Application of GIS in spatial analysis of industry concentration: the case study of Tesanj municipality (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Abstract

The focus of this study is a spatial analysis of the industry distribution and concentration, on the example of municipality of Tesanj (Bosnia and Herzegovina), based on the application of GIS methods. Municipality of Tesanj is one of the most developed municipalities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, while Tesanj?s industry significantly contributes to the economic development of this country. GIS analysis of industry was based on the field work, locating and georeferencing industrial companies, acquisition, adaptation, adjustment and validation of digital surface models and google satellite imagery, mapping of relief, hydrography and transport network. With the aim of geovisualization of spatial distribution of industry, spatial descriptive statistics and non-parametric density estimation analysis (Kernel Density Estimation) were performed. In order to determine the distribution of industry in relation to relief (elevation, slope, and aspect), hydrography and transport network, GIS techniques of reclassification, vectorization, count point in polygons, buffer and clip geoprocessing tools were used. Conducted research provided a new insight into the data mining and visualization based on principles of QGIS, the effects of geographic factors on industry distribution, and confirmed the importance of relief, hydrographic and transport network on the concentration of industry in municipality Tesanj.