 |
aij = area (m2) of patch ij. |
| Description | CA equals the sum of the areas (m2) of all patches of the corresponding patch type, divided by 10,000 (to convert to hectares); that is, total class area. |
| Units | Hectares |
| Range | CA > 0, without limit. CA approaches 0 as the patch type becomes increasing rare in the landscape. CA = TA when the entire landscape consists of a single patch type; that is, when the entire image is comprised of a single patch. |
| Comments | Class area is a measure of landscape composition; specifically, how much of the landscape is comprised of a particular patch type. In addition to its direct interpretive value, class area is used in the computations for many of the class and landscape metrics. |
