Sensoriamento remoto de alta resolução espacial na caracterização de assentamentos informais

Abstract

The accelerated process of urban development in Brazil sometimes generates social and environmental vulnerability through spontaneous settlements, which are inhabited by low-income populations. Informal settlements are physical manifestations of urban poverty and intra-urban inequality. This generalization in underdeveloped countries is related to the process of “poverty urbanization”. Remote sensing provides a spatial view of the city and the temporal processes that impact the environment and degrade the quality of urban life. This kind of information is essential for providinge base-line information for urban decision makers. The present work aims to establish a methodology based on object-oriented analysis, applied to high spatial resolution satellite images (QuickBird) in order to characterize informal settlements. The introduction includes a theoretical discussion on urbanization and informal settlements. The study was conducted in the Ipes neighborhood in the Joao Pessoa district of the Paraiba State, Brazil. The total area classifi ed as substandard settlements was 29,342 m², which represents 1.6% of the total area of this neighborhood. The methodology proved to be effective in identifying irregular areas, and is an important tool for cadastral information updating and urban planning.