Fractal Analysis of Satellite Night-Time Imagery for Environmental and Urban Monitoring

Abstract. Satellite remote sensing technologies offer a powerful means for acquiring high-resolution imagery that captures both natural and anthropogenic features across large geographic regions. One particularly valuable application of satellite data is the analysis of night-time lights, which reflect human activity, urban infrastructure and energy consumption. Traditional image processing methods often struggle to describe the irregular and complex geometries inherent to urban environments and natural landscapes. This research proposed the application of fractal analysis as a methodological tool for characterizing such complexity in night-time satellite images.
By applying this to satellite images of Ukraine and the city of Kyiv before and after major attacks on energy infrastructure, it demonstrated how reductions in night-time illumination correspond with significant decreases in fractal dimension. Additionally, the method was applied to assess urban expansion in Dubai and Dnipro across multi-decadal periods. Results show a correlation between increased urbanization and changes in fractal characteristics, providing evidence that fractal metrics can serve as proxies for urban morphology and development.
Fractal analysis as an effective method for environmental monitoring, crisis assessment, and urban planning opens pathways for integrating fractal parameters into larger geospatial intelligence systems and provides a foundation for further research on scale-invariant properties of urban and ecological patterns in satellite imagery.