Special Issue "Indicators Engineering for Sustainable Land Transformation and Soil Conservation"

A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 November 2021.

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Bernardino Romano
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil Engineering, Construction, Architecture and Environment, University of L’Aquila, Monteluco di Roio –67100 L’Aquila, Italy
Interests: urban and environmental planning; territorial analysis and diagnosis; indicators engineering
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Francesco Zullo
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department DICEAA, University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
Interests: sustainable land planning; land consumption; land use change; spatial analysis; gis; remote sensing
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nowadays, the importance of indicators engineering (IE) for sustainable land use is fundamental, particularly to governance and land planning processes. IE has to be able to design sets of indicators capable of capturing any change in land use, using a multi-criteria approach, in accordance with the governance and control powers of the various administrative bodies (municipalities, regions, reclamation agencies, civil protection agencies, parks, and reserves), thus ensuring the utmost interoperability and transparency of information. The correct and widespread use of official indicator panels helps to set up correlation platforms that provide warnings when certain thresholds are reached, thus making it possible to implement adaptive control actions with a view to achieving the desired results of plans and programmes. Yet, today, speed has become an essential aspect of planning. “Slow” planning is of no use and is already dated when ready to be implemented. Fast planning can help to overcome pressing issues in an adequate amount of time, ensuring consistency with the strategic level of governance. In fast planning, geographical information systems (GISs), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and remote sensing (RS) play a key role by establishing the previously described multi-indicator and multi-criteria procedures at a multi-scale level.

This Special Issue aims to provide a collection of papers that propose or demonstrate the use of IE in planning processes and soil conservation actions and introduce control techniques to modulate outcomes according to the expectations of stakeholders and public authorities. As such, this Special Issue encourages multidisciplinary collaborations involving the design of parameters that should be included in regional technology-assisted platforms for the control and governance of land transformation in order to make the pursuit of improved land planning more efficient than what it is today.

Prof. Dr. Bernardino Romano
Prof. Dr. Francesco Zullo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Land is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • indicators engineering
  • sustainable land use
  • land use change monitoring
  • soil conservation
  • decision support systems
  • spatial analysis
  • adaptive control actions
  • fast planning

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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Article
A Comparison, Validation, and Evaluation of the S-world Global Soil Property Database
Land 2021, 10(5), 544; https://doi.org/10.3390/land10050544 - 20 May 2021
Viewed by 475
Abstract
Despite the increased usage of global soil property maps, a proper review of the maps rarely takes place. This study aims to explore the options for such a review with an application for the S-World global soil property database. Global soil organic carbon [...] Read more.
Despite the increased usage of global soil property maps, a proper review of the maps rarely takes place. This study aims to explore the options for such a review with an application for the S-World global soil property database. Global soil organic carbon (SOC) and clay content maps from S-World were studied at two spatial resolutions in three steps. First, a comparative analysis with an ensemble of seven datasets derived from five other global soil databases was done. Second, a validation of S-World was done with independent soil observations from the WoSIS soil profile database. Third, a methodological evaluation of S-world took place by looking at the variation of soil properties per soil type and short distance variability. In the comparative analysis, S-World and the ensemble of other maps show similar spatial patterns. However, the ensemble locally shows large discrepancies (e.g., in boreal regions where typically SOC contents are high and the sampling density is low). Overall, the results show that S-World is not deviating strongly from the model ensemble (91% of the area falls within a 1.5% SOC range in the topsoil). The validation with the WoSIS database showed that S-World was able to capture a large part of the variation (with, e.g., a root mean square difference of 1.7% for SOC in the topsoil and a mean difference of 1.2%). Finally, the methodological evaluation revealed that estimates of the ranges of soil properties for the different soil types can be improved by using the larger WoSIS database. It is concluded that the review through the comparison, validation, and evaluation provides a good overview of the strengths and the weaknesses of S-World. The three approaches to review the database each provide specific insights regarding the quality of the database. Specific evaluation criteria for an application will determine whether S-World is a suitable soil database for use in global environmental studies. Full article
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Article
Planning Tool Mosaic (PTM): A Platform for Italy, a Country Without a Strategic Framework
Land 2021, 10(3), 279; https://doi.org/10.3390/land10030279 - 08 Mar 2021
Viewed by 444
Abstract
The following work proposes the utilisation of a technical device named “Planning Tool Mosaic” (PTM), defined as a total homogeneous and standardised framework for the principles contained in municipal regulatory plans: the assignment of zoning, legends, and technical rules. The 300,000 km2 [...] Read more.
The following work proposes the utilisation of a technical device named “Planning Tool Mosaic” (PTM), defined as a total homogeneous and standardised framework for the principles contained in municipal regulatory plans: the assignment of zoning, legends, and technical rules. The 300,000 km2-broad national territory is divided into nearly 8000 municipalities. Each of them refers to a distinct regulatory plan and then to a distinct regulation on local buildings, infrastructure, and social services. This level of planning tool is the one that has most impact on the territory. This highly fragmented scenario should be driven by upper-level regulation. Although protocols and guidelines are in force, they are almost irrelevant compared to the impact of regulation at the local level. This process is a European example of city planning mismanagement that needs to be brought to the broader attention of the European technical/scientific context. The PTM, though intervening when municipal plans are already in effect, introduces an element of social and political transparency to planning before transformative events occur. It also provides a continuous framework on the probable future of territories, thereby overcoming the current opacity with regard to public cognition of future arrangements. Full article
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Article
Agricultural Land Use Change in Chongqing and the Policy Rationale behind It: A Multiscale Perspective
Land 2021, 10(3), 275; https://doi.org/10.3390/land10030275 - 08 Mar 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 485
Abstract
Agricultural land resources have been the central issue for the Chinese government in its attempts to secure food and agricultural sustainability. Yet strict land use control does not protect the agricultural land from erosion by urban expansion. Identifying the specific patterns and mechanisms [...] Read more.
Agricultural land resources have been the central issue for the Chinese government in its attempts to secure food and agricultural sustainability. Yet strict land use control does not protect the agricultural land from erosion by urban expansion. Identifying the specific patterns and mechanisms of the agricultural land conversion, thus, is critical for land management and related decision making. Based on the annual nominal 30 m land use/land cover datasets (called CLUD-A), this study goes below the national/regional level to examine agricultural land conversion in Chongqing from a multiscale perspective. At the metropolis and its subdivision’s scales, the volume of the conversion area has been generally increasing, from 122.40 km2 in 1980–1990, 162.26 km2 in 1990–2000, and 706.14 km2 in 2000–2010, to 684.83 km2 in 2010–2015. Such a conversion in the main city area and its surroundings far outweighed that in the rural outskirts, as 68.9% (1990–2000), 92.2% (2000–2010), and 82.7% (2010–2015) of the conversion happened in the former. Moreover, values of Gini coefficients and coefficient of variation (CV) based on the county/district scale (Gini [0.46, 0.64], CV [0.69, 0.99] throughout the four periods) are much lower than those based on the town/village scale (Gini [0.88, 0.94], CV [3.18, 4.47] throughout the four periods), suggesting the uneven extent of spatial distribution of the agricultural land conversion trickles down along with the downscale of administration: the lower the administrative level, the more severe the unbalance. The policy rationale behind this transition is also discussed. This research argues for tangible approaches to a sustainable rural-urban transformation. Full article
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Review

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Review
Global Open Data Remote Sensing Satellite Missions for Land Monitoring and Conservation: A Review
Land 2020, 9(11), 402; https://doi.org/10.3390/land9110402 - 23 Oct 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1119
Abstract
The application of global open data remote sensing satellite missions in land monitoring and conservation studies is in the state of rapid growth, ensuring an observation with high spatial and spectral resolution over large areas. The purpose of this study was to provide [...] Read more.
The application of global open data remote sensing satellite missions in land monitoring and conservation studies is in the state of rapid growth, ensuring an observation with high spatial and spectral resolution over large areas. The purpose of this study was to provide a review of the most important global open data remote sensing satellite missions, current state-of-the-art processing methods and applications in land monitoring and conservation studies. Multispectral (Landsat, Sentinel-2, and MODIS), radar (Sentinel-1), and digital elevation model missions (SRTM, ASTER) were analyzed, as the most often used global open data satellite missions, according to the number of scientific research articles published in Web of Science database. Processing methods of these missions’ data consisting of image preprocessing, spectral indices, image classification methods, and modelling of terrain topographic parameters were analyzed and demonstrated. Possibilities of their application in land cover, land suitability, vegetation monitoring, and natural disaster management were evaluated, having high potential in broad use worldwide. Availability of free and complementary satellite missions, as well as the open-source software, ensures the basis of effective and sustainable land use management, with the prerequisite of the more extensive knowledge and expertise gathering at a global scale. Full article
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Other

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Case Report
Urban Green Space Composition and Configuration in Functional Land Use Areas in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and Their Relationship with Urban Form
Land 2021, 10(1), 85; https://doi.org/10.3390/land10010085 - 18 Jan 2021
Viewed by 775
Abstract
This study aimed to assess the compositions and configurations of the urban green spaces (UGS) in urban functional land use areas in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The UGS data were extracted from Landsat 8 (OLI/TIRS) imagery and examined along with ancillary data. The results [...] Read more.
This study aimed to assess the compositions and configurations of the urban green spaces (UGS) in urban functional land use areas in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The UGS data were extracted from Landsat 8 (OLI/TIRS) imagery and examined along with ancillary data. The results showed that the high-density mixed residence, medium-density mixed residence, and low-density mixed residence areas contained 16.7%, 8.7%, and 42.6% of the UGS, respectively, and together occupied 67.5% of the total UGS in the study area. Manufacturing and storage, social services, transport, administration, municipal function, and commercial areas contained 11.6%, 8.2%, 6.6%, 3.3%, 1.3%, and 1% of the UGS, respectively, together account for only 32% of the total UGS, indicating that two-third of the UGS were found in residential areas. Further, the results showed that 86.2% of individual UGS measured less than 3000 m2, while 13.8% were greater than 3000 m2, demonstrating a high level of fragmentation. The results also showed that there were strong correlations among landscape metrics, while the relationship between urban form and landscape metrics was moderate. Finally, more studies need to be conducted on the spatial pattern characteristics of UGS using very high-resolution (VHR) images. Additionally, future urban planning, design, and management need to be guided by an understanding of the composition and configuration of the UGS. Full article
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