Since the late twentieth century, the concept of green infrastructure (GI) has gained increasing recognition as a valuable approach to spatial planning. Although GI is an eminently spatial element, there are still few instances where this type of infrastructure has been given explicit definition and delimitation. It is therefore necessary to develop methods capable of defining these infrastructures through explicit spatial suitability analysis of their component dimensions. Here, we present a methodology based on the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to identify and map potential areas for inclusion in a GI in the Henares Corridor (Madrid-Guadalajara, Spain). We analysed four factors (the contribution to ecosystem services, ecological connectivity, ecological status, and proximity/potential accessibility to the public), combined using multi-criteria evaluation techniques, thus offering different alternatives for defining and designing GI. The GI maps obtained show better results in less restrictive situations, which could be considered to articulate the existing protected areas.

As 3D cadastres offer advantages in several areas by providing information with greater accuracy and a high level of detail, a diagnosis of the cadastral situation is required prior to the implementation of a 3D cadastral model. Therefore, this study focuses on diagnosing the urban cadastral situation in Ecuador based on an analysis of eight cantonal decentralized autonomous governments that were selected primarily for the availability of their cadastral information. The twelve characteristics included in the analysis supported the definition of a cadastral development scale based on the fulfillment of each characteristic. The official cadastral databases, meetings, and interviews with personnel related to the cadastres were used in the analysis to gain in-depth knowledge of the situation in each canton. The findings demonstrated that most cantons had similar characteristics and are at an intermediate level of cadastral development. Therefore, there is the need for cantons to have standardized cadastral information in accordance with national and international regulations. Thus, in this research, we developed an initial Ecuadorian land administration domain model country profile to initiate the transition towards 3D cadastre.

The recently approved Spanish Green Infrastructure (GI) Strategy obliges each autonomous community to identify and evaluate its own GI. This paper identifies and assesses the GI in the Community of Madrid at regional scale. This entailed, firstly, the identification of GI Principal Areas (GIPAS). This was followed by a spatial assessment of GI on the basis of three indicators: the Contribution to Ecosystem Services, the Combined Biodiversity Index and the Accessibility Index. After that, the correlations between GI assessment values and socioeconomic indicators were explored. The highest GI assessment values were located around the Sistema Central mountain range, and the lowest were in the Metropolitan Area and Henares Corridor. Finally, significant negative correlations were observed between the GI assessment values, population density and gross per capita income. The results of this study could provide useful support for the planning and decision-making required for the spatial definition of GI in the autonomous community of Madrid.

El conocimiento apropiado de la distribución espacial de los distintos tipos de usos del suelo es fundamental para su planificación y gestión, y para ello se requiere de fuentes de información de alto detalle. En este contexto se ha desarrollado el complemento Clasificador Catastral (CC) para QGIS, que tiene como finalidad el análisis de la información catastral para dar como resultado clasificaciones de uso de suelo con distinto nivel de detalle. CC permite realizar tres tipos de clasificaciones, desde una básica con 6 usos y una intermedia con 14, que incluye usos mixtos, hasta una avanzada, con tantos usos como el usuario defina. Para validar su funcionamiento se ha analizado la correspondencia de la clasificación resultante de un municipio de la Comunidad de Madrid con información catastral y trabajo de campo. Se observa que hay un alto grado de fidelidad con la realidad, a excepción de las zonas verdes, que requieren de fuentes de información adicionales.

Satellite monitoring of forests plays a relevant role in the agendas of tropical countries, mainly in the framework of international negotiations to implement a mechanism that ensures a reduction in global CO₂ emissions from deforestation. An efficient way to approach this monitoring is to avoid duplication of efforts, generating products in a regional context that are subsequently adopted at the national level. In this effort, you should take advantage of the different data sources available by integrating geospatial tools and satellite image classification algorithms. In this research, a methodological framework was developed to generate cost-efficient national maps of forest cover and its dynamics for the countries of Central America, and its scalability and replicability was explored in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the State of Pará in Brazil. The maps were generated from Landsat images from the years 2000, 2012, and 2017. New geoprocessing elements have been incorporated into the digital classification procedures for satellite images, such as the automated extraction of training samples from secondary sources, the use of official national reference maps that respond to nationally adopted forest definitions, and automation of post-classification adjustments incorporating expert criteria. The applied regional approach offers advantages in terms of reducing costs and time, as well as improving the consistency and coherence of reports at different territorial levels (regional and national), reducing duplication of efforts and optimizing technical and financial resources. In Central America, the percentage of forest area decreased from 44% in 2000 to 38% in 2017. Average deforestation in the 2000–2012 period was 197,443 ha/year and that of 2012–2017 was 332,243 ha/year. Average deforestation for the complete period 2000–2017 was 264,843 ha/year. The tropical forests in both the State of Pará, Brazil, and the DRC have decreased over time.

The Cadastre is a highly relevant source of information for urban and intraurban studies. It offers detailed and precise spatial information that is very useful to support decision-making in planning and spatial planning processes. However, many times, its use is limited by the need for more or less advanced knowledge of the structure, content, relationships between databases, etc. and, above all, due to certain technical difficulties in obtaining it, processing it and adapting it, which involve significant investments of time and resources. This paper proposes a specific methodology for a more agile and efficient use of the Cadastre's content. Based on queries to the alphanumeric component of the cadastral data, using PostgreSQL-PostGIS, to feed the table of attributes associated with the vector cartography of cadastral parcels, it has been applied, as an example, to the analysis of land use in the city of Alcala de Henares (Community of Madrid). The results at parcel level make it possible to identify the distribution of land uses in the city, the specialisation of areas in certain uses, the main commercial axes, etc. Despite its limitations, it is a sufficiently specific proposal, but at the same time open and applicable to any area of study, which could facilitate and enhance the use of this type of information in various areas of urban analysis, where a high level of detail of spatial information is required.