GIS and Aerial Photographs for Change Detection around New Highways in the Czech Republic

Abstract: Road network is an important phenomenon creating a landscape. Its original purpose was to connect urban areas among themselves, and to allow reaching other important places – forests, fields, mines, etc. Due to long distances, places for refreshment appeared around roads to make traveling possible or more pleasant. The 20th century brought a new feature. Large business/industrial areas were built up alongside certain roads, or highways. CORINE data were used for selecting areas, which changed after new highways had been built up – starting parts near large towns as an enlargement of town areas – and other localities. These places will be compared to areas, which stayed untouched by human activities even though they are along highways, too. Reasons for large new built up areas will be discovered by GIS tools and by using aerial photographs showing developments of thes