Integration of Remote Sensing and GIS for Analyzing Green Spaces in Al-Samawah City Center Towards Sustainability

Abstract

Green areas are considered a major factor in purifying the city’s atmosphere from pollution resulting from the joint use of different lands to improve the city environment. This research aims to study green areas in the center of Al-Samawah city for the period from 2004 to 2022, and to explain the real conditions and developments as far as areal recession and expansion are concerned, due to its importance and its reflection on people’s lives in terms of environmental, neighborhood and overall impact. The study covered different areas and is located partly on the Euphrates River passing through the center of Al-Samawah to identify green spaces and abandoned spaces based on satellite image data of Landsat-5 TM2000, Landsat-7 ETM, and Landsat-8OLV 2015. Images were analyzed using remote sensing programs such as Arc Map and ERDAS. The analysis results showed that the annual rate of vegetation cover deteriorated during the period from 2004 to 2012 by a percentage of around 12.2%. The yearly rate of vegetation cover decrease was 13.8% from 2004 to 2022. While, NDVI value amounted to 50.02% in 2004, to 38% in 2014, then continued to deteriorate until it reached 36.7% in 2022 to all district areas. Finally, the article explains the absence of an important impact in rural regions, highlighting the necessity of the article to assist decision-makers in developing the essential solutions for protecting green spaces around city centers from urban development and reconsidering urban sustainability.