In the last decades, the research on ecosystem services have emerged in the field of geography. The negative impacts of human activities on the vulnerable karst areas are getting enforced quickly, which have an unfavourable influence on ecosystem service provision. On karstic areas, there are significant geographical processes, connected to bio...logical activities. This issue is not adequately discussed in the current literature of karst ecology. In our study, we give an overview on the biogeomorphological feedbacks that change the functions and overall value of karst ecosystems.

The hydromorphological properties of rivers and their floodplains receive increased attention both in basic research and water management. A comparison of hydromorphological parameters before and after river regulation (involving floodplain drainage) provides important information for river management, particularly floodplain rehabilitation. Th...e paper assesses a selected reach of the Drava River and the corresponding floodplain utilising two international approaches, the REFORM framework and the Italian Morphological Quality Index.

Every field of our life is influenced by the appearance of new technologies. This means that new challenges keep being met and finding solutions, developing methods to deal with them belong to our tasks. Law enforcement has to be always ready to adopt the achievements of any disciplines. Experts and professionals in any field should be aware of... applicability of the knowledge they have that is why it is important to highlight as much fields where our knowledge can be used as we can. Digital forensics differs from traditional forensics in many aspects that is why a general GIS professional can be involved into an investigation easily. This paper aims to provide methods to geovisualize information containing or referring to location data. Cost effective solutions are preferred throughout the paper.

In the section above Tiszaújlak, despite the presence of embankments, the River Tisza shows active meandering tendency and it splits into branches resulting in side channels, dead channels and backwaters that follow the main channel. In our work we examined the right- and the left-side riverbank sections of the River Tisza, between Tiszaújlak... (Вилок) and Tiszasásvár (Тросник), as well as between Tiszaújlak and Tiszapéterfalva (Пийтерфолво), to reveal the extent of bar depositions between 2006 and 2015, and to what extent the intensity and direction of the riverbank formation processes were influenced by the material of the bank and the plant coverage, its rate and characteristics. We tried to reveal which sections were eroded by the river and what security risks they have for the safety of the settlements along the Tisza River. On the right side of the Tisza River riverbank 51, and on the left side 62 main measuring points were recorded by GPS positioning satellite in 2009, 2010 and 2015. Our results were compared to the satellite images of Google Earth taken in 2006, too. According to our experience, in several bends of the examined sections of the river, active bar deposition can be observed; in some cases more than 100 m of bar depositions were detected.

Centre-periphery dichotomy can be regarded as one of the crucial issues in human geography and regional science. The definition of periphery is far from unambiguous due to its relative expression and its content. This is the reason why can significant number of studies be found focusing on the delimitation of central and peripheral areas. The r...evolution of computer technology and the rapid development of GIS cause the more and more extended usage of these techniques in the human geography as well. These related studies were categorised by their approaches – namely the locational or developmental centreperiphery concepts – and their GIS tools. Application of spatial parameters with extended datasets and complex GIS based calculations mean the most precise and complicated use of GIS and computer tools in the delimitation of peripheral (and central) areas.

Development of fluvial landforms from 1980 till nowadays was studied based on digital elevation maps
(DEM) composed from contour lines of topographic maps, field data obtained by RTK GPS and aerial
photos taken by a drone. Greatest denudation of 6-9 metres was measured in the eastern side of the
erosional valley at Pocsaj caused by pip...ing and mass movements. As a result, the valley widened and
slightly deepened. Since 1980 around 1-2 metres of accumulation and erosion of similar rate have been
measured in the secured floodplain environment dissected by abandoned beds, point-bars and swales
at Kismarja. These values, however, rather reflect the geometric uncertainties and deficiencies of the
contours of topographic maps than real land changes. Therefore topographic maps can give reliable basis
for studying the development of lowland landforms only if they depict adequately large sized (minimum
100 x 100 m) positive or negative forms with great height difference as well (minimum 8-10 m). Accuracy
of DEMs composed from aerial photos using photogrammetric methods – taking off height faults caused
by vegetation – is around the same as that of the models created on the basis of RTK GPS measurements.

Powerful geothermal energy utilisation requires geoinformatic tools from potential surveying through
the designing and setting of geothermal systems to certain operational tasks. However, practical data
processing strongly depends on the elaboration of basic data and information, the type of the geothermal
energy harvesting system and ...the character of the calculation demonstrated by case studies from East
Hungary, in addition the usability of the resulted maps are also presented. Besides their usability for
investors these maps could be refined in the location of the development before hydraulic/heat transport
modelling.

In the land surveying profession fast changes have been taking place in the last fifty years. Technological changes are generated by the Information and Communication Technologies; the analogue – digital trends; the automatic data acquisition methods replace manual ones; instead of two-dimensional base maps we use dynamic spatial databases mo...re and more integrated into a global data infrastructure. However, these changes cause impacts also on scientific level. The traditional top-down approach substituted by bottom-up methodologies; in many cases the point-by-point measurement is changed by 3D laserscanning or Unmanned Aerial Systems, which produces huge amount of data, but it needs new algorithms for information extraction; instead of a simple data provision land surveyors support complex spatial decisions. The paper is dealing with some aspects of these changes. In the first chapter the authors would like to highlight the “data-information-knowledge” relations and the importance of changes in professional education. The second chapter gives an example of the benefits of a Global Spatial Data Infrastructure in spatial decision support. Finally we introduce a new concept (Building Information Modelling) in modelling the real world. However, until now BIM is used in building construction industry, it can can be a paradigm shift in geospatial information management in general.

In the region of Bánkút and Ómassa, Bükk Mountains the strength of the rocks of 29 outcrops was studied based on Rock Mass Rating (RMR). Strength of the rock masses showed no correlation with the material of the Formations they exposed, however, correlation between the orientation of valleys and ridges and the location of the most deformed ...rocks and thus that of the rock masses with poorest qualification could be observed.

A remarkable badland valley is situated near Kazár, NE-Hungary, where rhyolite tuff outcrops as greyish
white cliffs and white barren patches. The landform is shaped by gully and rill erosion processes. We
performed a preliminary state UAS survey and created a digital surface model and ortophotograph. The
flight was operated with manu...al control in order to perform a more optimal coverage of the aerial images.
The overhanging forests induced overexposed photographs due to the higher contrast with the bare
tuff surface. The multiresolution segmentation method allowed us to classify the ortophotograph and
separate the tuff surface and the vegetation. The applied methods and final datasets in combination with
the subsequent surveys will be used for detecting the recent erosional processes of the Kazár badland

The Hungarian industrial revolution started in the second half of the 19th century, which caused the
revaluation of the geographical peripheries in Hungary. After the Trianon Treaty the rural areas of Hungary
lost their foreign markets and became the "country of three million beggars". The socialist industrialization
of the systems of ...Rákosi and Kádár absorbed the surplus of rural labour, but the industrialization
meant the redistributive exploitation of the agricultural areas and the further impoverishment. After
the political transition in 1989, the rural Hungary could not be the "pantry of the Council for Mutual
Economic Assistance", and the final crisis of the Hungarian agricultural sales finalized the deformation
of the three-quarters of Hungary, the major part of the rural areas in Hungary. In the recent decades the
brain drain worked in the Hungarian peripheries, the disinvestment and the pauperization increased.
The emerging of the new latifundia and the monoculture commodity production operate independently,
separated from the Hungarian rural people in the sense of ownerships and production. As the result of
these negative processes, significant part of the society in the peripheral areas declassed. In this hopeless
situation awareness only a conscious regional policy and above all, a very well-considered education is
only able to offer a chance for break

The highly internationalized, labour-intensive footwear industry showed two spectacular declines and significant restructuring in Hungary after the change of regime. In accordance with the approach the authors investigate, this phenomenon is associated with the integration ways and circumstances of the industry into global production networks. ...Sector-level assessment of the processes – including the changing geographical patterns of footwear industry which also indicate features of path-dependence – was performed in several previous works of the authors. On the basis of significant empirical fieldwork, recent study focuses on the current situation of an extraordinary foreign owned large company representing the challenges and development perspectives Hungarian footwear industry has to face with.

The remote sensing techniques provide a great possibility to analyze the environmental processes in
local or global scale. Landsat images with their 30 m resolution are suitable among others for land
cover mapping and change monitoring. In this study three spectral indices (NDVI, NDWI, MNDWI) were
investigated from the aspect of land c...over types: water body (W); plough land (PL); forest (F); vineyard
(V); grassland (GL) and built-up areas (BU) using Landsat-7 ETM+ data. The range, the dissimilarities
and the correlation of spectral indices were examined. In BU – GL – F categories similar NDVI values
were calculated, but the other land cover types differed significantly. The water related indices (NDWI,
MNDWI) were more effective (especially the MNDWI) to enhance water features, but the values of other
categories ranged from narrower interval. Weak correlation were found among the indices due to the
differences caused by the water land cover class. Statistically, most land cover types differed from each
other, but in several cases similarities can be found when delineating vegetation with various water
content. MNDWI was found as the most effective in highlighting water bodies.

With the ongoing DOSoReMI.hu project we aimed to significantly extend the potential, how soil information requirements could be satisfied in Hungary. We started to compile digital soil maps, which fulfil optimally general as well as specific national and international demands from the aspect of thematic, spatial and temporal accuracy. In additi...on to relevant and available auxiliary, spatial data themes related to soil forming factors and/or to indicative environmental elements we heavily lean on the various national soil databases. The set of the applied digital soil mapping techniques is gradually broadened. In our paper we present some results in the form of brand new soil maps focusing on the territory of Hajdú-Bihar county.

Our study investigates the paleoenvironmental conditions of an Upper Paleolithic site found in the excavation of the North Adriatic Susak Island. Our research explores the range of the loess and loesslike sediments deposited on rudist limestone which is the substratum of the island. We studied the Quaternary sediments by a coherent paleoenviron...mental assessment method. The geomorphological and the various chronological analysis contribute significantly to the extension of our knowledge on the paleoenvironmental conditions of the Upper Paleolithic site (Radiocarbon age is 31,830 ±720 yr BP) on Susak Island.

Historical geographic studies on land cover may support the understanding of the recent state. Focusing on coal mining, this process was followed and analyzed in the case of the East Borsod Coal Basin from the early 20th century to the political change. The contemporaneous maps and manuscripts concerning the mining were evaluated using geoinfor...matic techniques. Moreover, digitalized topographic map coming from the early and late period of mining (1924 and 1989, respectively) were analyzed. To determine the degree of human disturbance hemerobic relations and changes of the given land cover patches were quantified on the basis of the maps of the three military surveys, too. It can be stated that montanogenic subtype of an industrialagricultural landscape has been formed in the Bükkhát area. Beside the concentrated artificial surfaces, however, relative dominance of forest forming the matrix of the landscape remained.

The knowledge of the periphytic structure is important for the fact that the composition of epiphytic periphyton indicates the ecologically different habitats, the biological state of water-quality and its changes. Plants like reed, great bulrush, saligot, pondweed, and water-rose separately were collected from the different sampling sites for ...the epiphytic periphyton examination. We performed the comparability of the monitoring systems based on the periphyton category (mass), the group (ash%), the type (chl-a%), and the character (AI), and we used the biological indicators to determine the ecological state. Taking into consideration the examined years and the results of the analysis of the mass and the chemical composition of the periphyton, by means of the NTPI, the overweight of the good ecological state is characteristic of the Nyéki-Holt-Danube.

The term of “desertification” refers to a land degradation processes of arid, semiarid and sub-humid
areas. Although the concept originates from Sub-Saharan Africa, desertification threatens also the area
of Hungary. The greatest desertification risk is in the central part of the country, in the Danube-Tisza
Interfluve where drough...t has always been a huge problem for the local society. Aridification processes
are mainly due to climate change. Temperature increase and precipitation decrease as well as the increase
of the frequency and amplitude of extreme events contribute to the acceleration of desertification risk.
Severe or moderate droughts occur in Hungary nearly every year. Drought frequency has increased,
primarily in the last decades. Main findings of several research projects of MEDALUS II and III EU
Framework projects (experiments on the effects of climate change on vegetation, soils and ground water
level) are summarized in the paper.