Using Spatial Videos, Google Earthtm and Geographic Information System to Dynamically Monitor Built Environment Changes In a Challenging Environment: Baghdad, Iraq.

Abstract

Urban expansion and its environmental and safety effects are one of the critical information needed for future development planning, safety considerations and environmental management. This work used two methods to monitor urban expansion and it's environmental and safety effects, the first is based on Google Maps for the years 2002 and 2010, and the second was the usage of spatial videos for the year 2013. Although the usage of satellite images is critical to know and investigate the general situation and the total effects of the expansion on a large piece of area, but the Spatial videos do a very detailed fine scale investigation, site conditions regarding both environmental and safety cannot be easily distinguished from satellite images .Another advantage of spatial videos is new houses can be recognized and separated visually even if they are attached or derived from one house. This article shows that the working conditions for the workers do not comply with the standards especially their health and safety procedures.

Also the municipality services are at the lowest level because of all the debris left in the street , lack of regulation and law enforcement that protect the health of neighborhood residents.