Quantifying the physical composition of urban morphology throughout Wales based on the time series (1989–2011) analysis of Landsat TM/ETM+ images and supporting GIS data

Scott, Douglas; Petropoulos, George P.; Moxley, Janet; Malcolm, Heath. 2014 Quantifying the physical composition of urban morphology throughout Wales based on the time series (1989–2011) analysis of Landsat TM/ETM+ images and supporting GIS data. Remote Sensing, 6 (12). 11731-11752. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs61211731

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Abstract/Summary

Knowledge of impervious surface areas (ISA) and on their changes in magnitude, location, geometry and morphology over time is significant for a range of practical applications and research alike from local to global scales. Despite this, use of Earth Observation (EO) technology in mapping ISAs within some European Union (EU) countries, such as the United Kingdom (UK), is to some extent scarce. In the present study, a combination of methods is proposed for mapping ISA based on freely distributed EO imagery from Landsat TM/ETM+ sensors. The proposed technique combines a traditional classifier and a linear spectral mixture analysis (LSMA) with a series of Landsat TM/ETM+ images to extract ISA. Selected sites located in Wales, UK, are used for demonstrating the capability of the proposed method. The Welsh study areas provided a unique setting in detecting largely dispersed urban morphology within an urban-rural frontier context. In addition, an innovative method for detecting clouds and cloud shadow layers for the full area estimation of ISA is also presented herein. The removal and replacement of clouds and cloud shadows, with underlying materials is further explained. Aerial photography with a spatial resolution of 0.4 m, acquired over the summer period in 2005 was used for validation purposes. Validation of the derived products indicated an overall ISA detection accuracy in the order of ~97%. The latter was considered as very satisfactory and at least comparative, if not somehow better, to existing ISA products provided on a national level. The hybrid method for ISA extraction proposed here is important on a local scale in terms of moving forward into a biennial program for the Welsh Government. It offers a much less subjectively static and more objectively dynamic estimation of ISA cover in comparison to existing operational products already available, improving the current estimations of international urbanization and soil sealing. Findings of our study provide important assistance towards the development of relevant EO-based products not only inaugurate to Wales alone, but potentially allowing a cost-effective and consistent long term monitoring of ISA at different scales based on EO technology.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.3390/rs61211731
UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:	Dise
ISSN:	2072-4292
Additional Information. Not used in RCUK Gateway to Research.:	Open Access paper - full text available via Official URL link
Additional Keywords:	Wales, Landsat, impervious surface estimation, multi-temporal imagery, object-orientated method
NORA Subject Terms:	Ecology and Environment Agriculture and Soil Science
Date made live:	02 Mar 2015 16:26 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/509927

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