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Application of Remote Sensing Technique in Taiyuan Municipal Enivironment Survey

Huo Yu lin, Dong Yu yang
Shanxi Remote Sensing Centre, Taiyuan, China


Abstract
As basic from of the space structure of human society, cities occupy an extremely important position in the development of social economy and history. In order to probe the scientific method of applying the remote sensing technique to the municipal environment survey as well as open up the service area of the remote sensing technique, a sythetical survey of municipal environment was carried out in Taiyuan district during the period of 1987 to 1989 which has yielded results in 28 items covering 8 fields . The data acquired through the investigation on Taiyuan’s background and status provides a decision making for the municipal management and plan.

Introduction
Taiyuan as the centre of Shanxi, China’s base of energy resources and chemical industries, boasts a natural deposit and highly developed mining trade. In 1949 Taiyuan was no bigger than 30.11km2 with a population of only 210,000 though it had a long history of over one thousand years. Great changes took place during the last forty years. In 1980 , taiyuan was up to a size of 133.63 km2 while its population became 1.14 million. Owing to the lack of water resources, and the serious environmental pollution, it becomes an important problem for the government in decision making as to how to control the development scale, exploit and utilize land and resources. The data acquired through common technical method prove to be not quite reliable partly because of the long period, and partly the differences in synchronization and comparability. With a view of raising the scientific level in municipal planning management and decision-making, Shanxi provincial government decided in 1987 to carry out a municipal environment remote sensing survey in Taiyuan.

Technical Method

1. Design of the Survey
According to the characteristic of the city, the survey should include background factors as regional geological structure, mineral resources, water resources disaster liability, environmental temperature field, and present situation as land utilization, building distribution, functional layout greenage ccoverage, environment pollution, tendency of development,...etc. The design and of the multipurpose investigation concemed scale,timephase , resolve rate and spectrum wave band of remote sensing data; Standard of classification, data precision, statistic model and map formation requirement of various essential factors.

2. Acquisition of Data
The scope of surveying for background study is comparatively wider. The Land sat 5 TM data and NOAA 9,10 thermal infrared data prove to be appropriate. For present situation survey, the colour infrared ray, multispectrum, panchromatic black and white aerial photo, scales between 1/3800 and 1/50000, are selected. To study the evolution of a city aerialphotos of different time phases and the corresponding ground data are also used. For accuracy’s sake, also collected are topographic maps of corresponding scales, municipal overall plan, construction norm, statistic almanac and observation data from various stations.

3. Information Extraction
Information are extracted through the classification based on aerial remote sensing material. For status quo information, as the classification is extremely elaborate. Take land use as an example, it is divided into 93 categories. In this case, visual interpretation is used.

4. Setting up a data Base
Taking into consideration the specific need of the municipal management and planning a more detailed classification of data seems necessary. Original interpretation is stored through digitizer into data base of geographical information system. The next step is to develop software modules to do data processing in accordance with different needs of the customer.

5. Insurance of data precision
Errors caused by common remote sensing interpretation are put under control through the direct judging and marking on the photo image maps. In addition through the constant sampling computer software error inquiry and field check, data precision is fully guaranteed.

Main Contents of Tijuana Remote Sensing Survey
The comprehensive remote sensing survey of Tijuana municipal environment emprises 28 subitems 8 fields they are
  1. Making of photo image maps (1/20,00; 1/15,000;1/10,000;1/5,000;1/500 colour infrared ray, black and white).
  2. Study of the scattering relations of lithology and vegetation
  3. Study of base structure pattern and environmental background
  4. investigation on the hidden fault and its activity in the upper reach of fenhe River
  5. Analysis of earth quake danger
  6. Investigation on the resources of tourism, water and main building materials.
  7. Investigation on the status quo of the utilization of urban land.
  8. Investigation on the types and distribution of city buildings
  9. Investigation on green land and vegetable plots under protection
  10. Investigation of the types and distribution of soil waste
  11. Investigation and assessment on the types and distribution of source of danger, post calamity self-help ability.
  12. Investigation on the development and changes of the construction land in the Past 40 years
  13. Investigation on the distribution of thermal island during certain time period
  14. Study on remote sensing for investigation of gardening trees.
  15. Choosing grounds for burying rubbish
  16. study of the measuring method regarding the remote sensing photo image
  17. setting up remote-sensing information data base.
Remarkable progress has been achieved both technically and academically in this remote sensing survey, as follows:
  1. Using probability analysis theory and method to study the risk level of earth quake in the coming 50 years.
  2. using thermal infrared data gained from meteorological satellite to show the small scale temperature ground.
  3. Practising orientation (positional), qualitative and quantitative investigation of artificial danger source and self-rescue ability assessment.
  4. Studying the hidden fault in the valley of the fenhe river and its activity
  5. testing the direct method of marking on the black map of photo image which greatly ensures precision
  6. Classifying types of building on the air-photographs
  7. Data processing through function modules of the information data base, output of maps as needed by ,management and planning, realizing automatic check on topology, conversion of vector and raster data.
During this survey, an analysis is done on the possibility of danger of earth quake in Taiyuan from the potential quake source within the radius of 320 Km2 centred on Taiyan mnicipality, the geological structure in the sphere of 7,000Km2 the environment background study in the sphere of 2,000 Km2 the municipal construction on of nearly 400Km2 . It has solved many urgent problems in the construction and development of the city.

Benefit from the Taiyuan Environmental Remote Sensing Survey
This survey took 2 years to complete. Participating in it are more than 60 persons from 17 branches and institutions. Practical amount work for each sub –item variers from 3-6 months positive results have been sent for use to departments as municipal construction, land, seismology and public security . It has drawn the attention of the decision making persons in the government.

Multi-purpose flights were carried out. For the investigation on the remodeling of city small district , remote sensing survey took only half month to complete whereas in the past practice, by it took half a year smapling method. All the above serve to conclude that remote sensing survey is a technical method which has quicker speed, higher precision and better synchronization.

Judging from the point of view of the social benefit, as remote sensing survey has a wider and richer content, it’s appropriate to join the efforts of various professions, subjects and branches through technical cooperation, thus minimizing differences of understanding while depending the degree of study.

Practice proves that the application of remote sensing technique to the municipal planning and management is not only workable, but also very economical. In spite of the rich fruits reaped in the application of remote sensing technique, this is merely a first step try. We sincerely expect comments from our colleagues.