Impact of spatial effects on income segregation indices

Residential segregation is an inherently spatial phenomenon as it measures the separation of different types of people within a region. Whether measured with an explicitly spatial index, or a classic aspatial index, a region’s underlying spatial properties could manifest themselves in the magnitude of measured segregation. In this paper we implement a Monte Carlo simulation approach to investigate the properties of four segregation indices in regions built with specific spatial properties. This approach allows us to control the experiment in ways that empirical data do not. In general we confirm the expected results for the indices under various spatial properties, but some unexpected results emerge. Both the Dissimilarity Index and Neighborhood Sorting Index are sensitive to region size, but their spatial counterparts, the Adjusted Dissimilarity Index and Generalized Neighborhood Sorting Index, are generally immune to this problem. The paper also lends weight to concerns about the downward pressure on measured segregation when multiple neighborhoods are grouped into a single census tract. Finally, we discuss concerns about the way space is incorporated into segregation indices since the expected value of the spatial indices tested is lower than their aspatial counterparts.     

Angular sensitivity analysis of vegetation indices derived from CHRIS/PROBA data

View angle effects present in spectral vegetation indices can either be regarded as an added source of uncertainty for variable retrieval or as a source of additional information, enhancing the variable retrieval; however, the magnitude of these angular effects remains for most indices unknown or unquantified. We use the ESA-mission CHRIS-PROBA (Compact High Resolution Imaging Spectrometer onboard the Project for On-board Autonomy) providing spaceborne imaging spectrometer and multiangular data to assess the reflectance anisotropy of broadband as well as recently developed narrowband indices. Multiangular variability of Hemispherical Directional Reflectance Factor (HDRF) is a prime factor determining the indices´ angular response. Two contrasting structural vegetation types, pine forest and meadow, were selected to study the effect of reflectance anisotropy on the angular response. Calculated indices were standardized and statistically evaluated for their varying HDRF. Additionally we employ a coupled radiative transfer model (PROSPECT/FLIGHT) to quantify and substantiate the findings beyond an incidental case study. Nearly all tested indices manifested a prominent anisotropic behaviour. Apart from the conventional broadband greenness indices [e.g. Simple Ratio Index (SRI), Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)], light use efficiency and leaf pigment indices [e.g. Structure Insensitive Pigment Index (SIPI), Photochemical Reflectance Index (PRI) and Anthocyanin Reflectance Index (ARI)] did express significant different angular responses depending on the vegetation type. Following the quantification of the impact, we conclude that the angular-dependent fraction of non-photosynthetic material is of critical importance shaping the angular signature of these VIs. This work highlights the influence of viewing geometry and surface reflectance anisotropy, particularly when using light use efficiency and leaf pigment indices.     

The relationship between land surface temperature and NDVI with remote sensing: application to Shanghai Landsat 7 ETM+ data

The relationship between land surface temperature (LST) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) associated with urban land‐use type and land‐use pattern is discussed in the City of Shanghai, China using data collected by the Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) and aerial photographic remote sensing system. There is an apparent correlation between LST and NDVI from the visual interpretation of LST and NDVI contrasts. Mean LST and NDVI values associated with different land‐use types are significantly different. Multiple comparisons of mean LST and NDVI values associated with pairings of each land‐use type are also shown to be significantly different. The result of a regressive analysis shows an inverse correlation relationship between LST and NDVI within all land‐use polygons, the same to each land‐use type, but correlation coefficients associated with land‐use types are different. An analysis on the relationship between LST, NDVI and Shannon Diversity Index (SHDI) shows a positive correlation between LST and SHDI and a negative correlation between NDVI and SHDI. According to the above results, LST, SHDI and NDVI can be considered to be three basic indices to study the urban ecological environment and to contribute to further validation of the applicability of relatively low cost, moderate spatial resolution satellite imagery in evaluating environmental impacts of urban land function zoning, then to examine the impact of urban land‐use on the urban environment in Shanghai City. This provides an effective tool in evaluating the environmental influences of zoning in urban ecosystems with remote sensing and geographical information systems.     

Effects of minimum mapping unit on land cover data spatial configuration and composition

A key issue when generating a land cover map from remotely sensed data is the selection of the minimum mapping unit (MMU) to be employed, which determines the extent of detail contained in the map. This study analyses the effects of MMU in land cover spatial configuration and composition, by using simulated landscape thematic patterns generated by the Modified Random Clusters method. This approach allows a detailed control of the different factors influencing landscape metrics behaviour, as well as taking into account a wide range of land cover pattern possibilities. Land cover classes that are sparse and fragmented can be considerably misrepresented in the final map when increasing MMU, while the classes that occupy a large percentage of map area tend to become more dominant. Mean Patch Size and Number of Patches are very poor indicators of pattern fragmentation in this context. In contrast, Landscape Division (LD) and related indices (Splitting Index and Effective Mesh Size) are clearly suitable for comparing the fragmentation of landscape data with different MMUs. We suggest that the Mean Shape Index, the most sensitive to MMU of those considered in this study, should not be used in further landscape studies if land cover data with different MMU or patch size frequency distribution are to be compared. In contrast, the Area Weighted Mean Shape Index presents a very robust behaviour, which advocates the use of this index for the quantification of the overall irregularity of patch shapes in landscape spatial patterns. The results presented allow quantifying the biases resulting from selecting a certain MMU when generating a land cover dataset. In general, a bigger MMU implies underestimating landscape diversity and fragmentation, as well as over-estimating animal population dispersal success. Guidelines are provided for the proper use and comparison of spatial pattern indices measured in maps with different MMUs.     

An alternative measure of the ICT-Opportunity Index

We developed an alternative approach for measuring information and communication technology (ICT), applying Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) using data from the International Telecommunications Union as a sample of 183 economies. We compared the ICT-Opportunity Index (ICT-OI) with our DEA-Opportunity Index (DEA-OI) and found a high correlation between the two. Our findings suggest that both indices are consistent in their measurement of digital opportunity, though differences still exist in different regions. Our new DEA-OI offers much more than the ICT-OI. Using our model, the target and peer groups for each country can be identified.     

Land‐cover mixing and spectral vegetation indices

Vegetation indices have been widely used as indicators of seasonal and inter‐annual variations in vegetation caused by either human activities or climate, with the overall goal of observing and documenting changes in the Earth system. While existing satellite remote sensing systems, such as NASA's Multi‐angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), are providing improved vegetation index data products through correcting for the distortions in surface reflectance caused by atmospheric particles as well as ground covers below vegetation canopy, the impact of land‐cover mixing on vegetation indices has not been fully addressed. In this study, based on real image spectral samples for two‐component mixtures of forest and common nonforest land‐cover types directly extracted from a 1.1?km MISR image by referencing a 30?m land‐cover classification, the effect of land‐cover mixing on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) has been quantitatively evaluated. When the areal fraction of forest was lower than 80%, both NDVI and EVI varied greatly with mixed land‐cover types, although EVI varied less than NDVI. Such a phenomenon can cause errors in applications based on use of these vegetation indices. This study suggests that methods that reduce land‐cover mixing effects should be introduced when developing new spectral vegetation indices.     

Characterization of pasture biophysical properties and the impact of grazing intensity using remotely sensed data

Remote sensing has the potential of improving our ability to map and monitor pasture degradation. Pasture degradation is one of the most important problems in the Amazon, yet the manner in which grazing intensity, edaphic conditions and land‐use age impact pasture biophysical properties, and our ability to monitor them using remote sensing is poorly known. We evaluate the connection between field grass biophysical measures and remote sensing, and investigate the impact of grazing intensity on pasture biophysical measures in Rondônia, in the Brazilian Amazon. Above ground biomass, canopy water content and height were measured in different pasture sites during the dry season. Using Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data, four spectral vegetation indices and fractions derived from spectral mixture analysis, i.e., Non‐Photosynthetic Vegetation (NPV), Green Vegetation (GV), Soil, Shade, and NPV + Soil, were calculated and compared to field grass measures. For grazed pastures under dry conditions, the Normalized Difference Infrared Index (NDII5 and NDII7), had higher correlations with the biophysical measures than the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the Soil‐Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI). NPV had the highest correlations with all field measures, suggesting this fraction is a good indicator of pasture characteristics in Rondônia. Pasture height was correlated to the Shade fraction. A conceptual model was built for pasture biophysical change using three fractions, i.e., NPV, Shade and GV to characterize possible pasture degradation processes in Rondônia. Based upon field measures, grazing intensity had the most significant impact on pasture biophysical properties compared to soil order and land‐use age. The impact of grazing on pastures in the dry season could be potentially measured by using remotely sensed measures such as NPV.     

Indices for the evaluation of wildfire spread simulations using contemporaneous predictions and observations of burnt area

Methods to objectively evaluate performance are critical for model development. In contrast to recent advances in wildfire simulation, there has been limited attention to evaluating fire model performance. Information to validate fire models is typically limited, commonly to a few perimeter observations at a small number of points in time. We review metrics for comparing two burnt areas at a point in time: observed and predicted. These are compared in an idealised landscape and with a case study evaluating the performance of simulations of an Australian wildfire. We assessed: Shape Deviation Index (SDI), Jaccard's coefficient, F1, Sørensen's Similarity and Area Difference Index (ADI). For decomposing fit into error components (overprediction and underprediction) we assessed the partial indices of SDI and ADI, Precision and Recall. The various metrics were evaluated for their ability to represent error and their suitability for use in model improvement frameworks.     

Compatibility mix degree index: A novel measure to characterize urban land use mix pattern

The mixing of land uses lies at the core of understanding their characteristics in cities. Some existing land use mix measures have been used to quantify the mix degree from different perspectives. However, these existing indices mainly cover only two dimensions of the land use mix concept, namely, distance and quantity, and cannot effectively delineate the picture of land use mix. Thus, we propose a new quantification framework of land use mix by involving a third dimension, that is, the “attribute” level of the land use mix concept. On the basis of this framework, we develop a novel measure called (weighted) vector-based mix degree index (VMDI/WVMDI) to address the compatibility mix degree by incorporating the compatibility relations between different land uses. This novel measure adopts vector land use data and compatibility relations. To some extent, VMDI/WVMDI can overcome some of the deficiencies of existing land use mix measures. We select Guangzhou as a study area in evaluating the proposed measure. In addition, the “head/tail breaks” classification scheme is employed for results with heavy-tailed distribution. By using this scheme, we clearly identify several clustered regions of land use mix in Guangzhou, which might be useful for urban planners and policy makers. Compared with some traditional measures, VMDI/WVMDI can be more efficient in depicting the compatibility relation between land use parcels.     

张掖市土地利用/覆盖变化模拟

土地利用/覆盖变化是全球变化的主要原因,也是与可持续发展密切相关的课题。土地利用/覆盖变化模拟是预测未来土地利用/覆盖变化的重要方法。将国际上先进的CLUE-S模型应用到位于黑河中上游的张掖市,模拟该地区的土地利用/覆盖变化。模拟时段为2001～2020年。模型中将土地利用类型分为:①耕地;②林地;③草地;④水域;⑤城镇用地;⑥未利用地。用回归分析的方法,选择了对该地区土地利用/覆盖变化有重要贡献的7种驱动因子,分别为:与城市的距离、与河流的距离、与道路的距离、人口密度、海拔、坡度、坡向。模拟结果显示:到2020年,林地、草地、水域和城镇用地面积增加,耕地,未利用地面减少。     

Monitoring agricultural drought for arid and humid regions using multi-sensor remote sensing data

While existing remote sensing-based drought indices have characterized drought conditions in arid regions successfully, their use in humid regions is limited. We propose a new remote sensing-based drought index, the Scaled Drought Condition Index (SDCI), for agricultural drought monitoring in both arid and humid regions using multi-sensor data. This index combines the land surface temperature (LST) data and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor, and precipitation data from Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite. Each variable was scaled from 0 to 1 to discriminate the effect of drought from normal conditions, and then combined with the selected weights. When tested against in-situ Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI), Palmer's Z-Index (Z-Index), 3-month Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), and 6-month SPI data during a ten-year (2000-2009) period, SDCI performed better than existing indices such as NDVI and Vegetation Health Index (VHI) in the arid region of Arizona and New Mexico as well as in the humid region of North Carolina and South Carolina. The year-to-year changes and spatial distributions of SDCI over both arid and humid regions generally agreed to the changes documented by the United States Drought Monitor (USDM) maps.     

Remote sensing image-based analysis of the relationship between urban heat island and land use/cover changes

Global warming has obtained more and more attention because the global mean surface temperature has increased since the late 19th century. As more than 50% of the human population lives in cities, urbanization has become an important contributor for global warming. Pearl River Delta (PRD) in Guangdong Province, southern China, is one of the regions experiencing rapid urbanization that has resulted in remarkable Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect, which will be sure to influence the regional climate, environment, and socio-economic development. In this study, Landsat TM and ETM+ images from 1990 to 2000 in the PRD were selected to retrieve the brightness temperatures and land use/cover types. A new index, Normalized Difference Bareness Index (NDBaI), was proposed to extract bare land from the satellite images. Additionally, Shenzhen, which has experienced the fastest urbanization in Guangdong Province, was taken as an example to analyze the temperature distribution and changes within a large city as its size expanded in the past decade. Results show that the UHI effect has become more prominent in areas of rapid urbanization in the PRD region. The spatial distribution of heat islands has been changed from a mixed pattern, where bare land, semi-bare land and land under development were warmer than other surface types, to extensive UHI. Our analysis showed that higher temperature in the UHI was located with a scattered pattern, which was related to certain land-cover types. In order to analyze the relationship between UHI and land-cover changes, this study attempted to employ a quantitative approach in exploring the relationship between temperature and several indices, including the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI), Normalized Difference Bareness Index (NDBaI) and Normalized Difference Build-up Index (NDBI). It was found that correlations between NDVI, NDWI, NDBaI and temperature are negative when NDVI is limited in range, but positive correlation is shown between NDBI and temperature.     

基于压缩数据维的城市建筑用地遥感信息提取

通过压缩数据维的方式，研究城市建筑用地信息准确提取的原理和方法。通过对城市土地利用类型的分析，选取了归一化差异建筑指数、修正归一化差异水体指数和土壤调节植被指数来代表城市建成区的3种最主要地类——建筑用地、水体和植被。通过将ETM 影像原有的7个波段压缩为由它们衍生的这3个采用比值运算构成的指数波段，大大压缩了数据维数、减少了数据的相关度并降低了不同地类的光谱混淆性。因此采用简单的最大似然分类和掩膜处理技术，就可以将城市建筑用地信息提取出来，其精度可达91．2％。     

Large area monitoring with a MODIS-based Disturbance Index (DI) sensitive to annual and seasonal variations

Disturbance of the vegetated land surface, due to factors such as fire, insect infestation, windthrow and harvesting, is a fundamental driver of the composition forested landscapes with information on disturbance providing critical insights into species composition, vegetation condition and structure. Long-term climate variability is expected to lead to increases in both the magnitude and distribution of disturbances. As a consequence it is important to develop monitoring systems to better understand these changes in the terrestrial biosphere as well to inform managers about disturbance agents more typically captured through specific monitoring programs (such as focused on insect, fire, or agricultural conditions). Changes in the condition, composition and distribution pattern of vegetation can lead to changes in the spectral and thermal signature of the land surface. Using a 6-year time series of MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Land Surface Temperature (LST) and Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) data we apply a previously proposed Disturbance Index (DI) which has been shown to be sensitive to both continuous and discontinuous change. Using Canada as an example area, we demonstrate the capacity of this Disturbance Index to monitor land dynamics over time. As expected, our results confirm a significant relationship between area flagged as disturbed by the index and area burnt as estimated from other satellite sources (R² = 0.78, p < 0.0001). The DI also demonstrates a sensitivity to capture and depict changes related to insect infestations. Further, on a regional basis the DI produces change information matching measured wide-area moisture conditions (i.e., drought) and corresponding agricultural outputs. These findings indicate that for monitoring a large area, such as Canada, the time series based DI is a useful tool to aid in change detection and national monitoring activities.     

Assessment of different spectral indices in the red-near-infrared spectral domain for burned land discrimination

A new spectral index named Burned Area Index (BAI), specifically designed for burned land discrimination in the red-near-infrared spectral domain, was tested on multitemporal sets of Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) and NOAA Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) images. The utility of BAI for burned land discrimination was assessed against other widely used spectral vegetation indices: Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI) and Global Environmental Monitoring Index (GEMI). BAI provided the highest discrimination ability among the indices tested. It also showed a high variability within scorched areas, which reduced the average normalized distances with respect to other indices. A source of potential confusion between burned land areas and low-reflectance targets, such as water bodies and cloud shadows, was identified. Since BAI was designed to emphasize the charcoal signal in post-fire images, this index was highly dependent on the temporal permanence of charcoal after fires.     

利用MERIS和AATSR资料估算黄土高原塬区植被含水量时空变化

通过利用2005年黄土高原塬区夏季地表过程野外观测试验期间收集的地面观测的植被含水量、中分辨率影像光谱仪(Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer,MERIS)和高级沿轨迹扫描辐射计(Advanced Along-Track Scanning Radiometer,AATSR)卫星遥感资料,分别对归一化差值植被指数(Normalized Different Vegetation Index)和归一化差值水分指数(NormalizedDifferent Water Index)与植被含水量(Vegetation water content)变化关系进行了分析比较,得到了两种不同的植被指数在作物生长背景影响下的异同。并分别利用MERIS的观测资料计算了NDVI,利用AATSR观测资料计算了NDWI,通过分析得出:随着作物的生长或生物量的增加,归一化差值植被指数变化趋于饱和,而归一化差值水分指数仍然继续增加。进一步通过同步地面野外观测植被含水量与卫星遥感观测资料的对比,建立了归一化差值植被指数、归一化差值水分指数和实际野外测量植被含水量的关系,并且得到由两种植被指数反演植被含水量的方法和地面观测之间的误差分别为1.030 64 kg·m-2和0.940 45 kg·m-2。最后通过分析后总结出,利用归一化差值水分指数来反演黄土高原塬区夏季玉米冠层的含水量优于利用归一化差值植被指数。     

Construction of an analytical framework for polygon-based land use transition analyses

Polygon representation is important for characterizing land uses and the relationships among them. This study aims to establish an analytical framework for polygon-based land use transitions to understand the processes of change regarding types of land uses and their shapes. The polygon event and polygon state help to reveal continuity both spatially and temporally. A polygon event represents a combination of changes in both the type of land use and its shape through a transition process. A polygon state reflects homogeneity during the transition process. Two indices, the stability index and the compactness, were used to enhance the understanding of the transition process. The stability index evaluates the succession of an attribute, while compactness recognizes the geometrical characteristics of a polygon. A case study on Tsukuba City, Japan, was evaluated to demonstrate the feasibility of the approach that is presented here. The proposed analytical framework supports the clarification of land use transition patterns and is effective in explaining the spatiotemporal land use transition process.     

Detection of land cover classes in agro-ecosystems of northern Egypt by remote sensing

The objective of this study is to detect the current land cover classes of a representative area in the coastal agricultural land of Egypt, where changes have been observed recently due to the urban sprawl. This has been achieved after the production of different vegetation indices, and the comparison between them and their sensitivity to the environmental conditions of the area under study. This was followed by the production of profiles of different Vegetation Index (VI) images, and supervised Maximum Likelihood Classification (MLC), for the assessment of land cover classes and their cover percentage.

It was found that different greenness levels were best estimated by the Environmental Vegetation Index (EVI) and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). The MLC resulted in classifying the study area into 10 classes with an accuracy above 90 per cent. Agriculture lands cover about 46 per cent only of the total area, which was estimated to cover at least 80 per cent 15 years ago. Land transformation is proceeding by a rate of about 1-47 per cent every year. This means that if such a rate continues in the same pattern, all agricultural land in the area will be lost to urbanization and other activities within less than 70 years.     

Land cover characterization of Temperate East Asia using multi-temporal VEGETATION sensor data

Temperate East Asia (TEA) is characterized by diverse land cover types, including forest and agricultural lands, one of the world's largest temperate grasslands, and extensive desert and barren landscapes. In this paper, we explored the potential of SPOT-4 VEGETATION (VGT) data for the classification of land cover types in TEA. An unsupervised classification was performed using multi-temporal (March–November 2000) VGT-derived spectral indices (Land Surface Water Index [LSWI] and Enhanced Vegetation Index [EVI]) to generate a land cover map of TEA (called VGT-TEA). Land cover classes from VGT-TEA were aggregated to broad, general class types, and then compared and validated with classifications derived from fine-resolution (Landsat) data. VGT-TEA produced reasonable results when compared to the Landsat products. Analysis of the seasonal dynamics of LSWI and EVI allows for the identification of distinct growth patterns between different vegetation types. We suggest that LSWI seasonal curves can be used to define the growing season for temperate deciduous vegetation, including grassland types. Seasonal curves of EVI tend to have a slightly greater dynamic range than LSWI during the peak growing season and can be useful in discriminating between vegetation types. By using these two complementary spectral indices, VGT data can be used to produce timely and detailed land cover and phenology maps with limited ancillary data needed.     

Document Similarity Using a Phrase Indexing Graph Model

Document clustering techniques mostly rely on single term analysis of text, such as the vector space model. To better capture the structure of documents, the underlying data model should be able to represent the phrases in the document as well as single terms. We present a novel data model, the Document Index Graph, which indexes Web documents based on phrases rather than on single terms only. The semistructured Web documents help in identifying potential phrases that when matched with other documents indicate strong similarity between the documents. The Document Index Graph captures this information, and finding significant matching phrases between documents becomes easy and efficient with such model. The model is flexible in that it could revert to a compact representation of the vector space model if we choose not to index phrases. However, using phrase indexing yields more accurate document similarity calculations. The similarity between documents is based on both single term weights and matching phrase weights. The combined similarities are used with standard document clustering techniques to test their effect on the clustering quality. Experimental results show that our phrase-based similarity, combined with single-term similarity measures, gives a more accurate measure of document similarity and thus significantly enhances Web document clustering quality.