Improved monitoring of settlement areas through satellite-supported spatial observation

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3. December 2018 | Category General

As part of the sustainability goals, the economical use of land as a resource has been the subject of planning interventions and political measures by the Federal Government for many years. The demands for use are particularly conflict-laden when dealing with settlement and traffic areas. Here, the data bases used for monitoring the development of residential and transport areas are of particular importance. The currently available data bases are not always up to date and show structural breaks when considering land consumption over longer periods of time. In addition, many qualitative aspects are not mapped. The project “Inwertsetzung von Copernicus-Daten für die Raumbeobachtung” (incora), which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI), aims to use the data of the Copernicus Sentinel satellites to supplement the existing indicators of settlement and transport area development and to increase the quality and informative value of the existing indicators. The results lead to an improved information basis for measures to control and reduce land use, but can also be used economically to make land potentials visible in the existing stock. The processing of Copernicus data to derive spatial development indicators is carried out with innovative cloud computing solutions. Information needs and indicators are jointly conceived or determined and coordinated in an exchange between science, administration and planning practice.
The results will be made publicly available in spatial observation portals. Together with the project partners, the BBSR will develop and test the indicators and develop an appropriate set of indicators for nationwide area monitoring. The final provision of the results in spatial observation portals and the necessary coordination processes are primarily tasks of the BBSR.

The project is coordinated by the Institut für Landes- und Stadtentwicklungsforschung (ILS) (Institute for Regional and Urban Development Research), and is carried out jointly with the Bundesinstitut für Bau-, Stadt- und Raumforschung (BBSR) and mundialis GmbH & Co. KG.

The incora project was kicked off on 22.11.2018 with the BMVI at the Hypermotion trade fair in Frankfurt.

Coordinator: Institut für Landes- und Stadtentwicklungsforschung gGmbH, Dortmund

Project volume: € 600 thousand (74% of which BMVI funding)

Project duration: 12/2018 – 11/2021

Project partner:

• Institute for Regional and Urban Development Research gGmbH, Dortmund
  Contact person: Prof. Dr. Stefan Fina
• Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development, Bonn
  Contact person: Dr. Fabian Dosch
• mundialis GmbH & Co. KG, Bonn
  Contact: Dr. Hajar Benelcadi, Dr. Markus Neteler

See also: BMVI announcement