Integrated High Resolution Satellite Image, GPS and Cartographic Data in 
Urban Studies. Municipality of Thessaloniki. 
N. Bussios *, Y. Tsolakidis ^, M. Tsakiri-Strati *, O. Goergoula “ 
" Undergraduate Student, Faculty of Rural and Surveying Engineering, A.U.Th. — 
nbussios(@yahoo.co.uk 
? Postgraduate Student, Faculty of Rural and Surveying Engineering, A.U.Th. — 
johntsolak(2vahoo.com 
* Substitute Professor, Department of Cadastre, Photogrammetry and Cartography, Faculty of Rural 
and Surveying Engineering, A.U.Th. , 54124 Thessaloniki 
? Assistant Professor, Department of Cadastre, Photogrammetry and Cartography, Faculty of Rural and 
Surveying Engineering, A.U.Th. , 54124 Thessaloniki 
A.U.Th.: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki 
KEY WORDS: IKONOS, High Resolution, GPS, Rectification, Fusion, Urban, Interpretation, Classification 
ABSTRACT: 
Over the years, satellite based remote sensing data have been successfully utilized for mapping, monitoring, 
planning and development of urban sprawl, urban land use and urban environment. In the present investigation 
satellite images with GPS and cartographic data are integrated, in order to study the potentiality of creating a 
cartographic data of an urban area. For this aim the panchromatic image with spatial resolution 1 meter and the 
corresponding multi-spectral, with spatial resolution 4 meters and 4 spectrum bands, from IKONOS-2, and 
cartographic data were used. For the rectification of the images there were some ground control points used, 
measured with GPS. The urban region of study is the Municipality of Thessaloniki, in Central Macedonia, in 
Northern Greece. After mapping the two images and registering the multi-spectral image to the panchromatic 
image, fusion between them was attained. The product of fusion was a synthetic image with the advantages of the 
two initials. The estimation of spectral quality for the synthetic image was attained through statistical criteria. 
Special urban characteristics (for example: churches, monuments, hospitals, administration buildings, etc) were 
detected via visual interpretation and the use of a topographic map of the Municipality of Thessaloniki (scale 
1:8000), obtained from the urban planning service. Also, there was an effort of modelling the urban environment 
of Thessaloniki, with the synthetic image, via classification. Special techniques for image classification in urban 
regions were used. The result was the creation of a thematic picture with a lot of urban characteristics, which can 
be used as a cartographic background in urban studies. 
1. INTRODUCTION 
Today Thessaloniki is more than just a city. It is a c. Decretive and Organizational Framework 
centre of national range, the biggest in northern d. Land Use 
Greece, with a population of about 1 million people. 
In greater Thessaloniki there are 45 administrative The specific application regards in the procedure of 
unitys, 43 of which are municipalities and 2 are composing data for the creation of a reliable 
communities. The city's continuous development cartographic background which covers the area 
makes the effective supervision of its alterations taken up by the Municipality of Thessaloniki and 
extremely difficult, since the size of it and the land where: 
use keep on changing. Therefore, the necessity of 
creating a reliable cartographic background of the a) There is an attempt to improve tracking down 
urban area, containing as more information as urban characteristics (e.g. hospitals, buildings of 
possible, arises. This will become the first step for administration, monuments etc.) with the help of 
the study of the allocation of surfaces and their use cartographic data, through visual interpretation and 
all over the city’s area. Combining such 
backgrounds — images of different periods of time, b) In order to separate the various classes of land 
describes the dynamic development of the city while use, special techniques for urban areas are applied 
detecting the drift of the urban extension. Of course for their classification. 
this step is only part of the operations demanded for 
analyzing an area of study, which involves subjects 
such as: 2. METHODOLOGY AND DATA USED 
a. Natural Facts 2.1 Data 
b. Socioeconomic Approach 
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