Combining building register data with satellite imagery
The objective of the case study was to combine building register data, land use data and satellite imagery in order to keep the building register updated and to follow changes in vegetation caused by construction and land use change.
Country: Norway
The extensive development in and around the major cities has increased the pressure on green spaces in urban environments. Improved building and population registers, land use data and satellite imagery can result in a better understanding of the changes and where they occur in relation to the location of the population.
Most of the partners within GEOSTAT 1B project are privileged to have georeferenced registers and have therefore little need to disaggregate data for generating population on 1x 1 km grids. However, a similar approach combining various sources as satellite imagery, land use and building register data can be used when assessing the vegetation changes in and around urban areas.
The reason why this is of such an interest now is that from 2015 it will be possible to supplement information from map databases and registers with satellite observation data from the European satellite Sentinel -2. In order to be prepared for data from the Sentinel -2 satellite this study will test how this approach can function using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer ( MODIS ). MODIS geographical resolution is of 250 meters, but the temporal resolution (the frequency of observations) is comparable.
The objective of the case study was to combine building register data, land use data and satellite imagery in order to follow changes in vegetation caused by construction and land use change. The results are promising and even with low resolution it was possible to follow changes in vegetation in various land use categories. Large scale construction works were also possible to detect, but with imagery with better resolution will make this approach even more relevant. However, the stepwise methodology is applicable and promising for the years to come.
Friday, December 20, 2013