Realizing the box-counting method for calculating fractal dimension of urban form based on remote sensing image

Abstract

In the research of fractal cities, the fractal dimension is very important. It is used to describe the fractal character of the city. The authors have designed two approaches to calculate the fractal dimension by the box-counting method through an example of Beijing, which are called the vector method and the grid method, respectively. The former calculates the fractal dimension through an intersecting analysis in ArcView; and the latter is carried out by programming in Matlab. They are compared from three aspects: the calculating process, the limits in use, and the results. As a result, the conclusion is made that there are merits and faults on both methods, and they should be chosen to use properly in practical situation. © Wuhan University and Springer Berlin Heidelberg 2009.