Building and Settlement Map

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PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Category

• Topographic information
• Impact assessment
• Change detection / continuous monitoring
• Land cover / use
• Near surface geology

• Surface deformation
• Precision ortho-images
• Terrain information
• Water quantity & quality

Uses

• Building footprints
• Infrastructure mapping
• Infrastructure monitoring
• Logistics planning and operations – Facility siting, infrastructure development

Challenges addressed

• Development and Operations – Site Layout Design
• Development and Operations – Illegal Mining
• Closure and Aftercare – Mapping of Infrastructure

Geo-information needs

• DO-2: Site design and layout of infrastructure
• DO-18: Location of occupied dwellings/sensitive receptors (emergency planning & complaints management). Including informal settlements
• DO-28: Mapping of any informal settlements
• CA-4: Demonstration of infrastructure removal

Description

To set out infrastructure, to ensure efficient operation and to optimize processing steps within the mine as well as to track the development process, detailed information about site design and layout of infrastructure is needed. Remote sensing can support this need and provide information on infrastructure based on high to very high resolution as well as radar satellite imagery.

This product provides a detailed map showing infrastructure and settlement information on a defined area. Often additional data is required to reference the information based on remote sensing and characterise for example a special use of a building or the hierarchical level of roads. Physical structures – buildings, roads, railways, airports, pipelines – can be detected in form of mapping with a specific thematic focus. Also, additional in-situ data might help here to set out a basic layout of existing infrastructure. A map showing the layout and design of the site with existing structures can be an output here. Also, change detection and monitoring of the layout can be provided.

A complete inventory of building structures (building footprints) is highly important to perform comprehensive damage and vulnerability assessment. Remote sensing can provide detailed information with mapping individual buildings and deriving information on construction properties. Based on high and very high resolution satellite images and in-situ information building footprints can be derived. Additional information such as building height might also be provided using a normal Digital Surface Model (nDSM). A reference satellite data is needed to monitor the infrastructure and compare it with further satellite data over time to get information on changes. Using radar satellite data, detection of ground movement that might indicate changes and deteriorations or directly detect damages or changes is possible.

Furthermore, the progress of the removal of infrastructure can be mapped starting with the inventory of buildings and recording the step-by-step removal. Also, in case a schedule for removal is provided, a progress can be calculated.

Known restrictions / limitations

Lifecycle stage and demand

Exploration

Environmental Assessment and Permitting

Design, Construction and Operations

Mine Closure and Aftercare

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Exploration:

• Gather information on existing infrastructure

Design, Construction & Operations:

• Information to set out the infrastructure and ensure an efficient operation
• Optimize and minimize distances between infrastructure
• Track progress of the infrastructure construction

Geographic coverage

Globally available.

EARSC Thematic Domain

Domain

PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS

Input data sources

Commer-cial, on demand

Commer-cial, on demand

Commer-cial, on demand

Website

Minimum Mapping Unit (MMU)

Variable, depending on source data resolution. A MMU as small as 0.5 pixel size is possible using VHR.

Accuracy / constraints

Thematic accuracy:

>90% for Building Footprints; >95% for Settlement Mapping. Buildings and settlements as well as other sealed structures can be detected; to differentiate different types of buildings additional data is needed.

Spatial accuracy:

Dependent on input pixel resolution.

Accuracy assessment approach & quality control measures

N/A

Frequency / timeliness

Observation frequency:

Every one or more days, depending on satellite.

Timeliness of delivery:

Within five (working) days of sensing.

Availability

Data from all Sentinel satellites are freely available through the open data policy of the operator ESA (Sentinel-2A since 2015, Sentinel-2B since 2017).

Data from Landsat 8 (since 2013) are freely available through the open data policy of the operator USGS.

WorldView and Pleiades data are commercially licenses and must be purchased through the operator/vendor Digital Globe (WorldView) or Airbus Defence and Space (Pleiades). Usually available within hour(s) of satellite fly-over.

Delivery / output format

Data type: Vector formats, Raster formats

File format: Geotiff, Shapefile

USE CASE