TITLE:
Multicriteria Analysis by Codification for the Determination of Soil Landscape Units in Forest and Pre-Forest Zones of Cote D’Ivoire: The Case of the Square Degrees of M’Bahiakro and Daloa
AUTHORS:
Guy Fernand Yao, Derving Baka, Koffi Emmauel Kassin, Bala Mamadou Ouattara, Nestor Kouman Yao Kouakou, Kouadio Amani, Jean Lopez Essehi, Brou Kouame, Albert Yao-Kouame
KEYWORDS:
GIS, Multicriteria Analysis by Coding, Soil Landscapes, Daloa, M’Bahiakro, Cote D’Ivoire
JOURNAL NAME:
International Journal of Geosciences,
Vol.15 No.1,
January
29,
2024
ABSTRACT: The
present study, carried out in the forest (Daloa) and pre-forest (M’Bahiakro) zones of Cote d’Ivoire, aims to
determine soil landscape units using the coding method. Geological maps and
satellite images (SRTM and Landsat) were used for this purpose. The
methodological approach adopted consisted in producing maps of slope, geology, land use and topography using the
codification method. These various maps, integrated into a GIS using the coding
aggregation method, were used to generate soil landscape maps. Twenty-seven
(27) soil landscapes have been identified for the pre-forest zone (M’Bahiakro),
with a strong dominance of acid rock over a moderate relief under savannah,
forest/degraded forest and crops/fallow. However, the forest zone (Daloa), with
forty-one (41) soil landscapes identified over the entire zone, is characterized
by a majority of mafic rocks on a medium altitude under forest/degraded
forest, water and crops/fallow. The criteria used from the codification method
(sum of aggregations) made it possible to predict the spatial distribution of
soil map units according to agro-ecological environments in the humid
intertropical zone. This is essential for the orientation and reinforcement of
soil survey tools. However, a comparative
evaluation of the different multicriteria analysis methods for coding and
weighting soil landscape unit mapping would enable us to identify the most
suitable and efficient method for drawing up base maps for soil surveys.