THE URBAN EXPANDING SIMULATION WITH THE CELLULAR AUTOMATA MODEL IN HAIKOU

The cellular automata (CA) model is a powerful mathematical tool. It has been applied to study of geography since 1950s. A method of simulating urbanization with CA model is presented in the paper with the Haikou City as the case. In this study, four types of city expanding were used to simulate the evolution of Haikou during the period of 1987 to 2000. They are expanding from exist city cell, around the city center, along the transportation line, and rural resident spot. According to the spatial occupation reality of Haikou in 1996 and 2000, the simulation accuracy is greater than 82%. CA model is considered a useful tool for urbanization research.