Abstract
Advancements in computational and geospatial technologies have made it quite possible to conceptualize the intricacy of urban growth and land use change phenomenon. The cellular automata (CA) and geographic information system (GIS) framework-based approaches are commonly used in modeling and simulation of urban growth and land use/land cover changes, e.g., the SLEUTH model. The SLEUTH model may be affected by uncertainties arising from the model parameters, constants, structures, and elements used as input parameters. The behaviour of SLEUTH has not been tested sufficiently for the possible uncertainties of different parameters/structures and model constants so far. The present study examines the SLEUTH model performances and behavior as a function of possible uncertainty in few important model parameters using the sensitivity approach (SA). Sensitivity has been quantified in terms of relative change in five criteria, i.e., statistical measures like area, urban clusters, edges, cluster size, cluster radius, and best model fitness measure (i.e., optimal SLEUTH metrics (OSM)), overall accuracy for a range of selected important SLEUTH model, i.e., diffusive value parameter, size of the cellular neighborhood, and game of life rules. Optimal values of these model parameters/constants have been obtained through sensitivity testing for a heterogeneous and complex urban area, i.e., Pushkar town in India. The study gives insights into the effect of model parameters on the performance of the SLEUTH model in capturing different types and forms of urban growth. The study enlightens the shortcomings and contributes to enhancing the present understanding related to the CA-based SLEUTH urban growth model.
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Data availability
The raw data can be obtained from the USGS Earth Explorer (https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/ ). The other data that support the findings of this study can be provided by the corresponding author against a legitimate request.
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Available with author and can be provided based on genuine request.
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Acknowledgement
We are highly indebted to the Ministry of Human Resources and Development (MHRD), India for providing a financial assistantship. Also, we acknowledge the FIST program of the DST Govt. of India for funding the research laboratory.
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Mahesh Kumar Jat: conceptualization, methodology, supervision, writing investigation, reviewing, and editing; Ankita Saxena: methodology, model development, validation, and original draft preparation.
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Jat, M.K., Saxena, A. SLEUTH model sensitivity testing: game of life, cellular neighborhood, and diffusivity. Arab J Geosci 14, 2014 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-021-08380-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-021-08380-w