Virtual 3D city models represent spatial and geo-referenced urban data by means of 3D geovirtual environments that basically include terrain models, building models, vegetation models as well as models of roads and transportation systems. In general, these models serve to present, explore, analyze, and manage urban data. As a characteristic element, virtual 3D city models allow for visually int...

Understanding human dynamics after a major disaster is important to the region’s sustainable development. This study utilized land cover data to examine how Hurricane Katrina has affected the urban growth pattern in the Mississippi Delta in Louisiana. The study analyzed land cover changes from non-urban to urban in three metropolitan areas, Baton Rouge, New Orleans-Metairie, and Hammond, for tw...

By 2050, two-thirds of the world’s 9.6 billion people will live in urban areas [2]. In many cities, opportunities to expand urban road networks are limited, so existing roads will need to more efficiently accommodate higher volumes of traffic. Consequently, there is a pressing need for technologically viable, low-cost solutions that can work with existing infrastructure to help alleviate increa...

The SLEUTH model (slope, landuse, exclusion, urban extent, transportation and hillshade), formerly called the Clarke Cellular Automaton Urban Growth Model, was developed for and tested on various cities in North America, including Washington, DC, and San Francisco. In contrast, this research calibrated the SLEUTH model for two European cities, the Portuguese metropolitan areas of Lisbon and Por...

land use is often referred as the basis for urban planning. perhaps the main reason is that the discussion of fundamental related to urban planning objectives has play the first role in the land use studies. basic topics such as proper location, optimal allocation, diversification, functionality and … which are in direct contact with comfort goals, are the last objectives of urban planners and ...

Wetland ecosystems, particularly the mangrove forest, are the primary wild habitat of heronry birds. However, urban ecosystems have become a favorite breeding habitat of these birds. To provide inputs into the habitat management for conservation of these birds, we investigated the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of nesting trees of heronry birds in the urban environment of the Nort...

Object-based image analysis is becoming increasingly popular in classification of very high resolution (VHR) imagery over urban areas. The spectral resolution of VHR imagery (generally they possesses 1 pan and 4 multispectral bands), however, is limited and insufficient for differentiating many urban land cover classes. Due to the spectral similarity of building roofs, roads and parking lots, s...

10 We examined the impact of the urban environment on the spatial and temporal activity of brood parasitic Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater) in Boulder County, CO, USA. We found that cowbirds used the urban areas for foraging and roosting and traveled into the 3240 ha wildland preserve of ponderosa pine in the mornings to parasitize songbird hosts. Cowbird abundance decreased with distance...