GIS modeling of urbanization impacts on natural resources, Dakota County, Minnesota

Abstract

<p>This research focused on the impacts of urbanization in natural resources and land-cover changes due to urban development in Dakota County, Minnesota. An existing planning guide, the 2030 Regional Development Framework (2030 RDF) for the Twin Cities Metro Area, was analyzed and employed as a reference in this research. Geographic information systems (GIS) technology was used to help determine characteristics of urban land-cover changes, such as population change, land cover changes, and the environmental impacts on natural resources caused by urban development. Furthermore, land suitability modeling was utilized to analyze possible future development, from the perspectives of urban expansion and agricultural land protection. FRAGSTATS, a tool for ecological landscape analysis based on GIS, was also used to investigate patterns of urbanization. Integration of social and spatial data provided an effective mechanism to explore relationships between population increase and landscape change.</p>