A 2010 Mapping of the Constructed Surface Area Density for S.E. Asia - Preliminary Results

Human beings around the world build, use and maintain constructed impervious surfaces for shelter, transportation and commerce.  It is a universal phenomenon – akin to clothing – and represents one of the primary anthropogenic modifications of the environment.  Expansion in population numbers and economies combined with the popular use of automobiles has led to the sprawl of development and a wide proliferation of constructed impervious surfaces. Constructed impervious surfaces are both hydrological and ecological disturbances.  However, constructed surfaces are different from most other types of disturbances in that recovery is arrested through the use of materials that are resistant to decay and are actively maintained. The same characteristics that make impervious surfaces ideal for use in construction produce a series of effects on the environment.  We present a new map of the density of constructed surface in S.E. Asia derived from Defense Meteorological Satellite Program’s Operational Linescan System (DMSP OLS)  nighttime lights and LandScan population count data.