Image Processing Reference
In-Depth Information
edges of urban land uses are always fuzzy and this makes ground truthing almost
impossible. Urban planning and a whole host of urban model applications require
much more accurate data than remote sensing has so far been able to deliver.
Moreover, although there are now some quite good examples of urban remote sensing
interpretation, and although we have quite long time series in many places going back
to the 1970s, for example, the quality of this data has continually improved and this
makes good time series analysis tricky. Further, such imagery is still more appropriate
in situations where fast analysis of rapid urban growth is needed, for example, the
exploding cities in developing countries. In developed countries, emerging develop-
ments in new remote sensing technologies such as LIDAR that are fused with
conventional technologies are providing exciting developments at the local scale (see
Chapter 9). At the same time, adding prior geometric information to such interpretations
is providing impressive means for advancement in the field. These challenges set a
context for applications of these new technologies presented in the rest of this topic.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter you have been introduced to key concepts and theories on
urban growth and how these have approached the analysis and measurement
of suburbanization and sprawl. The main idea is that the contemporary city in
both developed and developing worlds needs much more than just one theory
or one method of analysis or one typology of data to be fully understood. The
contemporary city, of which urban sprawl is one of the most evident aspects, is
a challenge to traditional analytical methods and requires that social sciences
interact with earth sciences, and urban economics with GIS in order to build a
coherent picture of patterns and trends of urbanization. The approach developed
by the SCATTER research project and presented in this chapter provides an
example of an interdisciplinary method that mixes qualitative and quantitative
methods to understand sprawling settlements surrounding European cities and
to evaluate the impact of transport on future development.
LEARNING ACTIVITIES
Learn to Identify Sprawl
Using the Internet, search for maps of different cities showing their urban form
and structure and learn the differences between sprawl in North America,
Europe, developing countries, and cities in other parts of the world. Below are
some links you can start with:
Search WWH ::




Custom Search