IDENTIFYING SPATIAL PATTERNS OF MEDITERRANEAN LANDSCAPES FROM GEOSTATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF REMOTELY-SENSED DATA

The basic tool of geostatistics, the semi-variogram, has been used for quantifying spatial structures of soil and vegetation, as depicted by multi-resolution remotely-sensed images. Experimental semi-variograms of two contrasting Mediterranean landscapes were analysed by referenc e to simple theoretical models (spherical, exponential, allometric). A more general approach based on the superposition of spherical models of similar sills and varying ranges of influences is proposed for the interpretation of complex spatial patterns of natural vegetated landsc apes.