Desenvolvimento de ferramentas no software QGIS para a avaliação quantitativa da geodiversidade

Abstract

Geodiversity, or the set of abiotic elements of nature, consists of the geological environments, phenomena, and processes that give rise to the diverse materials that in a systemic way are the substrate for all life on Earth. Like biodiversity, geodiversity needs conservation, protection, and can be characterized and valued. Therefore, geodiversity can be analyzed using qualitative and/or quantitative methods. More specifically, the geodiversity index is a quantitative method for identifying and managing areas with relevant geological heritage through the use of geotechnologies, especially Geographic Information Systems (GIS). In this sense, this work aimed to develop two tools in QGIS software for the calculation of geodiversity index, in this case the graphic modeler and plugin, in order to evaluate the application of the tools, the geodiversity index map generated was overlaid on the recent geosites inventory proposed by SBG/CPRM (2022) for the Aspiring Geopark Uberaba: Land of Giants, where in recent years has gained prominence in fossil discoveries and sustainable management of the territory. The methodology employed relies on the method developed by Pereira (2010), which calculates the geodiversity index from the individual count of elements available in thematic maps of lithology, geomorphology, pedology, hydrography, fossiliferous occurrences and mineral resources. The counting of geodiversity elements is done with the help of a grid with regular spacing and variable size, according to the area extension. The proposed tools were developed with the help of the QGIS graphical modeler and are available for use by users through a friendly interface, with downloadable access. The maps generated by the two tools present similar and concordant results with the inventory, showing the remarkable geological heritage of the geopark, represented by different elements of geodiversity. Therefore, through the results achieved it is possible to facilitate the calculation of the geodiversity index and corroborate the efficiency of the processing time, and thus support future studies of this theme that is relatively new in the branch of geosciences.