An illustrative study on local landscape and its long-term changes based on IKONOS and historical aerial photo.

Nowadays, the research works on landscape at fine scales using high-resolution images are uncommon. This research is based on the analysis of the combination of remote sensing data (IKONOS imagery acquired in 2002 and historical aerial photo taken in 1942). In the paper, the ecotopes in Qiujiadou and Xishao villages in Yixing City of Jiangsu Province in 1942 and 2002 were compared and landscape changes as well as the causes of the considerable changes were analyzed. It was found that the ecotope changes were at greater level in some aspects such as water surface and perennial vegetation coverage etc. This study at fine scale is globally significant for the rural areas, especially for the subsistence agricultural land, which occupies larger percentage in the earth. And it analyzes the structure of landscape based on a new landscape classification system—stratifications method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]