Dealing with landscape changes in space and time is an important activity in terms of the process of future development of the selected area. In particular, it is necessary to focus on territories that are exposed to the effects of extraction activities. The main objective of the paper was the mapping of spatio-temporal changes in the landscape in connection with the extraction of minerals due to mining activities on the landscape using satellite images and data from the Corine land cover (CLC) database in the environment of geographic information systems. The selected study area is specific to the presence of four mineral deposits (three of which are under active mining). The Rohožník-Konopiská deposit was abandoned and the area was subsequently reclaimed. The study used Corine land cover (CLC) data and Landsat 5, 7, 8 satellite images for selected years in the period 1990–2021. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was calculated for vegetation cover analysis, which was further combined with the forest spatial division units (FSDU) layer. Areas in the immediate vicinity of the open-pit mine were selected for detailed analysis of vegetation changes. Using the FSDU data, an average NDVI index value was calculated using the Zonal statistics function for each plot. The results showed that over the selected period there have been changes indicating an improvement in the landscape condition by reclamation operations at two deposits, Rohožník-Konopiská (inactive) and Sološnica-Hrabník (active). The analyzed CLC data detected the change at the Rohožník-Konopiská deposit, but the active deposit Sološnica-Hrabník was not detected in these data. The loss of vegetation on the other two deposits is mainly due to pre-mining preparatory work, which causes the removal of soil and vegetation layers.

The case study focuses on evaluating the suitability of roof surfaces in terms of their solar potential based on their geometric parameters. The selected processing methodology detects segments of roof surfaces from the LiDAR base, supplemented with spatial information (orthophoto map, real estate cadastre (REC)—footprint, basic database for the geographic information system (ZBGIS)—classification of buildings—current use). The approach based on spatial analyses takes into account the limit conditions for determining the impact of solar radiation resulting from the roof area, slope, aspect, and hillshade. Considering to the available subsidy scheme for family houses in the conditions of the Slovak Republic, a narrower sample of 35 family houses was selected from the total number of typologically represented buildings (194). A 3D model of the building created by combining REC and LiDAR substrates shows the roof surface without overlap, while another 3D model made of LiDAR substrates alone represents the actual dimension of the roof surface. The results presented for each selected building show good agreement with each other, and their visualizations were obtained using two GIS environment approaches. In the area of family houses, up to 94% of the roof areas of buildings registered in the REC meet the conditions for the installation of a PV system with an output of 2.6/3.3 kW.

Dobšiná Ice Cave has attracted the attention of many researchers since its discovery more than 150 years ago. Although the cave is located outside the high-mountain area, it hosts one of the largest blocks of underground perennial ice. The topographic mapping of this unique UNESCO Natural Heritage site has led to several historical surveys. In the last decades of rapid climate change, this natural formation has been subject to rapid changes that are dynamically affecting the shape of the ice body. Not only increased precipitation, the rise in year-round surface temperatures, but also the gravity cause significant shape changes in the ice filling. This paper describes modern technological tools to comprehensively survey and evaluate interannual changes in both the floor and wall of the underground ice block. Technologies such as digital photogrammetry, in conjunction with precise digital tacheometry, make it possible to detect ice accumulation and loss, including the effect of sublimation due to airflow, as well as sliding movements of the ice block to the lower part of the cave. In the last two years, geophysical methods (microgravimetry and ground penetrating radar) have been added to determine the thickness of the floor ice in the upper parts of the cave due to the complexity of the measurements. The paper not only highlights the current technological possibilities but also points out the limitations of these technologies and then sets out solutions with a proposal of technological procedures for obtaining accurate geodetic and geophysical data.

Due to natural phenomena as well as human activities, changes are occurring in land use. Techniques and environment GIS have made it possible to process large amounts of data from various sources. In Slovakia, mapping of topography and elevation is being carried out as part of the elaboration of land readjustment projects. This is also a starting point for updating estimated pedologic-ecological units (EPEUs). Therefore, it is necessary to make efforts to harmonize the real state of the country with the data stored in the EPEU database, which are the basis for spatial analyses in the country and the creation of price maps. The EPEU system was built in the 1970s; however, only after 1990, due to changes in ownership and user conditions of the land, did it begin to seriously address the issue of updating data. This study examines selected sources of altimetry data, especially airborne laser scanning (ALS), and their potential role in processing purpose maps and harmonizing boundary curves and slope and exposure characteristics at a stable 5-position EPEU local code. Based on the obtained results, the use of ALS data and the Digital Terrain Model (DTM) derived from them may lead to the streamlining of some processes in terms of planning and decision-making regarding land use, even outside the context of the ongoing land reforms in the Slovak Republic.

The study and understanding of spatial and temporal changes in the landscape is essential for assessing environmental trends and predicting future developments in the area. Changes in land cover and vegetation dynamics are key indicators of the ecological stability of an area. This study analyzes long-term changes in land cover and vegetation dynamics in Jelšava and neighboring municipalities. The selected area has long been classified as one of the areas with poor air quality in Slovakia. The analysis is based on data from the CORINE Land Cover program for the period 1990–2018 and Landsat data from 1990 to 2025. The condition and vitality of vegetation were assessed using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), while temporal trends were assessed using non-parametric Mann–Kendall and Sen’s slope tests. The results show a decrease in the area of class 31—Forests between 2012 and 2018, accompanied by an increase in the area of class 324—Transitional woodland–shrub. Analysis of the NDVI confirmed a slightly positive trend in vegetation cover development, with statistically significant growth (p < 0.05) recorded on approximately 43% of the territory. The combination of remote sensing data and spatial analysis in a GIS environment has proven to be an effective approach to monitoring ecological dynamics and provides valuable insights for regional environmental management and sustainable land use planning.

Perception of the meaning and wider context in recording important information about objects that represent strategically valuable data is the basis for increasing their value and binding in order to strengthen their credibility. In recent years, emphasis has been placed on digitization and electronic data collection and their interpretation, which ensures the promotion of real-world objects. The protection of mineral wealth and the creation of protected deposit areas (PDAs) is often limited to an analogue form of documentation ensuring the raw material potential of that country. The often inefficient and insufficient way of managing data in public information systems (ISs) and their subsequent use in the customary procedural stages of other decision-making procedures of state authorities leads to the loss of relevant information in connection with such protected areas. This paper on specific studies emphasizes the need to use and follow procedures in strengthening the Slovak national concept based on data and technical compatibility supporting the exchange of information, which will support the expansion of the IS environment with data in connection with the protection of mineral wealth in the form of PDAs. As a result of the existing legislation and historical background, it is necessary to comprehensively evaluate the contexts that fundamentally enter into the content of data in the ISs of individual institutions recording fundamental information about objects in connection with the protection of deposit areas. The methods used and the analysis of input data on PDAs from the relevant information systems pointed to insufficient and incomplete records and presentation of data regarding PDAs. In this document, a solution is proposed which, as a result, consolidates the disparate way of registering PDAs and presents an organizationally more profitable way of exchanging data. It was found that only modern ISs and their filling with data, respecting the rules and principles of standardization, prioritizing the content of established, and validly reflecting data, are a high-quality basis for an interoperable environment containing the necessary information, for example, in the establishment of three-dimensional records.