Object-oriented mapping of urban poverty and deprivation

In developing cities where urban poverty is increasingly concentrated, localizing areas of urban poverty and deprivation, while understanding their heterogeneity and developmental dynamics, is a major challenge for local authorities. In this paper, we discuss a conceptual framework for mapping spatial/physical variables, such as dwelling size, building density, green spaces, and lack of proper road network, of areas of urban poverty, while also capturing aspects of their factual heterogeneity. Using a selection of deprived versus non deprived wards in Delhi, India, we test the utility of the developed conceptual frame for objected based information extraction on a very high resolution Ikonos image. Delhi is characterized by fast developing slum areas, and the speed of development calls for fast and reliable tools to better monitor their development. The object-oriented approach allows a contextual characterization of different settlement types, as well as the use of spatial metrics. The results of the objected based analysis are compared with poverty information derived from census data of 2001, in particular with the Multiple Deprivation Index, recently developed by other researchers. The results show that poverty is not spatially uniform within the selected wards, and hence demonstrate how data aggregation can hide spatial variation of poverty.