Enhanced Built-Up and Bareness Index (EBBI) for Mapping Built-Up and Bare Land in an Urban Area.docVIP

Remote Sens. 2012, 4, 2957-2970; doi:10.3390/rs4102957 OPEN ACCESS Remote Sensing ISSN 2072-4292 /journal/remotesensing Article Enhanced Built-Up and Bareness Index (EBBI) for Mapping Built-Up and Bare Land in an Urban Area Abd. Rahman As-syakur 1,*, I Wayan Sandi Adnyana 1,2, I Wayan Arthana 1 and I Wayan Nuarsa 1,2 1 Environmental Research Center (PPLH), Udayana University, PB Sudirman Street, Denpasar, Bali 80232, Indonesia; E-Mail: iwarthana60@yahoo.co.id 2 Faculty of Agriculture, Udayana University, Kampus Bukit Jimbaran, Bali 80361, Indonesia; E-Mails: sandiadnyana@ (I.W.S.A.); nuarsa@ (I.W.N.) * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: ar.assyakur@pplh.unud.ac.id; Tel.: +62-361-236-221; Fax: +62-361-236-180. Received: 20 August 2012; in revised form: 21 September 2012 / Accepted: 24 September 2012 / Published: 2 October 2012 Abstract: Remotely sensed imagery is a type of data that is compatible with the monitoring and mapping of changes in built-up and bare land within urban areas as the impacts of population growth and urbanisation increase. The application of currently available remote sensing indices, however, has some limitations with respect to distinguishing built-up and bare land in urban areas. In this study, a new index for transforming remote sensing data for mapping built-up and bare land areas is proposed. The Enhanced Built-Up and Bareness Index (EBBI) is able to map built-up and bare land areas using a single calculation. The EBBI is the first built-up and bare land index that applies near infrared (NIR), short wave infrared (SWIR), and thermal infrared (TIR) channels simultaneously. This new index was applied to distinguish built-up and bare land areas in Denpasar (Bali, Indonesia) and had a high accuracy level when compared to existing indices. The EBBI was more effective at discriminating built-up and bare