ANALYSING AN ATM-SCANNER FLIGHT OVER THE CITY OF DRESDEN TO IDENTIFY URBAN SEALING 
Gotthard Meinel, Maik Netzband, Volker Amann*, Rolf Stätter*, Georg Kritikos* 
Institute of Ecological Spatial Development, Dresden, Germany 
*Department of Optoelectronics, German Aerospace Research Establishment, Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany 
WG VII/9 - Human Settlement 
KEY WORDS: Human Settlement, Urban, Land Use, Scanner, Thermal, Multitemporal, Multispectral, Inventory 
ABSTRACT: 
Increasing soil sealing in urban agglomerations results in negative consequences for urban ecology, especially for urban 
climate, urban hydrology, and urban biotopes. Decreasing ground-water levels and increasing sewage fees force to 
control any further soil pavement or, if possible, unseal presently unused areas. According to this development there is a 
need to produce survey maps in meso-scales and large-scales at reasonable prices and in fair quality. The entire 
terrestrial taking of soil sealing degrees in urban agglomerations is as highly cost-intensive as it is time-intensive. This is 
not likely to be financed so the use of remotely sensed data seems to be much more suitable to produce such maps for 
urban planning. 
Based on a DAEDALUS-ATM-Scanner flight mission the Institute of Ecological Spatial Development works out the 
analysis by developing three different methods to determine soil sealing in urban areas. The first method is to calculate a 
sealing degree (artificial soil cover in percent) using the vegetation index NDVI. This index is very sensitive to separate 
areas covered with vegetation (mostly unsealed) from areas without vegetation and therefore mostly paved. A threshold 
operator is used on visual determination which makes it possible to calculate a sealing picture. 
Secondly, the data from the thermal infrared band obtained by a late-evening flight (after dusk) and an early-moming 
flight (before dawn) are used to identify traffic areas because they are strongly overheated. 
Finally, a hierarchical land-use classification of a 15-band multispectral data set will be carried out. The data set contains 
DAEDALUS bands 1 to 10 (visible, near and middle infrared), thermal infrared information about the three flights (noon, 
late-evening and early-morning), differences of soil temperatures between late-evening and early-morning, and the 
vegetation index NDVI. In combination with the other two methods soil sealing maps are going to be produced. 
ZUSAMMENFASSUNG: 
Die negativen Folgen übermáBiger Versiegelung von Stadtzentren auf Stadtklima, Wasserhaushalt, Boden, Flora, 
Fauna und Stadthygiene sind hinlánglich bekannt. Insbesondere steigende Abwassergebühren und sinkende städtische 
Grundwasserstánde zwingen zur Kontrolle und teilweise zu EntsiegelungsmaBnahmen. Hierzu sind mittel- und 
großmaßstäbige Versiegelungskarten Voraussetzung. Diese müssen kostengünstig und in genügender Qualit 
erarbeitet werden. Da die terrestrische Aufnahme von Versiegelungskarten sehr teuer und damit meist nicht finanzierbar 
ist, bieten sich fernerkundliche Methoden zur Kartenerstellung an. 
Drei Auswerteansátze zur Bestimmung stádtischer Versiegelung auf Basis einer multitemporalen Daedalus-ATM- 
Scannerbefliegung werden vom Institut für ökologische Raumentwicklung e.V. Dresden entwickelt und hier erläutert. 
Erstes Verfahren ist die Bestimmung des Versiegelungsgrades über den Vegetationsindex NDVI, der sehr sensibel 
vegetationsbestandene (und damit in der Regel unversiegelte) von vegetationsloser (und damit gewöhnlich versiegelter 
Fläche) trennt. Über einen angeschlossenen Schwellwertoperator kann nach visueller Ermittlung eines Trennwertes ein 
Versiegelungsbild berechnet werden. Zweitens kann über die Thermaldaten einer Abend- und Morgenbefliegung auf 
Verkehrsflächen (versiegelte Freiflächen) aufgrund ihrer starken Überwärmung geschlossen werden. Drittens wird eine 
hierarchische Klassifikation auf Basis eines 15kanaligen Bildes, welches neben den 10 optischen ATM-Kanälen, die 
Thermalinformationen von Mittag-, Abend- und Morgenflug sowie das NDVI-Bild enthält, durchgeführt und daraus eine 
Versiegelungskarte abgeleitet. 
1. INTRODUCTION unexpected floods. Thus cities are forced to establish mote 
drain areas to reduce new sealing of soil or even unseal 
Sealing of urban surfaces is connected with negative unused areas. 
ecological consequences. Effects on hydrology (water 
budget), micro-scale and meso-scale climate are well ^ To judge planned building projects and, if necessary, © 
known and precisely described in literature (SUKOPP & prevent such projects, and besides to use existing 
WITTIG, 1993). The supply of drinking-water has become a instruments to decover areas planners need to have survey 
problem. Ground water levels have decreased in urban data and maps with information about scales of sealing in 
agglomerations, costs for sewage fees have immensely urban areas. To get an overview over town quarters a ma 
augmented, and an excessive surface run-off causes scale of 1 : 25 000 is sufficient, whereas for more detailed 
486 
International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Vol. XXXI, Part B7. Vienna 1996 
  
plan 
proc 
rem 
The 
and 
Envi 
ted 
(UF. 
The 
ovet 
The 
whe 
und: 
Spal 
Mos 
aggl 
Leng 
Scar 
Wid 
Num 
Total 
Fligh 
Num 
Total 
Table 
  
The 
Opto 
Esta 
DAE 
altitu 
(Inst: 
overl 
In toi 
two f 
show