<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>Grass biomass originating from marginal agricultural land unsuitable for food production can be utilised in variety of bio-based productions. The key profitability constraints for such productions are regional availability and transport costs. The aim of this paper is to methodologically test open access agricultural field parcel data – enabled by the EU INSPIRE directive – integrated with the road network in measuring biomass accessibility and optimising collection and transport using geographic information system (GIS) technology in two Finnish case areas. The analytical framework applies closest facility and vehicle routing analyses for tractor and truck transport scenarios. The key finding is that the area of field parcels and the amount of biomass accumulating within an observed area are not the only important factors influencing transport efficiency: cost-effectiveness of collection routes can be equally high in regions with scarce and abundant biomass areas.</p>
</abstract>

Grass biomass originating from marginal agricultural land unsuitable for food production can be utilised in variety of bio-based productions. The key profitability constraints for such productions are regional availability and transport costs. The aim of this paper is to methodologically test open access agricultural field parcel data – enabled by the EU INSPIRE directive – integrated with the road network in measuring biomass accessibility and optimising collection and transport using geographic information system (GIS) technology in two Finnish case areas. The analytical framework applies closest facility and vehicle routing analyses for tractor and truck transport scenarios. The key finding is that the area of field parcels and the amount of biomass accumulating within an observed area are not the only important factors influencing transport efficiency: cost-effectiveness of collection routes can be equally high in regions with scarce and abundant biomass areas.

Measuring Accessibility and Optimising Logistics of Marginal Land Grass Biomass in the Case of Northern Ostrobothnia, Finland

European Countryside

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Grass biomass originating from marginal agricultural land unsuitable for food production can be utilised in variety of bio-based productions. The key...

Measuring Accessibility and Optimising Logistics of Marginal Land Grass Biomass in the Case of Northern Ostrobothnia, Finland

Published Online: Dec 14, 2023

Page range: 542 - 562

Received: Apr 15, 2023

Accepted: Jul 21, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/euco-2023-0029

Keywords
Agricultural parcel data, INSPIRE, Accessibility, Network analyses, Geographic information systems (GIS), Marginal agricultural land, Field biomass, Circular economy, Finland

© 2023 Katri Ollila et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Measuring Accessibility and Optimising Logistics of Marginal Land Grass Biomass in the Case of Northern Ostrobothnia, Finland

Published Online: Dec 14, 2023

Page range: 542 - 562

Received: Apr 15, 2023

Accepted: Jul 21, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/euco-2023-0029

KeywordsAgricultural parcel data, INSPIRE, Accessibility, Network analyses, Geographic information systems (GIS), Marginal agricultural land, Field biomass, Circular economy, Finland

© 2023 Katri Ollila et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
Agricultural parcel data, INSPIRE, Accessibility, Network analyses, Geographic information systems (GIS), Marginal agricultural land, Field biomass, Circular economy, Finland