A Comparative Analysis of Spatial Resolution Sentinel-2 and Pleiades Imagery for Mapping Urban Tree Species

Fabio Recanatesi, Antonietta De Santis, Lorenzo Gatti, Alessio Patriarca (), Eros Caputi, Giulia Mancini, Chiara Iavarone, Carlo Maria Rossi, Gabriele Delogu, Miriam Perretta, Lorenzo Boccia and Maria Nicolina Ripa
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Fabio Recanatesi: Department of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences (DAFNE), University of Tuscia, Via S. Camillo de Lellis, 8, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
Antonietta De Santis: Department of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences (DAFNE), University of Tuscia, Via S. Camillo de Lellis, 8, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
Lorenzo Gatti: Department of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences (DAFNE), University of Tuscia, Via S. Camillo de Lellis, 8, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
Alessio Patriarca: Department of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences (DAFNE), University of Tuscia, Via S. Camillo de Lellis, 8, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
Eros Caputi: Department of Economics, Engineering, Society and Business Organization (DEIM), University of Tuscia, Via 6 del Paradiso, 47, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
Giulia Mancini: Department of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences (DAFNE), University of Tuscia, Via S. Camillo de Lellis, 8, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
Chiara Iavarone: Department of Economics, Engineering, Society and Business Organization (DEIM), University of Tuscia, Via 6 del Paradiso, 47, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
Carlo Maria Rossi: Department of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences (DAFNE), University of Tuscia, Via S. Camillo de Lellis, 8, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
Gabriele Delogu: Department of Economics, Engineering, Society and Business Organization (DEIM), University of Tuscia, Via 6 del Paradiso, 47, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
Miriam Perretta: Department of Architecture, University of Naples Federico II, Via Forno Vecchio, 36, 80134 Naples, Italy
Lorenzo Boccia: Department of Architecture, University of Naples Federico II, Via Forno Vecchio, 36, 80134 Naples, Italy
Maria Nicolina Ripa: Department of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences (DAFNE), University of Tuscia, Via S. Camillo de Lellis, 8, 01100 Viterbo, Italy

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-24

Abstract: Urbanization poses significant challenges to ecosystems, resources, and human well-being, necessitating sustainable planning. Urban vegetation, particularly trees, provides critical ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, air quality improvement, and biodiversity conservation. Traditional tree assessments are resource-intensive and time-consuming. Recent advances in remote sensing, especially high-resolution multispectral imagery and object-based image analysis (OBIA), offer efficient alternatives for mapping urban vegetation. This study evaluates and compares the efficacy of Sentinel-2 and Pléiades satellite imagery in classifying tree species within historic urban parks in Rome—Villa Borghese, Villa Ada Savoia, and Villa Doria Pamphilj. Pléiades imagery demonstrated superior classification accuracy, achieving an overall accuracy (OA) of 89% and a Kappa index of 0.84 in Villa Ada Savoia, compared to Sentinel-2’s OA of 66% and Kappa index of 0.47. Specific tree species, such as Pinus pinea (Stone Pine), reached a user accuracy (UA) of 84% with Pléiades versus 53% with Sentinel-2. These insights underscore the potential of integrating high-resolution remote sensing data into urban forestry practices to support sustainable urban management and planning.

Keywords: urban forest; Sentinel-2; Pleiades; object-based image analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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