Tools for the spatial analysis of land and for the planning of infrastructures in multiple-landuse situations

For the near future, at least for many western countries, land in use for farming will decrease. Among others, more land is needed for 'nature'. More attention is needed for the curtailing of excessive use of land for agricultural purposes in favor of more alertness to matters of ecology and for minimizing the waste of resources.

The study has put emphasis on two fields of research. On that concerning the spatial relationships of landuse, and on that concerning methods and techniques for making landuse plans.

Landuse planning is seen as a process in which physical planning, land development and land management takes place and involves the physical, biological and social organization of land. Land, the object of landuse planning, is seen as an interrelated set of non-biotic, biotic and anthropogenic complexes. Human possibilities for steering the processes within these complexes are limited. Chances for steering, however, lie within the use of the concept that the interrelated complexes have cybernetic qualities.

Three groups of computer programs have been developed for the support of landuse planners. The programs have been named: AKCI, INTRANET and ECONET.

AKCI deals with automated cartography of C.I.-data on land development areas. The data-files, called Cultuurtechnische Inventarisatie (C.I.), contain specific landuse data on such areas, and are data-files in use by the Government Service of Land and Water Use in the Netherlands. By interactive thematic mapping of the data, an in-depth visual investigation of the land development areas is possible.

INTRANET, the second group of computer programs developed, aims at aiding landuse planners dealing with (road)infrastructure related questions like how to optimize for travel and how for the allocation of landuse.

ECONET, the third group of computer programs developed in the study, deals with calculations concerning the network which is relevant for the natural dispersion of plants and animals. This group of programs allows, for example, the determination of meta-population habitat-areas and the corridor-system most relevant for the (re)colonization of niches.

The computer programs are to be used interactively, thus allowing impact analysis of possible changes in location and/or intensity of landuse. They can be used in the landuse planning quest of the answer to "what to do where".