Geomorphodiversity index: quantifying the diversity of landforms and physical landscape

The physical landscape is the mosaic resulting from a wide spectrum of environmental components. The landforms define the variety, or diversity, of the geomorphological component: the geomorphodiversity. Landforms are usually represented in thematic maps where the scale and the graphic solutions are widely heterogeneous. Since geomorphological maps are not always easy to obtain and standardize, topography might be used as a proxy to infer the morphological signature. To recognize, evaluate, and, in some cases, promote the geomorphodiversity of an area, a numerical assessment is preferable. A quantitative approach allows for the comparison of different morphological environments and exploits the topographic attributes derived from Digital Elevation Models. The aim of this work is to define a quantitative index tested on the Umbria region (Central Italy), a territory well known for its geoheritage.