CRC Press Remote Sensing Applications for the Urban Environment

Land use and land cover changes associated with increased urbanization have led to landscape and environmental changes throughout the world. Remote Sensing Applications for the Urban Environment places emphasis on the rapid development of worldwide urbanization and its impact on the environment, and reviews the assessment of urban land cover conditions using remote sensing data. The book examines current satellite observation capacities, the use of remote sensing data to characterize urban extent and urban land cover, and the applications of satellite-derived data for urban environment assessments. It also introduces cutting-edge assessment methods and remote sensing techniques for characterizing high-resolution imagery of urban areas in different ecological environments. Focuses on the latest progress in urban remote sensing and technologies used to monitor urban land use and land cover conditions Introduces several methods used to extract urban landscape features using high-resolution imagery Details the methods currently used for assessing urban vegetation, impervious surface, and urban land use and land cover conditions Describes how to use multi-temple satellite images to monitor urban growth around the world An up-to-date reference reflecting the state of the art in both remote sensing and the environmental assessment of urban areas, Remote Sensing Applications for the Urban Environment summarizes current satellite observing capacities and the growing demand for consistent and continuous local, regional, and global observation data by different government agencies throughout the world. This book serves academic faculties, students, researchers, and government decision makers. Review "The numerous research works summarized in this [book] are all adequately presented, thanks to the author’s extensive knowledge of multiple applications of satellite data to urban environments. The content of each chapter refers to the latest developments in that area that should be known by everybody working or starting to work in urban remote sensing. … excellent reading for anyone willing to be brought up to speed in this exciting research field."―Paolo Gamba, University of Pavia, Italy"Dr. George Xian is highly commended for writing the first book on urban remote sensing, which systematically covers an array of land, water, and air variables in the urban environment. Methodologies are well described, and examples are well illustrated. … a must read for anyone engaged in urban environmental studies."―Jing M. Chen, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada "… provides a detailed look at the data and algorithms used to map and monitor the urban environment. In addition to its valuable historical perspective on sensor evolution, it clearly illustrates the strengths and limitations of different land cover classification methods. It will be particularly useful for those seeking a deeper understanding of the widely used land cover products developed by the USGS. However, the content goes beyond the mapping process to showcase a variety of environmental monitoring applications relevant to resource managers and public health professionals with a focus on the built environment. … a valuable contribution to an important and rapidly growing field of interest."―Christopher Small, Columbia University, New York, USA About the Author George Xian has extensive experience in remote sensing data applications for the assessment of land cover change and climate variations. He has focused on using remote sensing information to investigate urban land use and land cover changes on both regional and national scales. He has also incorporated remote sensing derived urban land cover and land use information with other environmental information to investigate local and regional climate change, and air and water quality. In addition, Dr. Xian has published numerous journal papers and book chapters.