Resource Inventory in the Commonwealth of Puerto RicoAuthor(s): Barry FloydSource: Area, Vol. 10, No. 5 (1978), pp. 399-400Published by: The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers)Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20001405 .

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Resource inventory in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico A remarkable survey of the physical and economic resources of Puerto Rico has been undertaken by three geographers employed in the Office of the Scientific Inventory, Department of Natural Resources, San Juan. With recent spatial data on a wide range of environmental and human variables stored on tapes, it is possible through computer graphics to produce detailed island-wide or regional maps of such features as agricul tural and urban land use, water resources, industries, transport, communications, recreational land use, and many other aspects of Puerto Rican geography. An alter native computer programme produces statistical lists and summaries of data for specific locations across the island.

Research for the project was carried out in the following manner. Through air photo interpretation at a scale of 1: 20,000 (the photographs date from 1971-2, and are the latest available for the entire Commonwealth), a series of maps showing land use, natural-environmental-cultural resources, soils, geology, scenic sights and beaches was produced. The maps were drawn on transparent material, for superimposition over the 67 topographic quadrangles covering Puerto Rico (also at a scale of 1 : 20,000) and published by the US Geological Survey.

The geographical unit or cell employed to sum up the information was of 0 25 km2. The cells were defined in accordance with the Lambert co-ordinate system used for the USGS maps. This pattern of co-ordinates and squares was utilized in the compila tion of all data derived from the air-photo interpretation. A second summary of information was undertaken, using conventional/historic areal boundaries: the

municipios, barrios and pueblos of the Commonwealth. It is the 0 25 km2 print-outs which have provided the break-through to a more

scientific appreciation of the complex patterns of land/man relationships in Puerto Rico: comparable to the achievements of the Population Census Research Unit at Durham University in the UK.

The entire record of the Puerto Rican NCERI (Natural-Cultural-Environmental Resources Inventory) is stored on discs and two computer programmes: PLANMAP and DATALIST facilitate the output and analysis of inventory data. Thus information for any locality on the island is speedily obtained in either graphic or tabular form.

The common analytical characteristics were selected in order to provide logical, mathematical, and other procedures basic to handling quantitative data. They also permit a high degree of interaction between the data and facilitate quantitative methods of analysis.

PLANMAP produces the cartographic display and was developed around the use of weights, through which one can assign a value to the data with regard to their importance and even their effect upon a given planning decision. A total or net weight is calculated for each square in the study area and the result is displayed by a symbol on the final map traced by the computer. ' The data or the numerical results for one square can be assigned as many as ten numerical levels (intensities) as specified by the user. Each level is represented by a symbol in the map traced by the computer. A symbol is printed for each 0 25 km2 of the study area. A square or any number of configurations of squares can be displayed on one map.'

DATALIST produces a list in table form. The co-ordinates of each square and its contents or data of the inventory are shown as they are stored on disc or in algebraic, logic or other form.

A partial listing of categories featured in the NCERI indicates its detailed nature:

Agricultural areas Residential areas

Sugar cane (urban and rural are distinguished) Pineapple Light density

399

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400 Resource inventory in Puerto Rico

Agricultural areas (continued) Residential areas (continued)

Coconut Medium density Grazing Heavy density Floriculture Slum Tobacco Strip Coffee Under construction Intensive commercial crops Squatters Small holder Housing with ocean frontage Citrus Banana Inactive agriculture

Commercial areas Industrial areas

Urban downtown Light (non-pollutant) Shopping centre Heavy (pollutant) Commercial office Industrial park Commercial strip Hotel

Extractive areas Water resources

Quarries Controlled, fresh water Borrow pit Rivers, streams Sand, gravel Tidal channel Salt drying bed Embayed, protected Other mining Marine waters

Lagoon Natural fresh water pond

Transportation Communications

Super highway (4 lanes) Power sub-station Railroad freightyard Power generating station Airport Relay station Commercial dock facilities Radio tower Developed harbour TV tower Non-commercial dock facilities

Forest use Wetland

Fine, woody growth Mangrove swamps Light, scattered crown Shrub, bushy wetland Solid crown cover Salt water marsh Public forest Fresh water marsh

The Resource Inventory of Puerto Rico represents an invaluable source of spatial data for scholars interested in the Caribbean region. During a visit to the Department of Natural Resources in San Juan in December 1977, the author was assured that Inventory material can be made available to bonafide researchers. Further information on the NCERI can be obtained by writing to the director of the project, Dr Jose A.

Martinez-Oquendo, Office of the Scientific Inventory, Department of Natural Resources, Box 5887, Puerta de Tierra, Puerto Rico 00906.

Barry Floyd University of Durham

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