International Program of Collaborative Research, CSEAS

Comparative Study of Land Uses in Southeast Asia
Project Leader: UMEZAKI, Masahiro, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo
（Term：2009 - 2010）

• Outline of Joint Research
• Purpose of Joint Research
• Outline of Result

• Joint Seminars in 2009 - 2010 Fiscal Year

Outline of Joint Research

Newly-developed remote sensing techniques (i.e., object-based classification on the basis of GRAPH theory, texture analyses, and simple ways to remove terrain effects on satellite images) will be investigated for usefulness in field studies in Southeast Asia. In occasional workshops, project members will compile longitudinal land use data to clarify the structures of causes that have triggered land use change in the region. We also plan to organize fieldwork for a better exchange of ideas and problems.

Purpose of Joint Research

Paddy fields in Yunnan Province. Fishponds have been dug in-between the fields

Production of vanilla beans has become a new source of earning cash fo the people in Sepik region of Papua New Guinea

　　Despite the importance of analyzing spatial patterns of resource uses in regional studies, they have not been fully studied due to the lack of methodology suitable for fieldwork. The present study aims at establishing fieldwork-friendly methodologies of land use/land cover analyses. Object-based classification (on the basis of GRAPH theory), texture analyses, and simple ways to remove terrain effects on satellite images will be investigated for usefulness in the field. By inviting researchers who have long experience of field work in Southeast Asian countries, land use patterns and their longitudinal changing patterns will be compiled. The final goal will be to clarify structures of causes that have triggered land use change in Southeast Asian countries.

Outline of Result

We conducted fieldworks in Bangladesh during the period between 11 and 18 October, 2010. In the field, we investigated the methodology of spatial informatics．We used high resolution satellite images for producing base maps and GPS (global positioning system) and accelerometer for evaluating individual-behavioral patterns. We also discussed the characteristics and determinants of land use/cover patterns in Bangladesh referring to their experiences in various parts of Southeast Asia. During the period between January and March 2011, we compiled case studies of land use and their determinants for the future meta-analysis. A workshop will be organized in 29-30 March 2011 where we concluded the list of fieldworker-friendly methodologies of land use study.

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