Date of Award

2000

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Geography, Geology, and Anthropology

First Advisor

Mausel, Paul

Abstract

Abandoned coal mines and mining activities typically cause severe environmental problems related to erosion and pollutant transportation.Because of the lack of data integration,traditional methods and procedures of reclamation plan design must go through a time-consuming process.As new technologies from a variety of fields have been revolutionizing the way in which planning is conducted,it is practical to find a more efficient approach to deal with complex reclamation planning.In this research,a Geographic Information System(GIS),remotely sensed data,erosion modeling,and Multi-Criteria Decision Making(MCDM)methods were integrated to implement a Spatial Decision Support System(SDSS)for better reclamation planning.The newly developed Open Development Environment(ODE)and GIS componentware technology were adopted to provide GIS functions and to build the interface.The system was designed to facilitate the prioritizing of specific areas for reclamation within a region of abandoned coal mines.

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