A sample of Italian vineyards: landscape and management parameters dataset

Abstract Agricultural land use plays a critical role in land planning sustainability. Employing a GIS-based decision-making protocol based on spatial and management data represents an appropriate tool for land planning. The Italian vineyards database presented here describes several spatial and management features of 3686 sample vineyards distributed throughout Italy. The dataset is presented as a centroid shapefile with the attribute table. The features were assessed with a GIS-based geospatial analysis. Parameters such as training system and shape of the vineyard block were attributed through visual assessment of Google Earth images. Row spacing, length-width ratio and headland size were determined using QGIS measuring tools. The mean and maximum slope was derived using a 20 m spatial resolution Digital Elevation Model (DEM). This database may help to establish planting criteria of new vineyards which comply with rational and sustainable requirements. Moreover, the dataset could be combined with other agricultural land use data for further analysis of land management. Furthermore, the database could be implemented to support global-scale vineyard management.