Remote Sensing, GIS Application and Simulation of Coastal Land Use Changes Based on Cellular Automata: A Case Study of Maputo, Mozambique

Remote Sensing and GIS are widely known as tools/means for capturing and analysing geographical information which is indispensable for modelling land use changes in coastal areas. Many authors have written about this subject, but it rare to find applications which demonstrate three crucial aspects: the quality of the sparse geographical information existing in the official African institutes, the alternative technical means to obtain it, either by Remote Sensing or by GIS, and the relevance of using Cellular Automata (CA) simulation in very permissive contexts concerning land use change when there is a lack of environmental planning. In this context this proposal for an oral presentation is based on the following items: - Analysis of the quality of the existing geographical information and its consequences on the structuring of the information in a GIS for the simulation of scenarios of land use change. - Using CA for the simulation of urban growth in coastal areas, namely the environmental fragile floodable areas. This presentation should, therefore, be structured through the following topics: presentation of the study area, nature and quality of the data, spatial analysis using GIS (land use change matrix), analysis of the conditions and determinants of the change, simulation with CA and conclusions where the potentials and limits of CA in coastal areas of Maputo City are outlined.