Research on urban spatial thermal environment based on remote sensing and GIS

Urban spatial thermal environment has a great impact on microclimate and urban environment evolvement. This paper aims to seek an effective method for analyzing spatial pattern of urban thermal environment. Using the research methods of landscape ecosystem for reference, the concept of "Thermal Landscape" is presented in this paper and the viewpoint of "Thermal Landscape" is used to research spatial pattern of urban heat environment. Supported by GIS and remote sensing (RS), an estimation system for spatial pattern of "Thermal Landscape" is developed. The authors study on dynamic evolvement of "Thermal Landscape" and the change process of thermal landscape types based on change matrix of multi-temporal "Thermal Landscape" in Shanghai in 1990, 1995 and 1998. The change intensity and trends of "Thermal Landscape" in this city are pointed out during last decade in this paper.