Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Urbanization

  • Chapter
Land Change Science

Part of the book series: Remote Sensing and Digital Image Processing ((RDIP,volume 6))

Abstract

Urban places may be broadly defined as the settlements where most people live and work. Human beings worldwide tend to cluster in spatially limited habitats occupying less than 5% of the world’s land area. Urbanization may be defined as those environment altering activities that create and maintain urban places. This includes the processes of construction, habitation, transportation, energy and water use, communication, industrialization, commercial and manufacturing services, plus civic activities associated with education and governance. The physical patterns of urban areas produce distinctive spatial and spectral signatures that are recorded by many types of remotely sensed data.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. NOAA National Geophysical Data Center, 325 Broadway, Boulder, Colorado, 80303, USA

    Christopher D. Elvidge

  2. Department of Geography, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado, USA

    Paul C. Sutton

  3. China Data Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

    Thomas W. Wagner

  4. Tufts University, Boston, USA

    Rhonda Ryzner

  5. SAIC, USGS Eros Data Center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA

    James E. Vogelmann

  6. Department of Geography, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA

    Scott J. Goetz, Andrew J. Smith & Claire Jantz

  7. Center for Environmental Science and Policy, Institute for International Studies, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA

    Karen C. Seto

  8. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA

    Marc L. Imhoff

  9. Department of Natural Resources, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, 02881, USA

    Y. Q. Wang

  10. University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, USA

    Cristina Milesi & Ramakrishna Nemani

Authors
  1. Christopher D. Elvidge
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Paul C. Sutton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Thomas W. Wagner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Rhonda Ryzner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. James E. Vogelmann
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Scott J. Goetz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Andrew J. Smith
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Claire Jantz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Karen C. Seto
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Marc L. Imhoff
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Y. Q. Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  12. Cristina Milesi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  13. Ramakrishna Nemani
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christopher D. Elvidge .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC, USA

    Garik Gutman

  2. Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment, The H. John Heinz III, Washington, DC, USA

    Anthony C. Janetos

  3. University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA

    Christopher O. Justice

  4. Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA

    Emilio F. Moran

  5. Brown University, Providence, RI, USA

    John F. Mustard

  6. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Ronald R. Rindfuss

  7. Michigan State University, East Lansing, MA, USA

    David Skole

  8. Clark University, Worcester, MA, USA

    Billy Lee Turner II

  9. Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA

    Mark A. Cochrane

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Elvidge, C.D. et al. (2012). Urbanization. In: Gutman, G., et al. Land Change Science. Remote Sensing and Digital Image Processing, vol 6. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-2562-4_18

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-2562-4_18

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-007-4306-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-2562-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation