AN ANALYSIS OF REAL-SPACE IN AUSTRIA - GO ALS AND CONCEPTUAL-FRAMEWORK OF THE PROJECT REMOTE-SENSING AND LAND-USE

Within the project on ''Austria - Space and Society'' independent orig inal research is being carried out into real space and land use by mea ns of a new combination of traditional geographical methods proper and workstation-based GIS and remote sensing techniques. In this paper, a n attempt is made to present an outline of the general theoretical con cept, the spectrum of methods applied, possible interaction with some of the other sections of the program (cf. Kelnhofer, Penz) as well as the practical goals aimed at, namely the preparation of thematic maps and the building up of an extensive data bank. In this way the status quo of land use, i.e. the actual taking up of space at present is repr esented in considerable detail in a state-wide perspective. Pertinent information is gathered from Russian space photographs recently taken and having a high degree of spatial resolution as well as from a wide spectrum of other digital or analogue data sources. In this way hopefu lly both the demands of the ambitious scientific program and the needs of practitioners in regional planning and related fields can be met S ome of the results already arrived at in this project - it is schedule d for another three years - are outlined against the background of the deductive approach developed and realized in a stepwise fashion on th e one hand and of the society's emerging interest in ecological and ge neral land use issues on the other hand.