Estimating urban greenness index using remote sensing data: A case study of an affluent vs poor suburbs in the city of Johannesburg

Abstract The importance of urban green space has over the years grown into an indispensable component of green infrastructure incorporated in urban planning and design as investment to promote the well-being of city dwellers. The continuous advancement in remote sensing spatial and spectral resolutions has made it possible to effectively map and evaluate urban green space for better management. The urban greenness index between the affluent suburb of Rosebank in the north and the poor Township of Soweto in the south, of Johannesburg city was assessed and compared to determine the environmental quality between the two areas. The total above ground biomass (AGB) of the two predominantly occurring street trees, Jacaranda mimosifolia and Platanus x acerifolia in Rosebank was estimated using existing allometric equations for the respective species. An equation was derived from the correlation of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) values extracted from SPOT 6 image and AGB of Rosebank. The same equation was then used to extrapolate and estimate the AGB of Soweto. The results showed that Rosebank had the lowest total AGB of approximately 113,179 ton, while that of Soweto was approximately 504,400 ton. However, the greenness index of Rosebank (83%) was greater than in Soweto (14%), indicating a pattern of ecological disparity between the two areas. These findings could be useful for designing a sound urban planning and policy formulation for the city of Johannesburg.

• Publication year

  2020

• Venue

  The Egyptian Journal of Remote Sensing and Space Science

• Publication date

  2020-07-21

• Fields of study

  Geography, Environmental Science

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1016/j.ejrs.2020.07.002
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• Mapping forest aboveground biomass in the reforested Buffelsdraai landfill site using texture combinations computed from SPOT-6 pan-sharpened imagery

  2019cited by this paper
• Estimating and mapping forest biomass using regression models and Spot-6 images (case study: Hyrcanian forests of north of Iran)

  2018cited by this paper
• Estimation of aboveground biomass in mangrove forests using vegetation indices from SPOT-5 image.

  2018cited by this paper
• Mapping and estimating the total living biomass and carbon in low-biomass woodlands using Landsat 8 CDR data

  2016cited by this paper
• The use of WorldView-2 satellite data in urban tree species mapping by object-based image analysis technique

  2016cited by this paper
• Biomass estimation with high resolution satellite images: A case study of Quercus rotundifolia

  2015cited by this paper
• Investigating the robustness of the new Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager derived texture metrics in estimating plantation forest aboveground biomass in resource constrained areas

  2015cited by this paper
• Comparison between WorldView-2 and SPOT-5 images in mapping the bracken fern using the random forest algorithm

  2014cited by this paper
• Perspectives on five decades of the urban greening of Singapore

  2013cited by this paper
• Valuing green infrastructure in an urban environment under pressure — The Johannesburg case

  2013cited by this paper
• Feature Extraction using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI): A Case Study of Jabalpur City

  2012cited by this paper
• Discriminating the papyrus vegetation (Cyperus papyrus L.) and its co-existent species using random forest and hyperspectral data resampled to HYMAP

  2012cited by this paper
• Methods to Estimate Above-Ground Biomass and Carbon Stock in Natural Forests - A Review

  2012cited by this paper
• A Reassessment of Carbon Content in Tropical Trees

  2011cited by this paper
• Allometric equations and biomass expansion factors of Japanese red pine on the local level

  2011cited by this paper
• Urban forest biomass estimates: is it important to use allometric relationships developed specifically for urban trees?

  2009cited by this paper
• Can you see green? Assessing the visibility of urban forests in cities

  2009cited by this paper
• Monitoring and estimating tropical forest carbon stocks: making REDD a reality

  2007cited by this paper
• Remote sensing and GIS for mapping and monitoring land cover and land-use changes in the Northwestern coastal zone of Egypt

  2007cited by this paper
• The potential and challenge of remote sensing‐based biomass estimation

  2006cited by this paper
• Random Forests for land cover classification

  2006cited by this paper
• Random forest classifier for remote sensing classification

  2005cited by this paper
• Random Forests

  2001cited by this paper
• Reducing uncertainty in the use of allometric biomass equations for predicting above-ground tree biomass in mixed secondary forests

  2001cited by this paper
• The use of the Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) in the delineation of open water features

  1996cited by this paper
• Biomass determination of fuelwood trees and bushes of Botswana, Southern Africa

  1993cited by this paper
• Atmospheric Carbon Reduction by Urban Trees

  1993cited by this paper
• Preliminary biomass equations for eight species of fast-growing tropical trees.

  1992cited by this paper
• Biomass Estimation Methods for Tropical Forests with Applications to Forest Inventory Data

  1989cited by this paper
• Monitoring vegetation systems in the great plains with ERTS

  1973cited by this paper

• Assessment of urban sprawl repercussions on rural greenery and potential environmental conflicts in northeast Tegucigalpa

  2026cites this paper
• Exploring the dynamics of urban environmental quality using an integrated Spatiotemporal approach to evaluate coastal slum settlements in Lagos

  2026cites this paper
• Green Street Management Practices and Performance: A Global Review Integrating Bibliometric and Qualitative Analyses

  2026cites this paper
• Comparing the benefits of native and novel ecosystems as urban nature-based solutions: a case study of Johannesburg, South Africa

  2026cites this paper
• Impact of Integrated Rice and Crab Farming on Landscape Ecological Risk: A Case Study in Panjin City

  2026cites this paper
• Monitoring a polyphagous shot hole borer infestation in an urban forest using Google street view in the City of Johannesburg, South Africa

  2025cites this paper
• Tracking green space along streets of world cities

  2025cites this paper
• Improving the method of inventory of lands of recreational zones on the example of Sosnovka Park in St. Petersburg

  2025cites this paper
• Uğursuyu Havzası Erozyon Risk Durumundaki Dönemsel Değişimlerin Belirlenmesi

  2025cites this paper
• Assessing the Accuracy of Random Forest in Mapping Urban Green Cover in Baguio City Using Sentinel-2 Imagery and Spectral Indices

  2025cites this paper
• Enhancing cadmium ion removal from contaminated water using functionalized fly ash-alumina/copper oxide nanocomposites

  2025cites this paper
• Comprehensive Assessment of Land Use/Land Cover Transformations and Future Projections in a Semi-arid Metropolitan City Utilising Artificial Neural Network- Based Cellular Automation

  2025cites this paper
• Mapping Tree Cover Patterns in an Urban Arboretum from Multispectral Drone Imagery Using Pixel-Based Classification and Object-based Image Analysis

  2025cites this paper
• The Green Index: A Widely Accessible Method to Quantify the Degree of Greenness of Photosynthetic Organisms

  2025cites this paper
• Assessment of urbanization impacts in Tegucigalpa urban greenness via normalized difference vegetation index.

  2024cites this paper
• The Use of Socio-Environmental Indicators to Assess the Needs Relating to the Development of Urban Greenery

  2024cites this paper
• Determining the Effect of Green Space Ratio and Urbanization on the Land Surface Temperature, a Case Study in the Istanbul Metropolitan

  2024cites this paper
• Monitoring Urban Green Space Using Remote Sensing Derived-vegetation Indices in Colombo District, Sri Lanka

  2024cites this paper
• Using vegetation and chlorophyll indices to model above ground biomass over time in an urban arboretum in subtropical Queensland.

  2024cites this paper
• Potential use of sludge from El Ferrol Bay (Chimbote, Peru) for the production of lipids in the culture of Scenedesmus acutus (Meyen, 1829)

  2024cites this paper
• Gentrification outcomes of greening in different urbanization stages: A longitudinal analysis of Chinese cities, 2012–2020

  2024cites this paper
• International Symposium on Green Technologies and Applications (ISGTA'2023)

  2024cites this paper
• Insights into the invasion of the moth catcher vine, Araujia sericifera (Apocynaceae), in South Africa

  2024cites this paper
• Urban Disparity Analytics Using GIS: A Systematic Review

  2024cites this paper
• Applying deep learning to manage urban ecosystems in arid Abha, Saudi Arabia: Remote sensing-based modelling for ecological condition assessment and decision-making

  2024cites this paper
• Utilizing LiDAR to Quantify Aboveground Tree Biomass within an Urban University

  2023cites this paper
• Assessing the Impact of Kirkuk Cement Plant Emissions on Land cover by Modelling Gaussian Plume with Python and QGIS

  2023cites this paper
• Assessment of street forest characteristics in four African cities using google street view measurement: Potentials and implications.

  2023cites this paper
• Monitoring and Effect Evaluation of an Ecological Restoration Project Using Multi-Source Remote Sensing: A Case Study of Wuliangsuhai Watershed in China

  2023cites this paper
• Climatic and Vegetation Response Patterns over South Africa during the 2010/2011 and 2015/2016 Strong ENSO Phases

  2023cites this paper
• A GIS Assessment of the Green Space Percentage in a Big Industrial City (Dnipro, Ukraine)

  2023cites this paper
• Gradual or abrupt? An algorithm to monitor urban vegetation dynamics in support of greening policies

  2023cites this paper
• Allergenic tree pollen in Johannesburg and Cape Town as a public health risk: towards a sustainable implementation framework for South African cities

  2023cites this paper
• Data-driven visual analytics of Human Mobility data and green cover using Image Processing for Smart Cities

  2023cites this paper
• Using a Novel Green Index to Support Ecosystem Services in a Megacity

  2023cites this paper
• Green Index: a widely accessible method to quantify greenness of photosynthetic organisms

  2023cites this paper
• Spatio-temporal change analysis and prediction of land use and land cover changes using CA-ANN model

  2023cites this paper
• Toward a comprehensive understanding of eye-level urban greenness: a systematic review

  2023cites this paper
• NDVI Threshold-Based Urban Green Space Mapping from Sentinel-2A at the Local Governmental Area (LGA) Level of Victoria, Australia

  2022cites this paper
• A novel index for assessing perceived availability and public demand for urban green space: Application in a Mediterranean island

  2022cites this paper
• Remote sensing satellite data and spectral indices: an initial evaluation for the sustainable development of an urban area

  2022cites this paper
• Using GEOBIA and Vegetation Indices to Assess Small Urban Green Areas in Two Climatic Regions

  2022cites this paper
• What would be better for urban mapping in the Klang Valley? SPOT or Sentinel-1

  2022cites this paper
• Spatio-Temporal Land Cover Analysis and the Impact of Land Cover Variability Indices on Land Surface Temperature in Greater Accra, Ghana Using Multi-Temporal Landsat Data

  2022cites this paper
• Evaluating urban environment quality (UEQ) for Class-I Indian city: An integrated RS-GIS based exploratory spatial analysis

  2022cites this paper
• Spatial Variations in Vegetation Greening in 439 Chinese Cities From 2001 to 2020 Based on Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer Enhanced Vegetation Index Data

  2022cites this paper
• METHODS FOR MONITORING LOCALITIES BASED ON REMOTE SENSING IMAGES . CASE STUDY : DUMBRAVITA , TIMIS COUNTY

  2022cites this paper
• Green balance in urban areas as an indicator for policy support: a multi-level application

  2022cites this paper
• Remote Sensing–Based Urban Green Space Detection Using Marine Predators Algorithm Optimized Machine Learning Approach

  2021cites this paper
• Delimitación de áreas urbanas con frente costero: una aplicación de la teoría de Sistemas Costeros Socio-ecológicos

  2021cites this paper
• Spatio-temporal evolution of forest in Târgu Lăpuș, northern Transylvania, Romania, using Landsat satellite data

  2021cites this paper
• Monitoring Urban Expansion and Urban Green Spaces Change in Addis Ababa: Directional and Zonal Analysis Integrated with Landscape Expansion Index

  2021cites this paper
• Spatio-temporal pattern of land use and land cover and its effects on land surface temperature using remote sensing and GIS techniques: a case study of Bhubaneswar city, Eastern India (1991–2021)

  2021influential citation
• Monitoring of urban forests using 3D spatial indices based on LiDAR point clouds and voxel approach

  2021cites this paper
• How green the urban development units in Sofia are: Earth observation and population time series analysis

  2021cites this paper
• miti-A GIS ASSESSMENT OF THE GREEN SPACE PERCENTAGE IN A BIG INDUSTRIAL CITY (DNIPRO, UKRAINE)

  year unknowncites this paper