A Comprehensive Systematic Review of Machine Learning Applications in Assessing Land Use/Cover Dynamics and Their Impact on Land Surface Temperatures

In a world experiencing rapid urbanization, the phenomenon of land surface temperature (LST) variation has invited substantial attention due to its profound impact on the environment and human well-being. Changes in land use and land cover (LULC) within urban areas significantly influence the dynami...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Rasool Vahid, Mohamed H. Aly
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Urban Science
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2413-8851/9/7/234
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849732795506622464
author Rasool Vahid
Mohamed H. Aly
author_facet Rasool Vahid
Mohamed H. Aly
author_sort Rasool Vahid
collection DOAJ
description In a world experiencing rapid urbanization, the phenomenon of land surface temperature (LST) variation has invited substantial attention due to its profound impact on the environment and human well-being. Changes in land use and land cover (LULC) within urban areas significantly influence the dynamics of LST and are a major driver of urban eco-environmental change. The complex connections between LULC dynamics, LST, and climate change are investigated in this systematic review, with a focus on the combined effects of these variables and the use of Machine Learning (ML) techniques. The data in this study, based on peer-reviewed publications from the past 25 years, were obtained from Science Direct and Web of Science databases. Based on our findings, Landsat is the most widely used dataset for analyzing the impacts of LULC on LST. Additionally, built-up areas, vegetation, and population density had the biggest effects on LST values based on focused studies. This systematic review reveals that Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs), Cellular Automata-Markov (CA-Markov), and Random Forest (RF) are the most used ML techniques in predicting LULC and LST. The study finds that NDBI and NDVI are recognized as the key LULC indices that have strong correlations with LST. We also highlight key LULC classes that have the most impact on LST variation. To validate the results, these studies employ Pearson correlation, the NDVI and NDBI index, and other linear regression methods. This review concludes by highlighting future research directions and the current need for interdisciplinary efforts to address the intricate dynamics of LULC and the Earth’s surface temperature.
format Article
id doaj-art-ce78c868936a446dbb03726a889df974
institution DOAJ
issn 2413-8851
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Urban Science
spelling doaj-art-ce78c868936a446dbb03726a889df9742025-08-20T03:08:13ZengMDPI AGUrban Science2413-88512025-06-019723410.3390/urbansci9070234A Comprehensive Systematic Review of Machine Learning Applications in Assessing Land Use/Cover Dynamics and Their Impact on Land Surface TemperaturesRasool Vahid0Mohamed H. Aly1Environmental Dynamics Program, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USADepartment of Geosciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USAIn a world experiencing rapid urbanization, the phenomenon of land surface temperature (LST) variation has invited substantial attention due to its profound impact on the environment and human well-being. Changes in land use and land cover (LULC) within urban areas significantly influence the dynamics of LST and are a major driver of urban eco-environmental change. The complex connections between LULC dynamics, LST, and climate change are investigated in this systematic review, with a focus on the combined effects of these variables and the use of Machine Learning (ML) techniques. The data in this study, based on peer-reviewed publications from the past 25 years, were obtained from Science Direct and Web of Science databases. Based on our findings, Landsat is the most widely used dataset for analyzing the impacts of LULC on LST. Additionally, built-up areas, vegetation, and population density had the biggest effects on LST values based on focused studies. This systematic review reveals that Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs), Cellular Automata-Markov (CA-Markov), and Random Forest (RF) are the most used ML techniques in predicting LULC and LST. The study finds that NDBI and NDVI are recognized as the key LULC indices that have strong correlations with LST. We also highlight key LULC classes that have the most impact on LST variation. To validate the results, these studies employ Pearson correlation, the NDVI and NDBI index, and other linear regression methods. This review concludes by highlighting future research directions and the current need for interdisciplinary efforts to address the intricate dynamics of LULC and the Earth’s surface temperature.https://www.mdpi.com/2413-8851/9/7/234rapid urbanizationland use/coverland surface temperatureurban heat islandmachine learningenvironmental change
spellingShingle Rasool Vahid
Mohamed H. Aly
A Comprehensive Systematic Review of Machine Learning Applications in Assessing Land Use/Cover Dynamics and Their Impact on Land Surface Temperatures
Urban Science
rapid urbanization
land use/cover
land surface temperature
urban heat island
machine learning
environmental change
title A Comprehensive Systematic Review of Machine Learning Applications in Assessing Land Use/Cover Dynamics and Their Impact on Land Surface Temperatures
title_full A Comprehensive Systematic Review of Machine Learning Applications in Assessing Land Use/Cover Dynamics and Their Impact on Land Surface Temperatures
title_fullStr A Comprehensive Systematic Review of Machine Learning Applications in Assessing Land Use/Cover Dynamics and Their Impact on Land Surface Temperatures
title_full_unstemmed A Comprehensive Systematic Review of Machine Learning Applications in Assessing Land Use/Cover Dynamics and Their Impact on Land Surface Temperatures
title_short A Comprehensive Systematic Review of Machine Learning Applications in Assessing Land Use/Cover Dynamics and Their Impact on Land Surface Temperatures
title_sort comprehensive systematic review of machine learning applications in assessing land use cover dynamics and their impact on land surface temperatures
topic rapid urbanization
land use/cover
land surface temperature
urban heat island
machine learning
environmental change
url https://www.mdpi.com/2413-8851/9/7/234
work_keys_str_mv AT rasoolvahid acomprehensivesystematicreviewofmachinelearningapplicationsinassessinglandusecoverdynamicsandtheirimpactonlandsurfacetemperatures
AT mohamedhaly acomprehensivesystematicreviewofmachinelearningapplicationsinassessinglandusecoverdynamicsandtheirimpactonlandsurfacetemperatures
AT rasoolvahid comprehensivesystematicreviewofmachinelearningapplicationsinassessinglandusecoverdynamicsandtheirimpactonlandsurfacetemperatures
AT mohamedhaly comprehensivesystematicreviewofmachinelearningapplicationsinassessinglandusecoverdynamicsandtheirimpactonlandsurfacetemperatures