Land cover change dynamics and multi-factor analysis in high mountains basins of Colombian Andes

This paper presents an integrated analysis of factors affecting the dynamics of an Andean basin. The study was conducted by using Landsat images, SRTM DEM data from NASA, infrastructure information (cities and roads proximity) and the resulting hydrological data analysis, over a characteristic basin of Colombian valleys. Land cover recognition was validated with in-situ data, this allowing to build a temporal variation profile of the land cover over a 26 years period. This information was integrated by clustering to obtain uniform regions according to variables used, resulting in the generation of different trend maps. The proposed approach allows to establish the importance of using information as a measure of anthropogenic affectation levels, thus it is possible to make more specific action plans and efficiently compensate the environmental degradation effects.