Analysis and estimation of the forest cover of an urban area using the NDVI index of the Sentinelhub portal

Abstract

This study focuses on the forest cover of three districts in the urban area of the province of Andahuaylas, Apurímac region, Peru, which is facing deforestation problems. The objective was to determine the forest cover in the urban area of the province of Andahuaylas until 2030, to reveal future scenarios of forest cover, contributing to the development of urban planning and the creation of sustainable cities. For the study area, data recorded between the years 2017-2023 were used, based on NDVI images from the Sentinelhub portal. This allowed for the availability of information on tropical and temperate forests, shrubs and grasslands, arid rock zones, and urban or artificial areas that have changed due to the urbanization process. The forest surfaces in the study area were determined. Subsequently, linear regression was used with a p-value = 0,046, reaching an R2 of 0,583 in a medium range, managing to estimate future forest scenarios by 2030. It is concluded that the trend is decreasing in forest cover by 26,50% by the year 2030.

Keywords

• forest cover
• satellite images
• ndvi index