Analysis of damage from military actions to land resources using remote sensing and GIS-technologies

Purpose. To improve the accuracy of the assessment of the level and extent of pollution, damage and degradation of agricultural land as a resource component of the environment after prolonged hostilities based on geoinformation technologies. Research methodology. The study was based on satellite imagery analysis and geoinformation modelling to assess the impact of hostilities on land resources of Zaporizhzhia region, as a component of its environmental security. Remote sensing methods were used to identify damaged areas, changes in land use and vegetation degradation. The analysis of vegetation indices allowed us to assess the state of the land in a dynamic way, and radar data helped us to study the deformations of the relief caused by the shelling. Research results. The choice of remote sensing tools for the analysis of areas damaged by hostilities with further processing in GIS is substantiated. The environmental impact of the hostilities on the land resources of Ukraine is assessed using the Zaporizhzhya region as an example. Changes in relief, reduction of active agriculture due to mining, destruction of infrastructure and soil degradation were recorded. Soil contamination with chemicals, fuels and lubricants was identified. Scientific novelty. It consists of using SAS.Planet in combination with QGIS GIS for high-precision cartographic modelling of damaged land. The regularities of changes in vegetation cover as a function of the intensity of hostilities were established, and land areas were classified according to the degree of their environmental and resource degradation during the period of hostilities in 2022–2024. Methods for building height models and automated analysis of damaged areas, including shell craters, based on their remote sensing using high-resolution radar data were further developed. Practical value. The results confirmed the ability of geoinformation technologies to provide a sufficiently accurate determination of: the extent of damage; changes in land use, soil contamination, vegetation and relief; areas of land transformation generally affected by hostilities and necessary for the prospective restoration of land resources of the region.