iple rasters, 
a variety of 
DTM and 
.ploration of 
Such as 
e movement 
here limited 
ilable. 
ı of remote 
le with the 
software 
Xterrogation, 
- and vector 
gle system 
0 model and 
g to the task 
ined by the 
IS or image 
database for 
f integrated 
or remotely 
jata access 
ess to such 
pportunities 
technology 
n integrated 
r the British 
) under a 
the Defence 
ugh. Called 
a versioned 
an intuitive 
spatial data. 
S maps are 
jes a natural 
| objects and 
1 as support 
Iso supplies 
refer to each 
1 raster and 
nbined into 
ose found in 
e structures 
lex enabling 
LS. 
In addition, objects can exhibit behaviour 
("methods"). Storing both the data and the 
mechanisms required to manipulate it together 
gives enormous flexibility for the development 
of complex environmental analysis and other 
complex data modelling application areas. 
8. ENVIRONMENTAL APPLICATIONS 
AND AN INTEGRATED GIS 
The integrated GIS described in the previous 
section is currently in use in three UK 
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) 
funded pilot projects. These are currently 
running in National Environmental Research 
- Council (NERC) institutes and are designed to 
test the capabilities of the initial system, to 
give Laser-Scan feedback on the suitability of 
the system for NERC research and to ensure 
that the IGIS will evolve to meet the wider 
needs of the environmental science community. 
Each project focuses upon problems which 
require maximum integration of remotely 
sensed and more traditional GIS data types. 
The diversity of the projects indicates the 
flexibility required of an integrated GIS: 
e BNSC (Remote Sensing Application 
Development Unit, RSADU) are 
investigating applications for the use of 
SAR data. Because of the speckle inherent 
in SAR images, radar backscatter 
parameters must be derived from a number 
of pixels rather than from one pixel 
location. This neighbourhood is usually of 
irregular shape outlining a relatively 
homogeneous area. This shape may be 
defined by a separate segmentation of the 
image or by a vector dataset digitised from 
published maps and updated by interactive 
editing. The data used comprises both a 
spatial dataset (the vector polygon 
boundaries) and non-spatial attribute data 
(for example, tree species, planting date and 
girth). The intimate connection between 
vector and raster datasets, such that there is 
a capability to update the spatial and non- 
spatial vector attributes directly from the 
remotely sensed imagery, is the key 
requirement of this project, with great 
389 
potential for data collection for 
environmental management tasks, (Hinton 
and Baker, 1994). 
The Institute of Terrestrial Ecology (ITE), 
Monks Wood (Environmental Information 
Centre, EIC) are assessing the applicability 
of the IGIS for existing and planned GIS 
projects using the DTI funded Landcover 
map of Great Britain within ITE. 
Specifically, they are developing new 
analytical methods for future research 
projects such as the DoE Key Habitats 
project and the ITE Countryside Survey, 
both of which require land cover 
information as an integral part of their 
database. A particular area of interest is in 
the analysis of pattern in landscape from the 
raster and vector datasets of landcover. For 
example, the spatial distribution of 
woodlands as compared with soils, altitude 
and climate across the whole of Great 
Britain, and the distribution and the mean 
separation of woodlands in different size 
ranges across Great Britain. Work is 
concentrated on the development of pattern 
analyses within the IGIS that concentrate on 
the particular advantages of the system, 
employing the strengths of vector analysis 
for region definition and the ability of the 
system to combine raster and vector data. 
The third pilot project is being run by 
British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, to 
exercise the capabilities of the IGIS to 
manipulate altimeter data from various 
sensors and to integrate data from other 
sources in order to generate a high quality 
Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of 
Alexander Island and Palmer Island in the 
Antarctic peninsula. The project will 
contribute to British Antarctic Survey's 
ability to produce accurate maps for 
environmentally sensitive areas where 
remote sensing provides the only available 
data.