Geospatial Science for Urban Ecosystems: Insights from India and Beyond

Cities are hubs of economic, innovative, and cultural activity and drivers of global progress, but their rapid expansion presents formidable challenges to the environment, infrastructure, and the well-being of their inhabitants. Consequently, the study of urban ecosystems has emerged as a crucial field that necessitates transcending disciplinary boundaries to address the relationships between natural and built environments that profoundly shape the lives of billions.

Geospatial science, encompassing technologies such as GIS, remote sensing, satellite imagery, and GPS, offers indispensable tools for comprehending, managing, and thriving within urban environments. This book examines the pivotal role of geospatial science in monitoring urban landscapes and managing city-specific challenges. Rich with illustrations of fundamental concepts and case studies of urban ecosystems, with a notable emphasis on India, contributions highlight practical applications of geospatial tools in urban planning and climate change mitigation. As a collaborative, interdisciplinary endeavor from diverse contributors, this book serves as a repository of wide-ranging perspectives, theories, and methodologies, inspiring critical inquiry and innovative problem-solving. 

P K Joshi is Professor, School of Environmental Sciences (SES), and Former Chairperson, Special Centre for Disaster Research (SCDR), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi. His research is focused on environmental studies, with a specialization in landscape characterization and climate change analysis. He has immensely contributed to understanding geosphere and biosphere interactions. His present research work contributes to assessing impact and vulnerability of climate change and disaster risk reduction. He has spent more than two decades actively contributing to a wide range of training, research, and academic programmes in the field of geospatial analysis. He possesses a scholastic record coupled with strong leadership skills and networking capabilities. He has made significant contribution as a 'Scientific Administrator', and in promoting 'Scientific Research' inter-alia through education, research publications and outreach activities.

Susanta Mahato is an Assistant Professor in the Department of General and Applied Geography at Dr. Harisingh Gour Vishwavidyalaya (A Central University), India. Dr. Mahato is a Dr. D.S. Kothari Postdoctoral Fellow (India), a Fellow of the Helmholtz Information & Data Science Academy (Germany), and an International Excellence Fellow at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Germany). His expertise spans land-atmosphere interactions, remote sensing, and urban climate dynamics. His work integrates advanced remote sensing techniques with a deep understanding of urban and environmental systems, offering valuable insights into climate adaptation and policy development. He has contributed to understanding the complex interactions between extreme heat and air pollution. Beyond research, he is deeply committed to education and capacity building, developing innovative approaches to enhance interdisciplinary collaboration.

Anton Shkaruba is Senior Researcher at Chair of Landscape Management and Environmental Protection at Estonian University of Life Sciences (Tartu, Estonia). His research areas are land use, forestry and biodiversity management and governance, as well as integration of urban ecosystem services and disservices to planning and management practices. This was acquired through the involvement in a number of EU Horizon Europe, Horizon 2020, FP5-7, Asia-Pacific Network and Swedish Institute projects. He was lead author of two IPBES reports and collaborated with UNDP and European Environment Agency as a consultant. Alongside research and teaching, he is also actively involved in a broad range of capacity building activities supporting research and higher education development in Eastern Europe and Asia.