Analysis on Urbanized Areas with MIVIS Techniques. An Application at Pomezia (RM)

This paper is aimed at investigating a portion of the territory of the Municipality of Pomezia (Rome) by means of remotely sensed data. The airborne MIVIS (Multispectral Infrared and Visible Imaging Spectrometer) imagery was acquired from an altitude of 1500 m. The high spectral and good spatial resolution of the MIVIS sensor allowed to provide important information helping us study and better understand complex and diversified situations, such as anthropized areas. The site taken into consideration for this study belongs to the city of Pomezia. Founded more than 70 years ago as rural suburb, Pomezia has become an important industrial district of Lazio Region thanks to its location near Rome and to the fund for the development of Southern Italy. This led to a massive industrialization up to the 90s, a period when industrial activities and urban areas evolved very rapidly, in part without a urban planning, followed by a progressive de-industrialization process which is still under way. MIVIS data processing technique, through the classification of objects and materials within urban areas, allowed us to discriminate, with a good level of detail, the distribution of the different spectral classes. Moreover, from a first reading of the View Statistics Files, we can deduce considerations on the evolution of the territory, emphasizing some important environmental aspects, such as the diffuse waterproofing of soils. In fact, we can notice a situation of messy urban and industrial areas growth with high percentages of waterproofed surfaces, impossible or difficult to reverse. This is a serious environmental issue which led to the loss of vegetation surfaces, increasing negative effects both on the biodiversity and landscape quality which bring about the dissipation of valuable resources that will represent a serious concern for the environment.