Urban Slum Mapping in

Bangladesh

Iffat Huque
Head, Remote Sensing Division
Center for Environmental and Geographic Information Services
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Objectives of the presentation

To present different methods used for

urban slum mapping in Bangladesh

Potential of very high resolution satellite

images for identification and mapping
of the urban slums in Bangladesh
Urban Population Bangladesh

Total population 140 million

Total urban population 34 million (24 % of
Total)
Total number of urban households 3.9 million
Urban population growing 3.5% annually
Projected urban population in 2015 is 50
million
 Basic Data on Slums
Six major cities
(Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet, Barisal )

Total population of the cities 15.5

million
Total slum population 5.4 million
(35% of total)
9000 slum clusters
Total number of slum households
1 million
Population density in slums about
200000/sq km
Between 1996 and 2005, the total
population living in the slums of
Dhaka more than doubled
Source: CUS, 2005
 Slum mapping/census
initiatives in Bangladesh
Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS)-
Census of Slums in Bangladesh 1985 and 1986
Census of Slum Areas and Floating Population
1997
Studies by Center for Urban Studies (CUS) 1987,
1996 and 2005
Local Government Engineering Department
(LGED) Spatial Poverty Mapping of Dhaka
Metropolitan Area, 2005
 BBS - Census of Slum Areas
1997
Definition:
A slum is a cluster of compact settlements of 5 or more
households which generally grow very unsystematically and
haphazardly in an unhealthy condition and atmosphere on
government and private vacant land. Slums also exist in the
owner based household premises

Criteria:
Predominantly very poor housing
Very high housing density
Housing materials are very
cheap and low quality
Poor sewerage and drainage or
even absence of such facilities
Inadequate, unhealthy drinking
water supply
Insufficient or absence of street
lighting
Little or no paved streets
Inhabited by poor, uneducated
and below poverty level people
 BBS - Brief Methodology
Areas covered Dhaka Megacity, 3 other major cities, 14
smaller Cities and 100 paurashavas (municipalities)
Prepare maps and list of slum areas by quick count method
Large slums were divided into enumeration areas (EAs) each
compromising of about 200 households
Smaller slums were merged to form an EA of same size within
the same ward/municipality
Five percent sample HH were surveyed from each EA to
collect detailed data
For quality check
Post Enumeration Quality Check Survey
Special Evaluation Survey
 BBS Census of
Slum Areas
1997
Total Number of Slums
identified -2,991
Collected Information
Slum areas
Housing structure and
Characteristics
Household size and
composition
Household facilities (source of
light, sanitary facilities, drinking
water)
Population size, distribution
and growth
Employment and occupation
CUS - Mapping and Census, Slums
of Urban Bangladesh 2005
Mapping and census of 6 major cities was carried
out as a basis for the 2006 Urban Health
Survey(UHS)
Carried out by Centre for Urban Studies for
National Institute of Population Research and
Training (NIPORT) and
MEASURE Evaluation of University of North
Carolina
Funded by USAID Bangladesh
 CUS Study

Objectives
Prepare maps to identify location and
boundaries of all slums
Record the characteristics of slums and squatter
settlements
Identify the slums and squatter settlements in
terms of their physical, socio-economic and
environmental characteristics
Determine their overall legal status
Prepare a database
 CUS Study
Definition:
Slums are defined as settlements with a
Minimum of 10 households
AND
Predominantly very poor housing
Very high population density and room crowding
Very poor environmental services, especially water and
sanitation
Very low socio-economic status
Lack of security of tenure

An urban community has to meet at least 4 of the above

criteria to qualify as a slum
 CUS Study
Criteria for definition of slum
Predominantly very poor housing
( jhupris- shacks, kutcha, semi-pucca- over 75% of the structures in a
community would have such poor construction)
Very high population density and room crowding
(Overall density 300 persons/acre, predominantly (>75%) of single
room family occupancy)
Very poor environmental services, especially water and
sanitation
(key indicators- very poor sanitation and water access- <50% of HH
are served with a sanitary latrine sewerage, septic tank, or water
sealed latrine- water access)
Very low socio-economic status
(key indicators- high prevalence of low income people over 75%
with income below poverty level Tk 5000 HH income per month
based on urban poverty line per capita income estimates)
Lack of security of tenure
(Indicator- vulnerability to eviction)
 CUS Study
Brief Methodology
Base Map Preparation
collection of SOB and City Corporation maps
update road networks and major urban features from satellite images
final base map preparation
Preliminary identification of slums
identification of slums from satellite images using visual interpretation
incorporating the identified slums in the base map
Ground truthing
slums identified from images were verified on the ground
slums that are not readily apparent from the satellite images were also identified
from ground truthing survey
Survey of Slum Clusters (key informant)
slum size (physical area, number of households and population)
environmental and socio-economic conditions
Final slum map preparation and data processing
digitization of identified slums using GIS software
if any confusion during digitization revisit of the site was done
database preparation (data collected through slum survey)
 CUS Study
Results
GIS slum maps of six study cities
list of slums with addresses, number of households and
total population
Slum Census
number of slum clusters, slum size by households, slum population
area of land covered by slums, density of population in slums
housing conditions and floor space in slums
slum land ownership pattern
Environmental and Infrastructural Features
Sources of drinking water and access to latrines
Drainage situation in slums, garbage disposal in slums
Occupational pattern and Income patterns
Tenure Insecurity
 CEGIS- Slum mapping from high
resolution satellite images
Objectives:
Test methods of interpreting slums from
high resolution satellite images
Study the potential of these image for slum
mapping in Dhaka
Make recommendations on data and
methodologies
 Data Used
Satellite Images
IKONOS 1 m Pan, 2002
IKONOS 4 m Multispectral 2002
QuickBird 60 cm Pan 2004
QuickBird 2.4 m multispectral 2004
QuickBird 60 cm Pan-sharpened 2006
Slum GIS Data from CUS, 2005
Ground Truth Data
 Methodology
Reconnaissance survey of physical
characteristics of slums which can help identify
them in images
Test various pixel based classification
Texture analysis
Visual interpretation - on screen digitization
Pattern, Shape, Size, Density, Color and association
Ground truthing
Comparison with slum data of CUS
Comparison with ground truth data
Some views.
 Types of Slums in Dhaka City
As seen in QuickBird Pan-sharpened image, 2006
Corrugated iron roofs
Width: 3m, Length: 5m -12m

Very little or no vegetation

Similar orientation of structures
Contiguous large area

Irregular street patterns

With more vegetation
Haphazard orientation of structures
Contiguous large area
 Housing structure Jhupri or shacks-
having roof top made of bamboo, sun grass,
gunny bags and polythene sheets
Size approximately 2m by 3m

Plain/corrugated iron roofs

Size approximately 10m by 7m
Inside planned residential plots with
regular street patterns
Scattered concrete building (Not slum
dwellings)
 Corrugated iron roof
Width 3m by 5m
Lined in long straight lines
without any space between
houses
Contiguous large area

Corrugated iron roof

Mixed sizes
In plots in un-planned residential
areas (irregular street pattern)
Scattered concrete building (Not
slum dwellings)
 Plain/Corrugated iron roofs Plain/Corrugated iron roofs
Various different sizes Small sized structures
Mixed small industries and slums Contiguous large area
 Corrugated iron roof
Size 4m by 8m
Looks like slum but actually
market place
Distance between structures
are more than that of slums
and more regular
 Mostly jhupri - shacks Mixture of corrugated iron roof and
jhupri
Roof top - bamboo, sun grass, gunny
bags; most of the times covered by On roadside or railway track
polythene sheets
On roadside or railway track
Slum Mapping from high resolution
satellite images- CEGIS
Total Dhaka Metropolitan Area 300 sq km

Number of Wards 91 Ward-02

Number of Unions 10

Area of Ward 02 2.5 sq km

Area of Ward 87 0.5 sq km

Ward-87
 Ward 2: QuickBird
image 2006

Slums from CUS survey 2005

Slum digitized from
QuickBird image
 Ward 2: QuickBird
image 2006

Area % of
(Acre) total

Ward-2 674 100

CUS
120 18
Slum
Image
140 21
Slum
Ward 87: QuickBird image 2006
Slums from CUS
survey 2005
Slum digitized
from QuickBird
image
Ward 87: QuickBird image 2006
Area % of
(Acre) total

Ward-87 124 100

CUS
88 71
Slum
Image
60 48
Slum
 Comparison with CUS data
WARD 87
Not slum in image (Field
verification done)

Slum identified from

image 2006 and field
survey
Slum found on image
in 2002

Pan-sharpen QuickBird, 2006

Pan IKONOS, 2002
Slum identified from image
CUS Slum data
 Comparison with CUS data
WARD 87
Corrugated roof structures
Cluster of corrugated iron on the road side
roof structures Shops
Average size 12 m X 15 m
Factory

Pan-sharpen QuickBird, 2006

Slum identified from image

CUS Slum data
 Comparison with CUS data
structures WARD 87
Cluster of corrugated roof
Not slum in image
Average size 12 m X 15 m
(Field verification done)
Factory

Slum identified from image CUS Slum data

 Texture Analysis Ward 2

Slum Areas

Multispectral IKONOS (4 m), 2002 Texture Analysis (Mean Euclidean Distance

15 X 15 window) on Multispectral IKONOS (4 m), 2002

Ward 2 Boundary
 Texture Analysis Ward 2
Slum clusters

IKONOS Pan (1 m), 2002

Slum clusters

Texture Analysis (Mean Euclidean Distance

15 X 15 window) on Multispectral IKONOS (4 m), 2002

IKONOS Pan (1 m), 2002

 Texture Analysis Ward 2
Texture Analysis
Mean Euclidean Distance, 15 X 15 window

Ward 2 Boundary

CUS Slum data, 2005

 Texture Analysis
Small slum clusters (40 m X
40 m) can not be detected

Roads look similar to

slum clusters

Field/playground looks
similar to slum clusters

Ward Boundary
CUS Slum data, 2005
 Conclusions
For initial identification of slum clusters Texture Analysis is a
promising method
Texture analysis with 4 m multispectral image gave better
results than 2.4 m multispectral image
Visual interpretation of pan-sharpened high resolution
images gives much more detail and accurate information
but special care must be taken to use expert knowledge for
interpretation
Further study of characteristics of slums in terms of building
materials, patterns, size, density and their manifestations in
the images will provide better interpretation keys for
identification of slums
 Recommendations
Development of linkages with in-country institutions will
avoid duplication of work and improve the quality of
outputs and strengthen local institutions leading to
sustainability.
UN HABITAT can make use of country generated data by
linking up with the existing or planned initiatives of other
donors such as USAID and World Bank in mapping the slums
UN HABITAT can support Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics
to continue to carry out slum census
The methodologies currently being used can be further
improved with modern remote sensing technologies
Thank you
 Satellite Image_Agargaon
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