Using of geographical information systems (GIS) in the ecosystems assessment on the landscape level: Case study from the Czech Republic

Remote sensing and GIS (geographical information systems) are very important methods for assessment of changes and development of ecosystems in the landscape level. This article deals with applying of remote sensing and GIS methods to assessment of ecosystems in agricultural landscape in the Horňácko region, extending to the White Carpathians Mountains Protected Landscape Area (Czech Republic). The aim of this work was to identify and evaluate the state and development of the permanent grass herbages in the Horňácko region (Czech Republic) on the basis of historical and present geodata, aerial and satellite images and other available materials. With the help of the landscape-ecological indices, we are able to describe the state and structure of the permanent grass of geoinformation technologies, especially by employing the GIS and remote sensing. The values of the ecological indices were obtained by application of GIS tools like the Patch Analyst extension, Vector-based Landscape Analysis Tools extension and Image/Spatial Analyst. Key-Words: GIS methods, land use, ecosystem, landscape indicators, remote sensing.