Remote Sensing Technologies and Applications in Urban Environments

Kurzfassung

The global urbanization constitutes an epochal transformation of the Earth. Since 2007, for the first time in human history more people have lived in cities than in the countryside. According to the United Nations in 2050, around 75% of the worldwide population will be living in cities. The population density, traffic and infrastructure, environmental and energy problems, climate change, migration, demographic change, aspects of vulnerability and sustainability, new forms of mobility and sharing - unprecedented challenges and opportunities are continuously arising. In any case, the urban environment plays a major role in the development of humanity and the quality of life of the individual citizen. In respond to this high-interest topic, the conference on Remote Sensing Technologies and Applications for Urban Environments was launched within the SPIE Remote Sensing Symposium held in Edinburgh from 26-29 September 2016. It comprises papers related to advanced remote sensing technologies, applications and information that push beyond the state-of-the-art with respect to urban air quality and climate, urban land cover and biodiversity as well as urban morphology and infrastructures. In 31 oral presentations and 8 posters it was demonstrated that remote sensing offers a wealth of possibilities and opportunities to monitor the urban environment, to support planning processes, to enhance the availability of relevant information, to shape the sustainable city and to improve the quality of life of citizens. The outcome of the conference is documented by the volume of proceedings at hand.