![Sample our Environment & Sustainability journals, sign in here to start your access, latest two full volumes FREE to you for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5935/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Environment-Sustainability.jpg"})
Abstract
Rapid urbanisation and developments in urban ecosystem research have increased attention on the spatial and temporal rules of urban land expansion, changes to the urban interior spatial structure and improvements to urban ecosystem functioning. There is an urgent need for a scientific method which uses remote sensing (RS), global positioning system (GPS), geographical information system (GIS) and ground surveys to quickly, constantly and accurately monitor urban spatial patterns, ecological processes and environmental changes. This study proposes a method to establish urban plots for a Long-term Ecosystem Research Station. The five procedures to determine the 24 plots were (1) analysis of city geography, (2) expert screening, (3) index analysis of urban land use in the plot, (4) coupled analysis of plot characteristics and overall urban development and (5) verifying that plot distribution was suitable for long-term monitoring of the spatial pattern of urban expansion.
Acknowledgements
This study was supported by the Supporting Program of the 12th Five-year Plan for Science and Technology Research of China (2013BAJ04B03) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (KZCX2-YW-453).