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Exercise 1

Land Suitability

1. Introduction
GIS as map production tools and as a database technology have evolved to
include the capabilities for interpretation as well as presentation of mapped data. Within
this context, the interrelationships among mapped data become the focus of attention. In
such work entirely new spatial information is created as users derive and interpret
landscape factors for specific management activities (Berry, 1991). GIS today is a
powerful tool for make a new spatial data that is derived and interpreted from raw data or
landscape factors for any management activities.
GIS has been evolve from just creating such a conventional map to become a
spatial analysis tools. GIS now, is using map as a data, that has characteristic by
describing both the where (location attribute or spatial reference) and the what (data
attribute). The map scale and projection determine the form of coordinate locating of
landscape features in geographical space. Whereas the information can defined by lines,
dots and polygons that has an attribute. In GIS the thing can stored as digital data, and
can be manipulating and analyzing.
The one of useful tool in GIS is spatial modeling. GIS systems store information
as numbers. When you are overlaying the different maps (more than one map) the value
can be summed, averaged, weight-averaged, minimized, or any other appropriate
statistical or mathematical operations. The result is a new number assigned to each
location which is a numerical summary or mathematical function of the conditions
occurring at the location on the input maps (Berry, 1991).
In this exercise, we are going to analysis an area that can use for waste disposal.
Berry 1991, gave an example how to manage environmental by using spatial analysis
tool. The case is to determine the best locations for recreation, research and residential in
US Virgin Island. He used five primary data planes, that were digitized for two adjacent
USGS topographic map sheets: island boundaries, elevation, roads, geographical points
and cultural features. These data were used to derive maps of slope, aspect, proximity to
road, proximity to coast, watersheds, coastal sheds and visual exposure to coastline.
To determine the waste disposal area we can use many maps and using a land
suitability method. Land suitability is a useful technique for determining the most
appropriate place for particular need. The process of spatial modeling can be done by
means of combining several spatial analysis. One of the most common analysis in spatial
modeling is distance analysis, in which in this case related to the first law of geography.
This guide shows the combination of binary model and cost distance analysis to
determine the most suitable location for landfills.

2. Data and Methods


a. Data
Land use layer (land use.shp)
Road layer (jalan.shp)
Administrative boundary of study area (admin.shp)
Elevation with height in meters (elevasi)

b. Methods
i. Part A
Find suitable sites for establishing a landfills. Suitable sites must satisfy
these criteria
1. Away from roads by at least 300 m,
2. On gentle sloping ground for good drainage, but not too steep
where erosion or slope stability problems could occur (between 2
and 5 degrees)
3. Located on existing agricultural land use
4. Forms a large enough site for the development, i.e. area greater
than 10 hectares.
ii. Part B
Following Part A, apply an addition criteria for finding potential sites (i.e.
top 3) away from susceptible land uses. In general the community wants a
landfills site as far away as possible from living areas, such as residential
and buildings. The peoples perception of what far away means is also
very subjective and distances are modified to account for these perceptual
factors. In this exercise we will consider how peoples perceptual distance
is influenced by intervening land uses between susceptible area and the
proposed wasted sites. For instance, a landfills site that 1 km away is okay
if it is on the other side of a mixed garden area, but it would be less
acceptable if it is 1 km across the other side of a nearby grass land. The
land uses for susceptible areas and perceptual factor expressed as friction
are given in the table below.

Susceptible Perceptual
Code Land uses locations Friction
(Boolean, 1=true) Values
B Scrub (semak/belukar) Null 3.0
GD Building (Gedung) 1 1.0
K Mixed garden (Kebun Campuran) Null 5.0
P Residential (Permukiman) 1 1.0
R Grassland (Rumput) Null 1.0
S Irrigated rice field (Sawah Irigasi) Null 1.0
TL Moor (Tegalan) Null 1.0

3. Result and Discussion


a. Part A (Potential Distance)

To identify the potential area for waste disposal, we can build the model based on each
parameter. Each parameter is minimum requirements of waste disposal area. The area should be
easy to access and not giving a bad smells for other users. 300 meters area from roads need to
define, first. Then the area is not build-up area because it will faze people, especially if it is in
residential area. The last is the area should in sloping area with 2 till 5 degree of slope.
For identifying the area I was giving a value for each criteria or requirements, that is why
I need to reclassify the value from each parameters. Then after reclassify, I was using weighted
overlay to provide a more realistic interpretation of waste disposal area. I assumed the
percentage of influence from each parameters is equal. Finally, I found areas that has distance
minimum 300 meters from road, in area with slope 2-5 degree. The location in agricultural land
use.

The next analysis is data attribute, we should find an area that large enough for waste
disposal. I calculated large of each potential area. There is also a criteria that the area should be
more 10 hectare. So, the result is showed in the following map.
There are three locations that potential for waste disposal, with wide more than 10
hectare. The areas are placed in irrigated fields. Next, we should analysis the suitability from the
three area using distance criteria. The distance method is applied for the next analysis, because
the community wants a landfills site as far away as possible from living areas, such as residential
and buildings.

b. Part B (Perceptual Distance)

Peoples perception of what far away means is also very subjective and the distances
are modified to account for these perceptual factors. The distance perception that used in this
process based on estimation distance that we create under the uncertainty conditions. Based on
Krivoruchko 2005, A geo-processing operation consists of one or more algorithms that create
new spatial data from specified input data. Many of these algorithms involve estimation or
prediction of new data associated with new spatial features, and the resulting estimates and
predictions are inherently uncertain.

To be most useful for decision-making, geo-processing operations should also offer


the GIS user with a way to quantify this uncertainty so that its impact on the conclusions made
from geo-processed data can be assessed (Krivoruchko, 2005). We can make a conclusion that
the value is very sensitive for the processing. That is why we used a perceptual friction values for
distance analysis. If we defined the perceptual friction values are different, the distance result
will be different too.

The perceptual friction values are explained in the method section. I was using the
different values, 1, 3 and 5. The result for distance analysis in showed in following map.
The red color means the perceptual distance is far away than the blue color. That is mean
in peoples perception the blue area is nearest. If we use the area in blue color for waste disposal,
the people will be faze by the waste.

The distance result is applied in next analysis for determine the suitable area. The input is
the three potential area that we defined before, and the distance result will be a main parameter
for determine the suitable area. So, the suitable areas are showed in following map.
The suitable area for waste disposal is showed by red color area. The area has higher
value in distance analysis. Based on the map, the area is in irrigated rice field and far enough
from settlement area. Those area also has wide more than 10 hectare.

4. Conclusion
By using land suitability analysis for determine area that suits for waste disposal, we
know that the perception distance can be an important parameter. Whereas, the perceptual
friction value is the most sensitive parameter for define the distance. That is why we should be
careful to define the value.
5. Reference
Berry, J.K. 1991. GIS in Island Resource Planning: A Case Study in Map Analysis.
Macarthur Foundation. Tropical Resource Institute, Yale University.
Krivoruchko, K and Crawford, C.A.G. 2005. Assessing the Uncertainty Resulting from
Geoprocessing Operations. Redland, California. ESRI Press Spatial and
Modeling book.

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