Derelict land monitoring with remote sensing

Abstract

The research assesses the relative merits of multitemporal black and white aerial photography and multispectral orbital satellite imagery for the identification and classification of derelict land. The study area of Dudley occupies the south-west quadrant of the Black Country Boroughs of the West Midlands in Great Britain. The region features extensive post-industrial dereliction due to a lack of directed planning and the decline of traditional industry. The classification and definition of derelict land are reviewed at length and their effects are considered with regard to derelict land reclamation. An overview of regional and local reclamation policies and derelict land grant and survey procedures is presented. Panchromatic aerial photographs from two dates are used to estimate and classify derelict land and reclaimed land at a mapping scale of 1:10,000. Accuracy comparisons are made between the aerial photographic survey and more traditional ground surveys. Landsat Thematic Mapper computer compatible tapes are used to estimate the amounts of derelict land in the study area. Analysis of the satellite data is via digital image processing, and accuracy comparisons are made with the aerial photographic survey. Conclusions of the research indicate that while panchromatic aerial photography is an accurate means of both identifying and classifying derelict land sites, Landsat Thematic Mapper data has neither the spatial resolution or spectral integrity required for derelict land investigations in dense urban environments.