Eco-Environmental Quality Assessment of Two Seasons Based on Pressure-State-Response Framework by Using Remote Sensing and GIS Techniques

Determining the urbanization and sustainable development rate in Kirkuk City and Taza District (a town located in a suburb of Kirkuk) requires an evaluation of its ecological environment quality (EEQ). This study aims to determine the ecological index (El) and assess it using the popular pressure-state-response (PSR) method based on a set of statistical and remote sensing indicators. The indicators developed by remote sensing data were obtained using Sentinel-2 satellite images to measure the quality of the environment. As new and modern technical assistance for long-term, comprehensive mapping, monitoring through GIS techniques, and the comparison of the Ecological Index in 2023 of the spring and autumn seasons, these indicators provide a basis for decision-making related to sustainable development. It demonstrates the primary relationship between human activity and health under various weather circumstances and contrasts them. It also reveals that the ecological situation is healthier in spring than in autumn (these two seasons are considered transmission periods) due to meteorological conditions, social activities, and economic activity.