CHANGE DETECTION STUDY OF KUWAIT-CITY AND ENVIRONS USING MULTITEMPORAL LANDSAT THEMATIC MAPPER DATA

Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) images acquired on 17 February 1986, and 28 February, 1993, respectively, were used to demonstrate their useful ness for both surface/spectral mapping and temporal change detection i n Kuwait City and environs. High pass spatial filters with a relativel y large kernel (201 pixels by 201 pixels) were used to enhance high fr equency information in both the bright desert and dark urban areas. Th e filtered results were edge enhanced to sharpen the local textural in formation. Colour composites were made for analyses using the TM bands -2, -3, -4 and -2, -4, -7. The two multi-temporal images were geometr ically and radiometrically calibrated to each other and used as input to an automatic change detection procedure. The 'change image' composi te, made from the individual change image results generated using TM b ands -2, -4, and -7, detected and mapped temporal changes dealing with urban development, vegetation, coastal wetlands, and sand sheet surfa ce differences caused by the large oil spill that occurred during the 1991 Gulf War at the Greater Burgan oil field.