Global Urban Detection Based on High-Resolution and Multi-temporal Sentinel-l Big Data

Author(s):  
Yejian Zhou ◽  
Puzhao Zhang ◽  
Lin Hou
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 1144
Author(s):  
Rosa Aguilar ◽  
Monika Kuffer

Open spaces are essential for promoting quality of life in cities. However, accelerated urban growth, in particular in cities of the global South, is reducing the often already limited amount of open spaces with access to citizens. The importance of open spaces is promoted by SDG indicator 11.7.1; however, data on this indicator are not readily available, neither globally nor at the metropolitan scale in support of local planning, health and environmental policies. Existing global datasets on built-up areas omit many open spaces due to the coarse spatial resolution of input imagery. Our study presents a novel cloud computation-based method to map open spaces by accessing the multi-temporal high-resolution imagery repository of Planet. We illustrate the benefits of our proposed method for mapping the dynamics and spatial patterns of open spaces for the city of Kampala, Uganda, achieving a classification accuracy of up to 88% for classes used by the Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL). Results show that open spaces in the Kampala metropolitan area are continuously decreasing, resulting in a loss of open space per capita of approximately 125 m2 within eight years.


Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 62
Author(s):  
Alberto Alfonso-Torreño ◽  
Álvaro Gómez-Gutiérrez ◽  
Susanne Schnabel

Gullies are sources and reservoirs of sediments and perform as efficient transfers of runoff and sediments. In recent years, several techniques and technologies emerged to facilitate monitoring of gully dynamics at unprecedented spatial and temporal resolutions. Here we present a detailed study of a valley-bottom gully in a Mediterranean rangeland with a savannah-like vegetation cover that was partially restored in 2017. Restoration activities included check dams (gabion weirs and fascines) and livestock exclosure by fencing. The specific objectives of this work were: (1) to analyze the effectiveness of the restoration activities, (2) to study erosion and deposition dynamics before and after the restoration activities using high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs), (3) to examine the role of micro-morphology on the observed topographic changes, and (4) to compare the current and recent channel dynamics with previous studies conducted in the same study area through different methods and spatio-temporal scales, quantifying medium-term changes. Topographic changes were estimated using multi-temporal, high-resolution DEMs produced using structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry and aerial images acquired by a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The performance of the restoration activities was satisfactory to control gully erosion. Check dams were effective favoring sediment deposition and reducing lateral bank erosion. Livestock exclosure promoted the stabilization of bank headcuts. The implemented restoration measures increased notably sediment deposition.


2010 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Abermann ◽  
A. Fischer ◽  
A. Lambrecht ◽  
T. Geist

Abstract. The potential of high-resolution repeat DEMs was investigated for glaciological applications including periglacial features (e.g. rock glaciers). It was shown that glacier boundaries can be delineated using airborne LIDAR-DEMs as a primary data source and that information on debris cover extent could be extracted using multi-temporal DEMs. Problems and limitations are discussed, and accuracies quantified. Absolute deviations of airborne laser scanning (ALS) derived glacier boundaries from ground-truthed ones were below 4 m for 80% of the ground-truthed values. Overall, we estimated an accuracy of +/−1.5% of the glacier area for glaciers larger than 1 km2. The errors in the case of smaller glaciers did not exceed +/−5% of the glacier area. The use of repeat DEMs in order to obtain information on the extent, characteristics and activity of rock glaciers was investigated and discussed based on examples.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Mauri ◽  
Eugenio Straffelini ◽  
Sara Cucchiaro ◽  
Paolo Tarolli

<p>The presence of roads is closely linked with the activation of land degradative phenomena such as landslides. Factors such as ineffective road management and design, local rainfall regimes and specific geomorphological elements actively influence landslides occurrence. In this context, recent developments in digital photogrammetry (e.g. Structure from Motion; SfM) paired with Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) increase our possibilities to realize low-cost and recurrent topographic surveys. This allows the realization of multi-temporal (hereafter 4D) and high-resolution Digital Elevation Models (DEMs), fundamental to analyse geomorphological features and quantify processes at the fine spatial and temporal resolutions at which they occur. In this research is presented a 4D comparison of geomorphological indicators describing a landslide-prone agricultural system, so as to detect the noticed high-steep slope failures. The possibility to analyse the evolution of landslide geomorphic features in steep agricultural systems through high-resolution and 4D comparison of such indicators is still a challenge to be investigated. In this research, we considered a case study located in the central Italian Alps, where two shallow landslides (L1, L2) were activated below a rural road within a terraced vineyard. The dynamics of the landslides were monitored through the comparison of repeated DEMs (DEM of Difference, i.e. DoD), that reported erosion values of above 20 m<sup>3</sup> and 10 m<sup>3</sup> for the two landslides zones and deposition values of more than 15 m<sup>3</sup> and 9 m<sup>3</sup> respectively. The elaboration of Relative Path Impact Index (RPII) highlighted the role played by the road in the alteration of surface water flow directions. Altered water flows were expressed by values between 2σ and 4σ of RPII close to the collapsed surfaces. The increasing of profile curvature and roughness index described landslides evolution over time. Finally, the multi-temporal comparison of features extraction underlined the geomorphological changes affecting the study area. The computation of the quality index underlined the accuracy of features extraction. This index is expressed in a range between 0 (low accuracy) and 1 (high accuracy) and resulted equal to 0.22 m, regarding the landslide observed during the first RPAS survey (L1-pre); 0.63 m, concerning the same landslide detected during the second RPAS survey (L1-post); 0.69 m for L2. Results prove the usefulness of high-resolution and 4D RPAS-based SfM surveys for the investigation of landslides triggering due to the presence of roads at hillslope scale in agricultural systems. This work could be a useful starting point for further studies of landslide-susceptible zones at a wider scale, to preserve the quality and the productivity of affected agricultural areas.</p>


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