Earth Observation for Monitoring and Modeling Land Use presents a practical guide and theoretical overview of the latest techniques and Earth observation technologies applied to land use and land cover change through qualitative assessment of Earth observation technologies. The chapters include detailed case studies, Earth observation datasets, and detailed applications of the technologies covered, presented in a way that each chapter is a self-contained guide on a specific application of Earth observation technologies to land use problems, ensuring all technical and background information is provided on each subject without the need for cross-referencing or searching for other sources. The book spatializes the understanding of monitoring land cover and use, and quantifies the challenges faced, allowing analysis of the dynamics of the territory in terms of occupation processes, land use, and its transformations. They book focuses on practical applications of using remote sensing and modeling that support new research in relation to monitoring of land use and spectral modelling, elucidating the importance of advanced methodologies in the coverage and use mappings of the Earth. Mainly in spatial cutouts that present great environmental dynamism, such as areas that have undergone major infrastructure work, are suffering from deforestation, or areas experiencing accelerated population growth. Earth Observation for Monitoring and Modeling Land Use offers up-to-date methodologies for postgraduate students, researchers, academics and professionals in the field of remote sensing, geography, land change study, geospatial research, environmental science, and sustainability, providing them with a critical overview of state-of-the-art Earth observation technologies in this subject. Focuses on a variety of interdisciplinary applications using Earth observation data,technologies and machine learning techniques to address various challenges in land use change Detailed application-specific discussions will allow readers to understand the different applications of tools aimed at observing the Earth's surface Includes theoretical and applied research contributions along with background information on the use of current technologies applied to land use and land resources Presents summaries of technical information and data handling that will enable readers to understand the key benefits of Earth observation technologies in respect to land use

This volume is a synthesis of the NASA funded work under the Land-Cover and Land-Use Change Program. Hundreds of scientists have worked for the past eight years to understand one of the most important forces that is changing our planet-human impacts on land cover, that is land use. Its contributions span the natural and the social sciences, and apply state-of-the-art techniques for understanding the earth: satellite remote sensing, geographic information systems, modeling, and advanced computing. It brings together detailed case studies, regional analyses, and globally scaled mapping efforts. This is the most organized effort made to understand the dominant force that has been responsible for changing the Earth’s biosphere. Audience: This publication will be of interest to students, scientists, and policy makers. This volume includes a CD-ROM containing full color images of a selection of illustrations which are printed in black-and-white in the book.

Earth Observation Science (EOS) is the study of the global Earth land-ocean-atmosphere system through observations. The principal tools for such studies are measurements from space since these provide the coverage of the planet that is necessary to capture the behaviour of the entire coupled system. In addition, surface observations, and measurements from aircraft, balloons and sounding rockets provide valuable contributors to what are now termed "integrated, global observing systems.” Coupled with models, the EOS measurement suites provide powerful tools for research into the factors controlling and changing the Earth system in which we live. The objectives of this book are to describe new methods and applications of satellite technology in the fields of land and emergency monitoring. It draws on new research outcomes from the European FP7 project GIONET (European Centre of Excellence in Earth Observation Research Training). GIONET combines industrial partners with universities and research institutes, and this book provides a perspective on Earth Observation applications that is motivated by the cross-fertilisation of both sectors. Hence, this book will find readers in both industry and academia. This book highlights a broad range of innovative uses of Earth Observation technology to support environmental management, decision making, crisis management and climate policies. It uses advanced concepts of multi-sensor image integration, multi-temporal analysis and synergies between data and models. This is a truly interdisciplinary subject that encompasses a range of applications in various fields which are discussed in detail throughout the text. If you are interested in remote sensing applications and looking for inspiration, this is the book for you.

The chapters in this book present state-of-the-art geomatics technologies applied in global environmental studies. This text provides the latest research findings and delivers complete references to related publications. This book will motivate the undergraduate and graduate students, researchers and practitioners to better understand the environmental changes with informed solutions. Global Change studies are increasingly considered a vital source of information to understand the Earth Environment, especially in the framework of human-induced, climate change and land use transformation. Satellite Earth Observing systems and geomatics technologies provide a unique tool to monitor and model the changes, respectively. While the range of applications and innovative techniques are always increasing, this book provides a summary of key study cases where satellite data offers critical information to understand the usefulness of the geomatics technologies and global environmental issues. Geomatics technologies provide powerful tools to model and analyze the effects of those global environmental changes towards minimizing their adverse impacts on human health and the environment.

Cities and towns are the original producers of many of the global environmental problems related to waste disposal, and air and water pollution. There is a rapidly growing need for technologies that will enable monitoring of the world’s natural resources and urban assets, and managing exposure to natural and man-made risks. The Group on Earth Observation (GEO) calls for strengthening the cooperation and coordination among global observing systems and research programs. Global Urban Monitoring and Assessment through Earth Observation introduces this important international collaborative effort, reviews the current state of global urban remote sensing, and expands on future directions in the field. The book reviews the current state of global urban monitoring, assessment, modeling, and prediction through Earth observation and related technologies. It then introduces GEO’s important international collaborative effort—Global Urban Observation and Information Task—and the current state of global urban remote sensing and future directions. It explores groundbreaking work in urban remote sensing and examines how it could contribute to the development of innovative concepts and techniques for sustainable urban development. Despite significant progress in recent years, there remain substantial gaps in ongoing national, regional, and global efforts to address environmental challenges. Edited by a well-known expert in the field of remote sensing, GIS, and other geospatial technologies, this book addresses the gaps in an effective and long-term manner, highlighting the importance of increased coordination and networking among major stakeholders and of working together with other key international mechanisms. Drawing on the expertise of pioneers in the field from across the globe, the book details emerging research in the theory, methods, and techniques of urban remote sensing that provide insight into how to solve the major issues of sustainable development—one of the most important issues facing society in the future.

Explore the Important Role that the Semantics of Land Use and Land Cover Plays within a Broader Environmental Context Focused on the information semantics of land use and land cover (LULC) and providing a platform for reassessing this field, Land Use and Land Cover Semantics: Principles, Best Practices, and Prospects presents a comprehensive overview of fundamental theories and best practices for applying semantics in LULC. Developed by a team of experts bridging relevant areas related to the subject (LULC studies, ontology, semantic uncertainty, information science, and earth observation), this book encourages effective and critical uses of LULC data and considers practical contexts where LULC semantics can play a vital role. The book includes work on conceptual and technological semantic practices, including but not limited to categorization; the definition of criteria for sets and their members; metadata; documentation for data reuse; ontology logic restrictions; reasoning from text sources; and explicit semantic specifications, ontologies, vocabularies, and design patterns. It also includes use cases from applicable semantics in searches, LULC classification, spatial analysis and visualization, issues of Big Data, knowledge infrastructures and their organization, and integration of bottom-up and top-down approaches to collaboration frameworks and interdisciplinary challenges such as EarthCube. This book: Centers on the link between planning goals, objectives, and policy and land use classification systems Uses examples of maps and databases to draw attention to the problems of semantic integration of land use/cover data Discusses the principles used in a categorization Explores the origins and impacts of semantic variation using the example of land cover Examines how crowd science and human perceptions can be used to improve the quality of land cover datasets, and more Land Use and Land Cover Semantics: Principles, Best Practices, and Prospects offers an up-to-date account of land use/land cover semantics, looks into aspects of semantic data modeling, and discusses current approaches, ongoing developments, and future trends. The book provides guidance to anyone working with land use or land cover data, looking to harmonize categories, repurpose data, or otherwise develop or use LULC datasets.

Filling the need for a comprehensive book that covers both theory and application, Remote Sensing of Land Use and Land Cover: Principles and Applications provides a synopsis of how remote sensing can be used for land-cover characterization, mapping, and monitoring from the local to the global scale. With contributions by leading scientists from aro