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GEOMATIC MODELS APPLIED IN THE PLANNING OF AGRICULTURAL SPACE IN THE WESTERN AREA OF ROMANIA

Mihai Simon

Abstract

Agriculture, regarded as one of the oldest occupations of mankind, practiced by different techniques and differentiated means according to the general level of development, is still the main socio-economic supporter at the level of the analyzed area. If in Romania's "agricultural past" the attention was concentrated on maximum, immediate and "indifferent" production, at present, under the action of international politics, there are remarkable administrative, organizational and technical capitalist nuances, dictated by the society's tendency towards performance and optimization, with real concerns about sustainable development. Against this background, one of the main concerns also in the field of agriculture is territorial planning, which through its systemic character requires a complex analysis of the corresponding geosystems. The present study supports previous statements by elaborating a holistic model for the analysis of the territory of Arad county in western Romania, the main aim being to identify and "classify" the land according to its agricultural potential. The analysis of agricultural potential was based on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) calculated from satellite imagery. Once the consistency of vegetation has been established, the main factors with direct or indirect action have been analyzed, on the quality of the land and the way of its use, namely relief, altitude and declivity, and soils. After the areas occupied with forests and constructions were excluded, the "potential agricultural" land was identified, after which the analyzed area was classified into different groups of agricultural potential by applying a set of successive criteria. Spatial analysis was undertaken through techniques and means specific to Geographic Information Systems and remote sensing. As a result of the researches carried out, the areas with maximum potential for use as arable land, the lands that can be used as pastures (inferior quality for arable land), areas with major restrictions due to the presence of limiting factors and their spatial position are determined. The development of a geomatic model in territorial planning offers many theoretical and practical advantages, being indispensable in assessing the current situation, but also in developing strategies for efficient and sustainable management of space and, in particular, of agricultural land.

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DOI resolver: doi.org/10.5593/sgem2017h/33/s14.070

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