General criteria for land use

Question

Developing the general criteria for the land use?

Answer

There is no one ideal classification of land use and land cover, and it is unlikely that one could ever be developed. There are different perspectives in the classification process, and the process itself tends to be subjective, even when an objective numerical approach is used. There is, in fact, no logical reason to expect that one detailed inventory should be adequate for more than a short time, since land use and land cover patterns change in keeping with demands for natural resources. Each classification is made to suit the needs of the user, and few users will be satisfied with an inventory that does not meet most of their needs. In attempting to develop a classification system for use with remote sensing techniques that will provide a framework to satisfy the needs of the majority of users, certain guidelines of criteria for evaluation must first be established. In almost any classification process, it is rare to find the clearly defined classes that one would like. In determining land cover, it would seem simple to draw the line between land and water until one considers such problems as seasonally wet areas, tidal fiats, or marshes with various kinds of plant cover. Decisions that may seem arbitrary must be made at times, but if the descriptions of categories are complete and guidelines are explained, the inventory process can be repeated. The classification system must allow for the inclusion of all parts of the area under study and should also provide a unit of reference for each land use and land cover type. In order to develop the classification system, every effort has been made to provide as much compatibility as possible with other classification system in land use and mapping. Special attention had been paid to the definitions of land use categories by other agencies. Definitions

• Urban or Built-up Land

An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.

• Agricultural Land

Agricultural land (also agricultural area) denotes the land suitable for agricultural production, both crops and livestock. It is one of the main resources in agriculture.

• Rangeland

Rangelands are vast natural landscapes in the form of grasslands, shrublands, woodlands, wetlands, and deserts. Types of rangelands include tallgrass and shortgrass prairies, desert grasslands and shrublands, woodlands, savannas, chaparrals, steppes, and tundras. Rangelands do not include barren desert, farmland, closed canopy forests, or land covered by solid rock, concrete and/or glaciers.

• Forest Land

A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending on various cultural definitions, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have different classifications according to how and what of the forest is composed.

• Water

Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O.

• Wetland

A wetland is a land area that is saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, such that it takes on characteristics that distinguish it as a distinct ecosystem.

• Barren Land

Barren Land is land of limited ability to support life and in which less than one-third of the area has vegetation or other cover. In general, it is an area of thin soil, sand, or rocks.

• Tundra

Tundra is the term applied to the treeless regions beyond the limit of the boreal forest and above the altitudinal limit of trees in high mountain ranges.

• Perennial Snow or Ice

Perennial Snowfields are accumulations of snow and firn that did not entirely melt during previous summers. Snowfields can be quite extensive and thus representative of a regional climate, or can be quite isolated and localized, when they are known by various terms, such as snowbanks

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General criteria for land use. Opasnet . [1]. Accessed 23 Nov 2024.