1.1 Objectives and framework (Ammar Mohamed N.)

1.2 General description of the study area (Kohil A. and Sellam S.)

2.1 The IAO approach (Marchi G.)

2.2 Materials and geographical information system (Faysal Al Ageili M.)

2.3 The land unit map and its legend (Pioli K. and Derudas A.)

2.4 Satellite image processing (Spisni A.)

3.1 Climate (Abdelkak Y. and Briza Y)

3.2.1 Tectonic (Kohil A.)

3.2.1 Stratigraphy (Sellam S.)

3.2.1 Development of quaternary deposits (Botte E.)

3.2.2 Plateau of Ben Slimane (Botte E.)

3.2.2 Western scarp of plateau (Sellam S.)

3.2.2 Eastern scarp of plateau (Sellam S.)

3.2.2 Southern reliefs (Kohil A.)

3.3.1 Agriculture (Di Leonardo F. and Spisni A.)

3.3.2 Ben Slimane forest (Mastrangelo S.)

3.3.3 Eastern scarp of the plateau (Mastrangelo S. and Pioli K.)

3.3.4 Southern reliefs (Pioli K.)

3.3.5 Forest policy (Aghrod M.)

3.4 Soils (Ouraini A.)

4.1 Land capability (Di Leonardo F. and Spisni A.)

4.2.1 Land suitability for irrigation (Briza Y.)

4.2.2 Land suitability for crops and fruit trees (Di Leonardo F. and Spisni A.)

4.2.3 Land suitability for forest plantation and natural vegetation (Mastrangelo S. and Pioli K.)

4.3 Erosion risk evaluation (Di Leonardo F. and Spisni A.)

4.4 Land changes (Spisni A. and Aghrod M.)

Annex 1 - Land units descriptions All

Annex 2 - Soil profile classification Cerutti P.O. and Ammar Mohamed N.

Annex 3 - Floristic list Mastrangelo S.

Annex 4 - Field forms Botte E.

Annex 5 - Panoramic view Aghrod M. and Sellam S.

Annex 6 - Transects Botte E.

Bibliographical research, preliminary photointerpretation, and field work (All)

Final photointerpretation (Derudas A. and Pioli K.)

Soils laboratory and analysis (Ouraini A., Cerutti P.O., and Marchi G.)

Maps editing (Cerutti P.O., Faysal Al Ageili M., and Derudas A.)

Database (Faysal Al Ageili M.)

Report editing (Marchi G.)

1. Introduction

1.1 Objectives and framework

The main aim of this study is the application of remote sensing and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) techniques for land evaluation.

The principal objective of land evaluation is to select the optimum land use for each defined land unit taking into account both physical and economic considerations as well as the sustainability of environmental resources.

In any kind of land use planning, the decision maker needs reliable information about the characteristics of different land areas and their behaviour under various land uses.

Land evaluation is concerned with the assessment of land performance when used for specified purposes. It involves the execution and interpretation of basic surveys of climate, soil, vegetation, and other aspects of land in terms of requirement for alternative forms of land use.

The objectives of the present project were:

to create a GIS containing reliable information on natural resources of the study area;

to develop different land suitability and evaluation applications.

To obtain the above-mentioned objectives, the work was carried out in three main phases (Figure 1):

1) Preliminary processing

Basic concepts

basics of a IAO methodology;

analysis of the existing information about the study area.

Using remote sensing data

air-photo interpretation;

satellite image processing and classification.

Data and assumptions

definition of preliminary landscape unit map and its legend;

definition of a database structure;

planning the fieldwork.

2) Field work

interpretation review and field check;

data collection.

3) Final processing

Field data processing

final land unit map;

database set-up;

GIS building.

Land evaluation

classification of land units into land suitability classes;

definition of better resource management practices.