGIS 10.2 and a factor superposition method. A hazard zoning of highway collapse in China was also performed based on the hazard degree. Results show that a comprehensive hazard index of highway collapse hazard in China based on the evaluation index above ranges from 1.0 to 9.0; and the distribution law of the collapse along a highway coincides with the actual distribution of highway collapse hazard. The most dangerous zones are the mountainous area of Southeast Taiwan, the mountainous area of Southeast Fujian–Zhejiang, south of Hainan, Sichuan–Yunnan mountainous area, Tianshan Mountains and Kunlun Mountains. The results can provide a reference for highway collapse prevention and mitigation work. Abbreviations: AHP: Analytic Hierarchy Process; GIS: Geographic Information System [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest city (FC) usually refers to an urban area with high forest coverage. It is a green model of urban development that has been strongly advocated for by governments of many nations. Forest fire is a prominent threat in FC development, but the causes of fires in FCs are usually different and more complex than in pure forested areas since more socio-economic factors and human activity are involved in the ignition and spread of fire. The large and increasing number of lives being exposed to wildfire hazard highlights the need to understand the characteristics of these fires so that forest fire prediction and prevention can be efficient. In this study, Ripley's K(d) function and Random Forests (RF) were applied to analyze the drivers, spatial distribution and risk patterns of fires in Yichun, a typical FC in China. The results revealed a clustered distribution of forest fire ignitions in Yichun, as well as identified the driving factors and their dynamic influence on fire occurrence. Fire risk zones were identified based on RF modelling. Improved preventive measures can be implemented in the fire prone areas to reduce the risk of fire in Yichun by considering the factors identified in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detailed information pertaining to soil erosion is required to ensure eco-environment protection and economic development for Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and remote sensing and geographical information system technologies are adopted to obtain an accurate distribution of soil erosion. An improved estimation method for wind erosion is developed, which proves to be effective with an overall precision of 87.24%. The proposed model uses six critical factors: number of snow cover days, soil erodibility, aridity index, vegetation fraction, soil crust index, and wind field intensity. Results show that soil wind erosion is widely distributed throughout the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The average erosion intensity is 0.50, which is determined to be a moderate erosion level. The wind erosion intensity increases from a slight level in the western part to a severe level in the mid-eastern part. The mean intensity of soil wind erosion for varying land use types is ranked in descending magnitude of barren or sparse vegetation, open shrubland, grassland, cropland, evergreen coniferous forest, and mixed forest. There are large differences in soil wind erosion intensities among soil types; grassland has severe wind erosion and Luvic Arenosols has the lowest erosion intensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research was to evaluate the predictive performances of frequency ratio (FR), logistic regression (LR) and weight of evidence (WoE), in flood susceptibility mapping in China. In addition, the ensemble WoE and LR and ensemble FR and LR techniques were applied and used in the evaluation. The flood inventory map, consisting of 196 flood locations, was extracted from a number of sources. The flood inventory data were randomly divided into a testing data-set, allocating 70% for training, and the remaining 30% for validation. The 15 flood conditioning factors included in the spatial database were altitude, slope, aspect, geology, distance from river, distance from road, distance from fault, soil type, land use/cover, rainfall, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, Stream Power Index, Topographic Wetness Index, Sediment Transport Index and curvature. For validation, success and prediction rate curves were developed using area under the curve (AUC) method. The results indicated that the highest prediction rate of 90.36% was achieved using the ensemble technique of WoE and LR. The standalone WoE produced the highest prediction rate among the individual methods. It can be concluded that WoE offers a more advanced method of mapping prone areas, compared with the FR and LR methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The torrential flooding and debris flow disasters associated with global climate change pose not only serious threat to individual lives and property, but also impact economic development. Accurately simulating flood scenarios can help to reduce the losses caused by torrential flooding and debris flow by making early warning, evacuation planning, and risk analysis possible. In this study, HEC-RAS software and HEC-GeoRAS module were employed in GIS (geographic information system) to simulate the flood overtopping in the Mengzong Gully of Batang River in flood scenarios occurring once in 20, 50, and 100 years, respectively. The simulated floods provided valuable information including scope and depth of submersion via 2D visualization. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study presents a method to accurately model soil salinity using statistical tools. The method integrates field data, geographic information systems, remote sensing, and spatial modeling. Kriging analysis for topsoil salinity distribution in the study area indicates that soil salinity has a strong degree of autocorrelation (C0/(C0+C)=15.93) and low variability (CV=5.5%). The coefficient of determination (R2) for the predicted soil salinity is 0.867. The predicted salinity of the topsoil is higher than that in the deep soil, although both salinity distributions show a similar trend. This study provides timely understanding of soil reclamation efforts and local water management practice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study attempts to model alpine tundra vegetation dynamics in a tundra region in the Qinghai Province of China in response to global warming. We used Rasterbased cellular automata and a Geographic Information System to study the spatial and temporal vegetation dynamics. The cellular automata model is implemented with IDRISI's Multi-Criteria Evaluation functionality to simulate the spatial patterns of vegetation change assuming certain scenarios of global mean temperature increase over time. The Vegetation Dynamic Simulation Model calculates a probability surface for each vegetation type, and then combines all vegetation types into a composite map, determined by the maximum likelihood that each vegetation type should distribute to each raster unit. With scenarios of global temperature increase of 1 to 3°C, the vegetation types such as Dry Kobresia Meadow and Dry Potentilla Shrub that are adapted to warm and dry conditions tend to become more dominant in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a web-GIS based support system for rural residential land consolidation in China was designed to evaluate the potential and objectives for rural land consolidation. It was developed using ASP.NET. ArclMS, ArcSDE and SQL Server technologies. The results show: (I) that according to the potential evaluation, the major rural consolidation areas are concentrated in the north-east of China, east China, north China and Inner Mongolia. These account for 65% of the total potential area in 2010; (2) that based on the rural consolidation objectives analysis, the major rural consolidation areas are concentrated in north-east China, east China, north China, Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang province. These account for 75% of the total consolidation objective area in 2020; (3) that the data can be shared and transported by the system on the internet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil-salinisation has become an increasingly severe form of soil degradation due to climate variability and human disturbance in arid and semiarid areas. A cellular automata (CA) model was used by integrating a geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing. Spatial and attribute data from Changling County were analysed to form a database in the GIS. Factors for soil-salinisation were confirmed. A soil salinity forecast formula was obtained by analysing the soil-salinisation system in Changling County. The CA model and database were integrated to simulate and forecast the soilsalinisation spatial-temporal distribution and its evolution. The results indicate the CA model is an effective decision-making support system for the prevention and control of soil-salinisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To make a dynamic analysis of ecological capacity and a quantitative analysis of ecological compensation, to promote the sustainable development in a nature reserve, and to make Po-yang Lake Nature Reserve as an example, the authors obtained information on land-use change in the years 1985, 1995, 2005 in Po-yang Lake Nature Reserve based on RS and GIS. Ecological capacity was quantified and its development change, spatial characteristics, and the sustainable development status of the nature reserve with ecological deficits and surpluses were analysed. Results show that land use had been stable since the Po-yang Lake Nature Reserve came into existence. The change compared grassland (increased 15.22%), water body (increased 7.05%) and unused land (decreased 18.19%). The ecological capacity improved from 1985 to 2005 (the per capita ecological capacity from 0.8284 ha to 1.0534 ha). Among nine villages and towns in the reserve, the ecological surplus villages and towns were Wucheng, Tiehe and Changyi, the ecological balance villages and towns deficit were Sanjiao and Shahu. The remainder were in ecological deficit. In all of the nature reserve, the ecological capacity in the southeastern area was in surplus but that in the north-west was in deficit. The degree of ecological harmony was 1.414, which proves that the sustainable development state in Po-yang Lake Nature Reserve was under sustainable status. In 2005, the ecological footprint efficiency was 8382 yuan/ha, and the agricultural ecological footprint efficiency was 3204 yuan/ha. The lowest ecological compensation was 1725 yuan per family or 403 yuan per person, and the equal ecological compensation was 3798 yuan per family or 888 yuan per person. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial interaction and connectivity are important factors in the spread of infectious diseases. We developed a spatial-temporal model of schistosomiasis japonica transmission, a disease caused by parasites that are transported via surface water and that live in both snail and human hosts. The model employed a spatial interaction matrix based on neighborhood relationships and hydrologic connectivity to assess the effect of intervillage parasitic transport on disease transmission and control. Satellite remote-sensing data served as input to the model for predicting snail density within each village, and for deriving a digital elevation model that was used to quantify hydrologic connectivity. Simulations of the model with varying levels of connectivity and in the presence and absence of chemotherapy control were run for 227 villages near Xichang City, in southwest Sichuan province, China. Increasing connectivity resulted in a geographic clustering of parasites within particular villages that produced higher levels of worm burden than in low and no connectivity simulations. Worm burden within a village could either increase or decrease with connectivity, depending on the degree to which parasites were imported and exported. Simulations of mass chemotherapy in select villages can result in a beneficial reduction in worm burden that extends to downstream neighbors. These findings suggest that better understanding of intervillage connectedness can be exploited in the design of cost-effective control strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]