Open Access

ARTICLE

Spatial Analysis Tool for Urban Environmental Quality Assessment: Leveraging Geoinformatics and GIS

Igor Musikhin^*

Department of Cartography and Geoinformatics, Siberian State University of Geosystems and Technologies, Novosibirsk, 630108, Russia

* Corresponding Author: Igor Musikhin. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Resource and Environmental Information Modeling)

Revue Internationale de Géomatique 2025, 34, 939-957. https://doi.org/10.32604/rig.2025.071168

Received 01 August 2025; Accepted 30 October 2025; Issue published 09 December 2025

Abstract

Urban environmental quality research is crucial, as cities become competitive centers concentrating human talent, industrial activity, and financial resources, contributing significantly to national economies. Municipal and government priorities include retaining residents, preventing skilled worker outflow, and meeting the evolving needs of urban populations. The study presents the development and application of a scenario-based spatial analysis tool for assessing urban environmental quality at a detailed spatial scale within the city of Novosibirsk. Using advanced geoinformatics, GIS techniques, and an expert knowledge base, the tool integrates diverse thematic data layers with user-defined scenarios to compute and visualize the Scenario-based Urban Environment Quality Index across 87,905 standardized unit areas. The methodology incorporates comprehensive criteria aligned with existing urban planning frameworks and includes demographic targeting to address the city’s heterogeneous population. Validation against expert evaluations demonstrates high accuracy and consistency, while dynamic modeling capabilities facilitate monitoring the effects of planned urban development initiatives. This approach bridges a critical gap in urban planning by providing granular, data-driven insights that reflect residents’ real needs and spatial inequalities. The tool greatly benefits municipal authorities by enabling evidence-based prioritization of interventions, fostering inclusive and sustainable urban growth, and enhancing transparency and participatory governance. Its implementation as a no-code/low-code QGIS plugin ensures wide accessibility and practical application in strategic urban development, marking a significant advancement in urban environment quality assessment science and practice.

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Keywords

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