Mapping the spatial distribution of exposed coal sites over a large territory and ensuring temporal continuity is essential for environmental assessment. It helps identify relationships between coal mining activities and environmental issues such as water pollution from coal contamination or air pollution from particulate matter in the coastal area of Ha Long - Cam Pha. The carbon index has proven to be an effortless yet effective technique. It is calculated using the spectral ratio between two shortwave infrared bands (Band 11 - SWIR1 and Band 12 - SWIR2) of Sentinel-2 imagery. The selection of an appropriate carbon threshold value - used to distinguish exposed coal from other land cover types, particularly urban areas - was validated through visual interpretation of high-resolution satellite images from the Google Earth dataset. This approach, leveraging Sentinel-2 imagery with higher spatial resolution, differs from previous studies that applied complex algorithms or multiple spectral indicators to lower-resolution images for exposed coal site detection. The results, with an overall accuracy of 87.35% and a Kappa coefficient of 0.73, provide valuable support for monitoring and managing natural resource exploitation. Additionally, this method identifies illegal coal mines and seawater contamination, aiding in coal industry management, etc. These findings lay a crucial foundation for assessing the environmental impact of coal mining activities and proposing solutions for ecological restoration in coastal areas where diverse and complex socio-economic activities occur.

The widespread availability of satellite imagery data has enabled advancements in Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) and Urban Fabric (UF) mapping through deep learning. However, maintaining up-to-date urban land cover maps is challenged by the high cost and operational constraints of continuous field data collection. This study explores the feasibility of updating urban LULC maps using SITS-based semantic segmentation models trained on historical data, specifically examining a transfer scenario where a model trained on 2015 data is applied to 2020 imagery. We benchmark the performance of two convolution-based architectures (Unet and Unet3D), plus a recent spatio-temporal transformer-based approach (TSViT) and a proposed variant, named TSViT+SW, which incorporates a shifted window attention scheme. Experimental evaluations covering the urban area of Lyon, France, reveal that the proposed TSViT+SW model achieves the best results among transferred models, minimizing performance degradation compared to the ideal in-year training scenario. This work offers insights into the potential and limitations of using historical data to update urban land cover in the absence of fresh labeled data.

Socio-economic development has promoted the modification of land cover patterns in the coastal area of Ha Long, Cam Pha cities since the 1990s. The urban growth, together with intensive coal mining activities, has improved the life quality of residents. However, it has also caused many environmental problems in this region. Change detection techniques based on post-classification comparison were applied for monitoring the spatial and temporal evolution of land covers. The confusion matrix for 2001 and 2019 showed high overall accuracy (97.99%, 94.95%) and Kappa coefficient (0.97, 0.92), respectively. Statistics from classified images have revealed that man-made features increased by about 15.32%, while natural features, mangrove jungles, and water bodies decreased 10.64%, 1.96%, 2.72%, respectively, and urban evolution presents various dynamics, soft in the first period (1991–2001), but stronger in the second period (2001–2019) with different characteristics. The study also expresses the constraint of topographic and geologic resources, which have prevented the urban development in this coastal area. Such obtained results are very important for understanding interactions and relations between natural and human phenomena and they may help authorities by providing indicators and maps able to highlight necessary actions for sustainable development.

This communication intends to promote an ex-post methodology to systematically document coupled trajectories between environmental sciences and planning. While specific institutional arrangements facilitate collaborative practices in long-term socio-environmental observatories, the collaboration mechanisms are still poorly documented and some framework developments are needed for capitalization studies. To fill this gap, we propose an approach to trace, illustrate and evaluate interactive activities between researchers and managers. We proposed the Systemic Timeline Multistep (STM) methodology on the basis of a typical case-study, the coastal Thau catchment (south of France), where societal challenges emerged from water-related issues. First we propose a conceptual framework of the collaborative process: the system under study is composed of bundles of research and development projects, which forms a given sociotechnical configuration that fulfill specific functions. The trajectory is marked by the succession of relatively stable periods, globally oriented by transitions. Second, we implement this framework on past environmental projects through a diachronic and dialectic approach: the objective is to characterize regimes (driving mechanisms of interactive arrangements) and identify transitions in the trajectory (triggers and impacts of regime shift). The multi-step methodology is divided in: define spatial and temporal system boundaries, list and contextualize all projects, represent the dynamics of projects and events, and analyze the overall pathway (relate projects’ role to context variables). The implementation of the methodology on the Thau case study helps rapidly visualize research activities and their interactions with water management and broader governance and societal events through time. Both research and practice communities were bridged in the frame of specific governance instruments dedicated to lagoon water quality, which ‘sanitary crises’ required interventions across public policies and sustained interactions with knowledge production. It points out the role of technical infrastructures (monitoring and modelling of water fluxes) on water quality and related-activities, and it highlights the importance of boundary works for integrated planning (coastal zone, land and water). Finally, the STM methodology supports the characterization of interdependencies between water fluxes characterization, water management and water uses. Exploring the impacts of information system on collaborative mechanisms may provide place-based reflexive insights on governance approaches in long-term research platforms.

Le projet HYEP (ANR HYEP 14-CE22-0016-01 HYperspectral imagery for Environmental urban Planning - Programme Mobilité et systèmes urbains - 2014) a permis de confirmer l’intérêt d’une approche globale du milieu urbain par télédétection et notamment en utilisant l’imagerie hyperspectrale (IH). L’intérêt des images hyperspectrales réside dans la gamme d’informations fournies sur des longueurs d’onde de 0,4 à 4 μm ; elles fournissent ainsi un accès aux grandeurs spectrales d'intérêt et aux paramètres chimiques ou biophysiques de la surface. HYEP avait pour objectif de préciser ceci et de proposer un panel de méthodes et de traitements en tenant compte des caractéristiques des autres capteurs existants afin d’en comparer les performances. Les développements réalisés ont été appliqués et évalués sur des images aéroportées hyperspectrales acquises sur Toulouse (France) et Kaunas (Lituania), utilisées également pour synthétiser des systèmes spatiaux : Sentinel-2, Hypxim/Biodiversity et Pleiades. Parmi les verrous identifiés, ceux liés à l'amélioration des capacités spatiales des capteurs et aux changements d’échelle spatiale ont été en partie levés par des approches de fusion, qui se sont avérées concluantes. Des méthodes d’extraction, de fusion ou de classification ont été appliquées à différentes résolutions spatiales afin de qualifier les gains et la complémentarité de l’IH par rapport à d’autres capteurs. Ces évaluations ont ainsi porté sur des « objets » d’intérêt pour les gestionnaires et aménageurs du milieu urbain : les surfaces imperméables, la végétation ou encore la détection de panneaux solaires.

This paper proposes a contribution to tackle urban sanitation issues giving some hindsight on a place-based science-practice collaborative project. Insights from a French public service in charge of On-site Wastewater Treatment Systems (OWTS) highlighted the need to deepen the understanding of soil infiltration assessments and to clarify their relation to some misunderstandings between actors. The initial aim was to explore how a knowledge based approach can offer an original perspective to historical "septic tanks" and overcome technical and organizational difficulties. In this work we consider OWTS as hybrid infrastructures necessary to collect, transport, treat and dispose of domestic wastewater on the plot where it is generated. We suppose that OWTS adaptive management (sludge not included) offer many opportunities regarding water circulation (ecological function), infrastructure diversity (redundancy), and soil-based decision making (spatial planning). The main objective of this paper is to document the French sociotechnical configuration through the interplay between soil and water actors, OWTS technics and local institutions. The originality is to look at OWTS through the lens systemic perspective of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS). We first contextualize OWTS implementation and planning by presenting technical design studies (water-soil interactions, indicators assessment) and the diversity and capacity of actors. Second, we build on the application of a soil-based methodology in a peri-urban district to provide a place-based outlook on the influence of soil infiltration rates variability in day-to-day management. While the current consideration given to soil infiltration rate in OWTS design studies created a situation of conflicts and contestations between actors, a sociotechnical transition is taking place with new regulations and innovative energy-driven device. Moreover, collective infrastructure for domestic wastewater is currently challenged by densification constraints in metropolitan areas (urban sprawl regulation). As a consequence, resolving binding measures for indicators assessment would support OWTS integration into mainstream urban development. Careful investigation of soil hydraulic functions is thus a steppingstone in the search for an adaptive strategy both at the plot and the neighborhood scales. Not only OWTS are opportunities to support the adaptive management process in the water sector, but OWTS have also the potential to improve soil-based decision-making in urban areas. Finally, valuating OWTS as useful NBS for wastewater management in urban areas supports the evaluation of soil capacities to deliver ecosystem services and contributes to justify land-use changes on a functional knowledge basis.

Purpose: Both perceived and objectively-measured attributes of the built environment have been related to active transport. They do not refer, however, to the same construct: objective measurements provide an inventory of a neighborhood?s active-friendly attributes, while the perceptions of individuals refer to their appraisal of their neighborhood opportunities for active travel. Both aspects are complementary in explaining active transport. This study examines the independent associations of perceived and objective environmental attributes with active transport, and whether perceptions moderate the objectively-measured environment active transport relationship. Methods: Based on a sample of 2670 participants from the NutriNet-Sante? Study (France), we examined (i) the concordance between perceptions and objective measurements of residentialbased environmental attributes using kappa statistics, (ii) the associations between perceived and objectively-measured attributes and active transport by trip purpose (commuting and errand) using zero-inflated negative-binomial regressions, and (iii) the potential moderation effect of perceptions on the associations between objectively-measured environmental attributes and active transport. Information related to demographics, perceptions and transport modes was collected in 2013. Results: A poor to fair level of agreement was observed between perceived , objectively -measured environmental attributes; both were associated with active transport for commuting and errands. Environmental correlates differed between the likelihood to engage in active transport and the time spent in transport. Perceptions positively moderated the associations be-tween active transport and objectively-measured walkability and access to facilities. The differ-ences in predicted active transport time between a high versus low perception of the environmental attributes for a given neighborhood ranged from 20 to 55 min for active commuting , from 84 to 37 min for active transport for errands. Conclusion: Associations between objectively-measured environmental attributes and active transport are dependent on individuals' perceptions of opportunities provided by their residential neighborhood. Increasing individuals' awareness of active-friendly environmental attributes may be crucial for enhancing active transport.

The world experiences a phenomenon of accelerated urbanization since the last century to our day that poses several problems, in particular natural environment. The oasis ecosystem in Biskra is threatened or even degraded due to accelerated urban growth in recent decades. This urbanization, which takes place at the expense of the palm grove, has led to the loss of a very large number of palm trees. This prompts reflection on solutions for its sustainability. We suppose that using GIS tools helps in measuring the losses in terms of palms number in the oasis of Biskra, then we can use these founds to improve the ecosystem oasis and to reduce the urbanization impact. The goal of this work is to find a tool that helps in improving the oasis ecosystem in Biskra and corresponds to its context. Also, it attempts to prove that GIS are useful for measuring the impact of urbanization on the oasis of Biskra. The results show that using the palm modular in GIS helps to define the ratio palm number/inhabitant which is a tool that may contribute in improving the oasis ecosystem in arid and hot regions.

Environmental research and management organizations are mutually dependent when it comes to produce and use knowledge in favor of responsible action in an increasingly uncertain world. Still, science and practice interfacing remains a challenge when it comes to implementing and sustaining a collaborative process. In this paper, we develop a descriptive framework to study the coevolution of scientific and planning activities embedded in a territorial system. Scientists and managers dynamically interact through institutional arrangements, operationalization of knowledge and information and communication tools. We propose an approach to systematically document transdisciplinary pathways and characterize the bounding process between organizations on a typical case-study, the coastal Thau territoire (Mediterranean Sea, France). By tracing, illustrating and analyzing coupled trajectories of environmental sciences and planning for the last decades, the Systemic Timeline Multistep methodology tackles cross-fertilization mechanisms. The relational analysis draws on the elaboration of a synchronic timeline to question co-evolution and grasp causal mechanisms of research projects interactions with management pathways. Its application on the Thau territoire shows that scientific activities and public actions shaped each other in a continuous process of interaction. It also gives insights into the contributive roles of long-term place-based research and intermediate organizations for the emergence of new sociotechnical arrangements.

Optical remote sensing can contribute to biodiversity monitoring and species composition mapping in tropical forests. Inferring ecological information from canopy reflectance is complex and data availability suitable to such a task is limiting, which makes simulation tools particularly important in this context. We explored the capability of the 3D radiative transfer model DART (Discrete Anisotropic Radiative Transfer) to simulate top of canopy reflectance acquired with airborne imaging spectroscopy in a complex tropical forest, and to reproduce spectral dissimilarity within and among species, as well as species discrimination based on spectral information. We focused on two factors contributing to these canopy reflectance properties: the horizontal variability in leaf optical properties (LOP) and the fraction of non-photosynthetic vegetation (NPVf). The variability in LOP was induced by changes in leaf pigment content, and defined for each pixel based on a hybrid approach combining radiative transfer modeling and spectral indices. The influence of LOP variability on simulated reflectance was tested by considering variability at species, individual tree crown and pixel level. We incorporated NPVf into simulations following two approaches, either considering NPVf as a part of wood area density in each voxel or using leaf brown pigments. We validated the different scenarios by comparing simulated scenes with experimental airborne imaging spectroscopy using statistical metrics, spectral dissimilarity (within crowns, within species, and among species dissimilarity) and supervised classification for species discrimination. The simulation of NPVf based on leaf brown pigments resulted in the closest match between measured and simulated canopy reflectance. The definition of LOP at pixel level resulted in conservation of the spectral dissimilarity and expected performances for species discrimination. Therefore, we recommend future research on forest biodiversity using physical modeling of remote-sensing data to account for LOP variability within crowns and species. Our simulation framework could contribute to better understanding of performances of species discrimination and the relationship between spectral variations and taxonomic and functional dimensions of biodiversity. This work contributes to the improved integration of physical modeling tools for applications, focusing on remotely sensed monitoring of biodiversity in complex ecosystems, for current sensors, and for the preparation of future multispectral and hyperspectral satellite missions.

Land subsidence occurs in Ha Long and Cam Pha cities due to human activities in which the underground coal mining exploitation plays a crucial responsibility. For mapping the spatial distribution of this phenomenon and monitoring its evolution over the time, the Persistent Scatterer Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PSInSAR) approach was applied to 56 Sentinel-1A images, captured from June 2015 to June 2019. This approach allows monitoring ground displacement by continuously measuring the position of objects that persistently scatter radar beams. This interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) technique extracts deformation signals and it can be applied to areas where the discontinuous land subsidence is occurring. The mean land subsidence velocity map shows that two principal areas in Ha Long city including Ha Lam, Ha Trung, Ha Khanh, and Ha Tu wards, and Cam Pha city, specifically Mong Duong ward have been subsided in recent years with the maximum velocity of 14.5 mm year(-1) and a cumulative displacement ranging from 30 to 50 mm in the Line Of Sight (LOS) direction over 4 years. Field investigation recognized the direct impact of this phenomenon on houses, infrastructures, and natural features located above the underground coal mining utilities. This hazard has a close relationship with the exploiting process of coal seams, which alternately lay inside the sedimentary layers of the Hon Gai formation.

The distribution of urban ecosystem services (UES) is often uneven across socioeconomic groups, leading to environmental justice issues. Understanding the distribution of UES across a landscape can help managers ensure an equitable distribution of services. While many past studies have focused on the distribution of green spaces in relation to socioeconomic variables, this research analyzes the distribution of UES provided by these green spaces. This research quantified air pollution removal, atmospheric carbon reduction, and surface runoff mitigation provided by urban trees in Strasbourg city (France). The provision of these three UES was studied at the census block scale by creating an index of UES delivery, which was contrasted with a constructed social deprivation index. Our results show that there is no significant association between the delivery of UES and social deprivation. Some deprived populations benefit from high UES delivery. Results also suggest that mapping associations between UES delivery and social deprivation should be integrated with future development plans to enhance the equitable distribution of UES. This study provides insights into the French context where studies about the distribution of UES at a small-area level remain lacking.

This chapter aims at presenting thematic applications of hyperspectral imagery related to human activities. This chapter is a companion of Chapter 3.1 in which four applications related to monitoring of natural resources or inspection of scenes were presented.

As urban population increases, cities face a dilemma on one hand, the horizontal growth causes devastating effects on the environment, and on the other hand, vertical growth leads to a decrease in the quality of life of citizens and causes a variety of mental illnesses. This dilemma has left city managers with a complex puzzle: a city that must be able to accommodate more people with minimal interference ensuring their optimum quality of life. This research presents the idea of multifunctional urban space design as a solution to the mentioned problem. The definition of multifunctional spaces in this research has been investigated using its definition in agriculture and environmental studies. The hypothesis of this research is based on the fact that the comprehensive definition can take a new perspective on urban design, improving the functional performance of existing urban spaces and thus reducing the need to build new facilities while maintaining the quality of life in dense cities. The research method is qualitative and based on bibliographic studies. First, the notion of functional performance and multifunctional space definition are examined in disciplines that produce a more specific interpretation of the subject, and then the definition of concepts is extended to urban design and urban space, highlighted and discussed.

Among the pressures introduced by urbanization, artificial light at night (ALAN) can be problematic, particularly for nocturnal species. Populations of European hamsters ( Cricetus cricetus ) have dramatically decreased in France since 1972 because of habitat loss due to urbanisation and changes in agricultural methods. The conservation project Life Alister aims to increase the abundance of this species in suburban areas via hamster release. However, the success of this population-restoration project may be compromised due to the possible effects of ALAN on the daily and seasonal cycles and behaviour of this nocturnal species. To understand how hamsters may respond to relocation, we experimentally studied the impact of ALAN on hamster foraging, a decisive behaviour for survival in natural habitats. This study assessed the behavioural responses of 18 animals when choosing between two food sources of different palatability in two different lighting conditions: artificial light (4 or 40 lux) or darkness. Our results show that hamsters avoided lighting that mimics suburban streetlights, particularly when grooming. Moreover, this study reveals that hamsters do not avoid street-lit areas when highly palatable food is present, suggesting they would be more susceptible to predation under these circumstances. Our results suggest that the adverse effects of ALAN on the behaviour of hamsters released on the outskirts of developed suburban areas could be limited by restricting the number of street lights, moderating the intensity of street lighting, or switching lights off during the hours hamsters are most active. We further recommend that wildlife managers avoid planting plants that are highly palatable to hamsters close to lighting in suburban areas to limit the risk of predation for this species.

In this work we introduce and evaluate a deep learning model, mbCNN, that combines together satellite imagery and Volunteer Geographical Information (VGI) data to deal with different types of built-up surfaces. Differently from most of the previous works that only consider Urban/Non-Urban settings involving only one urban LULC class, here, we investigate the possibility to go a step further and distinguish among several urban land use classes: residential, industrial, sport fields and non-urban. Experiments on a real-world dataset covering the City of Montpellier (South of France) site are reported. Such results demonstrate the quality of Deep Learning approaches to deal with several types of Urban LULC mapping as well as the positive influence to integrate VGI knowledge in the process.

Le changement de paradigme vers la tres haute resolution spatiale (THRS) a ete realise en douceur tout au moins au debut. L’amelioration de la resolution spatiale devait aboutir a une meilleure adequation entre la realite et sa representation pixellaire. On allait pouvoir cartographier, analyser suivre dans le temps les dynamiques des paysages, et plus particulierement le volet urbain qui enfin se devoilerait. La recherche urbaine a-t-elle ete reellement plus performante ? L’image est-elle devenue un element de prise de decision ? Quels sont les impacts de cette revolution numerique auxquels nous faisons face ? Les enjeux sont plus nombreux mais sommes-nous mieux armes pour proposer quelques solutions ? La transition numerique actuelle nous offre la possibilite d’un regard sur les dernieres evolutions qu’il serait interessant d’etudier.