Analysis of built-up areas by means of space- and airborne earth observation – CitySat Austria

Project Leader: Dr. Klaus Steinnocher

Contracting Agency: Federal Ministry of Economic and Labour Affairs

Beginning: 08.2002

During the last decade there has been an increasing demand on basic topographic information in digital format for use in Geo-information systems. While in former times topographic surveys have been performed in order to establish or update cartographic products, today topographic data are a product for itself. The Digital Landscape Model (DLM) of the Federal Mapping Agency of Austria represents such a product. It consists of base data in vector format that are not distorted by cartographic processing such as generalisation or symbolic representation. The contents of the DLM are defined in an object catalogue following a hierarchical structure. Currently the object domains traffic areas, spatial structure, watercourses and names are available.

The project focuses on the object domain settlement areas that is composed of the object groups residential, commercial/industrial, cultural and leisure / sports areas. While the latter object groups describe primarily functional contents (such as hospital, church, public bath) that are already partially available, the object group residential areas represents spatial structures. Thus air- and space borne remote sensing techniques are suitable for establishing and updating this object group.

Besides the use within the DLM municipalities and communities have a demand for such information. The potential of mapping the historic development of the last 50 years based on aerial images archived in the Mapping agency is of high relevance for public administration. This relevance has been proven by the MURBANDY (Monitoring urban dynamics) project of the European Commission, where the historic development of urban areas and surroundings are analysed by means of visual interpretation of aerial and satellite images.

In the course of this project a methodology will be developed to support the automatic derivation of land use in built-up areas from air or space borne images. The methodology will be applied to test areas and the results will be evaluated according to the requirements of the Mapping Agency and of the municipalities.