An Analysis On The Spatial Distribution And Tourism Development Of Sandy Cave Groups In The Southern Mountains Of Wulingyuan

As a kind of landform,caves are not only non-renewable resources but also natural landscapes.It has not been long since Speleology became an independent discipline.Previous studies mainly focus on Karst cave,Danxia landform cave and Loess landform cave.There are few studies on Silty shale caves.Based on previous researches,this paper applies 3S Technology(Geographic Information System,Remote sensing and Global positioning system),and studies the spatial distribution of sandy shale cave groups in southern mountains of Wulingyuan.The paper can enrich the Caves theory,expand the application of 3S Technology and explore the advantages of using 3S in landscape and tourism.It can also provide clues to cave layout,development and protection in the tourism industry.The research objects are the southern mountains of Wulingyuan in Zhangjiajie,Hunan.The data base of the occurrence of rock stratum and elevation information was obtained through field work.VWith the help of 1:10000 topographic map and remote sensing image data,the spatial analysis was processed in ArcGIS Desktop.This paper first analyzes the spatial positioning of grotto,then summarizes the characteristics of spatial distribution,and finally gives suggestions on the development of cave tourism network.The main contents and results are as follows:(1)Hydrologic analysis are made through Digital elevation model(DEM)in ArcGIS.Grotto position are confirmed and spatial distribution maps are made by 3D intersection analysis of river network and 3D sandy shale rock cave model.The results are verified with the survey data.(2)Based on the analysis of spatial distribution maps and the DEM model,the spatial distribution characteristics of grotto are as below:?On the whole,the grottoes in research are highly dispersed in the large but concentrate in certain areas.?Vertically,the grottoes are mainly distributed in the altitudes of 300m-600m.?Horizontally,the grottoes are in zonal distribution.?As for specific locality,these grottoes concentrate in the west and north of the mountain,i.e.the shady slope and leeward slope.?In gradient,the grottoes basically range from 11° to 40°,and mainly from 21° to 30°.(3)Tourist routes design along the grottoes of southern mountain areas in Wulingyuan.Based on the GIS theory and guided by tourist routes design philosophies,this paper develops itself on the data base of spatial distribution maps,transport routes and remote sensing images.Through analytic hierarchy process(AHP),this paper analyzes the factors that influence tourist routes design in the area in the separate and integrated ways,and is expected to contribute to the design and development of local tourist routes.(4)Site selection and development of cave hotels.According to factors such as visitor flow,tourist routes,cave concentration and landforms,optimal sites are generated based on the suitability analysis on the ArcGIS platform.