VISUALISING SYDNEY’S URBAN GREEN: A Web Interface for Monitoring Vegetation Coverage in the Greater Sydney Area between 1992 and 2022 using Google Earth Engine

Abstract

With continued population growth and urban expansion, the severity of environmental concerns within cities is likely to increase without proper urban ecosystem monitoring and management. Despite this, limited efforts have been made to effectively communicate the ecological value of urban vegetation to Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) professionals concerned with mitigating these effects and improving urban liveability. In response, this research project proposes a novel framework for identifying and conveying historical changes to vegetation coverage within the Greater Sydney area between 1992 and 2022. The cloud-based geo-spatial analysis platform, Google Earth Engine (GEE), was used to construct an accurate land cover classification of Landsat imagery, allowing the magnitude, spatial configuration, and period of vegetation loss to be promptly identified. The outcomes of this analysis are represented through an intuitive web platform that facilitates a thorough understanding of the complex relationships between anthropogenic activities and vegetation coverage. A key finding indicated that recent developments in the Black town area had directly contributed to heightened land surface temperature, suggesting a reformed approach to urban planning is required to address climatic concerns appropriately. The developed web interface provides a unique method for AEC professionals to assess the effectiveness of past planning strategies, encouraging a multi-disciplinary approach to urbaneco system management.