Xiaojun Yang
Tallahassee, Florida, USA
2021
PART I
Introduction
This introductory part discusses the rationale and motivation leading to the publication of this new edition on urban remote sensing. It provides an overview on some essential and emerging areas that are shifting the directions in urban remote sensing research over the past decade, followed by a preview of the book structure and the major topics covered in the book. It also identifies several conceptual or technical areas that need further attentions.
CHAPTER 1 Progress in Urban Remote Sensing: An Overview
Xiaojun Yang
Department of Geography, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
Abstract
This chapter defines the scope of the second edition of “Urban Remote Sensing: Monitoring, Synthesis and Modeling in the Urban Environment”. It begins with a discussion of the context behind the publication of this newer edition. It then discusses some major progress in urban remote sensing over the past decade, followed by an overview of the main topics covered in the volume. The chapter finally pinpoints several areas in need of further research.
1.1 INTRODUCTION
Urban remote sensing, a branch in remote sensing dedicated to the study of the urban environment, has emerged as a major interdisciplinary field of study (Yang, 2011). The rapid development of this field over the past two decades has predominately been driven by the evolving innovations in remote sensing that allow to deliver the critical information on cities in a timely and cost‐effective way to support various urban management activities and the scientific research on urban morphology, socio‐environmental dynamics, and sustainability (Seto et al., 2010, 2012).
Since the early 2000s, the author began organizing urban remote sensing sessions at the annual meetings of the American Association of Geographers (AAG). Several major areas were identified to address the multidisciplinary needs, which included not only classic subjects, such as urban feature extraction and growth monitoring, but also emerging topics, such as urban socioeconomic indicators and urban modeling. A large number of papers were presented over a period of 10 years, which featured the research done by interdisciplinary scholars predominately from North America. The first edition of Urban Remote Sensing: Monitoring, Synthesis and Modeling in the Urban Environment published in 2011 was primarily an outcome from this decade‐long conference theme paper series. It is the first book written with a broad vision of urban remote sensing that draws upon multiple disciplines and the integration of remote sensing with relevant geospatial data and technologies. The book covered a variety of topics extending beyond urban feature extraction and into urban socioeconomic and environmental applications and predictive modeling of urbanization. It contrasts considerably in such a treatment with other dedicated books on urban remote sensing, which are largely restricted on urban feature extraction and land use interpretation (e.g. Netzband et al., 2007; Weng and Quattrochi, 2007; Gamba and Herold, 2009; Bhatta, 2010; Jürgens and Rashed, 2010; Weng et al., 2018). In addition, the book has been translated into Chinese and was published by China’s Higher Education Press in 2014.
The time is ripe for a new edition on urban remote sensing after one decade of publishing the first version. While continuing research on some critical issues identified in the earlier volume is also examined, this new edition focuses on a variety of essential and emerging research areas in urban remote sensing including sensors, techniques, and applications. This mix should help balance the needs of professionals and students at different levels and with various backgrounds. Specifically, the book covers the following major areas:
Introduces several advanced and emerging platforms or systems, such as unmanned aircraft systems and social sensing, which provide new opportunities for urban studies;
Reviews some emerging remote sensing and machine learning techniques, such as deep learning and cloud computing infrastructures, for urban attribute extraction;
Examines several innovative socioeconomic applications through remote sensing, such as urban slum mapping and urban conflict damage monitoring; and
Showcases some latest progress in the integration of remote sensing and relevant geospatial techniques for urban environmental applications, which are related to such issues as man‐made carbon dioxide (CO2 ) emissions, air pollution, urban green infrastructure, and urban sustainability.
Note that unlike the first edition, this new volume does not explicitly include a separate part on geospatial modeling. However, various geospatial modeling techniques have been incorporated in different topics covered in this new edition, such as urban socioeconomic and environment applications.
Unlike many edited books with a contributor pool from a single event (such as a conference or workshop), this volume is written by the two groups of selected interdisciplinary scholars: those who present a scholarly paper at a recent annual meeting of the AAG or at a recent Joint Urban Remote Sensing Event (JURSE) co‐sponsored by the Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society (GRSS) and the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS); and those largely identified from their recent research articles published by a variety of peer‐reviewed journals in remote sensing, machine learning, urban studies, and environmental science.
A total of 78 authors from 17 countries or regions including Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Holland, Hong Kong, Japan, Israel, Italy, Poland, Sweden, Taiwan, Ukraine, and the United States contribute to this book. Although the book is mainly authored by the US and European scholars with case studies predominately from North America and Europe, the knowledge gained from these two major continents can be applied to other urban areas globally.
The sections to be followed will discuss some major advances in urban remote sensing over the past decade, preview the main topics covered in the book, and pinpoint a number of areas that need further research.
1.2 ADVANCES IN URBAN REMOTE SENSING
Over the past decade, we have witnessed the rapid advancement in urban remote sensing research amid the evolving innovations in the broad arena of Earth Observation (EO). The purpose here, however, is not to provide a comprehensive review on the progress in urban remote sensing. Rather, we simply highlight some essential and emerging areas that are shifting the directions in urban remote sensing research. Some