The main aims of the work were to consolidate the considerable knowledge generated over five years by several research teams about the peri-urban interface of two medium-sized cities: Hubli-Dharwad (India) and Kumasi (Ghana).The potential of GIS for land use studies in rapidly changing interfaces such as the peri-urban zone is clear. Computer generated maps can be revised almost instantaneously as new data become available, whereas paper based maps are inevitably out of date within a year or two. The power to analyse spatial effects and changes is also apparent. However, despite the expenditure upon setting up a GIS in Kumasi, so far its impact has been minimal. It should be borne in mind that this system was generated within the context of research, and not development, projects. Nevertheless, the opportunity to use the power of GIS to help understand processes of change driven by rapid urbanization appear to have been missed.
(partly authors abstract)
The copyright of the documents on this site remains with the original publishers. The documents may therefore not be redistributed commercially without the permission of the original publishers.