Title: Methodologies, Tools and Best Practices for Managing Information for Decision-Making on Sustainable Development in Caribbean SIDS
1Methodologies, Tools and Best Practices for
Managing Information for Decision-Making on
Sustainable Development in Caribbean SIDS
- AUTOMATED LAND INFORMATION SYSTEM (ALES)
2STRUCTURE
- The development of ALES
- Components
- Capabilities
- Outputs
- Importing outputs into GIS
3ALES
- Automated Land Evaluation System is a computer
program developed at Cornell University that
allows land evaluators to build expert systems to
evaluate land according to the guidelines
presented in the FAO Framework on Land
Evaluation. - It automates the procedures for land evaluation
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5Land Evaluation Approach in ALES
- A two-stage approach
- Physical land evaluation is first conducted
matching soils, climate and land use with crop
requirements (this eliminates land units which
are not physically suitable. - Socio-economic evaluation conducted next to
derive the suitability of the land unit for
specific land utilization types e.g rain fed
agriculture with low inputs or commercial
agriculture with high inputs, etc.
6Components of ALES
- A framework for a knowledge base describing
proposed land uses in both physical and economic
terms - A framework for a database describing the land
areas to be evaluated - An inference mechanism to relate these two,
thereby computing the physical suitability of a
set of map units for a set of proposed land uses
7Components of ALES (Contd)
- An explanation facility that allows model
builders to understand and fine tune their models - A consultation mode that allows a casual user to
query the system about one land use at a time - A report generator (on-screen, to a printer or to
a disk file) - An import/export module that allows data to be
exchanged within external databases, geographical
information systems and spreadsheets.
8APPLICATIONS OF ALES
- Regional TCP Project - Assistance in the
Development of Land Use Planning and Agricultural
Production Zoning in the OECS - Executed in Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica,
Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia and St.
Vincent and the Grenadines from January 2001 to
January 2003.
9Objectives of the Regional TCP Project
- To assist the Governments in reviewing existing
land use policies and to develop modified or new
policy options that will facilitate the
acceleration of the regional diversification
programme. - To strengthen planning and management of land
resources through improved systems of land
evaluation in the OECS member states. - To assist the Governments of the OECS Member
States in the evaluation of their land resource
base in specific areas in each country, with a
view to developing policy options and programmes
for the rationalisation of land use, the zoning
of production and utilization of idle lands.
10STATUS
- As part of Objective 1, all countries were
provided with computer hardware and software to
establish a Land Resources Information System
(LRIS) in the MOA. - In Grenada, Dominica and St. Lucia, ALES was
introduced to conduct the land evaluations.
11USEFULNESS OF ALES
- A measurable indices for sustainable land
management (results are given in degrees of
suitability per crop). - Decision-support system for the allocation of
land. - Selection of agricultural land use alternatives.
- Identification of under-utilized land and crops
suitable for these lands.
12USEFULLNESS OF ALES
- Aid in the development approval process of the
town and country authorities. - Aid in developing agricultural zones
13STRUCTURE OF THE LAND SUITABILITY CLASSIFICATION
SYSTEM
- Land Suitability OrdersS, N
- Reflects kinds of suitability
- Land Suitability ClassesS1, S2, S3, S4, N1, N2
- Reflects degrees of suitability within orders
- Land Suitability Subclasses m, o, n, t, e, a, h,
p, c, l, v,I. - Reflects kinds of limitations or main kinds of
improvement measures required within classes. - Land Suitability Units -1, -2
- Reflects minor differences in required
management within subclasses. -
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14Land Qualities and Diagnostic Characteristics
Used in the ALES Crop Model
SYMBOL DESCRIPTION LAND CHARACTERISTICS DIAGNOSTIC LAND CHARACTERISTICS
c Temperature regime T-an T-GP Mean annual temperature
e Erosion hazard Es-s S1 sd Soil erosion status Dominant slope class Effective soil depth
f Flooding hazard F1 Frequency of flooding
k Soil workability Text-t Texture of the top soil (0-30 cm)
15Land Qualities and Diagnostic Characteristics
Used in the ALES Crop Model
SYMBOL DESCRIPTION LAND CHARACTERISTICS DIAGNOSTIC LAND CHARACTERISTICS
m Moisture regime LGP P-an DM Tex-p sd Reference length of the growing period Mean annual precipitation Mean number of dry months per year Texture of the profile(0-150 cm) Effective soil depth
16Land Qualities and Diagnostic Characteristics
Used in the ALES Crop Model
SYMBOL DESCRIPTION LAND CHARACTERISTICS DIAGNOSTIC LAND CHARACTERISTICS
n Soil nutrient availability N P K Nitrogen (0-50 cm) Phosphorus (0-50) Potassium (0-50)
r Rooting condition Sd Rmf Effective soil depth Rock and mineral fragments in the profile
t Nutrient retention capacity CEC Cation exchange capacity (0-50cm)
w Oxygen availability Dr Soil drainage class
x Soil reaction pH Mean soil reaction (0-50 cm)
17LAND UTILIZATION TYPES IN ALES
18LAND UTILIZATION TYPES IN ALES