Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

GEE-based environmental monitoring and phenology correlation investigation using Support Vector Regression

Dezfooli, Fatemeh Parto ; Valadan Zoej, Mohammad Javad ; Mansourian, Ali LU orcid ; Youssefi, Fahimeh and Pirasteh, Saied (2025) In Remote Sensing Applications: Society and Environment 37.
Abstract

Environmental changes over time and across different regions profoundly affect agriculture, forestry, water management, public health, and ecosystems. Therefore, monitoring these fluctuations is crucial for informing decision-making and developing strategies for long-term sustainability. While ground-based methods provide valuable insights into environmental dynamics, they are inherently limited in scope and coverage. Consequently, satellite-based techniques have become essential for comprehensive ecological monitoring over extensive spatial and temporal scales. This study investigates spatio-temporal patterns of environmental factors and their correlation with phenology in Ilam Province, Iran, from 2014 to 2021, utilizing remote... (More)

Environmental changes over time and across different regions profoundly affect agriculture, forestry, water management, public health, and ecosystems. Therefore, monitoring these fluctuations is crucial for informing decision-making and developing strategies for long-term sustainability. While ground-based methods provide valuable insights into environmental dynamics, they are inherently limited in scope and coverage. Consequently, satellite-based techniques have become essential for comprehensive ecological monitoring over extensive spatial and temporal scales. This study investigates spatio-temporal patterns of environmental factors and their correlation with phenology in Ilam Province, Iran, from 2014 to 2021, utilizing remote sensing data and Google Earth Engine (GEE). Landsat 8 satellite data was used to generate time series maps and timelines for land cover, temperature, and soil moisture, using the Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI), Land Surface Temperature (LST) anomaly, and Soil Moisture Index (SMI). Subsequently, the Temporal Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Phenology Index (TSPI) was calculated to track annual vegetation variations and analyze its correlation with the specified parameters using Support Vector Regression (SVR). Our results revealed significant trends in environmental factors, highlighting robust correlations with the TSPI. Soil moisture peaked in late winter and early spring, declining during the summer, with the highest levels recorded in 2018. Vegetation reached its maximum density in mid-spring and its minimum in winter, with a notable greening surge observed in 2019. Temperatures were highest in summer and lowest in winter, showing minimal year-to-year variation. Spatial analysis indicated a consistent increase in land surface temperature from the northeast toward the southwest, corresponding to declines in vegetation and soil moisture levels. Regression analysis specified strong associations between the TSPI and environmental variables, with R-squared values of 0.83 for LST, 0.86 for SAVI, and 0.79 for SMI. These findings emphasize the effectiveness of remote sensing methods, such as time series satellite imagery and streamlined indices, for large-scale ecological analyses using the GEE platform and underscore the potential of TSPI as a proper indicator for future environmental management research.

(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Environmental monitoring, Google Earth Engine (GEE), Phenological index, Remote sensing, Support Vector Regression (SVR)
in
Remote Sensing Applications: Society and Environment
volume
37
article number
101445
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85214348567
ISSN
2352-9385
DOI
10.1016/j.rsase.2024.101445
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
27413aa1-4507-4e2a-a0c9-c71ad8ad7a80
date added to LUP
2025-03-25 14:39:29
date last changed
2025-04-04 14:53:56
@article{27413aa1-4507-4e2a-a0c9-c71ad8ad7a80,
  abstract     = {{<p>Environmental changes over time and across different regions profoundly affect agriculture, forestry, water management, public health, and ecosystems. Therefore, monitoring these fluctuations is crucial for informing decision-making and developing strategies for long-term sustainability. While ground-based methods provide valuable insights into environmental dynamics, they are inherently limited in scope and coverage. Consequently, satellite-based techniques have become essential for comprehensive ecological monitoring over extensive spatial and temporal scales. This study investigates spatio-temporal patterns of environmental factors and their correlation with phenology in Ilam Province, Iran, from 2014 to 2021, utilizing remote sensing data and Google Earth Engine (GEE). Landsat 8 satellite data was used to generate time series maps and timelines for land cover, temperature, and soil moisture, using the Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI), Land Surface Temperature (LST) anomaly, and Soil Moisture Index (SMI). Subsequently, the Temporal Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Phenology Index (TSPI) was calculated to track annual vegetation variations and analyze its correlation with the specified parameters using Support Vector Regression (SVR). Our results revealed significant trends in environmental factors, highlighting robust correlations with the TSPI. Soil moisture peaked in late winter and early spring, declining during the summer, with the highest levels recorded in 2018. Vegetation reached its maximum density in mid-spring and its minimum in winter, with a notable greening surge observed in 2019. Temperatures were highest in summer and lowest in winter, showing minimal year-to-year variation. Spatial analysis indicated a consistent increase in land surface temperature from the northeast toward the southwest, corresponding to declines in vegetation and soil moisture levels. Regression analysis specified strong associations between the TSPI and environmental variables, with R-squared values of 0.83 for LST, 0.86 for SAVI, and 0.79 for SMI. These findings emphasize the effectiveness of remote sensing methods, such as time series satellite imagery and streamlined indices, for large-scale ecological analyses using the GEE platform and underscore the potential of TSPI as a proper indicator for future environmental management research.</p>}},
  author       = {{Dezfooli, Fatemeh Parto and Valadan Zoej, Mohammad Javad and Mansourian, Ali and Youssefi, Fahimeh and Pirasteh, Saied}},
  issn         = {{2352-9385}},
  keywords     = {{Environmental monitoring; Google Earth Engine (GEE); Phenological index; Remote sensing; Support Vector Regression (SVR)}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Remote Sensing Applications: Society and Environment}},
  title        = {{GEE-based environmental monitoring and phenology correlation investigation using Support Vector Regression}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rsase.2024.101445}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.rsase.2024.101445}},
  volume       = {{37}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}