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Sustainable Applications of Remote Sensing and Geospatial Information Systems to Earth Observations

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2019) | Viewed by 101003

Special Issue Editors

1. Geological Research Division, Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM), 124, Gwahak-ro Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34132, Republic of Korea
2. Department of Geophysical Exploration, Korea University of Science and Technology, 217 Gajeong-ro Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34113, Republic of Korea
Interests: GIS application; geological hazard; geological resources
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Centre for Advanced Modelling and Geospatial Information Systems (CAMGIS), University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
Interests: radar image processing remote sensing and GIS applications GIS for engineers forecasting disaster hazard; stochastic analysis and modelling; natural hazards; environmental engineering modelling; geospatial information systems; photogrammetry and remote sensing; unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainable applications of remote sensing and geospatial information system for Earth observation have become more essential in understanding the geological, physical, ecological, hydrological and environmental characteristics of Earth surfaces. Original research articles and literature review papers addressing sustainable applications in the remote sensing and geospatial technologies, which include geospatial information sensing (GIS), remote sensing (RS), photogrammetry and global positioning system (GPS), will be considered for the publication in this Special Issue. The objectives of this Special Issue are to create a multidisciplinary forum of discussion on recent advances in the fields of remote sensing and geospatial information system for their sustainable applications and to find new applications to geology, biology, ecology, hydrology, engineering, and so on.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Sustainable sensor design and platforms development
  • Sustainable multi-sensor system design and onboard processing
  • Advances in sensors for sustainable applications of remote sensing
  • Multi-sensor integration in sustainability and management
  • Sustainability in multiplatform remote sensing
  • Geospatial data models in sustainability and management
  • Spatial big data analysis in sustainability and management
  • Sustainable applications of position and localization systems, algorithm and techniques
  • Sustainable applications and innovative of geoinformation sensor techniques
  • Sustainable applications in hyperspectral remote sensing
  • Sustainable application in laser scanning sensors
  • Sustainability in image processing algorithm and systems
  • Sustainability in Geoinformation extraction and data mining
  • Sustainable spatiotemporal analysis in RS and GIS

Prof. Dr. Saro Lee
Prof. Hyung-Sup Jung
Prof. Biswajeet Pradhan
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Sustainable applications
  • Remote Sensing
  • Geospatial Information Systems
  • Geoinformatics
  • Earth Observations
  • Global Positioning System

Published Papers (22 papers)

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Editorial

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6 pages, 173 KiB  
Editorial
Sustainable Applications of Remote Sensing and Geospatial Information Systems to Earth Observations
by Hyung-Sup Jung, Saro Lee and Biswajeet Pradhan
Sustainability 2020, 12(6), 2390; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12062390 - 19 Mar 2020
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2210
Abstract
The Special Issue on “Sustainable Applications of Remote Sensing and Geospatial Information Systems to Earth Observations” is published. A total of 20 qualified papers are published in this Special Issue. The topics of the papers are the application of remote sensing and geospatial [...] Read more.
The Special Issue on “Sustainable Applications of Remote Sensing and Geospatial Information Systems to Earth Observations” is published. A total of 20 qualified papers are published in this Special Issue. The topics of the papers are the application of remote sensing and geospatial information systems to Earth observations in various fields such as (1) object change detection, (2) air pollution, (3) earthquakes, (4) landslides, (5) mining, (6) biomass, (7) groundwater, and (8) urban development using the techniques of remote sensing and geospatial information systems. More than 100 researchers have participated in this Special Issue. We hope that this Special Issue is helpful for sustainable applications. Full article

Research

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26 pages, 6496 KiB  
Article
Urban Development Modeling Using Integrated Fuzzy Systems, Ordered Weighted Averaging (OWA), and Geospatial Techniques
by Neda Ghasemkhani, Saeideh Sahebi Vayghan, Abolfazl Abdollahi, Biswajeet Pradhan and Abdullah Alamri
Sustainability 2020, 12(3), 809; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12030809 - 22 Jan 2020
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 2967
Abstract
This paper proposes a model to identify the changing of bare grounds into built-up or developed areas. The model is based on the fuzzy system and the Ordered Weighted Averaging (OWA) methods. The proposed model consists of four main sections, which include physical [...] Read more.
This paper proposes a model to identify the changing of bare grounds into built-up or developed areas. The model is based on the fuzzy system and the Ordered Weighted Averaging (OWA) methods. The proposed model consists of four main sections, which include physical suitability, accessibility, the neighborhood effect, and a calculation of the overall suitability. In the first two parts, physical suitability and accessibility were obtained by defining fuzzy inference systems and applying the required map data associated with each section. However, in order to calculate the neighborhood effect, we used an enrichment factor method and a hybrid method consisting of the enrichment factor with the Few, Half, Most, and Majority quantifiers of the ordered weighted averaging (OWA) method. Finally, the three maps of physical suitability, accessibility, and the neighborhood effect were integrated by the fuzzy system method and the quantifiers of OWA to obtain the overall suitability maps. Then, the areas with high suitability were selected from the overall suitability map to be changed from bare ground into built-up areas. For this purpose, the proposed model was implemented and calibrated in the first period (2004–2010) and was evaluated by being applied to the second period (2010–2016). By comparing the estimated map of changes to the reference data and after the formation of the error matrix, it was determined that the OWA-Majority method has the best estimation compared to those of the other methods. Finally, the total accuracy and the Kappa coefficient for the OWA-Majority method in the second period were 98.98% and 98.98%, respectively, indicating this method’s high accuracy in predicting changes. In addition, the results were compared with those of other studies, which showed the effectiveness of the suggested method for urban development modeling. Full article
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19 pages, 7292 KiB  
Article
Performance of Logistic Regression and Support Vector Machines for Seismic Vulnerability Assessment and Mapping: A Case Study of the 12 September 2016 ML5.8 Gyeongju Earthquake, South Korea
by Jihye Han, Soyoung Park, Seongheon Kim, Sanghun Son, Seonghyeok Lee and Jinsoo Kim
Sustainability 2019, 11(24), 7038; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11247038 - 09 Dec 2019
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3730
Abstract
In this study, we performed seismic vulnerability assessment and mapping of the ML5.8 Gyeongju Earthquake in Gyeongju, South Korea, as a case study. We applied logistic regression (LR) and four kernel models based on the support vector machine (SVM) learning method [...] Read more.
In this study, we performed seismic vulnerability assessment and mapping of the ML5.8 Gyeongju Earthquake in Gyeongju, South Korea, as a case study. We applied logistic regression (LR) and four kernel models based on the support vector machine (SVM) learning method to derive suitable models for assessing seismic vulnerabilities; the results of each model were then mapped and evaluated. Dependent variables were quantified using buildings damaged in the 9.12 Gyeongju Earthquake, and independent variables were constructed and used as spatial databases by selecting 15 sub-indicators related to earthquakes. Success and prediction rates were calculated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The success rates of the models (LR, SVM models based on linear, polynomial, radial basis function, and sigmoid kernels) were 0.652, 0.649, 0.842, 0.998, and 0.630, respectively, and the prediction rates were 0.714, 0.651, 0.804, 0.919, and 0.629, respectively. Among the five models, RBF-SVM showed the highest performance. Seismic vulnerability maps were created for each of the five models and were graded as safe, low, moderate, high, or very high. Finally, we examined the distribution of building classes among the 23 administrative districts of Gyeongju. The common vulnerable regions among all five maps were Jungbu-dong and Hwangnam-dong, and the common safe region among all five maps was Gangdong-myeon. Full article
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30 pages, 13065 KiB  
Article
A Novel Intelligence Approach of a Sequential Minimal Optimization-Based Support Vector Machine for Landslide Susceptibility Mapping
by Binh Thai Pham, Indra Prakash, Wei Chen, Hai-Bang Ly, Lanh Si Ho, Ebrahim Omidvar, Van Phong Tran and Dieu Tien Bui
Sustainability 2019, 11(22), 6323; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11226323 - 11 Nov 2019
Cited by 33 | Viewed by 3273
Abstract
The main objective of this study is to propose a novel hybrid model of a sequential minimal optimization and support vector machine (SMOSVM) for accurate landslide susceptibility mapping. For this task, one of the landslide prone areas of Vietnam, the Mu Cang Chai [...] Read more.
The main objective of this study is to propose a novel hybrid model of a sequential minimal optimization and support vector machine (SMOSVM) for accurate landslide susceptibility mapping. For this task, one of the landslide prone areas of Vietnam, the Mu Cang Chai District located in Yen Bai Province was selected. In total, 248 landslide locations and 15 landslide-affecting factors were selected for landslide modeling and analysis. Predictive capability of SMOSVM was evaluated and compared with other landslide models, namely a hybrid model of the cascade generalization optimization-based support vector machine (CGSVM), individual models, such as support vector machines (SVM) and naïve Bayes trees (NBT). For validation, different quantitative criteria such as statistical based methods and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) technique were used. Results of the study show that the SMOSVM model (AUC = 0.824) has the highest performance for landslide susceptibility mapping, followed by CGSVM (AUC = 0.815), SVM (AUC = 0.804), and NBT (AUC = 0.800) models, respectively. Thus, the proposed novel SMOSVM model is a promising method for better landslide susceptibility mapping and prediction, which can be applied also in other landslide prone areas. Full article
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20 pages, 6953 KiB  
Article
Performance Evaluation of the GIS-Based Data-Mining Techniques Decision Tree, Random Forest, and Rotation Forest for Landslide Susceptibility Modeling
by Soyoung Park, Se-Yeong Hamm and Jinsoo Kim
Sustainability 2019, 11(20), 5659; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11205659 - 14 Oct 2019
Cited by 49 | Viewed by 3902
Abstract
This study analyzed and compared landslide susceptibility models using decision tree (DT), random forest (RF), and rotation forest (RoF) algorithms at Woomyeon Mountain, South Korea. Out of a total of 145 landslide locations, 102 locations (70%) were used for model training, and the [...] Read more.
This study analyzed and compared landslide susceptibility models using decision tree (DT), random forest (RF), and rotation forest (RoF) algorithms at Woomyeon Mountain, South Korea. Out of a total of 145 landslide locations, 102 locations (70%) were used for model training, and the remaining 43 locations (30%) were used for validation. Fourteen landslide conditioning factors were identified, and the contributions of each factor were evaluated using the RRelief-F algorithm with a 10-fold cross-validation approach. Three factors, timber diameter, age, and density had no contribution to landslide occurrence. Landslide susceptibility maps (LSMs) were produced using DT, RF, and RoF models with the 11 remaining landslide conditioning factors: altitude, slope, aspect, profile curvature, plan curvature, topographic position index, elevation-relief ratio, slope length and slope steepness, topographic wetness index, stream power index, and timber type. The performances of the LSMs were assessed and compared based on sensitivity, specificity, precision, accuracy, kappa index, and receiver operating characteristic curves. The results showed that the ensemble learning methods outperformed the single classifier (DT) and that the RoF model had the highest prediction capability compared to the DT and RF models. The results of this study may be helpful in managing areas vulnerable to landslides and establishing mitigation strategies. Full article
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19 pages, 11783 KiB  
Article
Prediction Success of Machine Learning Methods for Flash Flood Susceptibility Mapping in the Tafresh Watershed, Iran
by Saeid Janizadeh, Mohammadtaghi Avand, Abolfazl Jaafari, Tran Van Phong, Mahmoud Bayat, Ebrahim Ahmadisharaf, Indra Prakash, Binh Thai Pham and Saro Lee
Sustainability 2019, 11(19), 5426; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11195426 - 30 Sep 2019
Cited by 177 | Viewed by 8465
Abstract
Floods are some of the most destructive and catastrophic disasters worldwide. Development of management plans needs a deep understanding of the likelihood and magnitude of future flood events. The purpose of this research was to estimate flash flood susceptibility in the Tafresh watershed, [...] Read more.
Floods are some of the most destructive and catastrophic disasters worldwide. Development of management plans needs a deep understanding of the likelihood and magnitude of future flood events. The purpose of this research was to estimate flash flood susceptibility in the Tafresh watershed, Iran, using five machine learning methods, i.e., alternating decision tree (ADT), functional tree (FT), kernel logistic regression (KLR), multilayer perceptron (MLP), and quadratic discriminant analysis (QDA). A geospatial database including 320 historical flood events was constructed and eight geo-environmental variables—elevation, slope, slope aspect, distance from rivers, average annual rainfall, land use, soil type, and lithology—were used as flood influencing factors. Based on a variety of performance metrics, it is revealed that the ADT method was dominant over the other methods. The FT method was ranked as the second-best method, followed by the KLR, MLP, and QDA. Given a few differences between the goodness-of-fit and prediction success of the methods, we concluded that all these five machine-learning-based models are applicable for flood susceptibility mapping in other areas to protect societies from devastating floods. Full article
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20 pages, 12938 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Land Surface Deformation in Chagan Lake Region Using TCPInSAR
by Fengyan Wang, Qing Ding, Lei Zhang, Mingchang Wang and Qing Wang
Sustainability 2019, 11(18), 5090; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11185090 - 17 Sep 2019
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2647
Abstract
Due to earthquakes and large-scale exploitation of oil, gas, groundwater, and coal energy, large-scope surface deformation has occurred in Songyuan City, Jilin Province, China, and it is posing a serious threat to sustainable development, including urban development, energy utilization, environmental protection, and construction [...] Read more.
Due to earthquakes and large-scale exploitation of oil, gas, groundwater, and coal energy, large-scope surface deformation has occurred in Songyuan City, Jilin Province, China, and it is posing a serious threat to sustainable development, including urban development, energy utilization, environmental protection, and construction to improve saline–alkali land. In this study, we selected the Chagan Lake region, which is located in Songyuan City, as our research area. Using temporarily coherent point synthetic aperture radar interferometry (TCPInSAR), we obtained a time series of land surface deformation and the deformation rate in this area from 20 ALOS PALSAR images from 2006 to 2010. The results showed that the deformation rate in the Chagan Lake region ranged from −46.7 mm/year to 41.7 mm/year during the monitoring period. In three typical land cover areas of the Chagan Lake region, the subsidence in the wetland area was larger than that in the saline–alkali area, while the highway experienced a small uplift. In addition, surface deformation in lakeside areas with or without dykes was different; however, as this was mainly affected by soil freeze–thaw cycles and changes in groundwater level, the deformation showed a negative correlation with temperature and precipitation. By monitoring and analyzing surface deformation, we can provide a data reference and scientific basis for sustainable ecological and economic development in the Chagan Lake region and adjacent areas. Full article
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22 pages, 3165 KiB  
Article
Evaluating Citizen Satisfaction and Prioritizing Their Needs Based on Citizens’ Complaint Data
by Mostafa Ghodousi, Ali Asghar Alesheikh, Bahram Saeidian, Biswajeet Pradhan and Chang-Wook Lee
Sustainability 2019, 11(17), 4595; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11174595 - 23 Aug 2019
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3629
Abstract
Citizen Relationship Management (CiRM) is one of the important matters in citizen-centric e-government. In fact, the most important purpose of e-government is to satisfy citizens. The ‘137 system’ is one of the most important ones based on the citizen-centric that is a municipality [...] Read more.
Citizen Relationship Management (CiRM) is one of the important matters in citizen-centric e-government. In fact, the most important purpose of e-government is to satisfy citizens. The ‘137 system’ is one of the most important ones based on the citizen-centric that is a municipality phone based request/response system. The aim of this research is a data-mining of a ‘137 system’ (citizens’ complaint system) of the first district of Bojnourd municipality in Iran, to prioritize the urban needs and to estimate citizens’ satisfaction. To reach this, the K-means and Bees Algorithms (BA) were used. Each of these two algorithms was executed using two different methods. In the first method, prioritization and estimation of satisfaction were done separately, whereas in the second method, prioritization and estimation of satisfaction were done simultaneously. To compare the clustering results in the two methods, an index was presented quantitatively. The results showed the superiority of the second method. The index of the second method for the first needs in K-means was 0.299 more than the first method and it was the same in two methods in BA. Also, the results of the BA clustering were better at it because of the S (silhouette) and CH (Calinski-Harabasz) indexes. Considering the final prioritization done by the two algorithms in two methods, the primary needs included asphalt, so specific schemes should be considered. Full article
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25 pages, 8870 KiB  
Article
Landslide Susceptibility Assessment by Novel Hybrid Machine Learning Algorithms
by Binh Thai Pham, Ataollah Shirzadi, Himan Shahabi, Ebrahim Omidvar, Sushant K. Singh, Mehebub Sahana, Dawood Talebpour Asl, Baharin Bin Ahmad, Nguyen Kim Quoc and Saro Lee
Sustainability 2019, 11(16), 4386; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11164386 - 13 Aug 2019
Cited by 133 | Viewed by 7265
Abstract
Landslides have multidimensional effects on the socioeconomic as well as environmental conditions of the impacted areas. The aim of this study is the spatial prediction of landslide using hybrid machine learning models including bagging (BA), random subspace (RS) and rotation forest (RF) with [...] Read more.
Landslides have multidimensional effects on the socioeconomic as well as environmental conditions of the impacted areas. The aim of this study is the spatial prediction of landslide using hybrid machine learning models including bagging (BA), random subspace (RS) and rotation forest (RF) with alternating decision tree (ADTree) as base classifier in the northern part of the Pithoragarh district, Uttarakhand, Himalaya, India. To construct the database, ten conditioning factors and a total of 103 landslide locations with a ratio of 70/30 were used. The significant factors were determined by chi-square attribute evaluation (CSEA) technique. The validity of the hybrid models was assessed by true positive rate (TP Rate), false positive rate (FP Rate), recall (sensitivity), precision, F-measure and area under the receiver operatic characteristic curve (AUC). Results concluded that land cover was the most important factor while curvature had no effect on landslide occurrence in the study area and it was removed from the modelling process. Additionally, results indicated that although all ensemble models enhanced the power prediction of the ADTree classifier (AUCtraining = 0.859; AUCvalidation = 0.813); however, the RS ensemble model (AUCtraining = 0.883; AUCvalidation = 0.842) outperformed and outclassed the RF (AUCtraining = 0.871; AUCvalidation = 0.840), and the BA (AUCtraining = 0.865; AUCvalidation = 0.836) ensemble model. The obtained results would be helpful for recognizing the landslide prone areas in future to better manage and decrease the damage and negative impacts on the environment. Full article
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16 pages, 2934 KiB  
Article
Agriculture Sprawl Assessment Using Multi-Temporal Remote Sensing Images and Its Environmental Impact; Al-Jouf, KSA
by Ahmed M. Youssef, Mazen M. Abu Abdullah, Biswajeet Pradhan and Ahmed F. D. Gaber
Sustainability 2019, 11(15), 4177; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11154177 - 02 Aug 2019
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3755
Abstract
In this paper, multispectral and multi-temporal satellite data were used to assess the spatial and temporal evolution of the agriculture activities in the Al-Jouf region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). In the current study, an attempt was made to map the agriculture sprawl [...] Read more.
In this paper, multispectral and multi-temporal satellite data were used to assess the spatial and temporal evolution of the agriculture activities in the Al-Jouf region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). In the current study, an attempt was made to map the agriculture sprawl from 1987 to 2017 using temporal Landsat images in a geographic information system (GIS) environment for better decision-making and sustainable agriculture expansion. Our findings indicated that the agriculture activities developed through two crucial stages: high and low rise stages. Low rise stages occurred during three sub-stages from April 1987 to April 1988, from September 1993 to August 1998, and from April 2008 to May 2015, with overall change rates of 37.9, 44.4, and 30.5 km2/year, respectively. High rise stages occurred during three sub-stages from April 1988 to February 1993, from September 2000 to March 2006, and from April 2016 to August 2017, with overall change rates of 132.4, 159.1, and 119.5 km2/year, respectively. Different environmental problems due to uncontrolled agriculture activities were observed in the area, including substantial depletion of the groundwater table. Another environmental impact observed was the appearance of sinkholes that occurred suddenly with no warning signs. These environmental impacts will increase in the future if no regulated restrictions are implemented by decision-makers. Full article
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23 pages, 8583 KiB  
Article
Ground Deformation Analysis Using InSAR and Backpropagation Prediction with Influencing Factors in Erhai Region, China
by Yuyi Wang, Yahui Guo, Shunqiang Hu, Yong Li, Jingzhe Wang, Xuesong Liu and Le Wang
Sustainability 2019, 11(10), 2853; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11102853 - 19 May 2019
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 4541
Abstract
The long continuity of Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) can provide high space and resolution data for ground deformation investigations. The ground deformation in this paper appeared in the city’s development, although it is close to the Erhai region, which is different from [...] Read more.
The long continuity of Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) can provide high space and resolution data for ground deformation investigations. The ground deformation in this paper appeared in the city’s development, although it is close to the Erhai region, which is different from a water-deficient city. Therefore, the analysis and prediction of ground deformation using a new method is required. In this study, Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images from 2015 to 2018 were used to study the characteristics of ground deformation in the Erhai region using the Small Baseline Subset Interferometric SAR (SBAS-InSAR) technique. The results were cross-validated using ascending and descending direction images to ensure the accuracy. In addition, the results showed that there was little ground deformation in the northern part of the Erhai region, while there was obvious ground deformation in the southern part. Four influencing factors—including the building area, water level, cumulative precipitation, and cumulative temperature of the southern Erhai region—were used together to predict the cumulative ground deformation using back-propagation (BP). The R of all the involved data was 0.966, and the root mean square errors (RMSEs) between the simulated values using BP and the true measured values were 3.063, 1.003, and 1.119, respectively. The results showed that BP has great potential in predicting the change tendency of ground deformation with high precision. The main reason for ground deformation is the continuous increase of building area; the water level followed. The cumulative precipitation and cumulative temperature are the reasons for the seasonal ground deformation. Some countermeasures and suggestions are given to face the challenge of serious ground deformation. Full article
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21 pages, 5463 KiB  
Article
Groundwater Potential Mapping Using Data Mining Models of Big Data Analysis in Goyang-si, South Korea
by Sunmin Lee, Yunjung Hyun and Moung-Jin Lee
Sustainability 2019, 11(6), 1678; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11061678 - 20 Mar 2019
Cited by 45 | Viewed by 5678
Abstract
Recently, data mining analysis techniques have been developed, as large spatial datasets have accumulated in various fields. Such a data-driven analysis is necessary in areas of high uncertainty and complexity, such as estimating groundwater potential. Therefore, in this study, data mining of various [...] Read more.
Recently, data mining analysis techniques have been developed, as large spatial datasets have accumulated in various fields. Such a data-driven analysis is necessary in areas of high uncertainty and complexity, such as estimating groundwater potential. Therefore, in this study, data mining of various spatial datasets, including those based on remote sensing data, was applied to estimate groundwater potential. For the sustainable development of groundwater resources, a plan for the systematic management of groundwater resources should be established based on a quantitative understanding of the development potential. The purpose of this study was to map and analyze the groundwater potential of Goyang-si in Gyeonggi-do province, South Korea and to evaluate the sensitivity of each factor by applying data mining models for big data analysis. A total of 876 surveyed groundwater pumping capacity data were used, 50% of which were randomly classified into training and test datasets to analyze groundwater potential. A total of 13 factors extracted from satellite-based topographical, land cover, soil, forest, geological, hydrogeological, and survey-based precipitation data were used. The frequency ratio (FR) and boosted classification tree (BCT) models were used to analyze the relationships between the groundwater pumping capacity and related factors. Groundwater potential maps were constructed and validated with the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, with accuracy rates of 68.31% and 69.39% for the FR and BCT models, respectively. A sensitivity analysis for both models was performed to assess the influence of each factor. The results of this study are expected to be useful for establishing an effective groundwater management plan in the future. Full article
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21 pages, 7129 KiB  
Article
Can We Detect the Brownness or Greenness of the Congo Rainforest Using Satellite-Derived Surface Albedo? A Study on the Role of Aerosol Uncertainties
by Suman Moparthy, Dominique Carrer and Xavier Ceamanos
Sustainability 2019, 11(5), 1410; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11051410 - 06 Mar 2019
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3549
Abstract
The ability of spatial remote sensing in the visible domain to properly detect the slow transitions in the Earth’s vegetation is often a subject of debate. The reason behind this is that the satellite products often used to calculate vegetation indices such as [...] Read more.
The ability of spatial remote sensing in the visible domain to properly detect the slow transitions in the Earth’s vegetation is often a subject of debate. The reason behind this is that the satellite products often used to calculate vegetation indices such as surface albedo or reflectance, are not always correctly decontaminated from atmospheric effects. In view of the observed decline in vegetation over the Congo during the last decade, this study investigates how effectively satellite-derived variables can contribute to the answering of this question. In this study, we use two satellite-derived surface albedo products, three satellite-derived aerosol optical depth (AOD) products, two model-derived AOD products, and synthetic observations from radiative transfer simulations. The study discusses the important discrepancies (of up to 70%) found between these satellite surface albedo products in the visible domain over this region. We conclude therefore that the analysis of trends in vegetation properties based on satellite observations in the visible domain such as NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index), calculated from reflectance or albedo variables, is still quite questionable over tropical forest regions such as the Congo. Moreover, this study demonstrates that there is a significant increase (of up to 14%) in total aerosols within the last decade over the Congo. We note that if these changes in aerosol loads are not correctly taken into account in the retrieval of surface albedo, a greenness change of the surface properties (decrease of visible albedo) of around 8% could be artificially detected. Finally, the study also shows that neglecting strong aerosol emissions due to volcano eruptions could lead to an artificial increase of greenness over the Congo of more than 25% in the year of the eruptions and up to 16% during the 2–3 years that follow. Full article
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17 pages, 3752 KiB  
Article
GIS Multi-Criteria Analysis by Ordered Weighted Averaging (OWA): Toward an Integrated Citrus Management Strategy
by Hasan Zabihi, Mohsen Alizadeh, Philip Kibet Langat, Mohammadreza Karami, Himan Shahabi, Anuar Ahmad, Mohamad Nor Said and Saro Lee
Sustainability 2019, 11(4), 1009; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11041009 - 15 Feb 2019
Cited by 61 | Viewed by 8038
Abstract
This study proposes a site location assessment model for citrus cropland using multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) and the combination of a set of factors for suitability mapping and delineating the suitable areas for citrus production in Ramsar, Iran. It defines an incorporated method for [...] Read more.
This study proposes a site location assessment model for citrus cropland using multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) and the combination of a set of factors for suitability mapping and delineating the suitable areas for citrus production in Ramsar, Iran. It defines an incorporated method for the suitability mapping of the most appropriate sites for citrus cultivars with an emphasis on the multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) process. The combination of geographic information system (GIS) and a modified version of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) based on the ordered weighted averaging (OWA) technique is also emphasized. The OWA is based on two principles, namely: the weights of relative criterion significance and the order weights. Therefore, the participatory technique was employed to outline the set of standards and the important criterion. The results derived from the GIS–OWA technique indicate that the cultivation of citrus is feasible only in limited areas, which make up 6.7% of the total area near the Caspian Sea. This investigation has shown that the GIS–OWA model can be integrated into MCDA to select the optimal site for citrus production. The present research highlights how multi-criteria in GIS can play a considerable role in decision making for evaluating the suitability of selected sites for citrus production. Full article
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21 pages, 33544 KiB  
Article
Evolution of Secondary Deformations Captured by Satellite Radar Interferometry: Case Study of an Abandoned Coal Basin in SW Poland
by Jan Blachowski, Anna Kopeć, Wojciech Milczarek and Karolina Owczarz
Sustainability 2019, 11(3), 884; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11030884 - 08 Feb 2019
Cited by 28 | Viewed by 3435 | Correction
Abstract
The issue of monitoring surface motions in post-mining areas in Europe is important due to the fact that a significant number of post-mining areas lie in highly-urbanized and densely-populated regions. Examples can be found in: Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, the Netherlands, [...] Read more.
The issue of monitoring surface motions in post-mining areas in Europe is important due to the fact that a significant number of post-mining areas lie in highly-urbanized and densely-populated regions. Examples can be found in: Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, as well as the subject of this study, the Polish Walbrzych Hard Coal Basin. Studies of abandoned coal fields show that surface deformations in post-mining areas occur even several dozen years after the end of underground coal extraction, posing a threat to new development of these areas. In the case of the Walbrzych area, fragmentary, geodetic measurements indicate activity of the surface in the post-mining period (from 1995 onward). In this work, we aimed at determining the evolution of surface deformations in time during the first 15 years after the end of mining, i.e., the 1995–2010 period using ERS 1/2 and Envisat satellite radar data. Satellite radar data from European Space Agency missions are the only source of information on historical surface movements and provide spatial coverage of the entirety of the coal fields. In addition, we attempted to analyze the relationship of the ground deformations with hydrogeological changes and geological and mining data. Three distinct stages of ground movements were identified in the study. The ground motions (LOS (Line Of Sight)) determined with the PSInSAR (Persistent Scatterer Interferometry) method indicate uplift of the surface of up to +8 mm/a in the first period (until 2002). The extent and rate of this motion was congruent with the process of underground water table restoration in separate water basins associated with three neighboring coal fields. In the second period, after the stabilization of the underground water table, the surface remained active, as indicated by local subsidence (up to −5 mm/a) and uplift (up to +5 mm/a) zones. We hypothesize that this surface activity is the result of ground reaction disturbed by long-term shallow and deep mining. The third stage is characterized by gradual stabilization and decreasing deformations of the surface. The results accentuate the complexity of ground motion processes in post-mining areas, the advantages of the satellite radar technique for historical studies, and provide information for authorities responsible for new development of such areas, e.g., regarding potential flood zones caused by restoration of groundwater table in subsided areas. Full article
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17 pages, 47077 KiB  
Article
Remote Sensing Detection of Vegetation and Landform Damages by Coal Mining on the Tibetan Plateau
by Qianhan Wu, Kai Liu, Chunqiao Song, Jida Wang, Linghong Ke, Ronghua Ma, Wensong Zhang, Hang Pan and Xinyuan Deng
Sustainability 2018, 10(11), 3851; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10113851 - 24 Oct 2018
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 4527
Abstract
In order to satisfy the needs of constant economic growth, the pressure to exploit natural resources has been increasing rapidly in China. Particularly with the implementation of the National Western Development Strategies since 1999, more and more mining activities and related infrastructure constructions [...] Read more.
In order to satisfy the needs of constant economic growth, the pressure to exploit natural resources has been increasing rapidly in China. Particularly with the implementation of the National Western Development Strategies since 1999, more and more mining activities and related infrastructure constructions have been conducted on the Tibetan Plateau (TP). Mining activities are known to have substantial impacts on plant dynamics and hence the water and energy cycles. Identifying mining activities and quantifying their effects on vegetation cover are critical to the monitoring and protection of the pristine TP environment. Thus, this study aims to develop an automated approach that detects the timing of initial mining development and assess the spatial distribution of mining-ruined vegetation. The Breaks for Additive Seasonal and Trend (BFAST) algorithm was used to decompose the signal in the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) time series derived from high-frequency MODIS images, and to detect abrupt changes of surface vegetation. Results show that the BFAST algorithm is able to effectively identify abrupt changes in vegetation cover as a result of open-mining development on the studied alpine grassland. The testing study in Muli Town of Qinghai Province shows that the mining development began in 2003 and massive destructions of vegetation cover followed between 2008 and 2012. The integrated use of Landsat imagery and multi-temporal DEMs further reveals detailed areal and volumetric changes in the mining site. This study demonstrates the potential of applying multi-mission satellite datasets to assess large-scale environmental influences from mining development, and will be beneficial to environmental conservation and sustainable use of natural resources in remote regions. Full article
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23 pages, 7659 KiB  
Article
Assessment of Landslide-Prone Areas and Their Zonation Using Logistic Regression, LogitBoost, and NaïveBayes Machine-Learning Algorithms
by Hamid Reza Pourghasemi, Amiya Gayen, Sungjae Park, Chang-Wook Lee and Saro Lee
Sustainability 2018, 10(10), 3697; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10103697 - 15 Oct 2018
Cited by 83 | Viewed by 5226
Abstract
The occurrence of landslide in the hilly region of South Korea is a matter of serious concern. This study tries to produce landslide susceptibility maps for Jumunjin Country in South Korea. Three machine learning algorithms, namely Logistic Regression (LR), LogitBoost (LB), and NaïveBayes [...] Read more.
The occurrence of landslide in the hilly region of South Korea is a matter of serious concern. This study tries to produce landslide susceptibility maps for Jumunjin Country in South Korea. Three machine learning algorithms, namely Logistic Regression (LR), LogitBoost (LB), and NaïveBayes (NB) are used, and their final model outcomes are compared to each other. Firstly, a landslide inventory map and the associated input data layers of the landslide conditioning factors were developed based on field verification, historical records, and high-resolution remote-sensing data in the geographic information system (GIS) environment. Seventeen landslide conditioning factors were prepared, including aspect, slope, altitude, maximum curvature, profile curvature, topographic wetness index (TWI), topographic positioning index (TPI), distance from fault, convexity, forest type, forest diameter, forest density, land use/land cover, lithology, soil, flow accumulation, and mid slope position. The result showed that the area under the curve (AUC) values of LR, LB, and NB models were 84.2%, 70.7%, and 85.2%, respectively. The results revealed that the LR and LB models produced reasonable accuracy than respect to NB model in landslide susceptibility assessment. The final susceptibility maps would be useful for preliminary land-use planning and hazard mitigation purpose. Full article
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18 pages, 11967 KiB  
Article
Vehicular CO Emission Prediction Using Support Vector Regression Model and GIS
by Omer Saud Azeez, Biswajeet Pradhan and Helmi Z. M. Shafri
Sustainability 2018, 10(10), 3434; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10103434 - 26 Sep 2018
Cited by 33 | Viewed by 7449
Abstract
Transportation infrastructures play a significant role in the economy as they provide accessibility services to people. Infrastructures such as highways, road networks, and toll plazas are rapidly growing based on changes in transportation modes, which consequently create congestions near toll plaza areas and [...] Read more.
Transportation infrastructures play a significant role in the economy as they provide accessibility services to people. Infrastructures such as highways, road networks, and toll plazas are rapidly growing based on changes in transportation modes, which consequently create congestions near toll plaza areas and intersections. These congestions exert negative impacts on human health and the environment because vehicular emissions are considered as the main source of air pollution in urban areas and can cause respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and cancer. In this study, we developed a hybrid model based on the integration of three models, correlation-based feature selection (CFS), support vector regression (SVR), and GIS, to predict vehicular emissions at specific times and locations on roads at microscale levels in an urban areas of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The proposed model comprises three simulation steps: first, the selection of the best predictors based on CFS; second, the prediction of vehicular carbon monoxide (CO) emissions using SVR; and third, the spatial simulation based on maps by using GIS. The proposed model was developed with seven road traffic CO predictors selected via CFS (sum of vehicles, sum of heavy vehicles, heavy vehicle ratio, sum of motorbikes, temperature, wind speed, and elevation). Spatial prediction was conducted based on GIS modelling. The vehicular CO emissions were measured continuously at 15 min intervals (recording 15 min averages) during weekends and weekdays twice per day (daytime, evening-time). The model’s results achieved a validation accuracy of 80.6%, correlation coefficient of 0.9734, mean absolute error of 1.3172 ppm and root mean square error of 2.156 ppm. In addition, the most appropriate parameters of the prediction model were selected based on the CFS model. Overall, the proposed model is a promising tool for traffic CO assessment on roads. Full article
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23 pages, 18578 KiB  
Article
Social Vulnerability Assessment Using Artificial Neural Network (ANN) Model for Earthquake Hazard in Tabriz City, Iran
by Mohsen Alizadeh, Esmaeil Alizadeh, Sara Asadollahpour Kotenaee, Himan Shahabi, Amin Beiranvand Pour, Mahdi Panahi, Baharin Bin Ahmad and Lee Saro
Sustainability 2018, 10(10), 3376; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10103376 - 21 Sep 2018
Cited by 73 | Viewed by 7276
Abstract
This study presents the application of an artificial neural network (ANN) and geographic information system (GIS) for estimating the social vulnerability to earthquakes in the Tabriz city, Iran. Thereby, seven indicators were identified and used for earthquake vulnerability mapping, including population density, household [...] Read more.
This study presents the application of an artificial neural network (ANN) and geographic information system (GIS) for estimating the social vulnerability to earthquakes in the Tabriz city, Iran. Thereby, seven indicators were identified and used for earthquake vulnerability mapping, including population density, household density, employed density, unemployed density, and literate people. To obtain more accuracy in our analysis, all of the indicators were entered into a geographic information system (GIS). After the standardization of the data, an artificial neural network (ANN) model was applied for deriving a social vulnerability map (SVM) of different hazard classes for Tabriz city. The results showed that 0.77% of the total area was found to be very highly vulnerable. Very low vulnerability was recorded for 76.31% of the total study area. The comparison of data provided by (SVM) and the residential building vulnerability (RBV) of Tabriz city indicated the validity of the results obtained by ANN processes. Scatter plots are used to plot the data. These scatter plots indicate the existence of a strong positive relationship between the most vulnerable zones (1, 4, and 5) and the least (3, 7, and 9) of the SVM and RBV. The results highlight the importance of using social vulnerability study for defining seismic-risk mitigation policies, emergency management, and territorial planning in order to reduce the impacts of disasters. Full article
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16 pages, 20131 KiB  
Article
Variations in FINN Emissions of Particulate Matters and Associated Carbonaceous Aerosols from Remote Sensing of Open Biomass Burning over Northeast China during 2002–2016
by Guoxu Ma, Tianliang Zhao, Shaofei Kong, Yansong Bao, Chao Chen, Sunling Gong, Jianping Guo, Chao Yu, Ming Wu, Jiacheng Chang and Yingchang You
Sustainability 2018, 10(9), 3353; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10093353 - 19 Sep 2018
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3457
Abstract
Various particulate matters (PM) and associated carbonaceous aerosols released from open biomass burning (including open straw burning, grass and forest fires) are major sources of atmospheric pollutants. Northeast China is a central region with high forest and grass coverage, as well as an [...] Read more.
Various particulate matters (PM) and associated carbonaceous aerosols released from open biomass burning (including open straw burning, grass and forest fires) are major sources of atmospheric pollutants. Northeast China is a central region with high forest and grass coverage, as well as an intensive agricultural area. In this study, the FINN (Fire INventory from Ncar) emission data was used to analyze the spatiotemporal variations of PM and associated carbonaceous aerosol component (PM2.5, PM10, OC and BC) emissions from open biomass burning in Northeast China from 2002 to 2016. The results show that the total amount of annual PM2.5, PM10, OC and BC emissions was estimated to be 59.0, 70.6, 31.5, and 4.3 kilotons, respectively, from open biomass burning over Northeast China, averaged from 2002 to 2016, with significant inter-annual variations in amplitudes from 28.0 to 122.3, 33.7 to 144.1, 15.0 to 65.0, and 2.1 to 8.6 kilotons. The regional PM2.5, PM10, OC and BC emissions showed significant seasonal variations with highest emissions in spring (with a seasonal peak in April), followed by autumn (with a seasonal peak in October), summer, and winter in Northeast China; high emissions were concentrated in the forests and grasslands with natural fires, as well as over agricultural areas with crop straw burning from human activities. The PM2.5, PM10, OC and BC emissions over forest areas presented decreasing trends, while the emissions over farmlands showed increasing trends in Northeast China during 2002–2016; this reflects on the dominance of biomass burning that shifted from forestland with natural fires to farmlands with increasing human activities. Three key meteorological drivers—strong near-surface wind speed, high air temperature and low relative humidity—were identified as having significant positive impacts on the inter-annual variations of PM2.5, PM10, OC and BC emissions from open biomass burning in Northeast China. Full article
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20 pages, 11902 KiB  
Article
Modified S2CVA Algorithm Using Cross-Sharpened Images for Unsupervised Change Detection
by Honglyun Park, Jaewan Choi, Wanyong Park and Hyunchun Park
Sustainability 2018, 10(9), 3301; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10093301 - 15 Sep 2018
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2917
Abstract
This study aims to reduce the false alarm rate due to relief displacement and seasonal effects of high-spatial-resolution multitemporal satellite images in change detection algorithms. Cross-sharpened images were used to increase the accuracy of unsupervised change detection results. A cross-sharpened image is defined [...] Read more.
This study aims to reduce the false alarm rate due to relief displacement and seasonal effects of high-spatial-resolution multitemporal satellite images in change detection algorithms. Cross-sharpened images were used to increase the accuracy of unsupervised change detection results. A cross-sharpened image is defined as a combination of synthetically pan-sharpened images obtained from the pan-sharpening of multitemporal images (two panchromatic and two multispectral images) acquired before and after the change. A total of four cross-sharpened images were generated and used in combination for change detection. Sequential spectral change vector analysis (S2CVA), which comprises the magnitude and direction information of the difference image of the multitemporal images, was applied to minimize the false alarm rate using cross-sharpened images. Specifically, the direction information of S2CVA was used to minimize the false alarm rate when applying S2CVA algorithms to cross-sharpened images. We improved the change detection accuracy by integrating the magnitude and direction information obtained using S2CVA for the cross-sharpened images. In the experiment using KOMPSAT-2 satellite imagery, the false alarm rate of the change detection results decreased with the use of cross-sharpened images compared to that with the use of only the magnitude information from the original S2CVA. Full article
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2 pages, 166 KiB  
Correction
Correction: Blachowski, J., et al. Evolution of Secondary Deformations Captured by Satellite Radar Interferometry: Case Study of an Abandoned Coal Basin in SW Poland. Sustainability 2019, 11, 884
by Jan Blachowski, Anna Kopeć, Wojciech Milczarek and Karolina Owczarz
Sustainability 2021, 13(2), 913; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13020913 - 18 Jan 2021
Viewed by 1136
Abstract
The authors would like to make the following corrections about the published paper [...] Full article
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