Integrating Remote Sensing, GIS, and Citizen Science to Map Illegal Waste Dumping Susceptibility in Dakar, Senegal

Article Article scientifique Article Integrating Remote Sensing, GIS, and Citizen Science to Map Illegal Waste Dumping Susceptibility in Dakar, Senegal eng 2025-12-12 author Scharf Norma Theresa 0009-0002-4104-5523 946204 author Ducry Bénédicte 0009-0004-7499-7170 945145 author Sy Bocar 0000-0001-7095-5409 author Djim Abdoulaye author Lacroix Pierre Marcel Anselme 0000-0002-9096-4414 716942 Services communs de l'Institut des sciences de l'environnement (ISECO) 11137 10.3390/su172411137 2071-1050 https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/24/11137 Solid waste management remains a critical challenge in rapidly urbanizing regions of the Global South, where limited infrastructure and informal disposal practices compromise environmental and public health. This study addresses the issue of illegal waste dumping in Dakar, Senegal, by integrating remote sensing, geographic information systems, and citizen science into a multi-criteria framework to identify areas most susceptible to dumping. Using Landsat 8 and Sentinel-2 imagery, indicators such as land surface temperature, vegetation, soil, and water indices were combined with demographic and infrastructural data. A citizen survey involving local university students provided social perception scores and criterion weights through the Analytic Hierarchy Process. The resulting susceptibility maps revealed that high and very high dumping probabilities are concentrated around the Mbeubeuss landfill and densely populated areas of Keur Massar, while Malika showed lower susceptibility. Sensitivity analysis confirmed the model’s robustness but highlighted the influence of thermal and social perception variables. The results show that 28–35% of the study area falls under high or very high susceptibility, with hotspots concentrated near wetlands, informal settlements, and poorly serviced road networks. The weighted model demonstrates stronger spatial coherence compared to the unweighted version, offering improved interpretability for waste monitoring. These findings provide actionable insights for the Société Nationale de Gestion Intégrée des Déchets (SONAGED) and for municipal planners to prioritize interventions in high-susceptibility zones. Rather than being entirely novel, this study builds on existing remote sensing, geographic information systems and citizen science approaches by integrating them within a multi-criteria framework specifically adapted to a West African context. Analytic hierarchy process Citizen science GIS Illegal dumping Land surface temperature Multi-criteria analysis Remote sensing Solid waste management Dewey 333.7-333.9 18 Institut des sciences de l'environnement 0DB false 673 Envirospace Lab 941 ISE Pôle Informatique environnementale 859 Global Resource Information Database (GRID) 1057 TIGERS https://owncloud.unepgrid.ch/index.php/s/RFfSqNygTcB1YyZ https://app.mapx.org/?theme=color_light&project=MX-WFG-EH9-CLQ-6XV-BES&language=en Sustainability 17 24 61ca9ffb-78db-42ef-8e85-cb897e298745 Article (Published version) Public sustainability-17-11137-v2.pdf 2551556 application/pdf CC BY-4.0 d99fc7c33af05eb3838bdd10985a2576fea9bb85df3fe0ad4c1bb410a6e703ce openAccess Centres et instituts / Institut des sciences de l'environnement

Title	Published in	Access level	OA Policy	Year	Views	Downloads

Integrating Remote Sensing, GIS, and Citizen Science to Map Illegal Waste Dumping Susceptibility in Dakar, Senegal	Sustainability			2025	40	177

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