A Novel Land Cover/Use Data Model for GIS and Remote Sensing Applications in Turkey

Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) information is crucial in areas such as natural resource management, environmental management, risk management, and the like. Combining LULC data needs common standards in production phase. A common nomenclature and classification system accepted for LULC data does not exist in public institutions in Turkey. In this study, CORI-NE database and its nomenclature were extended by creating a standard LULC definition system for land-use classes in level-4 and level-5. To test the proposed model, land-use classes in level-5 were created using topographic maps, Quick Bird image and in situ data. Land-use classes created in level-5 were generalized to lower resolution raster images at level-4 and level-3 using ArcGIS 9.2 and a created MATLAB code. Results showed that the proposed algorithm and nomenclature are successful to create LULC data for Turkey.