Abstract


Remote Sensing Application in Thematic Mapping & Geodatabase establishment for Dubai

Dr. A. E. H. Elniweiri
Senior Specialist, Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and GIS
Planning & Surveying Dept. Dubai Municipality
Dubai, UAE
Email: AEHASSAN@dm.gov.ae, elniweiri@hotmail.com

M.M. Mashroom
Head, Survey Section, Planning and Surveying Department, Dubai Municipality, UAE

Eman Alkhateeb
Image Analyst, Senior Specialist, Survey Section,
Planning and Surveying Department, Dubai Municipality, UAE



Abstract
The Planning and Survey Department (PSD) of Dubai Municipality has recently completed a project of thematic mapping of the Emirate using satellite images and remote sensing techniques. The main objectives of the project is the creation of a geo-database for thematic information including land use / land cover, soil, geology, vegetation, natural drainage, etc which can be incorporated in the existing Planning Support System. In this geo-database, graphics showing the various types of themes including polygons, polylines, points, and annotation as well as the relevant attributes are given. From this geo-database thematic maps at 1:15,000 scales and smaller, which comply with the USGS standards, are produced. Remote sensing, Digital Image Processing, Geographic Information System technologies are employed to derive scientific information used in describing, understanding, and modeling Thematic geo-database and producing thematic maps for natural resources in Dubai Emirates.

The major component of the work in this project has been to prepare the geo-database of all themes for Dubai Emirate to facilitate production of maps at 1:250000 scale. Based on the study of geology , geomorphology and structure , the geomorphic anomaly , structure and drainage anomaly are demarcated for mineral and oil / gas prospective zone. The ground water prospective zone is demarcated from lithology, structure, geomorphology and field data . The digital data analysis and GIS techniques are also used to decipher the probable zone for the occurrence of mineral, oil / gas and ground water. The lithology, geomorphology and structural maps will be integrated to generate hydro-geomorphological map. The hydro-geomorphic characterization depends on the existing well data like total depth, yield , water table depth and precipitation status of aquifer etc and the ground observation of well for fixing up the quantified range. For vegetation, considering the majority of natural vegetation being low productive and degraded, crown density of woody vegetation (tree vegetation) is delineated at 20% density levels using the IRS P6 Monochrome/IRS 1D PAN data. Based on the crown density interval followed the attribute code is added accordingly at the end of the vegetation type code. The average stand height information based on ground data is also provided for the major vegetation type. The paper gives details of the work done: methodology, geo-database design description and samples of various thematic maps produced.