Polina Lemenkova

Presented work illustrates application of the GIS based processing of various geographic data: satellite images and CORINE (Coordination of Information on the Environment) layers at the lessons of geography in the high schools and universities. The research illustrates GIS application for understanding, visualizing and modeling landscapes of the Earth. Practically, the work aims to demonstrate students, how mapping land cover types can be done using GIS and combination of vector and raster geospatial data. Practical example of this work is application of IDRISI GIS and geospatial data towards a study region, located on the coasts of the Baltic Sea: Pärnu region. The GIS project was performed using Landsat TM satellite image and thematic CORINE layers showing land cover and vegetation types. The CORINE project was started in 1985 in the European Union (EU). This is a cartographic database common and standardized for the EU. The project consists of 44 land cover types in classes, presented as a series of maps at a scale of 1:100 000. This database is available for the most areas of Europe (EU) including Estonia.