In the heart of Egypt’s ambitious new capital project, a groundbreaking approach to monitoring construction dynamics is emerging, offering valuable insights for urban planners and the energy sector alike. Researchers, led by M. Abdallah from the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, have developed an improved method for tracking large-scale construction activities using satellite imagery and land use data.
The study, published in the ‘Annals of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences’ (a publication of the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing), focuses on the rapid urbanization of Egypt’s new administrative capital. This burgeoning metropolis is a hotspot for national infrastructure projects, making it an ideal case study for testing advanced change detection techniques.
At the core of this research is the Continuous Monitoring of Land Disturbances (COLD) algorithm, which uses Harmonized Landsat and Sentinel (HLS) data to detect rapid ground changes. However, the frequent and extensive alterations characteristic of large-scale construction can pose challenges to the accuracy of change detection. To address this, Abdallah and his team integrated COLD with publicly available land use/land cover (LULC) maps from Esri, covering the period from 2017 to 2024.
“By combining COLD-detected disturbances with LULC maps, we can more accurately map and quantify construction activities,” Abdallah explained. “This approach not only captures the transition periods but also provides a more comprehensive understanding of progressive development.”
The researchers analyzed 559 images from the Harmonized Landsat and Sentinel missions, focusing on tracking construction dynamics from 2016 to the present. They performed two distinct overlapping analyses: first, aligning COLD-detected disturbances with the LULC maps of the same year, and second, overlaying the LULC maps of the following year with the COLD results. The latter approach proved more effective, identifying a more extensive area classified as undergoing construction.
This method offers significant commercial implications for the energy sector, particularly in planning and managing infrastructure projects. Accurate change detection can help energy companies anticipate demand, optimize resource allocation, and ensure sustainable development. As Abdallah noted, “This approach has proven effective for monitoring and mapping construction changes and holds potential for application in other regions with available LULC maps.”
The study’s findings not only shed light on the rapid urbanization of Egypt’s new capital but also pave the way for advanced monitoring techniques in other rapidly developing regions. By leveraging the power of satellite imagery and land use data, researchers and industry professionals can gain valuable insights into construction dynamics, ultimately shaping the future of urban planning and energy infrastructure.