A multimetric approach to anthropogenic pressure analyses: A tool for measuring and mapping the human impact on the landscape

Abstract

Widespread suburbanisation and significant anthropogenic pressure contribute to multidimensional transformations in the space around us. The present research is a response to the current research gap for exploration of new multimetric methods for measuring anthropogenic pressure, mathematical and statistical analysing it, and presenting research results. The developed method could facilitate the employment of measurable parameters and expert knowledge to represent the scale and diversity of this phenomenon. To this end, the authors used universal and versatile computational GIS algorithms based on advanced geoprocessing tools to propose a set of 18 indicators as potential diagnostic variables for an econometric anthropogenic pressure model. The study area was a 10‐km ring around the Kraków city limits (Małopolskie Voivodeship, Poland), a zone under significant development and settlement pressure. Four econometric models were created using backward stepwise regression and linear regression. The diagnostic variables for the linear regression equations were selected with Hellwig's method and expert knowledge. The proposed concept was found to facilitate an effective measurement of anthropogenic pressure and an understanding of the significance of factors that affect it. It can also be useful in spatial planning decision‐making. Thanks to its versatility, the concept can be implemented for any study area for which a set of preprocessed input data is available.