A theoretical framework for land evaluation

TLDR

Land evaluation predicts land use potential from attributes, employing a range of models from qualitative to quantitative, functional to mechanistic, and specific to general. This study classifies land evaluation models according to their treatment of time and space and the use of land qualities as intermediates between characteristics and suitability. Models are categorized temporally as static or dynamic resource bases and land suitability, and spatially as single‑area, static inter‑area, or dynamic inter‑area, with the most complex case allowing interdependent suitabilities across uses.

Abstract

Land evaluation is the process of predicting the use potential of land on the basis of its attributes. A variety of analytical models can be used in these predictions, ranging from qualitative to quantitative, functional to mechanistic, and specific to general. This paper classifies land evaluation models by how they take time and space into account, and whether they use land qualities as an intermediate between land characteristics and land suitability. Temporally, models can be of a static resource base and static land suitability, a dynamic resource base but static land suitability, or both a dynamic resource base and dynamic land suitability. spatially, land evaluation models can be of a single area with no interaction between areas, with static inter-area effects, or dynamic inter-area effects. In the most complex case, land suitabilities for several land uses are interdependent.