Greenness Indices
Since satellite imagery has only been available since the 1970s, our computational analysis of the change in greenness of the UCLA campus is limited to a comparison of three decades. In order to perform the analysis, a greenness index was first obtained and displayed. In the following greenness indices, green represents the highest level of greenery detected in the image, followed by light green, then yellow, then brown, then black, which indicates a negative level of greenness present in the image. Below is an analysis of the imagery starting in 1979 until 2005.
Throughout Los Angeles in 1979, landscaping is minimal and little greenery is found outside of the Santa Monica Mountains. UCLA has higher degrees of greenness then the rest of the city, however certain parts of campus are still very barren. Drake Stadium and north campus appear to have had the most positive greenness results. Areas around the dorms and far south campus had the least amount of landscaping. This most likely correlates to the building of the new high-rise dormitories and thus the lack of developed vegetation.
1989 Greenness Index
The quality of the images available increased remarkably between 1979 and 1989, as is evident in this image. This 1989 Greenness Index shows the lack of vegetation present on the southern part of campus, surrounding the Ronald Reagan Hospital and the CHS Building. Drake Stadium, Sunset Recreation, the Botanical Gardens, Sage Hill, as well as buffers separating the campus from busy streets and intersections are the most visible vegetative preserves on campus. The quad between Powell and Royce is also visible, as well as Dickson Court and the Sculpture Garden. As a whole, Los Angeles improved markedly in greenness and levels of landscaping between 1979 and 1989. Parks and residential areas are more noticeable in the image and show an improvement from the barren images of 1979. UCLA, however, stands out in the green surroundings as one of the most degraded areas in the region.
1996 Greenness Index
By 1996, UCLA is undoubtedly the least progress area of Western Los Angeles in terms of advancing efforts in landscaping and greenness. More parks and residential planting appears to have brightened the landscape. The UCLA campus appears to have decreased in greenness since the 1989 measurements. The southern part of campus appears to be devoid of vegetation, and the region surrounding Boelter Hall, La Kretz, and the Math and Science Building exhibits no level of greenness.
2000 Greenness Index
In 2000, there appear to be far more areas with exceptional levels of landscaping on the UCLA campus. North Campus parks are now notably developed, and areas of greenness surrounding the dorms appear to have improved since the 1996 measurements. The buffers between the campus and the main streets Sunset and Veteran appear to have grown in and improved significantly as well. However, the area surrounding the Ronald Reagan Hospital and the areas on either side of Westwood Boulevard both are devoid of any degree of greenness. Little has been done since 1996 to improve the quality of landscaping in this area.
2005 Greenness Index
Little differences are notable between the 2005 and 2000 greenness indices. No major construction projects have either helped or hindered the landscaping on UCLA campus during this time. Some areas such as Drake Stadium and the Practice Field appear to have decreased in quality of landscaping, however this is most likely due to slight seasonal variances.
Change Detection
Through the use of ENVI software, it is possible to compare two multispectral satellite images of UCLA and the surrounding area from different years a generate a change detection image. This allows to easily analyze if the landscape has experienced any change between subsequent decades. In the images displayed, the red regions represent areas that have increased in vegetation and the blue regions represent areas that have decrease in vegetation.
1979 to 1989 Change Detection
This change detection image reveals that there was a significant overall decrease in vegetation throughout the UCLA campus from 1979 to 1989. The southern part of UCLA seems to have decreased the most with almost no increases at all. There are however a few areas in the northern areas of the campus that have increased such as the Sculpture Garden, Sunset Rec, and the IM Field. One area that increased in the south was the Botanical Gardens
The most significant change detected from 1989 to 1996 in this image is the increase in vegetation of the IM Field, Spaulding Field, and Drake Stadium. There was also some vegetation increase around the edges of campus especially near the dorms and along the southern border of campus. However the majority of the campus is displayed in blue revealing an overall decrease in vegetation throughout the campus.
2000 to 2005 Change Detection
The UCLA campus experienced a great deal of change from 2000 to 2005 compared to previous decades. There are many areas all throughout the campus that have increased in vegetation cover, especially in North campus and the areas surrounding the dorms. There is also a significant increase in numerous areas in South campus as well that had previously shown decreases.
The change detection from 1989 to 2005 reveals that UCLA has undergone significant changes in vegetation cover throughout these decades. It is apparent that efforts to increase vegetation throughout the UCLA campus have increased with each subsequent decade. Overall UCLA has had certain areas that increased and certain areas that decreased in vegetation as the campus grew and changed.
