International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, Vol XXXV, Part B7. Istanbul 2004 
In order to classify the heterogeneous land use in 
eastern Mau, a simplified method known as EU- 
LUCAES based on Anderson 1977 was applied. Field 
survey provided the locations of known land use cover 
types such as wheat farms and improved pasture 
fields. It provided the locations of unknown features 
such as rural built-up lands, heterogeneous crop and 
subsistence farms which cannot be identified on the 
Area by direct expansion 
Mean proportion: 
> n 
y. = 1/n> y, (1) 
i=l 
Where, 
). = Mean proportion of each coverage area 
y; — Coverage proportion for each segment 
n = number of segments in the sample 
Total area under coverages 
/ = ? 2 
Z, * Dy, (2) 
Where, 
Z. = Estimate of the coverages area 
D = Total study area 
Variances of area estimator 
Var(y.) =(1-n/N)1/(n(n- )Y 6; > pu (3) 
i=l] 
Var(Z,) » D'Var(y,) (4) 
Where, 
N= Total number of segments in the study area 
Results and Discussion 
The land cover classes identified in the area were as 
shown in table 1. 
406 
image using visual interpretation techniques. It helped 
identify the main physical environments of the study 
area such as hills, valleys and rolling land. Data 
verification process involved rechecking photographs 
and images to determine if the interpretation was 
correct, and where questions existed, the site was field 
verified. At least a third of the segments were field 
checked, results tabulated and compared to the 
original interpretation. 
Table 1: Land cover classes 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Category Air Landsat Ground 
Photograph | Image Survey 
(1969) (1989) (2003) 
Natural y y 0 
forest 
Planted y y 0 
forest 
Plantation X X y 
eucalyptus | 
Cultivated | y y y 
land 
Wooded y y y 
grassland 
Grassland y y y 
Built-up y y y 
land 
Riverine y y y 
vegetation, 
fence 
lines/belts, 
  
  
  
  
  
y = positively identified x= not identified 0 = nil 
  
  
Visual Image Interpretation 
Air Photograph (1969) 
The photograph was enlarged to show the land use 
cover clearly. The fields on Tatton farm at Egerton 
college as it was known then can be clearly seen in 
figure 6. Other large scale farms shown are Finerose 
(present Ndichu and Kiringu farms) and Growtch 
(present Ngondu farm). Planted forest of coniferous 
occupied the western part of the area. 
Woodland/wooded grassland was found on the 
southern and eastern parts of the area under study. 
Arable agriculture and animal keeping was at the 
middle and northern part. Woodlots and tree fence 
belts/lines were common on farmland. 
Landsat MSS (Jan. 1973) 
The locational information provided in figure 4 shows 
the main land cover types in this part of the Rift 
valley. The Mau range, the Bahati escarpment and the 
Aberdare range are covered in bright red which is 
solar infra-red radiation by healthy chlorophyll-rich 
vegetation. Although January is a dry period, the 
richness of the red indicates the vigour of the leafs and 
their sizes. Dark red represents broad leaved trees Or 
woody shrubs seen on hillsides as seen on Menengai 
crater and as strings of dark red lining stream 
channels, fault lines and hillside gully valleys in many 
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