Comparative Global Assessment and Optimization of LandTrendr, CCDC, and BFAST Algorithms for Enhanced Urban Land Cover Change Detection Using Landsat Time Series

The rapid expansion of urban areas necessitates effective monitoring systems for sustainable development planning. Time-series change detection algorithms applied to satellite imagery offer promising solutions, but their comparative effectiveness specifically for urban land cover monitoring remains...

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Main Authors: Taku Murakami, Narumasa Tsutsumida
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
Series:Remote Sensing
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/14/2402
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author Taku Murakami
Narumasa Tsutsumida
author_facet Taku Murakami
Narumasa Tsutsumida
author_sort Taku Murakami
collection DOAJ
description The rapid expansion of urban areas necessitates effective monitoring systems for sustainable development planning. Time-series change detection algorithms applied to satellite imagery offer promising solutions, but their comparative effectiveness specifically for urban land cover monitoring remains poorly understood. This study aims to systematically evaluate and optimize three widely used algorithms—LandTrendr, CCDC, and BFAST—selected for their proven capabilities in different land cover change contexts and distinct algorithmic approaches. Using Landsat 5/7/8 (TM/ETM+/OLI) time-series data from 2000 to 2020 and a globally distributed dataset of 200 sample locations spanning six continents, we assess these algorithms across multiple spectral bands and parameter settings for land cover change detection in urban areas. Our analysis reveals that CCDC achieves the highest accuracy (78.14% F1 score) when utilizing complete spectral information (bands B1–B7), outperforming both BFAST (74.32% F1 score with NDVI) and LandTrendr (71.29% F1 score with B1). We demonstrated that, contrary to conventional approaches that prioritize vegetation indices, visible light bands—particularly B1 and B2—achieve higher performance across multiple algorithms. For instance, in LandTrendr, B1 yielded an F1 score of 71.29%, whereas NDVI and EVI produced 56.19% and 53.16%, respectively. Similarly, in CCDC, B2 achieved an F1 score of 72.19%, while NDVI and EVI resulted in 68.57% and 65.33%, respectively. Our findings underscore that parameter optimization and band selection significantly impact detection accuracy, with variations up to 30% observed across different configurations. This comprehensive evaluation provides critical methodological guidance for satellite-based urban expansion monitoring and identifies specific optimization strategies to enhance the application of existing algorithms for urban land cover change detection.
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spelling doaj-art-ac7a2011d72b43c991e964da8c8b1df52025-08-20T03:07:56ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922025-07-011714240210.3390/rs17142402Comparative Global Assessment and Optimization of LandTrendr, CCDC, and BFAST Algorithms for Enhanced Urban Land Cover Change Detection Using Landsat Time SeriesTaku Murakami0Narumasa Tsutsumida1Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, 255 Shimo-Okubo, Sakura-ku, Saitama 338-85940, JapanGraduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, 255 Shimo-Okubo, Sakura-ku, Saitama 338-85940, JapanThe rapid expansion of urban areas necessitates effective monitoring systems for sustainable development planning. Time-series change detection algorithms applied to satellite imagery offer promising solutions, but their comparative effectiveness specifically for urban land cover monitoring remains poorly understood. This study aims to systematically evaluate and optimize three widely used algorithms—LandTrendr, CCDC, and BFAST—selected for their proven capabilities in different land cover change contexts and distinct algorithmic approaches. Using Landsat 5/7/8 (TM/ETM+/OLI) time-series data from 2000 to 2020 and a globally distributed dataset of 200 sample locations spanning six continents, we assess these algorithms across multiple spectral bands and parameter settings for land cover change detection in urban areas. Our analysis reveals that CCDC achieves the highest accuracy (78.14% F1 score) when utilizing complete spectral information (bands B1–B7), outperforming both BFAST (74.32% F1 score with NDVI) and LandTrendr (71.29% F1 score with B1). We demonstrated that, contrary to conventional approaches that prioritize vegetation indices, visible light bands—particularly B1 and B2—achieve higher performance across multiple algorithms. For instance, in LandTrendr, B1 yielded an F1 score of 71.29%, whereas NDVI and EVI produced 56.19% and 53.16%, respectively. Similarly, in CCDC, B2 achieved an F1 score of 72.19%, while NDVI and EVI resulted in 68.57% and 65.33%, respectively. Our findings underscore that parameter optimization and band selection significantly impact detection accuracy, with variations up to 30% observed across different configurations. This comprehensive evaluation provides critical methodological guidance for satellite-based urban expansion monitoring and identifies specific optimization strategies to enhance the application of existing algorithms for urban land cover change detection.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/14/2402urban expansionLandTrendrCCDCBFASTGoogle Earth EngineLandsat
spellingShingle Taku Murakami
Narumasa Tsutsumida
Comparative Global Assessment and Optimization of LandTrendr, CCDC, and BFAST Algorithms for Enhanced Urban Land Cover Change Detection Using Landsat Time Series
Remote Sensing
urban expansion
LandTrendr
CCDC
BFAST
Google Earth Engine
Landsat
title Comparative Global Assessment and Optimization of LandTrendr, CCDC, and BFAST Algorithms for Enhanced Urban Land Cover Change Detection Using Landsat Time Series
title_full Comparative Global Assessment and Optimization of LandTrendr, CCDC, and BFAST Algorithms for Enhanced Urban Land Cover Change Detection Using Landsat Time Series
title_fullStr Comparative Global Assessment and Optimization of LandTrendr, CCDC, and BFAST Algorithms for Enhanced Urban Land Cover Change Detection Using Landsat Time Series
title_full_unstemmed Comparative Global Assessment and Optimization of LandTrendr, CCDC, and BFAST Algorithms for Enhanced Urban Land Cover Change Detection Using Landsat Time Series
title_short Comparative Global Assessment and Optimization of LandTrendr, CCDC, and BFAST Algorithms for Enhanced Urban Land Cover Change Detection Using Landsat Time Series
title_sort comparative global assessment and optimization of landtrendr ccdc and bfast algorithms for enhanced urban land cover change detection using landsat time series
topic urban expansion
LandTrendr
CCDC
BFAST
Google Earth Engine
Landsat
url https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/14/2402
work_keys_str_mv AT takumurakami comparativeglobalassessmentandoptimizationoflandtrendrccdcandbfastalgorithmsforenhancedurbanlandcoverchangedetectionusinglandsattimeseries
AT narumasatsutsumida comparativeglobalassessmentandoptimizationoflandtrendrccdcandbfastalgorithmsforenhancedurbanlandcoverchangedetectionusinglandsattimeseries