Reliability of Geomatics techniques in urban management and planning in Aqaba Governorate

Abstract: Aqaba city is subjected to rapid development, economic growth and high rates of population growth over the past twenty years. This is due to its being changed into free trade zone and to the planning decision to improve its sea tourism potential. This region is characterized by the geographical location and the outstanding geological tectonic structure. Urban, industrial, commercial, and touristic developments are considered of high priority in the city but security and safety measures are always needed. In this work we are presenting the urban expansion of the city through the last years, and the appropriate plans to avoid the negative impacts of this expansion. In addition we present the natural risk in this city due to geological structure and the zones of danger as well as the security zones. All of the analysis is done using state of the art Geomatics techniques (GIS & RS). Geomatics techniques proved to be efficient in the field of urban management over time (1992 to 2009). For this purpose we used high resolution remotely sensed data over the study period in addition to geological and topographical maps. The urban expansions in 1992, 2001 and 2009 were mapped and the hazard zones were also identified. An optimal map for planning and managing the urban area in Aqaba zone was built to avoid the unstable zones. Moreover, the urban expansion over the 1992-2009 periods was analyzed and its impacts on Aqaba area environment were assessed. The expansion of urban growth was exceeding 71% and the expansion of transportation network was exceeding 30%, over the study period. A comparison to other similar studies for other cities with extra ordinary expansion rates such as Amman, Istanbul and Bangkok is presented. The comparison showed that Aqaba has the largest percent annual rate of urban expansion and vice versa the bigger impact and need for urban planning and optimal solutions