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Applications of Geographic Information System and 3D City Modelling for Sustainable Urban Planning

A special issue of Remote Sensing (ISSN 2072-4292). This special issue belongs to the section "Urban Remote Sensing".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 April 2023) | Viewed by 18002

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Guest Editor
Defense University Center, Spanish Naval Academy, Plaza de España, s/n. 36920 Marín, Spain
Interests: photogrammetry, laser scanning; multi-sensing imaging; geoinformation; spatial analysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Defense University Center, Spanish Naval Academy, Plaza de España, s/n, 36920 Marín, Spain
Interests: computer-aided design; building information modeling; 3D reconstruction; timeliner simulation; virtual reality
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Rapid urban development has resulted in environmental problems linked to unsustainable transport, housing, waste, energy, and land use management and draws attention to the development of strategies and solutions that ensure self-sustaining and healthier communities with a longer life expectancy. They may include, amongst others, green buildings and housing, walkability, greenways and open spaces, alternative energy sources such as solar and wind and good sustainable land use and transportation options.

This challenge has made geographic information systems (GIS) useful to urban planners. By processing two-dimensional and three-dimensional geospatial data from satellite imaging, aerial photography, and remote sensors together with environmental and socioeconomic variables, GIS technology offers the means to input, manage, and synthesize information rapidly. It also provides a detailed perspective on land and infrastructure, thereby improving the base of decision-making for practitioners and other participants in the processes of urban planning.

We encourage you to submit original research papers and technical or review articles to this Special Issue, with emphasis on the applications of GIS and 3D city models in urban development strategies towards sustainability, that enable us to find new solutions to urban issues while improving quality of life and urban resilience.

Prof. Dr. Iván Puente-Luna
Prof. Dr. Xavier Núñez-Nieto
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Remote Sensing is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • GIS
  • sustainability
  • 3D city models
  • sensor data integration
  • urban planning
  • geospatial analysis

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 7153 KiB  
Article
Planning Walkable Cities: Generative Design Approach towards Digital Twin Implementation
by Dewi Kumalasari, Mila Koeva, Faridaddin Vahdatikhaki, Dessislava Petrova Antonova and Monika Kuffer
Remote Sens. 2023, 15(4), 1088; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15041088 - 16 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3498
Abstract
The idea of a walkable city refers to the extent to which the built environment encourages people to walk by establishing comfortable pedestrian routes, which allows people to connect to numerous services with reasonable effort and time. Walkability is currently regarded as a [...] Read more.
The idea of a walkable city refers to the extent to which the built environment encourages people to walk by establishing comfortable pedestrian routes, which allows people to connect to numerous services with reasonable effort and time. Walkability is currently regarded as a “good to know about” rather than a “must-have” factor for sustainable development. A combination of walkability with a standard design strategy, such as generative design, may result in a more efficient way of planning a walkable city. Interestingly, the sole indicator taken into account for walkability in the generative design domain is “distance to amenities”, while in reality, other parameters, such as the comfort factor, could also influence walkability. Therefore, in this research, we developed a workflow based on the generative design, which considers the comfort dimension in combination with distance to amenities and street-level greeneries. We also included the human perspective, given that walkability is always personal. This research successfully generated three different scenarios of walkability-optimal urban plans, where the highest walkability is 82.43 (very walkable). Furthermore, the baseline scenario of two different locations also aligns with people’s perspectives when compared. In addition, we found that the inclusion of a temporal dimension, enhanced 3D-related indicators, and constraints should benefit future research. Full article
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27 pages, 5458 KiB  
Article
Multifactorial Evaluation of Spatial Suitability and Economic Viability of Light Green Bridges Using Remote Sensing Data and Spatial Urban Planning Criteria
by Hnin Wuit Yee Kyaw, Angeliki Chatzidimitriou, Jocelyne Hellwig, Michael Bühler, Johannes Hawlik and Michael Herrmann
Remote Sens. 2023, 15(3), 753; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15030753 - 28 Jan 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2090
Abstract
Multi-faceted stresses of social, environmental, and economic nature are increasingly challenging the existence and sustainability of our societies. Cities in particular are disproportionately threatened by global issues such as climate change, urbanization, population growth, air pollution, etc. In addition, urban space is often [...] Read more.
Multi-faceted stresses of social, environmental, and economic nature are increasingly challenging the existence and sustainability of our societies. Cities in particular are disproportionately threatened by global issues such as climate change, urbanization, population growth, air pollution, etc. In addition, urban space is often too limited to effectively develop sustainable, nature-based solutions while accommodating growing populations. This research aims to provide new methodologies by proposing lightweight green bridges in inner-city areas as an effective land value capture mechanism. Geometry analysis was performed using geospatial and remote sensing data to provide geometrically feasible locations of green bridges. A multi-criteria decision analysis was applied to identify suitable locations for green bridges investigating Central European urban centers with a focus on German cities as representative examples. A cost-benefit analysis was performed to assess the economic feasibility using a case study. The results of the geometry analysis identified 3249 locations that were geometrically feasible to implement a green bridge in German cities. The sample locations from the geometry analysis were proved to be validated for their implementation potential. Multi-criteria decision analysis was used to select 287 sites that fall under the highest suitable class based on several criteria. The cost-benefit analysis of the case study showed that the market value of the property alone can easily outweigh the capital and maintenance costs of a green bridge, while the indirect (monetary) benefits of the green space continue to increase the overall value of the green bridge property including its neighborhood over time. Hence, we strongly recommend light green bridges as financially sustainable and nature-based solutions in cities worldwide. Full article
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18 pages, 2711 KiB  
Article
GIS-Based Simulation for Landfill Site Selection in Mekong Delta: A Specific Application in Ben Tre Province
by Dinh-Thanh Nguyen, Minh-Hoang Truong, Thi-Phuong-Uyen Ngo, Anh-Minh Le and Yuya Yamato
Remote Sens. 2022, 14(22), 5704; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14225704 - 11 Nov 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2087
Abstract
The aim of this research is to develop a GIS-based simulation for selecting the most suitable site of solid waste landfill which could help to minimize harmful impacts to the environment and society in the extreme sensitive and complex delta by an integration [...] Read more.
The aim of this research is to develop a GIS-based simulation for selecting the most suitable site of solid waste landfill which could help to minimize harmful impacts to the environment and society in the extreme sensitive and complex delta by an integration of geographic information system (GIS) and analysis hierarchy process (AHP) and nine criteria (distance from surface water; depth of ground water table; distance from residential area, land use, distance from main roads, geo-environmental and geotechnical characteristics, distance from historical and tourism sites, and distance from industrial zones). Different from most of the previous studies on the landfill site selection, geology-related criteria including soil types/lithology, soil permeability, and soil depth/soil thickness (soil-structure), which are called geo-environmental and geotechnical characteristics in this research, will be carefully considered, integrated, and evaluated. The AHP was employed to determine the weight of each criterion based on pair weight comparison and its matrix, while a land suitability index (LSI) score was calculated to determine the most suitable site. Moreover, the suitability map was also created which indicated very advantageous, advantageous, rather advantageous, and disadvantageous areas in the study area for landfill siting. Finally, the developed model could be used for supporting planners, managers, policy makers, and local government to make decisions on suitable and effective planning strategies for landfill site selection and could be applied anywhere and especially in other deltas around the world. Full article
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21 pages, 8224 KiB  
Article
The Effects of Anthropogenic Pressure on Rivers: A Case Study in the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria
by Giandomenico Foti, Giuseppe Bombino, Daniela D’Agostino and Giuseppe Barbaro
Remote Sens. 2022, 14(19), 4781; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14194781 - 24 Sep 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1941
Abstract
In the second half of the twentieth century, after the end of the Second World War, a considerable anthropogenic pressure was observed in most of the Mediterranean territories. This process has caused the expansion of existing settlements and the construction of numerous new [...] Read more.
In the second half of the twentieth century, after the end of the Second World War, a considerable anthropogenic pressure was observed in most of the Mediterranean territories. This process has caused the expansion of existing settlements and the construction of numerous new towns, often located very close to rivers. A frequent consequence of this process is the transformation of several rivers through planform changes, narrowing, channelization and culverting to recover spaces where inhabited centers expanded, and the construction of structures interacting with rivers. This issue is very important in territories such as the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria, in southern Italy, which is an interesting case study due to the considerable anthropogenic pressures observed in the last 70 years. The main goal of this paper is to evaluate the effects of anthropogenic pressure in the last 70 years on some rivers of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria in terms of the following issues: planform changes, channelization, culverting, and the presence of structures and infrastructures interacting with rivers. The specific goals of this paper are the quantification of the effects of anthropogenic pressure on the rivers of the study area analyzing sixteen parameters, the identification of possible conditions of hydraulic hazard through the analysis of past events, and the proposal of structural and non-structural mitigation interventions. In many rivers of the study area, the significant effects of anthropogenic pressure are visible through rivers that pass above highways, barred rivers, rivers replaced by roads and numerous crossing roads with a missing levee. Full article
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18 pages, 4527 KiB  
Article
Spatiotemporal Analysis of NO2 Production Using TROPOMI Time-Series Images and Google Earth Engine in a Middle Eastern Country
by Hamidreza Rabiei-Dastjerdi, Shahin Mohammadi, Mohsen Saber, Saeid Amini and Gavin McArdle
Remote Sens. 2022, 14(7), 1725; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14071725 - 2 Apr 2022
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 4881
Abstract
Like many developing countries, Iran faces air pollution, especially in its metropolises and industrial cities. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is one of the significant air pollutants; therefore, this study aims to investigate the spatiotemporal variability of NO2 using Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument [...] Read more.
Like many developing countries, Iran faces air pollution, especially in its metropolises and industrial cities. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is one of the significant air pollutants; therefore, this study aims to investigate the spatiotemporal variability of NO2 using Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) sensor mounted on the Sentinel-5P (S5P) satellite and the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform over Iran. In addition, we used ground truth data to assess the correlation between data acquired by this sensor and ground stations. The results show that there is a strong correlation between products of the TROPOMI sensor and data provided by the Air Quality Monitoring Organization of Iran. The results also display that the correlation coefficient (R) of NO2 between ground truth data and the TROPOMI sensor varies in the range of 0.4 to 0.92, over three years. Over an annual period (2018 to 2021) and wide area, these data can become valuable points of reference for NO2 monitoring. In addition, this study proved that the tropospheric NO2 concentrations are generally located over the northern part of Iran. According to the time and season, the concentration of the tropospheric NO2 column shows higher values during winter than in the summertime. The results show that a higher concentration of the tropospheric NO2 column is in winter while in some southern and central parts of the country more NO2 concentration can be seen in the summertime. This study indicates that these urban areas are highly polluted, which proves the impact of pollutants such as NO2 on the people living there. In other words, small parts of Iran are classified as high and very highly polluted areas, but these areas are the primary location of air pollution in Iran. We provide a code repository that allows spatiotemporal analysis of NO2 estimation using TROPOMI time-series images within GEE. This method can be applied to other regions of interest for NO2 mapping. Full article
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24 pages, 5010 KiB  
Article
Automatic Building Detection for Multi-Aspect SAR Images Based on the Variation Features
by Qi Liu, Qiang Li, Weidong Yu and Wen Hong
Remote Sens. 2022, 14(6), 1409; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14061409 - 15 Mar 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2019
Abstract
Multi-aspect synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images contain more information available for automatic target recognition (ATR) than images from a single view. However, the sensitivity to aspect angles also makes it hard to extract and integrate information from multi-aspect images. In this paper, we [...] Read more.
Multi-aspect synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images contain more information available for automatic target recognition (ATR) than images from a single view. However, the sensitivity to aspect angles also makes it hard to extract and integrate information from multi-aspect images. In this paper, we propose a novel method based on the variations features to realize automatic building detection in the image level. First, to get a comprehensive description of target variation patterns, statistical characteristic variances are derived from three representative and complementary categories. Then, these obtained features are fused and put in the K-means classifier for prescreening, whose results are used as the training sets in supervised classification later to avoid manual labeling. Second, for more precise detection performance, finer features in vector forms are obtained by principal component analysis (PCA). The variation patterns of these feature vectors are explored in two different manners of correlation and fluctuation analyses and processed by separate support vector machines (SVMs) after fusion. Finally, the independent SVM detection results are fused according to a maximum probability rule. Experiments conducted on two different airborne data sets demonstrate the robustness and effectiveness of the proposed method, in spite of significant target signature variabilities and cluttered background. Full article
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