1 IMPERVIOUS SURFACES ESTIMATION MODEL FOR Al KUFA CITY UTILIZING REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES Mahmoud S. Al-Khafaji, Abdul Razzak T. Ziboon and Bashar H. Al-Yasery Building and Construction Dept. University of Technology- Iraq Abstract An impervious surfaces percentage (ISP) estimation model was developed utilizing satellite images through characterizing and estimating the impervious surface within Al Kufa City in the southern region of Iraq and to evaluate the applicability of the results of this model for estimating the population in this city. The field survey was used to acquire field data using GPS instrument. While the Landsat ETM+ , March 2006, and the Quick Bird, March 2007, data images were chosen to be satellite data. All the necessary pre-processing was applied and a supervised classification technique was used to classify the Quick Bird data image into two classes, pervious and impervious surfaces. The mean of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the ISP was computed from Landsat and the classified Quick Bird data image, respectively, for a statistically specified number of samples. The relation between ISP and NDVI was represented by a polynomial equation of 3 rd order, with correlation coefficient R=0.94. the calibration and verification process were achieved using sets of measured and estimated data. The developed model was applied on the Landsat data image of Al Kufa City to develop a digital ISP model for the city and then an ISP map was produced by using the Arc GIS programming package. This model was used to find the relationship between population and ISP in Al Kufa City. Number of samples were taken from the enumeration of population of some parts of the city and these data were analyzed statistically. Results of this analysis showed that the relation between the population and ISP can be represented by a linear relationship with R= 0.94. The developed digital ISP model produce a digital ISP map that has the potential to use in several fields. This model can be applied in the similar urban areas with morphological urban and nonurban features constrains, the threshold of water and soil removal and the data must be in the summer season. Introduction The magnitude, location, geometry, and spatial pattern of impervious surfaces, and the pervious–impervious ratio in a watershed have hydrological impacts. The increase in impervious cover increase the volume, duration, and intensity of urban runoff which effect on the urban drainage systems. Watersheds with large amounts of impervious cover may experience an overall decrease in groundwater recharge and base flow. Furthermore, imperviousness is related to the water quality of a drainage basin and its receiving streams, lakes, and ponds. The impervious surfaces may significantly influence urban climate by altering sensible and latent heat fluxes. The environmental engineering projects, water resources engineering, urban and regional planning, energy projects, especially environment-friendly energy, the population enumeration and its updating, can utilize the impervious surfaces digital