The aim of the paper is to reconstruct differences between the paleotopography and contemporary topography of the historic centre of Krakow city, Poland, during the last millennium. The paleotopography was reconstructed using published contour-line maps based on archaeological and geoengineering investigations and showing the roof of in situ fossil soil. The preliminary contour-line map represented a digital elevation model (DEM) base map. A DEM from aerial laser scanning (ALS DEM) shows the contemporary topography of Krakow city centre. The application of selected morphometric indices makes it possible to quantitatively describe changes in the spatial dimension with regard to altitude, relative heights, slope, and aspect classes. The analysis of the changes in the values of the elements of topography studied shows that, at the scale of the whole study area, a trend to flattening occurs, however this trend is locally balanced or overridden by an increase of surface unevenness.
The research described in the paper utilized GIS methods and comparative cartography in order to analyze changes in forest cover in the period 1800-2011 in the Świętokrzyski National Park (76.26 km²) and its buffer zone (207.86 km²). The research was done for predefined elevation intervals, slope gradients, and genetic soil types. Source materials included historical maps as well as a digital elevation model. Changes in forest cover were noted in spatial and temporal terms and were usually linked to morphology and soil type. While the 19th century was characterized by intense deforestation, this process reversed starting in the early 20th century. Nevertheless, forest cover in the study area has still not returned to its state from 1800.
The paper presents the analysis of the area and reach of the Silnica river catchment and its six subcatchments delineated using GIS in three different variants: DEM (from Computerized Information System of Country Protection project; Polish: ISOK) in one-meter resolution, the Database of Topographic Objects (Polish: BDOT) in 1 : 10 000 scale and the Geodetic Utilities Network System (Polish: GESUT). A topographic map in 1 : 10 00 scale was also compared with the Map of Hydrographic Division of Poland (Polish: MPHP) and the differences in the catchment reach resulting from this comparison were also examined. The course of delineated drainage divides varied in each variant resulting in differences in the area and reach of the analyzed catchments. The best results in urban catchments delineation were obtained in GIS using DEM and corrected vector data from BDOT and GESUT databases. In this case, the catchments’ reach overlapped with the existing drainage network. Traditional methods with the use of topographic maps and data from MPHP 1 : 10 000 scale proved to be less accurate as far as the reach of the Silnica river catchment was concerned and were useless in delineating the Silnica sub-catchments in Kielce city center.
For the area of historic centre of Krakow (area 9.29 km2), southern Poland, base maps were prepared showing hypsometry and distribution of landforms in historical variant (ca. 1000 AD) and current variant, based on published data mainly from archaeological and geoengineering research carried out for the last 60 years, and including geographic information system (GIS) tools. The aim of the work is to establish changes in undulation of the area studied within the landforms (Vistula riverbed, Holocene alluvial plain, Pleistocene terrace, limestone hills) over the last millennium. Topographic parameters calculated on the basis of the base maps (local relative height, mean slope, limit of areas without aspect and with N, E, S and W aspects) were considered. These changes were linked with dominating trends of the altitude increase due to the development of large area embankments and of convex landforms. The assessment of changes of land undulation includes four authorial methods of quantitative determination of topography changes. Until the beginning of the 19th century land flattening occurred in most of the area of the town centre. Then the increase of local relative heights started to predominate which resulted in changes of other topographic parameters. Differentiated changes, both positive and negative, in the area undulation with altitude increase were determined.
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