Image Processing Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 14
Remote Sensing of Urban Environmental
Conditions
Andy Kwarteng and Christopher Small
Surface temperature and vegetation abundance are two environmental conditions
that can be accurately measured from satellites. This chapter gives an overview of
the following: (1) urbanization and the urban environment; (2) urban vegetation,
surface temperature and public health issues; (3) techniques for urban vegetation
mapping; (4) urban thermal mapping; and (5) comparison of urban vegetation and
surface temperature and their impact on environmental conditions in New York
City and Kuwait City.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this chapter, you should be able to:
Speculate on the environmental problems associated with urban-
ization, including those related to urban heat island
Explain the kind of environmental conditions that can be measured
accurately from satellites
Describe and compare some remote sensing techniques for urban
vegetation and surface temperature mapping
A. Kwarteng (
*
)
Remote Sensing and GIS Center, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 33, Al-Khod,
PC 123, Muscat, Oman
e-mail: kwarteng@squ.edu.om
C. Small
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, 108 Oceanography, 61 Route 9W,
Palisades, NY 10964-8000, USA
e-mail: small@ldeo.columbia.edu
