Quantitative regional analysis of Chu Chiang Delta area of South China using landsat images

The use of remote sensing from a satellite such as Landsat is advocated as a suitable tool to re-vitalize the development of regional geography through the method of quantitative regional analysis. To demonstrate the technique, Chu Chiang Delta in South China is employed as an example. Land use/land cover data are extracted from Landsat images and other environmental data such as soils, clilogy, climate and population density are also obtained from other sources so that they all integrate together on one common base — the picture element (pixel) of a Landsat scene. A manageable number of pixels is combined to produce suitable-sized cells for data storage and classification at the scale of 1:1,000,000. A clustering algorithm is employed to classify these cells by computer. The value of Landsat images lies in its ability to give consistent coverage of an area and to produce such a realistic view of the terrestrial environment that the characteristic of verbal description in regional geography can be cut down to a minimum. Through a quantitative approach, the interactions of different environmental features in shaping the development of a region can be more easily comprehended. The proposed approach can lead to the development of an information system which has practical value in providing information required for the development of the agriculturally important Chu Chiang Delta area.