Module 1
Chapter 2: Purpose of Applying an Activity Based Land Use Classification
System
Land use classification systems are
used by many different government and non-government
agencies for policy and planning purposes. If kept up to date, or re-surveyed
on a periodic basis, information gathered using a classification system
can be used as a tool to monitor change in land use type,
location and intensity. In turn, this information can be
used to forecast change on the basis of past
and existing land uses. This type of information is especially useful in
the forecasting of transportation needs based on land use characteristics
and the traffic they generate. As well, the information provided through
land use classification by property permits the monitoring of settlement
patternssettlement patterns and of areas rich
in natural resources (i.e. agricultural,
fisheries, forestry, recreation/tourism, and mining lands). By referring
to this information, conflict between types of land use is minimized.
Land use is often confused with land cover. Land cover is defined as
the physical features that cover the land such as buildings and vegetation.
Land use, on the other hand, has a much broader scope and is more culturally
and socially defined. Land use is not dependent on the physical features
of the area being classified. Land use is a more subjective classification.
The land use data collected must be done on site rather than by simply
viewing aerial photographs (see Module 1: Chapter 4).
Table 2.1 offers some examples illustrating the difference between land
use and land cover.
| Property Description |
Land Cover Classification |
Land Use Classification |
| ball field |
open space, park |
Recreation, Culture and Entertainment
- Outdoor - Active |
| nursing home |
institutional building |
Service - Community - Residential
Care Facility |
| furniture assembly factory |
industrial building |
Manufacturing - Assembly |
| potato field |
agriculture potato field |
Agriculture - Land Based - Rotational
Crop |
Table 2.1 Land Use versus Land Cover
By categorizing land use by activity, the user of the classification
system has an instant snap shot of an area
and the types of activities that take place there. Other classification
systems tend to be less focused on one
classification criteria. These systems take land cover,
type of product, and ownership into
consideration. Depending on the category, one or more of these variables
are considered, thereby creating an inconsistent class system.
The user of these systems is left with a skewed snap shot that emphasizes
certain aspects of some uses of the land and not others.
Often, land use classifications are applied to maps. These
maps are an excellent visual tool for getting a sense of the activity taking
place in an area. A map which is littered with unique identifications of
property such as place names, property owner's names or identification
numbers may be too specific and not easily or quickly read. On the other
hand, grouping activities using the Nova Scotia Standard Land Use Classification
System and indicating where these groups are located on a map, gives a
quick and easy to read image of the area in question. The classification
system therefore becomes an important tool and can be used for the purposes
of comparison, analysis and making
projections.
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