Taking account of uncertainties in digital land suitability assessment.

ABSTRACT: Simulations are used to generate plausible realisations of soil and climatic variables for input into an enterprise land suitability assessment (LSA). Subsequently we present a case study demonstrating a LSA (for hazelnuts) which takes into account the quantified uncertainties of the biophysical model input variables. This study is carried out in the Meander Valley Irrigation District, Tasmania, Australia. It is found that when comparing to a LSA that assumes inputs to be error free, there is a significant difference in the assessment of suitability. Using an approach that assumes inputs to be error free, 56% of the study area was predicted to be suitable for hazelnuts. Using the simulation approach it is revealed that there is considerable uncertainty about the 'error free' assessment, wh

SUBMITTER: Malone BP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4627905 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature