RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Calculating indices of land suitability for agricultural crops: An interactive numerical technique
JF Journal of Soil and Water Conservation
FD Soil and Water Conservation Society
SP 351
OP 354
VO 36
IS 6
A1 S. C. Lok
A1 M. Phipps
YR 1981
UL http://www.jswconline.org/content/36/6/351.abstract
AB A major inaccuracy of numerical methods of determining land suitability has been their inability to clarify interactions among land characteristics. The technique described here uses vectors and matrices to represent soil conditions and land use requirements. Through a series of simple applications of matrix algebra, the technique combines site conditions and land use requirements, flexibly accounting for both positive and negative interactions, to calculate indices of site suitability for a defined land use. A test of the model in a region of Carleton County, Ontario, produced encouraging results. Possible extensions of the technique include the incorporation of climatic and socioeconomic data.