Dimensionality reduction (DR) is an important preprocessing step in hyperspectral image applications. In this paper, a superpixelwise kernel principal component analysis (SuperKPCA) method for DR that performs kernel principal component analysis (KPCA) on each homogeneous region is proposed to fully utilize the KPCA’s ability to acquire nonlinear features. Moreover, for the proposed method, the differences in the DR results obtained based on different fundamental images (the first principal components obtained by principal component analysis (PCA), KPCA, and minimum noise fraction (MNF)) are compared. Extensive experiments show that when 5, 10, 20, and 30 samples from each class are selected, for the Indian Pines, Pavia University, and Salinas datasets: (1) when the most suitable fundamental image is selected, the classification accuracy obtained by SuperKPCA can be increased by 0.06%–0.74%, 3.88%–4.37%, and 0.39%–4.85%, respectively, when compared with SuperPCA, which performs PCA on each homogeneous region; (2) the DR results obtained based on different first principal components are different and complementary. By fusing the multiscale classification results obtained based on different first principal components, the classification accuracy can be increased by 0.54%–2.68%, 0.12%–1.10%, and 0.01%–0.08%, respectively, when compared with the method based only on the most suitable fundamental image.

Clustering is an important approach to identifying hotspots with broad applications, ranging from crime area analysis to transport prediction and urban planning. As an on-demand transport service, taxis play an important role in urban systems, and the pick-up and drop-off locations in taxi GPS trajectory data have been widely used to detect urban hotspots for various purposes. In this work, taxi drop-off events are represented as linear features in the context of the road network space. Based on such representation, instead of the most frequently used Euclidian distance, Jaccard distance is calculated to measure the similarity of road segments for cluster analysis, and further, a network distance and graph-partitioning-based clustering method is proposed for improving the accuracy of urban hotspot detection. A case study is conducted using taxi trajectory data collected from over 6500 taxis during one week, and the results indicate that the proposed method can identify urban hotspots more precisely.

As the threat to human life and health from fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) increases globally, the life and health problems caused by environmental pollution are also of increasing concern. Understanding past trends in PM_2.5 and exploring the drivers of PM_2.5 are important tools for addressing the life-threatening health problems caused by PM_2.5. In this study, we calculated the change in annual average global PM_2.5 concentrations from 2000 to 2020 using the Theil–Sen median trend analysis method and reveal spatial and temporal trends in PM_2.5 concentrations over twenty-one years. The qualitative and quantitative effects of different drivers on PM_2.5 concentrations in 2020 were explored from natural and socioeconomic perspectives using a multi-scale geographically weighted regression model. The results show that there is significant spatial heterogeneity in trends in PM_2.5 concentration, with significant decreases in PM_2.5 concentrations mainly in developed regions, such as the United States, Canada, Japan and the European Union countries, and conversely, significant increases in PM_2.5 in developing regions, such as Africa, the Middle East and India. In addition, in regions with more advanced science and technology and urban management, PM_2.5 concentrations are more evenly influenced by various factors, with a more negative influence. In contrast, regions at the rapid development stage usually continue their economic development at the cost of the environment, and under a high intensity of human activity. Increased temperature is known as the most important factor for the increase in PM_2.5 concentration, while an increase in NDVI can play an important role in the reduction in PM_2.5 concentration. This suggests that countries can achieve good air quality goals by setting a reasonable development path.

It is crucial to evaluate the expansion of urban entities to implement sustainable urban planning strategies in China. Thus, this study attempted to extract and evaluate the growth of urban entities 270 prefecture cities in mainland China (2000–2020) using a novel approach based on consistent night light images. After the urban entities were extracted, a rationality assessment was carried out to compare the derived urban entities with the LandScan population product, Landsat, and road network results. Additionally, the results were compared with other physical extent products, such as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) and urban built-up area products (HE) products. According to the findings, the urban entities were basically consistent with the LandScan, road network, and HE and MODIS products. However, the urban entities more accurately reflected the concentration of human activities than did the impervious extents of the MODIS and HE products. At the prefecture levels, the area of urban entities increased from 8082 km² to 74,417 km² between 2000 and 2020, showing an average growth rate of 10.8% over those twenty years. As a reliable supplementary resource and guide for urban mapping, this research will inform new research on the K-means algorithm and on variations in NTL data brightness threshold dynamics at regional and global scales.