FOUNDATIONS FOR A SPATIOTEMPORAL STUDY OF VEGETATION IN THE CITY OF PINAR DEL RÍO

Abstract

Conducting a spatiotemporal study in the city of Pinar del Río to analyze vegetation, land use, and environmental quality requires an integrated methodology that combines remote sensing techniques, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), fieldwork, and statistical analysis. This study will establish the foundations for evaluating spatiotemporal changes in vegetation, land use, and environmental quality in the city of Pinar del Río. It will map vegetation cover and its evolution, identify changes in land use (urban, agricultural, forestry, among others), and analyze indicators for determining environmental quality (pollution, green areas, ecological fragmentation). Finally, it will propose a plan of measures for sustainable management. A GIS will be developed that includes maps of different natural resources at the evaluated time points (2006, 2022, 2023, 2025), including a comparison of vegetation before Hurricane Ian in September 2022 and after it in October 2022 and November 2023. Vegetation indices NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), SAVI (Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index), and EVI (Enhanced Vegetation Index) will be calculated. Additionally, a supervised/unsupervised classification will be performed to map land cover, including forests, crops, and urban areas. The results obtained in the office will be validated with fieldwork, and key indicators such as the annual urban deforestation rate and the percentage of green space per capita will be determined.