Monitoring of Open-Pit Mining Areas Using Landsat Series Imagery (1984–2023) and Cloud Processing

Pau Montero, Edgardo Bustos, Joan-Cristian Padró and Vicenç Carabassa ()
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Pau Montero: Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF), E08193 Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Spain
Edgardo Bustos: Facultat de Ciències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, E08193 Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Spain
Joan-Cristian Padró: Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya (ICGC), Parc de Montjuïc, E08038 Barcelona, Spain
Vicenç Carabassa: Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF), E08193 Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Spain

Land, 2024, vol. 13, issue 8, 1-11

Abstract: While open-pit mining activities represent one of the human-derived most impactful land cover changes, these changes and the linked restoration processes can be challenging to assess. This article presents a reproducible methodology carried out with cloud processing of satellite images (Google Earth Engine (GEE)) to evaluate the evolution of open-pit mining activities and their restoration in a Mediterranean landscape. For this purpose, the calculation of the normalized differential vegetation index (NDVI) was used to obtain a quantitative parameter to monitor vegetation presence in each extractive area. To validate these results, confusion matrices were performed between the classification obtained in the study and the official land cover mapping, using randomly selected mining areas as test points, with an average accuracy of 88%. According to the methodology used, the surface of areas denuded by mining in the period 1984–2023 has fluctuated over time, with a maximum in 2005 coinciding with the peak of the Spanish construction boom, and a subsequent decrease towards the present. From these results, it can be concluded that Landsat-type data processed using GEE provide a quick and useful tool for monitoring the evolution of mining activity, including restoration trends, becoming particularly valuable for public bodies’ inspections or decision making.

Keywords: GEE; open-pit mining; mineral extraction evolution; integrated restoration; NDVI (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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