Object-Based Change Detection of Informal Settlements

Informal settlements and slums are increasing worldwide due to urbanization of poverty and the lack of affordable housing in urban areas. Thus, informal settlements often appear spatially very variable. Expansion and contraction, as well as the formation, movement and disappearance of informal settlements within short terms is observable. In order to document the dynamics of informal settlements by means of remote sensing and other available spatial data, methods of change detection and object tracking are appropriate. This paper addresses the capabilities, advantages and disadvantages of methods for object based change detection and object tracking of informal settlements using remote sensing data. Our findings are documented by means of annually captured VHR remote sensing data from a small area in Cape Town, South Africa.