MULTITEMPORAL APPROACH APPLIED TO WATERSHED LAND USE PLANNING 
Alexandre Grimaldi de Castro 
Mario Valerio Filho 
Aracruz Celulose S.A 
Geréncia de Recursos Ambientais 
Rod. ES 010, Ed. Torre da Praia, Coqueiral 
29195 - Aracruz - ES, Brazil 
ISPRS Commission VII / Woking Group 5 
ABSTRACT 
A multitemporal approach was developed to support environmental planning and analysis and also to 
assess the best watershed management. Two periods (1972 and 1993) were analysed. The first data set 
(1972) was obtained by visual interpretation of aerial photographs (scale of 1:25.000) and the second by 
interpretation of TM imagery. The images were classified using a specific image processing package 
developed at INPE, based on multivariate analysis and contextual classification. The environmental 
analysis was performed using a conceptual model (Universal Soil Loss Equation) involving information 
from the impact of the application of current agricultural procedures (at a regional level) on the watershed 
management. The indices obtained from the model were extemely relevant to evaluate the impacts of 
observed as well as simulated land use patters. Hence, the best management and land use practices for 
specific situations could be defined for the study area. The multivariate approach allowed the integration 
of a dynamic aspect of land use for he global analysis of the potentialities and the best procedure to be 
applied to a watershed management. 
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