A Change Vector Analysis Technique to Monitor Land-Use/Land-Cover in the Yildiz Mountains, Turkey

Abstract

This paper presents the method to detect the intensity of change and the dimension of change using Change Vector Analysis (CVA) method. The aim of this study is to confirm the changes in the Yildiz Mountains using proof from natural ecosystems (natural deciduous forest, wetland and sand dune ecosystems) and other various ecosystems ecologically significant all over Europe and Turkey by using the CVA technique. Two Landsat TM scenes recorded in 1990 and 2009 were used to minimize change detection error introduced by seasonal differences. Images were geometrically and atmospherically corrected. As a result of the ratings, it is observed that agricultural areas decreased by 17.5 and Crimean pine forests by 16.4% whereas oak forests increased by 4.1%. Ash trees, sand dunes and bare ground reflected insignificant changes, too.