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t was 
launched to extend this type of information for national 
level needs. As a first step to satisfy these needs the 
scale 1/50 000 and a minimum interpretation unit of 4ha 
was adopted. The merged SPOT P (resolution 10 m) 
and Landsat TM data integrated in false. A colour 
images represent the input data for photointerpretation. 
New 4th level of interpretation was introduced: 25 
classes of 3rd level (scale 1/100 000) were divided into 
63 classes of the 4th level (scale 1/50 000), while 19 
classes of 3rd level could not be divided further in the 
sense of delimitation criteria (or they do not occur on the 
territory of the four proposing countries), their names of 
the 4th level as well as definitions agree with the 3rd 
level (Feranec et all., 1995). In the frame of the PHARE 
programme an experimental CORINE Land Cover 
interpretation in the scale 1/50 O00 started in selected 
areas of Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovak 
Republic at the end of 1995 and will be finished by the 
end of 1996. 
In the frame of the 1992 PHARE Regional Programme, 
a Remote Sensing Programme was requested in order 
to finalise the CORINE Land Cover Programme, but 
also to focus on specific applications of remote sensing 
for environmental management and assessment. This 
project deals with GIS (Geographic Information System) 
and the use of remote sensing as one of the basic data 
sources, which permits to obtain a tool for decision 
makers each within a specific area (Steenmans, C. 
Willemsen,H. 1996). Such programmes in Central and 
Eastern Europe are: 
The Black Triangle GIS (Czech Republic, Poland with 
the technical support of the Phare Land Cover Unit). 
This project started in the Summer of 1995 and will 
demonstrate by means of practical examples the 
advantage of using GIS and integrated remote sensing 
techniques. Cross-boundary comparable environmental 
data are now available from the CORINE Programme. 
Detailed land cover information at scale 1/50 000 have 
been collected by means of integrated SPOT P and 
Landsat TM data using the refined CORINE 
nomenclature (level 4). 
Danube Delta Project (Romania) is also carried out on 
the base of refined CORINE nomenclature (level 4), in 
the frame of the PHARE programme. These data will be 
used mainly to identify and delineate mapping units 
upon the nature and degree of intensity anthropic 
induced changes in landscape and ecosystems i.e. 
changes in vegetation and soil cover, in hydrological 
regime, in silting intensity, soils salinization, wind erosion 
on sand dunes etc. Finaly a map with restoration 
problems will be compiled as a base for assessing the 
priorities to ecological rehabilitation (Vajdea, Munteanu 
1994). 
As concering the definition, as a general frame, the 
Corine Land Cover categories will be used for level 4 
categories. But for improving thematic details new 
definitions will be added whenever they appear 
necessary. To have comparable results with other case 
85 
studies a coordination of the Central Land Cover Team 
to necessary. 
Danube Basin Remote Sensing Demo project 
(Hungary). The aim of the project which started at the 
end of 1995 is to demonstrate the possibility of the use 
of CORINE Land Cover data for a practical application, 
like hydrology/water management. The purpose is to 
estimate, model and analyze the run-off of non-point 
pollutants in the catchment of the Zagyva river. This can 
be achieved using land cover, provided by the CORINE 
project based on satellite imagery, other geographical 
data (topography, soils), meteorological data and an 
appropriate simulation model. Measured data (river flow, 
pollution concentration) will be used for calibration 
purposes (National Report of HSO, 1996). 
Although the CORINE Land Cover programme 
succesfulhas been and has created European standard 
for land cover mapping and applications, the type of 
methodology chosen (visual interpretation involving an 
inevitably of subjectivity) brings serious difficulties for the 
necessary updating of the land cover data base at 
regular intervals. On the other hand, adopting automatic 
or semi-automatic procedures updating, would probably 
lead to redefining the original map/data base with a 
different, reduced legend. The trade off is in fact difficult 
to arbitrate at the present stage. 
2. High resolution mapping by making maximum 
use of automatic procedures 
A number of mapping exercises using high resolution 
satellite and automatic procedures were undertaken in 
the last few years at national level in various countries, 
including Finland, Germany, Great Britain, The 
Netherlands (Thunnissen et al.,1993) and Sweden 
(Rosengren et al.,1992). Landsat TM data were 
generally preferred due to the increased discrimination 
potential on soil and vegetation brought by the two 
middle infrared bands of TM. SPOT data were also 
associated in the case of Finland and Sweden, where 
the emphasis was put on forest mapping. The 
advantage of using automatic computer classification for 
mapping is, of course, the reproducibility of the 
processing which minimizes the amount of subjectivity 
involved and allows easier regular updating of the data 
base. The drawback of this solution lies in the more 
limited number of classes included in the nomenclature 
produced. They range within a minimum of 12 or 13 for 
Finland or Sweden and a maximum of 25 for Great 
Britain in the works mentioned above, although it must 
be noted that six typical Mediterranean CORINE classes 
are not present within those countries. 
The scales range from 1/25.000 to 1/100.000 and the 
objective of the projects was generally to produce and 
regularly update a national land cover data base, with 
particular emphasis on the updating requirement. For 
Germany  (Ellrott, \Wendt,1993), the work was 
commissioned by a telecommunications company, for 
optimizing the cellular mobile telephone network. 
International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Vol. XXXI, Part B6. Vienna 1996