Applying Earth Observation Data for Urban Land-Use Change Mapping

A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Urban Contexts and Urban-Rural Interactions".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 May 2024 | Viewed by 5496

Special Issue Editor

Geodesy and Cadastre Department, Environmental Engineering Faculty, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Saulėtekio Al. 11, LT-10223 Vilnius, Lithuania
Interests: remote sensing; photogrammetry; land management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Urban area planning is related to Earth protection and the quality of the environment, while the regulation of urban planning is important for maintaining the quality of human life. Within urban areas, we have agricultural land, canals, rivers, water bodies, forests, and hills that need to be conserved to prevent negative land transformation, with the ones needing the most protection in cities known as environmentally critical areas (ECAs). In this Special Issue, we are interested in papers that outline the contributions of future urban area planning to changing land use for area protection purposes. We are pleased to invite research and conceptual/theoretical works examining any key processes, including but not limited to:

  • Land conversion activities in the ECAs;
  • Urban land protection;
  • Biodiversity and ecosystems;
  • Urban land classification methods and approaches;

Prof. Dr. Jūratė Sužiedelytė-Visockienė
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • photogrammetry
  • imagery
  • land cover
  • land classification

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 8293 KiB  
Article
Spatial and Temporal Variation Characteristics of Ecological Environment Quality in China from 2002 to 2019 and Influencing Factors
by Junjie Li, Xiangbin Peng, Ruomei Tang, Jing Geng, Zipeng Zhang, Dong Xu and Tingting Bai
Land 2024, 13(1), 110; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13010110 - 19 Jan 2024
Viewed by 665
Abstract
Since the beginning of the new century, there has been a notable enhancement in China’s ecological environment quality (EEQ), a development occurring in tandem with climate change and the extensive ecological restoration projects (ERPs) undertaken in the country. However, comprehensive insights into the [...] Read more.
Since the beginning of the new century, there has been a notable enhancement in China’s ecological environment quality (EEQ), a development occurring in tandem with climate change and the extensive ecological restoration projects (ERPs) undertaken in the country. However, comprehensive insights into the spatial and temporal characteristics of China’s EEQ, and its responses to both climate change and human activities over the past two decades, have remained largely elusive. In this study, we harnessed a combination of multi-source remote-sensing data and reanalysis data. We employed Theil–Sen median trend analysis, multivariate regression residual analysis, and the Hurst index to examine the impacts and changing patterns of climatic factors and human activities on China’s EEQ during the past two decades. Furthermore, we endeavored to forecast the future trajectory of EEQ. Our findings underscore a significant improvement in EEQ across most regions of China between 2002 and 2019, with the most pronounced enhancements observed in the Loess Plateau, Northeast China, and South China. This transformation can be attributed to the combined influence of climatic factors and human activities, which jointly accounted for alterations in EEQ across 78.25% of China’s geographical expanse. Human activities (HA) contributed 3.93% to these changes, while climatic factors (CC) contributed 17.79%. Additionally, our projections indicate that EEQ is poised to continue improving in 56.70% of China’s territory in the foreseeable future. However, the Loess Plateau, Tarim Basin, and Inner Mongolia Plateau are anticipated to experience a declining trend. Consequently, within the context of global climate change, the judicious management of human activities emerges as a critical imperative for maintaining EEQ in China. This study, bridging existing gaps in the literature, furnishes a scientific foundation for comprehending the evolving dynamics of EEQ in China and informs the optimization of management policies in this domain. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applying Earth Observation Data for Urban Land-Use Change Mapping)
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21 pages, 3841 KiB  
Article
Earth Observation Data and Geospatial Deep Learning AI to Assign Contributions to European Municipalities Sen4MUN: An Empirical Application in Aosta Valley (NW Italy)
by Tommaso Orusa, Annalisa Viani and Enrico Borgogno-Mondino
Land 2024, 13(1), 80; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13010080 - 10 Jan 2024
Viewed by 861
Abstract
Nowadays, European program Copernicus’ Sentinel missions have allowed the development of several application services. In this regard, to strengthen the use of free satellite data in ordinary administrative workflows, this work aims to evaluate the feasibility and prototypal development of a possible service [...] Read more.
Nowadays, European program Copernicus’ Sentinel missions have allowed the development of several application services. In this regard, to strengthen the use of free satellite data in ordinary administrative workflows, this work aims to evaluate the feasibility and prototypal development of a possible service called Sen4MUN for the distribution of contributions yearly allocated to local municipalities and scalable to all European regions. The analysis was focused on the Aosta Valley region, North West Italy. A comparison between the Ordinary Workflow (OW) and the suggested Sen4MUN approach was performed. OW is based on statistical survey and municipality declaration, while Sen4MUN is based on geospatial deep learning techniques on aerial imagery (to extract roads and buildings to get real estate units) and yearly Land Cover map components according to European EAGLE guidelines. Both methods are based on land cover components which represent the input on which the financial coefficients for assigning contributions are applied. In both approaches, buffers are applied onto urban class (LCb). This buffer was performed according to the EEA-ISPRA soil consumption guidelines to avoid underestimating some areas that are difficult to map. In the case of Sen4MUN, this is applied to overcome Sentinel sensor limits and spectral mixing issues, while in the case of OW, this is due to limits in the survey method itself. Finally, a validation was performed assuming as truth the approach defined by law as the standard, i.e., OW, although it has limitations. MAEs involving LCb, road lengths and real estate units demonstrate the effectiveness of Sen4MUN. The developed approach suggests a contribution system based on Geomatics and Remote sensing to the public administration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applying Earth Observation Data for Urban Land-Use Change Mapping)
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16 pages, 12292 KiB  
Article
Investigating the Spatial Heterogeneity and Influencing Factors of Urban Multi-Dimensional Network Using Multi-Source Big Data in Hangzhou Metropolitan Circle, Eastern China
by Jing Zhang, Lei Li, Congmou Zhu, Qi Hao, Xinming Chen, Zhoulu Yu, Muye Gan and Wuyan Li
Land 2023, 12(9), 1808; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12091808 - 19 Sep 2023
Viewed by 714
Abstract
Exploring the spatial heterogeneity of urban multi-dimensional networks and influencing factors are of great significance for the integrated development of metropolitan circle. This study took Hangzhou metropolitan circle as an example, using multi-source geospatial big data to obtain urban population, transportation, goods, capital, [...] Read more.
Exploring the spatial heterogeneity of urban multi-dimensional networks and influencing factors are of great significance for the integrated development of metropolitan circle. This study took Hangzhou metropolitan circle as an example, using multi-source geospatial big data to obtain urban population, transportation, goods, capital, and information flow information among sub-cities. Then, spatial visualization analysis, social network analysis, and geographical detector were applied to analyze the differences in spatial structure of multiple urban networks and influencing factors in Hangzhou metropolitan circle, respectively. The results showed that (1) the network connections of population, traffic, goods, and capital flows transcended geographical proximity except that of information flow, and population and traffic flow networks were found to be more flattened in Hangzhou metropolitan circle than in other urban networks; (2) the comprehensive urban network of Hangzhou metropolitan circle was imbalanced across sub-cities, presenting hierarchical and unipolar characteristics; and (3) the influence of traffic distance on the network spatial structure of Hangzhou metropolitan was stronger than the geographical distance, and the interactions between traffic distance and socioeconomic factors would further enhance the regional differentiation of the network spatial structure. This study could provide scientific reference for constructing a coordinated and integrated development pattern in a metropolitan circle. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applying Earth Observation Data for Urban Land-Use Change Mapping)
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12 pages, 20916 KiB  
Article
Spatial Study of Enzymatic Activities from Bacterial Isolates in a Mediterranean Urban Park
by Sergi Maicas and Jaume Segura-Garcia
Land 2023, 12(3), 655; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12030655 - 10 Mar 2023
Viewed by 976
Abstract
Urban parks are a rich source of microbial diversity, as they are heavily used by city residents. In this study, we sampled a Mediterranean park and were able to isolate bacteria that have the ability to inhibit the growth of control microorganisms. Out [...] Read more.
Urban parks are a rich source of microbial diversity, as they are heavily used by city residents. In this study, we sampled a Mediterranean park and were able to isolate bacteria that have the ability to inhibit the growth of control microorganisms. Out of the 560 bacteria we tested, many displayed antibacterial activity, particularly against Salmonella sp. and K. pneumoniae. These results suggest that the microorganisms in the park are in close proximity to the human population. Additionally, the isolated bacteria demonstrated diverse enzymatic activities, possibly as a response to the environmental substances available to them, which could aid in the degradation of different compounds of interest. The study of the spatial distribution of soil parameters and the inhibition against relative-safe pathogens in an urban park in València (Spain) demonstrated a higher proportion of isolates in certain areas. These spatial data maps can help researchers understand the behaviors of bacterial populations on a regional level, which can assist in the creation of novel antimicrobial agents and promote advancements in public health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applying Earth Observation Data for Urban Land-Use Change Mapping)
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24 pages, 2289 KiB  
Article
Modelling Impact of Urban Expansion on Ecosystem Services: A Scenario-Based Approach in a Mixed Natural/Urbanised Landscape
by Fatemeh Mohammadyari, Ardavan Zarandian, Mir Mehrdad Mirsanjari, Jurate Suziedelyte Visockiene and Egle Tumeliene
Land 2023, 12(2), 291; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12020291 - 19 Jan 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1657
Abstract
The present study aims at predicting future land use/land cover (LULC) and quantifying and mapping the ecosystem services (ESs) of water yield, outdoor recreation opportunity and food production in current (here, 2017) and future landscapes in Northern Iran, using the InVEST, Recreation Opportunity [...] Read more.
The present study aims at predicting future land use/land cover (LULC) and quantifying and mapping the ecosystem services (ESs) of water yield, outdoor recreation opportunity and food production in current (here, 2017) and future landscapes in Northern Iran, using the InVEST, Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS) and yield models. To that end, two LULC scenarios known as business as usual (BAU) and protection-based (PB) plan were applied for 2028, using the Markov Artificial Neural Network and Multi-objective land allocation (MOLA) models. The results show that rapid urbanisation, caused by the expansion of human settlements and industrial areas, has led to a decline in the ESs in the region. Compared to the ESs in 2017, the service of water yield increases as urban expansion increases, whereas food production and recreation services decrease as urban expansion increases, under the BAU scenario. On the other hand, in the PB scenario, relatively better conditions can be observed for all three ESs. Considering that the ecological structures of this region have been severely affected by rapid urban expansion, the results of this research will be useful for maintaining the existing ESs and can greatly affect planning and decision-making regarding future development towards urban sustainability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applying Earth Observation Data for Urban Land-Use Change Mapping)
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