Prof M Kirkby
1st December 2001 – 30th November 2004
EEC
To develop the existing Regional Degradation Index (RDI) model to provide management tools for specific applications, with improved up-scaling and cross-integration of land cover and vegetation properties from target area field sites to regional scale (Mediterranean basin) through better links to be made with ground based information, high resolution (e.g. Landsat-TM, SPOT, IRS) and medium resolution remote sensing data (e.g. AVHRR, ATSR, SPOT VEGETATION).
Using the RDI model, to provide GIS map layers for land cover and vegetation, erosion and salinisation risk for Mediterranean European and, at regional scales, for the target areas; both for present day conditions and for relevant climate and land use scenarios.
To integrate the RDI model with a scenario-cased land use and degradation prediction model with an internet interface which is being developed in collaboration with the MEDACTION project.
To link the RDI model with the ESAIS methodology to allow inclusion of locally derived data within indicators of desertification risk.