Methods to characterize landfacets using remote sensing data and GIS in Burkina Faso

The aim of this research is to improve statistical information about land use and more precisely, about agricultural activities. The method suggested in this paper is based on a stratification of the landscape, at different levels, in order to characterize agricultural domains. This method uses GIS capabilities with : satellite imagery, D.E.M., agro-hydrologics models, ground measures and field enquiries. After a description of the methodology, some of the main results already obtained are presented. It concerns definition of agro-ecologic zones, the discrimination of cultivated domain, the characterisation of topographic facets using D.T.M. and the mapping of run-off potentiality. These criteria form the basis for satellite image stratification. First results show that the method exceeds the improvement of the agricultural statistics to concern also agriculture and resource management in general.