Network graphs unveil landscape structure and changes

Publication Type  Journal Article
Year of Publication  2011
Authors  Alessandro Ferrarini
Journal Title  Network Biology
Volume  1
Issue  2
Pages  121-126
Journal Date  09/2011
Short Title  Network graphs unveil landscape structure and changes
Publisher  International Academy of Ecology and Environmental Sciences
ISSN Number  2220-8879
Key Words  network graphs; landscape/vegetation maps; landscape structure; landscape change; NetDraw; Ceno valley
Abstract  

Landscape (i.e., land cover, land use or vegetation maps) is a very complex mosaic of thousands of patches, and this makes its interpretation very challenging. Class areas and shared perimeters between classes are two pivotal properties of its structure. In addition, landscape structure changes over time as a consequence of many interacting processes. Hence, there's an urgent need for a synthetic and intuitive representation of its structural attributes. I advocate here network graphs as an aid to interpreting and checking temporal and spatial properties of landscapes. I also suggest several hints to fitter use network graphs in landscape representation. As a case study, I apply network graphs to the Ceno valley (Parma, Italy), but the proposed approach is suitable for any landscape maps.

URL  http://www.iaees.org/publications/journals/nb/articles/2011-1(2)/Network-graphs-unveil-landscape-structure-and-changes.pdf
DOI  DOI 10.0000/issn-2220-8879-networkbiology-2011-v1-0011
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