Interpretación de vistas fotográficas como método de análisis del paisaje cultural. Transformaciones en el territorio minero de Lota, Chile

Abstract

Analysis of landscape dynamics is a key input for managing historic areas. The article presents a methodological approach based on: a) re-capturing historical images, b) digital image processing, c) identification of view sheds in GIS, and d) photographic interpretation of landscape dynamics. Photographic interpretation is based on five categories of landscape elements: buildings, infrastructure, vegetation, bodies of water and land. Focusing on the last category, we identified the principal patterns of landscape transformation that took place in Lota between the beginning of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st centuries. Results indicate the effectiveness of this method in identifying places that were significant in the past and their transformation through time. For Lota in particular, the results also indicate that the former mining and suburban areas have been the most altered. Changes include: modifications in relief, infilling of old bays and the urbanization of the hills.