TITLE:
Analyzing Land Cover Change—The Impact of the Motorway Construction and Their Operation on Landscape Structure
AUTHORS:
Zdenek Keken, Marika Sebkova, Jan Skalos
KEYWORDS:
Land Use, Landscape Development, Aerial Photos, Commercial Suburbanization, Land Occupation
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Geographic Information System,
Vol.6 No.5,
October
31,
2014
ABSTRACT: The aim of our study was to assess the
influence of motorways on landscape structure changes. The research was situated
on segments of the D1 and D3 motorways in the Czech Republic. The method used
for determining the impacts of the construction and operation of the motorway
on the landscape structure was based on comparing the development of the land
cover types in an area where the motorway was present for almost the entire
monitored period (D1 motorway segment) with the development of the land cover
types in an area where the motorway was constructed towards the end of the
monitored period (D3 motorway segment). Monitored periodwasbetween
years 1949, 1988 (1984 segment of motorway D3) and 2007. Source materials were
processed and analyzed in the ArcGIS software environment. Our comparison
indicated that the main differences between segments were in the level of development
of commercial, industrial and agricultural built-up area in the vicinity of
motorways. The existence of the motorway also contributed to the development of
residential areas. It should be noted that in both cases there was also an
increase in the extensionof
shrubs and scattered vegetation, and in small quantities also category of
forest.