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Wildfires represent a significant threat to protected areas around the world. This threat has become even more pronounced in recent years due to climate change. These fires can destroy, among other things, natural habitats, cause a loss of biodiversity, and affect air quality. In addition, they can have a significant economic impact on countries that depend on tourism and protected area activities. In this context, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can provide an important solution for fire management in protected areas. In this case study, the Basilicata region (Southern Italy) was taken as an example where data on protected areas and fire events are freely accessible and constantly updated. By exploiting several interoperable GIS tools, it was possible to perform a complex geospatial analysis that provided important information for sustainable and resilient land use planning. In particular, areas with the highest frequency of fires within or close to protected areas emerged, which can therefore be attended to at different planning levels. In addition, in general, the work has made it possible to implement simple methodologies of relational analysis between fires and protected areas that can be easily employed in administrative settings so as to make the territory more resilient to the expected increase in fires due to climatic changes.

This study collects the results obtained using the Getis-Ord local spatial autocorrelation index (Gi) with the aim of improving the classification of burned area detection maps generated from spectral indices (i.e., dNBR index) derived from Sentinel-2 satellite data. Therefore, the work proposes an adaptive thresholding approach that also includes the application of a similarity index (Sorensen–Dice Similarity Index) with the aim of adaptively correcting classification errors (false-positive burned pixels) related to the spectral response of burned/unburned areas. In this way, two new indices derived from the application of the Getis-Ord local autocorrelation analysis were created to test their effectiveness. Three wildfire events were considered, two of which occurred in Southern Italy in the summer of 2017 and one in Sardinia in the summer of 2019. The accuracy assessment analysis was carried out using the CEMS (Copernicus Emergency Management Service) on-demand maps. The results show the remarkable performance of the two new indices in terms of their ability to reduce the false positives generated by dNBR. In the three sites considered, the false-positive reduction percentage was around 95–96%. The proposed approach seems to be adaptable to different vegetation contexts, and above all, it could be a useful tool for mapping burned areas to support post-fire management activities.

Sustainable land management is one of the key actions for the achievement of objectives set by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In particular, land represents a fundamental resource to address issues of climate change, biodiversity preservation, maintaining ecosystem services, and at the same time ensuring shared prosperity and well-being. Therefore, it is necessary to activate strategies to monitor changes in land use and land cover in order to evaluate strategies for proper management. To do this, the new open source geospatial analysis tools and the increasing availability of remote sensed open data can allow the activation of methodologies for monitoring changes in land use and land cover in order to provide data usable in other research areas or, for example, to implement a decision support system for environmental sustainability. In this study, a GIS approach based on open remote sensing data has been used to perform a spatial analysis of land cover changes within the Basilicata region (Southern Italy) that is spatially expeditious yet accurate. The results showed a very evident land transformation with important repercussions on the environmental components. The ease of use of techniques makes this methodology replicable in other territory and can be used as a preliminary approach to sustainable development model.

Land abandonment is among the most complex la nd use change processes driven by a multiplicity of anthropogenic and natural factors, such as agricultural over-exploitation, implementation of agricultural policies, socio-economic and climatic aspects. Therefore, it is necessary to deepen the effects of land abandonment based on methodologies that are as multidisciplinary as possible. Environmental and social problems related to abandonment include soil erosion and environmental degradation. Approaches combining GIS (Geographic Information System), remote sensing, and image analysis techniques allow for assessments and predictions based on integrating theoretical models with advanced geospatial and geostatistical models. One of the most widely used models for soil erosion estimation is the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). The present work developed a model using remote sensing and GIS tools to investigate some factors of the RUSLE equation to evaluate the adverse effects of soil erosion in areas covered by arable crops and subsequently abandoned. To identify potentially degraded areas, two factors of the RUSLE were related: the C Factor describing the vegetation cover of the soil and the A Factor representing the amount of potential soil erosion. Through statistical correlation analysis with the RUSLE factors, based on the deviations from the average erosion values and mapping of the areas of vegetation degradation relating to arable land, the areas identified and mapped are susceptible to soil degradation.

The analysis of 4 year In-SAR Interferometry images and a detailed geomorphological survey have been carried out to detect a large Deep-Seated Gravitational Slopes (DSGSD) affecting the urban area of the Episcopia village, in Southern Italy. The DSGSD largely develops within phyllites of the Liguride Units and, in the upper slope, within Pleistocene sand and conglomerate deposits of the Sant’Arcangelo Basin. Field survey has shown trenches at the top and an evident bulge at the base of the DSGSD, corresponding to the Talweg of the Sinni River. Geological and geomorphological field surveys allowed us to hypothesize a listric geometry of the DSGSD subsurface plane reaching about 700 m of depth. Furthermore, the multi-temporal In-SAR Interferometry analysis collected from November 2014 to May 2017 revealed that a ground deformation of ±30 mm was occurred, and the process is still active in the whole area.

Fire effects consist not only in direct damage to the vegetation but also in the modification of both chemical and physical soil properties. Fire can affect the alteration of soil properties in different ways depending on fire severity and soil type. The most important consequences concern changes in soil responsiveness to the water action and the subsequent increase in sediment transport and erosion. Post fire soil loss can increase in the first year by several orders of magnitude compared to pre-fire erosion. In this study a distributed model based on the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) is used to estimate potential post-fire soil loss for four different fire events occurred in Basilicata region in 2017. Geographic Information System techniques and remote sensing data have been adopted to build a prediction model of post-fire soil erosion risk. Results show that this model is not only able to quantify post-fire soil loss but also to identify the complexity of the relationships between fire severity and all the factors that influence soil susceptibility to erosion.

Land use is one of the drivers of land-cover change (LCC) and represents the conversion of natural to artificial land cover. This work aims to describe the land-take-monitoring activities and analyze the development trend in test areas of the Basilicata region. Remote sensing is the primary technique for extracting land-use/land-cover (LULC) data. In this study, a new methodology of classification of Landsat data (TM–OLI) is proposed to detect land-cover information automatically and identify land take to perform a multi-temporal analysis. Moreover, within the defined model, it is crucial to use the territorial information layers of geotopographic database (GTDB) for the detailed definition of the land take. All stages of the classification process were developed using the supervised classification algorithm support vector machine (SVM) change-detection analysis, thus integrating the geographic information system (GIS) remote sensing data and adopting free and open-source software and data. The application of the proposed method allowed us to quickly extract detailed land-take maps with an overall accuracy greater than 90%, reducing the cost and processing time.

Several studies have shown the relevance of satellite systems in detecting, monitoring, and characterizing fire events as support to fire management activities. On the other hand, up to now, only a few satellite-based platforms provide immediately and easily usable information about events in progress, in terms of both hotspots, which identify and localize active fires, and the danger conditions of the affected area. However, this kind of information is usually provided through separated layers, without any synthetic indicator which, indeed, could be helpful, if timely provided, for planning the priority of the intervention of firefighting resources in case of concurrent fires. In this study, we try to fill these gaps by presenting an Integrated Satellite System (ISS) for fire detection and prioritization, mainly based on the Robust Satellite Techniques (RST), and the Fire Danger Dynamic Index (FDDI), an original re-structuration of the Índice Combinado de Risco de Incêndio Florestal (ICRIF), for the first time presented here. The system, using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), and Spinning Enhanced Visible and InfraRed Imager (SEVIRI) data, provides near real-time integrated information about both the fire presence and danger over the affected area. These satellite-based products are generated in common formats, ready to be ingested in Geographic Information System (GIS) technologies. Results shown and discussed here, on the occasion of concurrent winter and summer fires in Italy, in agreement with information from independent sources, demonstrate that the ISS system, operating at a regional/national scale, may provide an important contribution to fire prioritization. This may result in the mitigation of fire impact in populated areas, infrastructures, and the environment.

Over the last decade new voluntary mapping patterns are commonly known as VGI – Volunteered Geographic Information – that is, geo-localized information created voluntarily and consciously by web users. These are supported by platforms such as OpenStreetMap that have been shown in many emergency cases and not, a valid source of data, such detailed to be used for rescue operations. Another completely open source platform that has revolutionized the world of geographic information and how to make reports is Ushaidi that through interactive maps represents testimonies, reports, diaries, and citizen reports.

The negative impacts of land take on natural components and economic resources affect planning choices and territorial policies. The importance of land take monitoring, in Italy, has been only recently considered, but despite this awareness, in the great part of the country, effective monitoring and containment measures have not been started, yet. This research proposes a methodology to map and monitor land use changes. To this end, a time series from 1985–2010, based on the multi-temporal Landsat data Thematic Mapper (TM), has been analyzed in the Vulture Alto-Bradano area, a mountain zone of the Basilicata region (Southern Italy). Results confirm a double potentiality of using these data: on the one hand, the use of multi-temporal Landsat data allows going very back in time, producing accurate datasets that provide a phenomenon trend over time; on the other hand, these data can be considered a first experience of open data in the field of spatial information. The proposed methodology provides agencies, local authorities and practitioners with a valuable tool to implement monitoring actions. This represents the first step to pursue territorial governance methods based on sustainability, limiting the land take.

Use of gvSIG and SEXTANTE for the perimetration of periurban areas The periurban fringe is the portion of land with characteristics of urbanization that cannot be considered neither urban nor rural. These areas are often characterized by a building expectancy, whose detection requires careful consideration of several territorial and environmental variables. It was implemented using a model of spatial analysis based on kernel Density Estimation (KDE) for the detection of periurban areas. The model is tested in the province of Potenza using gvSIG and SEXTANTE on Ubuntu Linux.

La congruenza geometrica tra DB topografico e DB catastale è un’esigenza di fondamentale importanza per la stragrande maggioranza dei SIT di supporto alle attività di governo del territorio. Basti pensare alle problematiche legate alla redazione dei Certificati di Destinazione Urbanistica (Figura 1) oppure alla gestione della fiscalità a livello locale. Di particolare interesse, nell’ambito dei centri storici, è il fatto che la cartografia tecnica comunale a grande scala rappresenta solitamente uno stato dei luoghi molto aderente agli originali di impianto catastali, visto che questi ultimi, sebbene costruiti sul tematismo dei limiti di possesso, in genere seguono i limiti morfologici e topologici reali spesso corrispondenti ai confini di proprietà.

La Provincia di Potenza ha promosso un Protocollo di Intesa con la Direzione Regionale per i Beni Culturali e Paesaggistici della Basilicata per una ricerca scientifica finalizzata alla creazione di una banca-dati informatizzata dei Beni Culturali della Provincia di Potenza. New tools for geographic data management and archaeological research The Province of Potenza has launched a Memorandum of Understanding with the Regional Directorate for Cultural Heritage and Landscape of Basilicata for scientific research aimed at creating a computer-ized database of the Cultural Heritage of the Province.