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ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING IN CENTRAL DALMATIA
Vincent Gaffney
University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
Kristof Ostir, Tomaz Podobnikar and Zoran Stanéi¢
Centre for Scientific Research of Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Slovenia
Commission VII, Working Group 6
KEY WORDS: Cultural Heritage, Multispectral Classification, Land Use
ABSTRACT
Following the early seventies, when satellite imagery became widely available, a wide range of professionals have at-
tempted to utilize satellite images in environmental sciences. The study discussed here has been carried out in the central
Adriatic where an international team of archaeologist, historians, geographers and other specialists has been studying the
archaeology of the Central Dalmatian islands (Croatia) for more then a decade. The natural environment data for the
research — when available — was largely supplied as thematic maps which were frequently unsuitable for detailed analy-
sis. Satellite imagery seemed to be an adequate alternative source for such data. The island of Solta was chosen to be
presented in this paper as it is a relatively small island and therefore all image processing can be done quickly even with
small personal computers and with low-cost software. The study has two important implications. First, the land use map of
Solta was produced, and second, the possibilities of a simple and non—expensive image processing system for this kind of
analysis have been demonstrated to local planners and decision makers.
INTRODUCTION
In the area of central Adriatic an international team of vari-
ous scientists has been studying the Central Dalmatian is-
lands (Croatia) for more then a decade (see Figure 1). The
research has included the analysis of settlement patterns,
colonization, contacts, land use and economy of the pre-
historic, protohistoric, Greek and Roman communities who
lived in the area. The archaeological data for this work was
gathered through field surveys of the islands and extensive
archive research. The natural environment data — when
available — was largely supplied as thematic maps which
were sometimes quite detailed but sometimes also unsuit-
able for any analysis. These contrasts are exemplified by
the situation relating to soil maps in the area. The one for
the island of Hvar was extremely detailed with a refined
classification and plotted at a scale of 1:25.000 (Gaffney
and Stanci, 1991). Unfortunately no other island, with the
exception of Brag, possessed such maps, so the situation
clearly limited comparative analysis between the islands.
Satellite imagery seemed to be an adequate alternative
Source for such data. The island of Solta was chosen to be
presented in this paper as it is a very small island (with a
total area of 52 km?) and therefore all image processing
can be done quickly even with both low-cost personal com-
puters and software (IDRISI).
THE CENTRAL DALMATIA PROJECT
The Mediterranean landscape in the Eastern Adriatic is an
extremely fragile ecosystem. Although changes in the natu-
ral environment were always apparent, they have never
been more dramatic than in the last 50 years. It is essential
that Such changes should be seen in a long-term perspec-
ve as this will allow the identification and understanding of
both environmental and socio-cultural causes of landscape
degradation. Although many states of Eastern Europe of-
563
ten have specialized thematic data, these are mostly out of
date (i.e. not suitable for modern analytical approaches) or
user-restricted. Newer technology should be applied to
data—collection and analysis. The use of remote sensing
and GIS coupled with modeling techniques and an empha-
sis on the human—environmental co-evolution could help
us gain an insight into the extent and causes of soil degra-
dation in Slovenia, Croatia and other countries, and to serve
as a basis for monitoring such degradation in the future.
Concretely, our aims were:
e to encourage application of the new technology in col-
lecting and analyzing the natural and social environmen-
tal data in Slovenia and Croatia;
e to develop a new methodological framework of evaluat-
ing changes and degradation of the landscape based
on the long-term observation of the human-environment
relationship;
e to provide the relevant background for decision-making
in regional planning for Mediterranean areas which aims
at minimizing the environmental damage.
The island communities in the region of Central Dalmatia,
especially on the islands of Hvar and Braé were in the fo-
cus of our study. In these islands, the very fragile karst en-
vironment has in recent decades been placed under heavy
stress from popular tourism, and a reevaluation was oppor-
tune. The analysis could provide us with a deeper insight
into the role of tourism, as well as an indication in which
direction development could be steered once normal cir-
cumstances prevail, and tourism resume. Also, these is-
lands have been the subject of intensive data-gathering on
the topic in the last years before the present hostilities; this
included data on the long-term evolution of vegetation, soils
and settlement pattern.
International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Vol. XXXI, Part B7. Vienna 1996
