Integrating geo-information models with participatory approaches : applications in land use analysis.

In this thesis we demonstrate some methods to integrate biophysical data with socio-economic variables with applications in agricultural land use analysis. Part of Nizamabad District of Andhra Pradesh State in India is considered for developing and testing the methods developed. First the study area is stratified as a pre-field work exercise for a focused land use analysis. Stratification of the land into categories on the basis of land use analysis objectives, such as crop management improvement, crop selection and conservation helped focus on these distinct areas with different analysis requirements. The relations between ‘land’ as a biophysical factor and its ‘use’ as a socio-economic factor were analysed using GIS techniques to spatially differentiate these categories...