20. Geographical Skills: Aerial Photographs, Charts, Graphs and Infographics Rural Settlement and Land Use on Aerial Photographs
Aerial photographs offer evidence of different types of settlement. We can also see how land is used. Historical Settlement
Defensive sites: Look for ringforts, castles and round towers as evidence of defensive settlement throughout the years.
Ringfort Burial sites:
Graveyards, standing stones and dolmens are indirect evidence that settlement existed in an area.
Present-Day Settlement
Houses and villages are evidence of present-day settlement. They are easily identified on an aerial photograph.
Land Use Many kinds of rural land use can be identified on photographs, such as the following:
Pastoral farming Look for animals grazing and green fields. Arable farming
Woodland Buildings
Transport Recreational
Look for brown fields that show ploughing has occurred. Light brown fields might indicate crop growth or newly cut crop. Look for large areas of deciduous and coniferous trees.
Look for individual houses, housing estates, farm sheds, factories and industrial estates.
Look for roads and railway lines. Look for sports grounds, playgrounds and golf courses. 297