Multitemporal Analysis of Land Surface Dynamics in Petroșani Municipality Using NDVI, NDWI, NBR and SAVI Spectral Indices During the 2020–2025 Period

Mihai Valentin Herbei; Roxana Claudia Herbei; Florin Sala

doi:10.2478/minrv-2026-0054

Multitemporal Analysis of Land Surface Dynamics in Petroșani Municipality Using NDVI, NDWI, NBR and SAVI Spectral Indices During the 2020–2025 Period

Mining Revue

Volume 32 (2026): Issue 3 (September 2026)

By: Mihai Valentin Herbei, Roxana Claudia Herbei and Florin Sala

Open Access

|Oct 2026

Abstract

Monitoring changes in the land surface is an essential element for assessing the transformation processes of the urban and peri-urban environment, especially in regions with a long history of mining activities. The development of Earth observation programs and the availability of freely accessible satellite images allow for detailed multi-temporal analyses of the evolution of vegetation, humidity and the general condition of the land. In this context, spectral indices calculated from satellite images provide objective information on spatial and temporal changes of the analyzed surface. The paper presents a multitemporal analysis of the Petroșani municipality using four of the most widely used spectral indices in remote sensing: Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI), Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR), and Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI). The analysis was carried out for the period 2020–2025 based on a set of 20,000 points uniformly distributed in the study area, for each year analyzed. The working methodology included processing the time series of spectral indices, calculating descriptive statistical parameters, comparing annual distributions, analyzing correlations between indicators and interpreting the spatio-temporal trends highlighted during the analyzed period. The integrated approach allows for the simultaneous assessment of vegetation changes, moisture conditions and land surface transformations. The results obtained highlight the existence of interannual variations in all analyzed indices, reflecting both the influence of climatic conditions and the effects of anthropogenic transformations specific to a city in a continuous process of economic restructuring and urban regeneration. The comparative analysis demonstrates the complementarity of the four indices and the usefulness of their integrated use in assessing the evolution of the urban environment. The study confirms that multitemporal analysis based on satellite images is an effective method for environmental monitoring in mining regions and can provide useful information for territorial planning, green space management and the substantiation of sustainable development strategies.

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Articles in this issue

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/minrv-2026-0054 | Journal eISSN: 2247-8590 | Journal ISSN: 1220-2053

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Language: English

Page range: 33 - 47

Submitted on: Aug 10, 2026

Accepted on: Sep 10, 2026

Published on: Oct 6, 2026

Published by: University of Petrosani

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

Publication frequency: 4 issues per year

Keywords:

environmental monitoring,

GIS,

multitemporal analysis,

NBR,

NDVI,

NDWI,

SAVI,

Related subjects:

Introductions and overviews,

Engineering, other,

Geosciences,

Geosciences, other

© 2026 Mihai Valentin Herbei, Roxana Claudia Herbei, Florin Sala, published by University of Petrosani
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License.

Volume 32 (2026): Issue 3 (September 2026)