Data classification to improve the algorithm for assessing an external patchwork of land ownership

Research conducted for many years in Poland and around the world has demonstrated that defects in the spatial structure of agricultural land resulting from the common phenomenon of land fragmentation constitute one of important factors that contribute to the lack of rational land management. Reconstruction of the spatial structure of rural areas is essential for sustainable development of these areas. The process of land consolidation and exchange is a tool that can arrange space and lead to the desired structural changes, however, it has to be performed systematically and primarily in those areas where it is most urgently needed. With limited budget resources, it is reasonable to select objects for land consolidation in such a way as to obtain the best possible effect. In case of a selected group of neighbouring villages, a joint land consolidation procedure will enable better consolidation effects, inter alia by eliminating the external patchwork of land ownership. This article describes the modification and improvement in the methodology of designating areas with concentration of the external patchwork of land ownership. It is based on Czekanowski’s diagram and was originally presented in 2017. The applied classification of numerical data enables the elimination of undesirable numerical effects of calculations and simplifies the interpretation of the final results.