Land Use Maps

For the processing required in environmental modeling, maps related to vegetation cover, or land use maps, are also utilized. Land cover is the observed biophysical cover of the Earth’s surface (ROSA, 2007). Information describing current land cover is important for planning and modeling activities, and the quality of the results of these activities depends on the quality of this information. There is a high demand for advanced datasets regarding land cover information, due to the increasing need for precise description and classification of land cover for the development of sustainable land use systems. To create these datasets, standardization and compatibility of data sets are needed, as well as the ability to map, evaluate, and monitor vast regions.

Internationally, the concerns of experts in the field have led to the creation of two data series based on different concepts: Corine Land Cover (CLC) and FAO-LCCS.

LCCS Map – Land Cover Classification System

The Land Cover Classification System (LCCS) was developed by FAO and UNEP and allows comparisons of land cover classes regardless of scale, type of use, data collection method, or geographical location. It is a flexible system, applicable to all climatic zones and environmental conditions, and is compatible with other classification systems (Di Gregorio and Jansen, 2005).

The FAO-LCCS database was initially developed with FAO funding and was also supported by the AEROSPACE program, resulting in two databases corresponding to Landsat TM satellite image covers from 2000 and 2003. The partnership established for the project (the Institute of Geography of the Romanian Academy, in collaboration with CRUTA and the National Research-Development Institute for Pedology, Agrochemistry and Environmental Protection, ICPA) allowed for the study of agricultural and forest landscape dynamics in a way complementary to CLC. The obligation to update CLC for all EU member states, as well as the conclusions of the dual CLC/LCCS 2000 analysis, necessitate the parallel continuation of LCCS activities (ROSA, 2007).

Using this data, the LCCS land cover map was created (Fig. 1)

Figure 10. LCCS Map for Romania

CORINE Land Cover Map

Corine Land Cover 2000 (CLC2000) is the European reference dataset for land cover, and it was created based on the experience gained from the first CLC project in the early 1990s. The project was funded by the European Union and carried out in partnership with several European institutions (http://www.eea.europa.eu). In Romania, CLC2000 started in March 2002 and was completed in September 2004 (Crăciunescu, 2008), being managed by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development through the National Institute for Research and Development “Danube Delta”.

CLC2000 (Fig. 2) provides a standardized inventory of European land use at the 2000 level, as well as the changes that occurred in the ten years since the first CLC inventory. It is a flexible tool that makes it possible to measure the dynamic relationship between numerous land uses and their impact, as well as the conflicts that arise from the application of different sectoral policies in agriculture, regional policy, and transport.

Figure 2. CLC Map for Romania (http://www.geo-spatial.org/).