Research Article

Investigation of Longoz Forests with Remote Sensing Techniques on Google Earth Engine Platform: The Case of İğneada Longoz Forests (2000–2021)

Volume: 11 Number: 1 October 1, 2025

Investigation of Longoz Forests with Remote Sensing Techniques on Google Earth Engine Platform: The Case of İğneada Longoz Forests (2000–2021)

Abstract

The study investigates changes in the İğneada Longoz forests in Kırklareli Province, Türkiye, between 2000 and 2021 using Landsat-7 and Landsat-8 satellite imagery. Classification was performed with the random forest (RF) machine learning algorithm and remote sensing (RS) techniques on the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform. To better distinguish longoz forests and other forested areas from surrounding features, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and enhanced vegetation index (EVI) were integrated into the classification alongside standard spectral bands. In the first stage of the classification process, the study area was categorized into seven classes, identifying all forest areas. In the second stage, the area was further divided into nine classes, isolating longoz forests from other forest types. Additionally, NDVI and EVI time series analyses were conducted to evaluate forest phenology. According to the classification results, the initial stage achieved overall accuracy ranging from 79.97% to 90.63%, with an average of approximately 85.00%. The Kappa statistics varied between 0.721 and 0.877. In the second stage, the overall accuracy ranged from 75.92% to 90.04%, while the Kappa statistic was between 0.649 and 0.866.

Keywords

References

  1. Li, H., Jia, M., Zhang, R., Ren, Y., & Wen, X. (2019). Incorporating the plant phenological trajectory into mangrove species mapping with dense time series Sentinel-2 imagery and the Google Earth Engine platform. Remote Sensing, 11(21). https://doi.org/10.3390/rs11212479
  2. Diniz, C., Cortinhas, L., Nerino, G., Rodrigues, J., Sadeck, L., Adami, M., & Souza-Filho, P. W. M. (2019). Brazilian mangrove status: Three decades of satellite data analysis. Remote Sensing, 11(7), 808. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs11070808
  3. Parida, B. R., & Kumar, P. (2020). Mapping and dynamic analysis of mangrove forest during 2009–2019 using landsat–5 and sentinel–2 satellite data along Odisha Coast. Tropical Ecology, 61(4), 538–549. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42965-020-00112-7
  4. Twilley, R. R., Rovai, A. S., & Riul, P. (2018). Coastal morphology explains global blue carbon distributions. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 16(9), 503–508.
  5. Cipta, I. M., Sobarman, F. A., Sanjaya, H., & Darminto, M. R. (2021). Analysis of Mangrove Forest Change from Multioral Landsat Imagery Using Google Earth Engine Application: (Case Study: Belitung Archipelago 1990 - 2020). 2021 IEEE Asia-Pacific Conference on Geoscience, Electronics and Remote Sensing Technology, AGERS 2021-Proceeding, 90–95. https://doi.org/10.1109/AGERS53903.2021.9617354
  6. Wan, L., Zhang, H., Lin, G., & Lin, H. (2019). A small-patched convolutional neural network for mangrove mapping at species level using high-resolution remote-sensing image. Annals of GIS, 25(1), 45–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/19475683.2018.1564791
  7. Topaloglu, R. H. (2022). Investigation of Land Use/Land Cover change in Mersin using geographical object-based image analysis (GEOBIA). Advanced Remote Sensing, 2(2), 40–46. https://publish.mersin.edu.tr/index.php/arsej/article/view/247
  8. Gull, A., & Mahmood, S. (2022). Spatio-temporal analysis and trend prediction of land cover changes using markov chain model in Islamabad, Pakistan. Advanced GIS, 2(2), 52–61. https://publish.mersin.edu.tr/index.php/agis/article/view/679

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing

Journal Section

Research Article

Early Pub Date

August 25, 2025

Publication Date

October 1, 2025

Submission Date

March 4, 2025

Acceptance Date

July 14, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 11 Number: 1

APA
Kafes Demirci, B., Yılmaz, O. S., & Balık Şanlı, F. (2025). Investigation of Longoz Forests with Remote Sensing Techniques on Google Earth Engine Platform: The Case of İğneada Longoz Forests (2000–2021). International Journal of Engineering and Geosciences, 11(1), 78-88. https://doi.org/10.26833/ijeg.1650786
AMA
1.Kafes Demirci B, Yılmaz OS, Balık Şanlı F. Investigation of Longoz Forests with Remote Sensing Techniques on Google Earth Engine Platform: The Case of İğneada Longoz Forests (2000–2021). IJEG. 2025;11(1):78-88. doi:10.26833/ijeg.1650786
Chicago
Kafes Demirci, Başak, Osman Salih Yılmaz, and Füsun Balık Şanlı. 2025. “Investigation of Longoz Forests With Remote Sensing Techniques on Google Earth Engine Platform: The Case of İğneada Longoz Forests (2000–2021)”. International Journal of Engineering and Geosciences 11 (1): 78-88. https://doi.org/10.26833/ijeg.1650786.
EndNote
Kafes Demirci B, Yılmaz OS, Balık Şanlı F (October 1, 2025) Investigation of Longoz Forests with Remote Sensing Techniques on Google Earth Engine Platform: The Case of İğneada Longoz Forests (2000–2021). International Journal of Engineering and Geosciences 11 1 78–88.
IEEE
[1]B. Kafes Demirci, O. S. Yılmaz, and F. Balık Şanlı, “Investigation of Longoz Forests with Remote Sensing Techniques on Google Earth Engine Platform: The Case of İğneada Longoz Forests (2000–2021)”, IJEG, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 78–88, Oct. 2025, doi: 10.26833/ijeg.1650786.
ISNAD
Kafes Demirci, Başak - Yılmaz, Osman Salih - Balık Şanlı, Füsun. “Investigation of Longoz Forests With Remote Sensing Techniques on Google Earth Engine Platform: The Case of İğneada Longoz Forests (2000–2021)”. International Journal of Engineering and Geosciences 11/1 (October 1, 2025): 78-88. https://doi.org/10.26833/ijeg.1650786.
JAMA
1.Kafes Demirci B, Yılmaz OS, Balık Şanlı F. Investigation of Longoz Forests with Remote Sensing Techniques on Google Earth Engine Platform: The Case of İğneada Longoz Forests (2000–2021). IJEG. 2025;11:78–88.
MLA
Kafes Demirci, Başak, et al. “Investigation of Longoz Forests With Remote Sensing Techniques on Google Earth Engine Platform: The Case of İğneada Longoz Forests (2000–2021)”. International Journal of Engineering and Geosciences, vol. 11, no. 1, Oct. 2025, pp. 78-88, doi:10.26833/ijeg.1650786.
Vancouver
1.Başak Kafes Demirci, Osman Salih Yılmaz, Füsun Balık Şanlı. Investigation of Longoz Forests with Remote Sensing Techniques on Google Earth Engine Platform: The Case of İğneada Longoz Forests (2000–2021). IJEG. 2025 Oct. 1;11(1):78-8. doi:10.26833/ijeg.1650786