Urban change detection with airborne LiDAR for hostilities’ impact estimation: a case study of Kharkiv

This research demonstrates the application of LiDAR for urban change detection (CD), focusing on distinguishing between CD-patterns of normal urban development and from those caused by military hostilities. Using multitemporal LiDAR point clouds, the study extracts and analyzes human-generated features to assess urban transformations. Buildings are modeled through a Building Extraction (BE) technique, while changes in urban morphology are identified using CD methods. Monitoring urban environments affected by hostilities poses significant challenges. The paper focuses on assessing the impact of such events on the urban environment of Kharkiv, UKRAINE. Statistical characteristics of computed urban changes reveal distinct spatial patterns, enabling differentiation between the routine urban development observed in Tallinn, Estonia, and the war-affected Kharkiv. The study utilizes a stand-alone application, developed by the authors, for processing Airborne LiDAR data. Calibrated models are applied to Kharkiv, comparing a 2019 survey as the primary dataset with field-documented military impacts from Fall 2022 as the secondary dataset. These results are contrasted with routine development in Tallinn, based on LiDAR surveys from 2017 and 2022. Spatial patterns of urban alterations across the three sites are outlined and visualized, providing actionable insights for urban analysis. This methodology offers a robust framework for post-war rehabilitation planning in Kharkiv and beyond in UKRAINE.