Agent-based dynamic spatial simulation of land-use/cover change in the Yucatán peninsula, Mexico GIS/EM4

The author presents on-going dissertation research on an “Agent-based Dynamic Spatial Simulation” (ADSS), used in this paper to project short-term forest-regrowth scenarios in the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico. A conceptual framework based on land manager decision making in relation to socioeconomic institutions and the environment is mapped onto a model composed of an agent-based model and generalized cellular automata. The ADSS is calibrated and validated with household surveys, archival research, and spatial data including imagery and maps of land-use/cover and biophysical characteristics.