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Using geospatial sattelite imagery and road network analysis to identify urban areas in need of greening
In this research project, Dr. Åsa Gren (Stockholm Resilience Centre), Assoc. Prof. Meta Berghauser Pont (Chalmers Technical University) and Olivier Rostang (Kairos Future, Stockholm) and I researched the issue of inaccessibility to green spaces in the city of Stockholm.
My contribution to the research was design and execution of the GIS analysis and the cartography, as stated in the Article Contributions; “AF (red. Adam Feinberg) has contributed with GIS analysis and creation of the figures, as well as contributing to the text.”
Creating a NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) to assess the density of living organic matter (plants in general), and combining that with the road network of Stockholm, we were able to create a “green space accessibility map”. When comparing this to relevant socio-economic factors of various parts of the city, it was possible to identify which areas were without access to green areas, which have been shown to play an important role in the psychological and physical well being of individuals.
Various raster images, were patched together to create a continous surface of the study area, after which the exess areas were cut. The finished raster (around 100 GB), was used to create the NDVI, and once this was done a simplification (aggregation of average values over a 30×30 m grid) was done. This was used to do the network analysis, usin all address points in Stockholm, and a road network layer modified to show roads accessible on foot.
The analysis resulted in “focus areas”, to aid decision makers assess where management interventions would be most effective. The article (peer reviewed) was published in Frontiers (open access).