The goal of the research was to improve predictions of how land will be used in the future by considering the impact of landscape features and using historical data. The researchers used a method called cellular automaton to model land-use changes in a specific area in France. By analyzing satellite images and aerial photographs from 1952 to 2003, they identified patterns in how the land was being used and how it changed over time. This information helped them understand the rules that govern how land use changes within a landscape, leading to a more accurate model of future land-use patterns.