Use of remote sensing as an indicator of the urban heat island effect: the case of the municipality of Guelma (north-east of Algeria)

The main objective of this study is to show which of the LST-NDVI and LST-NDBI relationships can determine the most accurate index that can be used as an indicator of the effects of urban heat islands in the municipality of Guelma, using Landsat data. 8 OLI/TIRS and the geographic information system. The application of the calculation formulas made it possible to extract the Land Surface Temperature (LST), Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Normalized Difference Built up Index (NDBI) of the municipality of Guelma for the four seasons of 2019. This calculation led to the determination of the relationship between all three indicators. The results obtained show a strong correlation between the LST and the NDBI for the four seasons of the year. They suggest that the NDBI is an accurate indicator of the heat island effect in Guelma. This indicator can serve as a tool for future urban planning by those in charge of this department. However, there is currently and urgent need to strengthen strategies for reducing the effects of urban heat islands in order to preserve the quality of urban life of the inhabitants and by setting up emergency programs.