Remote sensing: New applications for urban areas

Some of the significant measures and remote sensing techniques that can be used for urban growth monitoring for efficient planning and policy support, are discussed. Revitalizing urban economies, rehabilitating cities, soil and water conservation, participatory planning, reducing dependence on cars, and using alternative transportation like mass transit or bicycles can be adopted to minimize urban load. Remote sensing images can provide information of patterns of urban growth, while GISs can record data and transform the data into information that can support decision-making. Remote sensing can play a significant role in the study of the biosphere because of its ability to make repeatable measurements at different scales and extrapolate existing data and filling gaps. Accurate change detection of urban areas can be helpful for developing strategies to reduce urban poverty and the associated environmental effects.