Mapping of Sealing in Berlin (SenStadt)

A hybrid mapping approach is developed for the Berlin Senate Department of Urban Development. The method is based on high resolution satellite images and other spatial data with the objective to provide a homogeneous, accurate, and reproducible sealing map for the entire city.
An operational and cost-effective approach is developed to map the degree of sealing in urban areas. In addition to multi-spectral SPOT 5 data, geo-data from the Berlin Digital Environmental Atlas, the information system "Stadt und Umwelt" (ISU), and the digital cadastral map ("Automatisierte Liegenschaftskarte" - ALK) are integrated into the classification process. The census blocks of Berlin derived from the ISU are used as reference units.
An extensive accuracy assessment is performed to estimate the absolute accuracy of the resulting sealing map. Furthermore, an alternative SPOT 5 satellite scene is used to evaluate the repeatability and reliability of the developed approach. The quality assessment showed high accuracy levels.
The method is general enough to work with various satellite data with a spatial resolution of 4 m to 10 m. The high level of automation guarantees a fast operation, even for large datasets. The derived map will be integrated in the ISU of Berlin for updating the present sealing map.