Image Processing Reference
In-Depth Information
Fig. 6.17
Temporal change in V-I-S composition of the University of Utah campus from 1972 to
1999 (Hung
2003
)
Chapter Summary
For urban environmental/ecological/planning purposes it is important to distin-
guish the three general V-I-S classes - vegetation, impervious surface, and soil -
because their influences upon both biophysical processes and human experience
are so different. To subdivide them further also helps to understand and map varia-
tions within class. The model readily characterizes the morphological nature of an
urban area, and distinguishes it from surrounding environments, whether
farm, forest, desert, grassland, wetland, or tundra. The model also serves to
monitor change in urban morphology over time, so important in urban and envi-
ronmental planning and management. The figures in Section 6.6 show in inter-
related graphic form the environmental vitality of the V-I-S model for an urban
