The Algorithmic Complexity of Landscapes
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11168017 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Fivos Papadimitriou (0000-0001-6886-5340, Hellenic Open University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2012 |
| Volume | 37 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 591-611 |
| Publication date | 2012-10-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Landscape Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0142-6397 • E-ISSN: 1469-9710 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/01426397.2011.650628 |
| OpenAlex | W2044901646 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 30 |
A method to evaluate the algorithmic complexity of landscapes is developed here, based on the notion of Kolmogorov complexity (or K-complexity). The K-complexity of a landscape is calculated from a string x of symbols representing the landscape's features (e.g. land use), whereby each symbol belongs to an alphabet L, and can be defined as the size of the shortest string y that fully describes x. K-complexity presents several useful aspects as a measure of landscape complexity: a) it is a direct measure of complexity and not a surrogate measure, well supported by the literature of Informatics; b) it is easy to apply to landscapes of 'small' size' c) it can be used to compare the complexity of two or more landscapes; d) it allows calculations of a landscape's changes in complexity with time; e) it can be a descriptor not only of the landscape's structural complexity, but also of its functional complexity; and f) it makes possible to distinguish two landscapes with the same diversity but with different complexity
Environmental ethics · Geography · Computer Science · Land Use and Ecosystem Services · Philosophy
| Citations per year | 0.17 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2020 - 2020 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |