Landsat data to evaluate urban expansion and determine land use/land cover changes in Penang Island,Malaysia

Land surface temperature (LST) plays an important role in local, regional and global climate studies. LST controls the distribution of the budget for radiation heat between the atmosphere and the earth’s surface. Therefore, it is important to evaluate abrupt changes in land use/land cover (LULC). Penang Island, Malaysia has been experiencing a rapid and drastic change in urban expansion over the past two decades due to growth in industrial and residential areas. The aim of this study was to investigate and evaluate the impact of LST with respect to land use changes in Penang Island, Malaysia. Three supervised classification techniques known as maximum likelihood, minimum distance-to-mean and parallelepiped were applied to the images to extract thematic information from the acquired scene by using PCI Geomatica 10.1 image processing software. These remote sensing classification techniques help to examine land-use changes in Penang Island using multi-temporal Landsat data for the period of 1999–2007. Training sites were selected within each scene and seven land cover classes were assigned to each classifier. The relative performance of each technique was evaluated. The accuracy of each classification map was assessed using a reference data set consisting of a large number of samples collected per category. Two Landsat satellite images captured in 1999 and 2007 were chosen to classify the LULC types using the maximum likelihood classification method, determined from visible and near-infrared bands. The study revealed that the maximum likelihood classifier produced superior results and achieved a high degree of accuracy. The LST and normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) were computed based on changes in LULC. The results showed that the urban (highly built-up) area increased dramatically, and grassland area increased moderately. Inversely, barren land decreased obviously, and forest area decreased moderately. While urban (minimally built-up) area decreased slightly. These changes in LULC caused at significant difference in LST between urban and rural areas. Strong correlation values were observed between LST and NDVI for all LULC classes. The remote sensing technique used in this study was found to be efficient; it reduced the time for the analysis of the urban expansion, and it was found to be a useful tool to evaluate the impact of urbanisation with LST.     

Spatio-temporal land cover changes in a semi-arid watershed: Central India

Land use/land cover change is a global phenomenon which reflects natural resources degradation and/or utilization. Remote sensing and GIS have been widely used to monitor such changes at watershed level. The present study evaluates the LU/LC change during 1989 - 2001 in a semi-arid watershed of central India. Geocoded satellite data of 1989 and 2001 on 1:50,000 scale, were visually interpreted to prepare thematic maps which were later digitized using ArcGIS softwares. The analysis shows that vast tracts of cultivated land have become uncultivated and at some places even converted to wasteland. However, the land under dense forest and open forest has decreased due to expansion of built-up land and other anthropogenic activities. Increase in area of uncultivated land, wasteland and decrease in cultivated land and open scrub is also supported by rainfall analysis, which shows a declining trend and a fall of 186.93 mm in average annual rainfall for 1986-2003 period. The change detection map prepared using land use/land cover of 1989 and 2001 as inputs shows that out of the total geographical area of the watershed, 25.78% of the watershed area has seen a change from one land use category to another, however rest 74.22% has remained unchanged.     

Using Remote Sensing and GIS Techniques to Study Soil Degradation Processes in North Shaanxi Province, China

Satellite image data and thematic map data were used to provide comprehensive views of surface-bound conditions such as soil and vegetation degradation. The current work applies a computerized parametric methodology, developed by FAO, UNEP and UNESCO to assess and evaluate soil degradation at 1 : 250 000 mapping scale. The study area is located in the arid and semi-arid zone of the northern part of Shaanxi Province in China, a region with considerable agricultural potential; Landsat TM images were utilized to provide recent data on land cover and use of the area. ARC/INFO and Arc-View softwares were used to manage and manipulate thematic data, to process satellite images, and tabular data source. ER mapper software is utilized to derive the normalized difference vegetation index (ND VI) values while field data to estimate soil erodibility (SE) factor. A system is established for rating soil parameters, slope, climate factor and human factor activity. The rating values serve as inputs into a modified universal soil loss equation (USLE) to calculate the present state and risk for soil degradation processes, namely soil wind erosion. The produced maps and tabular data show the risk and the present status of different soil degradation processes. The study area, in general, is exposed to high risk of wind erosion and high hazards of water erosion. Several desertification maps were produced, which reflect the desertification types persisting in the study area. Wind erosion, water erosion, vegetation degradation,physical degradation and salinization are the basic desertification maps, and others are combinations of these basic maps. In terms of statistic analysis, 33.75 % of the total land area (120. 330 0 ha) is considered as sand or sand dune, and not included in our analysis of desertification. About 29. 41% of the total land area has slight or moderate desertification and 37. 465 % is facing severe desertification.     

典型冰冻圈地区植被变化对人类活动的响应研究 ——以祁连山为例

在全球气候变化、种植业结构调整等背景下,亟需对祁连山区的植被展开长期有效的监测和持续研究。基于2000-2017年分辨率为250 m的MODIS数据,采用Mann-Kendall时间序列非参数估计模型、相关分析等方法,分析了祁连山区生长季NDVI与植被盖度的时空变化特征及其与气候因子的相关性,并从正反两方面就人类活动对对植被的影响做了讨论,得出结论如下：（1）从东向西祁连山年平均NDVI整体上逐渐减小,NDVI随海拔升高呈先增大后减小的特征,NDVI最大的区域分布在海拔2 700~2 900 m的范围内;（2）祁连山区域内NDVI显著减小的区域占祁连山总面积的0.6%,而显著增加的区域占总面积的33.6%,植被呈现出整体向好,局部退化的趋势;（3）2000-2017年,林地、草地和其他土地利用区的植被盖度分别以0.0029、0.0026和0.0004的速率增加,工矿用地的覆盖度以0.0112的速率在减少,反映出工矿业开发活动是造成植被盖度下降的主要因子;（4）植树造林区植被NDVI以0.0455的速度增加,而工程实施和矿产开发区NDVI以0.0125速度降低,表明人类活动是导致植被群落变化的主要因素之一。     

The relationship between land surface temperature and land use/land cover in Guangzhou,China

The integration of remote sensing, geographic information system, landscape ecology and statistical analysis methods was applied to study the urban thermal environment in Guangzhou. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normalized Difference Build-up Index (NDBI), Normalized Difference Barren Index (NDBaI) and Modified Normalized Difference Water Index (MNDWI) were used to analyze the relationships between land surface temperature (LST) and land use/land cover (LULC) qualitatively. The result revealed that, most urban built-up lands were located in the middle part, and high LST areas mostly and were in the middle and southern parts. Therefore, the urbanization and thermal environment in the middle and southern parts need to be determined. Land surface temperature increased with the density of urban built-up and barren land, but decreased with vegetation cover. The relationship between MNDWI and LST was found to be negative, which implied that pure water would decrease the surface temperature and the polluted water would increase the surface temperature. A multiple regression between LST and each indices as well as the elevation was created to elevate the urban thermal environment, which showed that NDVI, NDBI, NDBaI, MNDWI were effective indicators for quantifying LULC impacts on LST.     

Assessing the geoindicators of land degradation in the Kashmir Himalayan region, India

The geoindicators of land degradation such as erosion, vegetation change and wetland loss were identified in the Kashmir Himalayan region using a geospatial model. Geomatics techniques were used to generate information on landuse/landcover, NDVI, slope and the lithological formations that form inputs to map the erosion risk. The results of erosion analysis revealed that 48.27?% of the area is under very high erosion risk. The Middle Himalayan watersheds were found to be under high erosion risk compared to the Greater Himalayan watersheds. Pohru and Doodhganga watersheds of the Middle Himalayas were found to be under very high erosion risk. These two watersheds were studied in detail from 1992 to 2001 for vegetation change and wetland loss. In Pohru watershed, significant change was found in the dense forest with 10?% decrease. Wular lake, an important wetland in the Pohru watershed, has shrunk by 2.7?km² during the last decade. The vegetation change analysis of the Doodhganga watershed revealed that there has been 9.13?% decrease in the forest, 7?% increase in built up and the largest wetland in the Doodhganga, Hokarsar, has reduced by 1.98?km² from 1992 to 2001. Field studies showed that anthropogenic activities and chemically deficit soil (Karewa) along Pir Panjal ranges are the main factors responsible for high land degradation in the area. The assessment of these geoindicators provided valuable information for identifying causes and consequences of the land degradation and thus outlining potential hazard areas and designing remedial measures.     

A “simple” geomatics-based approach for assessing water erosion hazard at montane areas

Soil erosion by water is recognised as a worldwide land degradation issue, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. The aim of this study is to apply the powerful capabilities of advanced remote sensing and geographic information system techniques to identify the areas at risk to water erosion. This study presents the assessment of water erosion in mountainous areas (eastern Aures, Algeria) based on three main factors: the friability of the bedrock, degree of slope and density of vegetation cover. Alsat1 image was used to produce land use and vegetation (NDVI) maps. Digital elevation model was used in constructing the slope gradient map. The erosion risk map was obtained by the combination of indices assigned to thematic layers following multicriteria decision rules. Water erosion was generally not concerning in the eastern Aures (slight risk = 33 %, moderate risk = 44 % of the area). This simple–qualitative approach gave good results for assessing soil erosion equally to quantitative methods since 89.55 % of field verifications were accurate. The non-alarming state and the low rate of severe and extremely severe risk to erosion are due to (1) the low steep slopes, (2) the good quality of vegetation (forests with thick undergrowth), and which are occurring on (3) resistant materials of the substratum, and (4) the low human pressure. Results of this study, which may be conducted with reasonable costs and accuracy over large areas, are of significant help in prioritising areas in decision making and sustainable planning.     

Risk assessment of water soil erosion in upper basin of Miyun Reservoir,Beijing, China

This research selected water soil erosion indicators (land cover, vegetation cover, slope) to assess the risk of soil erosion, ARCMAP GIS ver.9.0 environments and ERDAS ver.9.0 were used to manage and process satellite images and thematic tabular data. Landsat TM images in 2003 were used to produce land/cover maps of the study area based on visual interpreting method and derived vegetation cover maps, and the relief map at the scale of 1:50,000 to calculate the slope gradient maps. The area of water soil erosion was classified into six grades by an integration of slope gradients, land cover types, and vegetation cover fraction. All the data were integrated into a cross-tabular format to carry out the grid-based analysis of soil erosion risk. Results showed that the upper basin of Miyun Reservoir, in general, is exposed to a moderate risk of soil erosion, there is 715,848 ha of land suffered from water soil erosion in 2003, occupied 46.62% of total area, and most of the soil erosion area is on the slight and moderate risk, occupied 45.60 and 47.58% of soil erosion area, respectively.     

Multi-temporal landsat images based on eco-environmental change analysis in and around Chah Nimeh reservoir,Balochestan (Iran)

Chah Nimeh reservoirs have served as a water storage facility, especially during droughts over the last three decades. It is also an important wintering site for migratory birds. In this study, thematic mapper time-series data were derived from Landsat images for prolonged droughts that occurred in two satellite images (2002 and 2011). The data derived from these images were used for the detection of changes in land cover and water storage in the reservoirs. First, a vegetation cover map was produced using soil-adjusted vegetation index and field sampling. Subsequently, land use/cover maps were generated using supervised and hybrid image classification method. Using the spatial change detector (SCD v1.0) software extension, the layers were combined and the change map was generated. The overall accuracy of the produced thematic images was assessed in regards to quantity and allocation disagreements. A total of five classes were defined in this investigation: deep water, shallow water, vegetation, salt land and bare land. The results showed that during the period of study, water volume reduced and vegetation cover increased, especially around the reservoirs that are important as shelter for wintering migratory birds. Comparison of land use/cover maps showed the increase in total available surface of shallow water, which indicated an increase in the habitats for surface feeding and diving birds.     

Retrieving of Land Surface Temperature Using Thermal Remote Sensing and GIS Techniques in Kandaihimmat Watershed,Hoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh

Remotely sensed thermal infrared (TIR) data have been widely used to retrieve land surface temperature (LST). LST is an important parameter in the studies of urban thermal environment and dynamics. In the study, an attempt has been made using LANDSAT 8 thermal imagery to compute LST and the associated land cover parameters viz; land surface emissivity (LSE), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), normalized difference built-up index (NDBI) and normalized difference water index (NDWI). Landsat 8 TIRS band 10 & 11 (thermal bands) during 21 Oct. 2016, 22 Nov.2016, 24 Dec. 2016 and 09 Jan. 2017 were processed for LST analysis. However, band 5 & band 4 of the imagery was processed for NDVI, band 6 & band 5 for NDBI and band 2 & band 5 for NDWI analysis. LST has been derived from both the bands 10 &11 and validated by in-situ observations on the date and time of satellite overpass from the study area. Band 10 derived LST have shown much temperature difference while comparing with the in-situ observations. However, LST derived from band 11 found similar & close to the in-situ measurements. Relationship between band 11 results and in-situ observed measurements were developed, which has showing a strong correlation with (r² = 0.991). Land surface emissivity were also evaluated which shows variation in different land cover surfaces like vegetation, settlement, forest cover and water body. The study has proven that land surface temperature derived from satellite band 11 is the actual surface temperature of the study area.     

内蒙古西辽河平原植被指数时空变化及其影响因素研究

西辽河平原位于我国北方农牧交错带,属半干旱气候,发育科尔沁沙地,生态环境极其脆弱,开展植被指数时空变化及其影响因素研究,对于预测土地退化风险意义重大,可为该流域生态环境保护治理及水资源合理开发利用提供技术支撑。利用2000—2019年MODIS NDVI数据,采用一元线性回归趋势法和Mann-Kendall检验分析了近20年来该地区的植被生长变化趋势及突变情况。从影响植被生长的水热条件出发,分析了NDVI值与气象因素（降水、气温）、土壤湿度、地下水埋深等因子的相关关系;结合人类活动,分析了土地利用类型变化对NDVI值的影响。结果表明:（1）2000—2019年生长季NDVI值整体呈上升趋势,不存在显著突变点,最高值0.56,最低值0.41。（2）NDVI值在空间上呈现“东高西低”的分布特征,不同用地类型的NDVI值由大到小依次为耕地>林地>沼泽地>滩地>草地>盐碱地>沙地。（3）92.5%的区域植被呈增长趋势,7.5%的区域植被呈减少趋势。（4）NDVI值与降水、气温、土壤湿度呈正相关关系,相关系数分别为0.86,0.78,0.81,降水对植被影响最大。（5）最适宜天然植被生长的地下水埋深约为3 m,当地下水埋深大于10 m时,NDVI值会随着埋深的增加剧烈减小。（6）人类活动如土地开垦、植树造林是近20年来NDVI值呈增加趋势的主要原因之一,在一定程度上改善了当地生态环境。     

石羊河流域植被指数时空变化及荒漠化遥感监测

利用SPOT VGT NDVI数据对石羊河流域1999—2010年期间植被覆盖的时空变化进行了研究,并基于像元二分模型求算植被覆盖度,以植被覆盖度为指标对研究区荒漠化程度进行定量监测与评价。结果表明:12年来石羊河流域植被覆盖度整体呈增加的趋势,增加速率为0.003 2 a-1。植被改善的面积远大于植被退化的面积,植被改善区域的面积为11 130 km2,占研究区总面积的26.45%,主要分布在金昌、永昌、民勤、武威东部以及古浪的西北部地区;植被退化区域的面积为3 546 km2,占研究区总面积的8.43%,主要分布在天祝藏族自治县的东部和古浪南部的乌鞘岭地区。荒漠化土地面积整体呈下降的趋势,极重度荒漠化土地明显减少,转化为重度荒漠化;非荒漠化土地的增加主要以绿洲的扩张为主。     

黑龙江省漠河地区土地覆被与地表温度时空变化特征研究

以我国高纬度多年冻土区漠河县城区及郊区862 km²的区域为研究对象,基于RS和GIS技术对该区地表覆被变化和地表温度进行研究。结果表明：地表类型和地表温度反演结果与现场比对结果一致;从1988年到2015年,经过火灾后重建和城镇化发展,建设用地面积增加了11.33 km²;以2015年为例,冬季由于积雪覆盖,有79.02%的区域无植被覆盖,夏季有80.91%的区域为高植被覆盖。冬季地表温度和高程具有高度相关性,高程每升高100 m,地表温度平均升高2.27℃,表明该区地表温度也存在显著的逆温现象。该区城镇热岛效应全年存在,城镇区域地表温度高于全区平均值,夏季最显著,最高温差可达6.37℃。地表温度与NDVI具有明显的负相关关系;不同土地利用类型地表温度由低到高的顺序为水体-林地-草地-裸地-建筑用地。     

An integrated object-based image analysis and CA-Markov model approach for modeling land use/land cover trends in the Sarab plain

The present paper is an attempt to integrate a semi-automated object-based image analysis (OBIA) classification framework and a cellular automata-Markov model to study land use/land cover (LULC) changes. Land use maps for the Sarab plain in Iran for the years 2000, 2006, and 2014 were created from Landsat satellite data, by applying an OBIA classification using the normalized difference vegetation index, salinity index, moisture stress index, soil-adjusted vegetation index, and elevation and slope indicators. The classifications yielded overall accuracies of 91, 93, and 94% for 2000, 2006, and 2014, respectively. Finally, using the transition matrix, the spatial distribution of land use was simulated for 2020. The results of the study revealed that the number of orchards with irrigated agriculture and dry-farm agriculture in the Sarab plain is increasing, while the amount of bare land is decreasing. The results of this research are of great importance for regional authorities and decision makers in strategic land use planning.     

GPS对滇西北土地覆盖的遥感多波段光谱响应特性分析 --以大中甸乡为例

分析覆盖地物的遥感光谱响应特性对于利用遥感监测土地覆盖是非常必要的。基于GPS实地调查，利用ETM 数据，采用全数字化遥感定量方法对大中甸乡典型土地覆盖地物多波段光谱响应特性进行研究。结果表明，该区13种典型覆盖地物，同属于非植被类型与同属于植被类型覆盖地物所表现的响应特性曲线形态具有明显差异，NDVI表现出以数值0为分界限，大于0为植被地物，小于0为非植被地类；另外，光谱响应分析还应考虑遥感信息获取的时相特性。     

Roles of climate changes and human interventions in land degradation: a case study by net primary productivity analysis in China’s Shiyanghe Basin

The Thornthwaite Memorial, Synthetic, and Carnegie Ames Stanford Approach (CASA) models, with inputs from SPOT-VGT-S10 NDVI data, meteorological data (precipitation, temperature, solar radiation), and land use data were used to estimate the values of net primary productivity (NPP) from 1999 to 2007 in China’s Shiyanghe Basin. The human appropriation of NPP, which represents the difference between potential NPP predicted using the climatic models and actual NPP calculated using the CASA model, served as the indicator of human intervention in the evolution of productivity of the land. Analysis showed that 78.9% (~9,172 km²) of the degradation occurring in the Shiyanghe Basin was caused by human activities versus 15.0% (~1,752 km²) that was caused by climatic factors, whereas 16.9% (~6,404.5 km²) of the vegetation restoration resulted from human activities versus 49.7% (~18,881 km²) that resulted from climate changes. Human activity played a key role in vegetation restoration in the central areas of the basin and in determining land degradation in the southwestern and northeastern areas. In addition, climate significantly controlled the vegetation restoration in the southwestern and northeastern areas and controlled land degradation in the central area.     

Investigation of land use changes on soil erosion process using geographical information system

Land use change quantified for the last 50 years within and near a fast growing agricultural land in Neka River Basin, using geographic information systems. Land cover and land use change was projected for the next decade using topography, geology, land use maps and remote sensing data of the study area. The study explored the relationships between agricultural land growth and landscape changes. The land use changes assessed among the different land cover classes. It is important to mention that conducting of the present study a very severe land cover changes taken place as the result of agricultural land development. These changes in land cover led to the forest degradation of the study area. Relationship between land-use changes and agricultural growth offered a more robust prediction of soil erosion in Neka watershed. This study aims to find the relationships between land use pattern, erosion and the sediment yield in the study area. The land use coefficient has applied in the model of erosion potential method to forecast the effect of the land type to reduce the erosion. The results of this study indicated that the total sediment yield of the study area has notably decreased to 89.24 % after an appropriate land use/cover alteration. The estimated special erosion for the southern Neka Basin is about 144465.1 m³/km² where after management policy is predicted 15542.9 m³/km²/y. Therefore, the total difference for the study area has estimated about 128922.2 m3/km2/y.     

The relationship between drought activity and vegetation cover in Northwest China from 1982 to 2013

We investigated drought activity and the relationship between drought and vegetation in Northwest China over the period 1982–2013 using the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). The indexes were, respectively, calculated from ground-based meteorological data and from remotely sensed satellite data. The spatial and temporal distributions of drought (SPEI) and of vegetation cover (NDVI) were compared using annual trends, and the relationships between these trends were analyzed. The results are: (1) Overall, Northwest China had a drought trend during the study period, although some a few regions show a significant wetness trend; (2) the mean annual NDVI fluctuates, but overall shows an increasing trend, particularly in some mountainous areas that have at least adequate water and vegetation cover, while unused land becomes degraded; (3) most regions show a positive correlation between SPEI and NDVI, although the western parts of the Tarim basin, Qaidam basin, and some regions in the southeastern part of study area show a negative correlation; and (4) the various regions respond differently to global climate change, but in general regions with more vegetation cover show increased vegetation growth, while regions with less vegetation cover are becoming degraded and thus more vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change.     

基于植被指数和土地表面温度的干旱监测模型

干旱是一种周期性发生的自然现象,其发生过程中有关参数如地表覆盖度、温度和土壤表层含水量等可以通过遥感的途径进行定量反演,而这些参数客观地反映了地表的综合特征。综述了运用遥感反演产品---土地表面温度和归一化植被指数在干旱监测中的应用前景和进展,分析了距平植被指数、条件植被指数、条件温度指数和归一化温度指数等干旱监测方法的优缺点,在前人研究的基础上,提出了条件植被温度指数的干旱监测模型,探讨了其应用前景。     

黔桂喀斯特山地NDVI的垂直分布特征

黔桂喀斯特山地地形复杂,植被覆盖度垂直特征分异显著,以往研究多从气候因子响应方面探讨其垂直分布差异,而研究区人地矛盾尖锐,人类活动对植被分布有重要的影响。文章以黔桂喀斯特山地为例,利用2010年MODIS13Q1 NDVI数据表征植被覆盖度,结合高程、坡度和坡向等地形特征,不同土地利用类型的分布情况,叠置分析研究区的NDVI垂直分布特征。结果表明:黔桂喀斯特山地以林地、耕地和草地为主,不同土地利用类型随海拔、坡度和坡向的变化呈现不同的分布特征。研究区NDVI平均值为0.59,其中林地NDVI最大,达到0.63,草地为0.58,耕地最小为0.54。空间分布上,贵州境内NDVI值大部分为0.5~0.6,广西境内自西北向东南NDVI值由0.8逐渐降低至0.4,以0.6~0.7为主。NDVI在垂直梯度上分布特征显著,与植被垂直地带性分布以及不同地类的垂直分布特征有密切关系。海拔分布上,NDVI在海拔小于200 m区间最小,400~600 m的区间最大;北部贵州整体海拔较高,但植被覆盖度较低;南部广西海拔较低,但植被覆盖度较高。坡度分布上,在坡度小于35°范围,随坡度增大,耕地、水域、建设用地面积迅速减少,林草地面积逐步增加,使得NDVI随坡度增大逐渐增大。坡向分布上,NDVI不随坡向变化呈现明显变化,仅偏东坡向稍大于偏西坡向。研究表明应根据海拔和坡度等地形特征,并考虑土地利用情况,因地制宜进行生态建设。