Kevin Finney
Paper Title: Utilizing Pansharpened LANDSAT 7 Imagery to Detect Urban Change in the Vancouver Census Metropolitan Area: 1999-2002 © 2004
The Vancouver Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) has experienced steady growth in recent years. These growth patterns, common to many metropolitan areas, are visible throughout the region using medium to high-resolution satellite imagery. Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) data from Landsat 7 were put through the PANSHARP image fusion process. An urban change detection analysis for the Vancouver CMA was then performed for a three year period from 1999-2002. Unsupervised classification methods and image differencing techniques allowed for the determination of new urban development areas. Change parameters revealed that the CMA region has experienced a yearly average of 5.87km2 of new development, with the majority occurring in areas that correspond to the region�s growth strategy. With an overall classification accuracy of approximately 90%, pansharpened imagery allowed for the clear distinction of land cover classes and proved to be an effective tool for detecting new urban development.