Remote Sensing Applications for the Urban Environment

George Xian has extensive experience in remote sensing data applications for the assessment of land cover change and climate variations. He has focused on using remote sensing information to investigate urban land use and land cover changes on both regional and national scales. He has also incorporated remote sensing derived urban land cover and land use information with other environmental information to investigate local and regional climate change, and air and water quality. In addition, Dr. Xian has published numerous journal papers and book chapters.

"The numerous research works summarized in this [book] are all adequately presented, thanks to the author’s extensive knowledge of multiple applications of satellite data to urban environments. The content of each chapter refers to the latest developments in that area that should be known by everybody working or starting to work in urban remote sensing. … excellent reading for anyone willing to be brought up to speed in this exciting research field."—Paolo Gamba, University of Pavia, Italy"Dr. George Xian is highly commended for writing the first book on urban remote sensing, which systematically covers an array of land, water, and air variables in the urban environment. Methodologies are well described, and examples are well illustrated. … a must read for anyone engaged in urban environmental studies."—Jing M. Chen, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada"… provides a detailed look at the data and algorithms used to map and monitor the urban environment. In addition to its valuable historical perspective on sensor evolution, it clearly illustrates the strengths and limitations of different land cover classification methods. It will be particularly useful for those seeking a deeper understanding of the widely used land cover products developed by the USGS. However, the content goes beyond the mapping process to showcase a variety of environmental monitoring applications relevant to resource managers and public health professionals with a focus on the built environment. … a valuable contribution to an important and rapidly growing field of interest."—Christopher Small, Columbia University, New York, USA

• Introduction. Characteristics of Urban Landscape Feature in Local and Regional Scales. Characterization of Urban Land Cover in a Moderate Resolution. Regional and Global Urban Land Cover Characterizations. Assessment of Water Quality in Urban Areas. Natural Hazard Assessment for Urban Environments. Air Quality in Urban-Local and Regional Aspects. Air Quality in Urban Area-Global Aspects. Urban Heat Island and Regional Climate Effect. References.