جستجوی مقالات مرتبط با کلیدواژه « segmentation » در نشریات گروه « علوم انسانی »

Social marketing is one of the most widely used branches of marketing knowledge that is used in various social issues. Social marketing seeks to create behavioral changes that benefit individuals and society (Romero-Domínguez et al., 2021, p. 3). Non-profit organizations (NPOs) have faced intense competition for charitable donations due to declining government support and rapid growth (Hsu et al., 2021, p. 52728). A review of previous literature on donor behavioral loyalty indicates that donors may be loyal to more than one nonprofit organization in different ways (O'Reilly et al., 2012, p. 69). Achieving charity marketing goals like business marketing, in addition to choosing an efficient strategy, also requires determining effective techniques and tactics such as market segmentation, which can increase the loyalty of philanthropists even more. But statistics show that organizations lose up to 60% of their first responders. Therefore, an adequate understanding of the determinants of donor loyalty is necessary and essential (Zogaj et al., 2021, p. 379). The closest research to the current topic is the research of Masoodipoor (2018), which used other criteria for classification, so the topic is completely new and original. Therefore, the main question of this research is how people's loyalty is in the three indices of loyalty to the charity brand, loyalty to the distribution channel, and loyalty to the donation subject. The main purpose of this research is to measure the behavior of benefactors in charity affairs based on the components of loyalty to charity marketing and behavioral segmentation in the statistical population of Qom province.

The current research is a descriptive-survey type of quantitative research with an exploratory approach and is included in applied research. The statistical population of this research includes the Qom metropolis. Therefore, by using the available sampling method, two urban areas, three and seven, were selected and sampling was done from the people in those areas. According to Cochran's formula including the confidence factor of 95%, the value of 0.5 for p and q, and the error factor of 0.05, the sample size is at least 384 people. The method of data collection in this research is a questionnaire that evaluates the donation behavior of individuals in terms of loyalty to charity brand, loyalty to distribution channel, and loyalty to the subject of donation in different places and times through 42 questions in two forms of specialized and demographic questions. All questions were designed according to the Five-point Likert scale according to the variable; Therefore, the evaluation of options is variable. In total, 571 questionnaires were distributed to people physically and electronically, and 405 questionnaires were obtained that could be used for statistical analysis, and then the data of the questionnaires were analyzed using SPSS software and clustering technique and two-step clustering analysis.

Surveys show that from the total of 405 people who answered the questionnaire, the highest percentage of frequency is related to men with approximately 51.4 frequency, and the lowest number of responses is related to women with a frequency of 48.6. The youngest declared age is 14 years and the highest age is 75 years. The average age of the people studied in the research is about 32 years, and people with the age of 20 include the largest number of this sample. 59.5% of them were married. In terms of education, 37% of people have a bachelor's degree. The classification of people based on their job shows that the highest frequency of people in the studied sample belongs to freelancers with 24.7%. The most frequent percentage in the income classification, i.e. 25.4%, belongs to the category of people who do not have a fixed and independent income. Based on the answers provided, these people were classified into 5 separate clusters, 15.8% in the first cluster, 10.4% in the second cluster, 22% in the third cluster, 28.4% in the fourth cluster, and 23.5% in the fifth cluster. The highest level of loyalty to the charity brand includes the third cluster, the highest level of loyalty to the distribution channel includes the fifth cluster, and the highest level of loyalty to the donation topic includes the fourth cluster.

Due to the optional nature of charitable donations by people in the community, the competitive conditions between charitable organizations to earn more money reveal the necessity of attracting the attention of the audience. Attracting more attention from the target audience means identifying their behavior in the face of charitable affairs, and this information is used to predict people's future behavior and has a significant contribution to the growth of altruistic donations. The general results of this research indicate the existence of a gap between theory and practice. Based on the classic marketing process, segmentation is necessary to accurately and better identify the giving behavior of people and also to provide them with optimal marketing mixes. Segmentation causes people to be placed in categories with similar behavioral patterns so that advertising and promotion programs suitable for each segment are selected and implemented. The existence of criteria or criteria for segmenting people is one of the strategic challenges in the field of social policies. These criteria can measure the status of benefactors in different dimensions of charitable behavior. Since the loyalty component of philanthropists is very important for all charitable organizations, this research was conducted to investigate the loyalty behavior of philanthropists based on the geographical location of the Qom metropolis. Therefore, using the two-stage clustering technique, this research divided people's loyalty into three indicators: loyalty to the charity brand, loyalty to the distribution channel, and loyalty to the donation issue. The increase in their charitable contributions was expressed.

Supplier Segmentation (SS) makes Supplier Relationships Management (SRM) easier, especially when the number of suppliers is large. SS creates value and synergy in relation with the supplier. SS as a step between the two strategic activities of supplier selection and SRM obtains distinct groups of suppliers based on their similarities. In the field of marketing, segmentation usually refers to the aspect of market demand, in which the goal of companies is to segment groups of customers with similar needs and demands. Past researches have usually considered one of the aspects of supply or demand for segmentation and have not investigated the issue of segmentation from both aspects (supply and demand). When a company (manufacturing or service) has segmentation information about the status of its customers and shopping centers at the same time, it can be successful in policies. In this paper, shopping centers (supply side) and customers (demand side) of Food Center Company (FCC) are segmented using the TOPSIS technique.

First, the criteria related to the segmentation of shopping centers and customers are identified separately based on the literature and after localization by the managers of the FCC, they are classified in two objective and subjective dimensions. After localization of criteria, four decision matrixxs are formed for 109 shopping centers and 50 customers. By implementing TOPSIS steps on the decision matrixes of shopping centers and customers, the final score of shopping centers and customers is obtained in objective and subjective dimensions. Finally, shopping centers and customers are selected in four sections, namely shopping centers/customers with weak objective and subjective dimensions, shopping centers/customers with strong objective dimension and weak subjective dimension, shopping centers/customers with weak objective dimension and Strong subjective dimension, and shopping centers/customers with objective and strong subjective dimensions are placed. By sharing the segmentation results with the managers of the FCC and consulting with them, solutions for improving the performance of shopping centers and improving the relations of the FCC with customers in the areas of supplier relationship management and customer relationship management are presented.

After studying the literature, 19 criteria related to customer segmentation and 19 criteria related to shopping centers were identified. After receiving experts' opinions, 11 criteria for segmenting customers and 16 criteria for segmenting shopping centers were recognized as final criteria. Segmentation results of shopping centers show that 32 shopping centers were placed in Section 1, 4 shopping centers in Section 2, 31 shopping centers in Section 3 and 42 shopping centers in Section 4. Segmentation results of customers show that 19 customers were placed in Section 1, 4 customers in Section 2, 16 customers in Section 3 and 11 customers in Section 4.The customers of Section 1 are the weakest customers of the FCC. FCC can remove these customers from its customer list or help improve their situation through incentive programs. For the customers of Section 2, solutions such as interaction in social networks and recording the voice of customers will be useful. For the customers of Section 3, solutions such as designing a communication calendar will be useful. The customers of Section 4 are the strongest customers of the FCC. For the customers of this sector, solutions such as providing free services and special appreciation for them can help to retain them for the company.For shopping centers of section1, the FCC can remove them from its shopping list or help to improve their situation through methods such as holding training courses in order to promote these shopping centers and evaluate their performance after conducting training courses. For shopping centers of section 2, FCC can improve their mental dimension by improving the indicators of their position in the industry, after-sales service, customer relationship management, compliance with ethical standards, desire to share information and desire to learn and grow in these shopping centers. For shopping centers of section 3, FCC should help to improve the objective dimension of these shopping centers in improving the geographical distance of the shopping center to the customer, the frequency of sales of the shopping center, the quality of the shopping center's products or services, the variety of advertising by the shopping center, and the use of incentive policies by the shopping center. shopping centers of section4 are the best and most profitable shopping centers of the FCC.

Since the past researches have examined the issue of segmentation mainly from the aspect of supply, considering aspects of supply and demand, and application in the real world is useful for researchers in this field. The company should maintain these profitable shopping centers that are effective in the survival of the company and invest in creating long-term relationships with these shopping centers.

The purpose of this research is to segment and determine the profile of customers using a self-organizing neural network algorithm (case study: customers of branches of Agricultural Bank of Ahvaz). The present research is included in the group of quantitative methods. The research method is based on the purpose of the applied type and the method of collecting descriptive (non-experimental) data - survey, and in terms of location, it is field research. The statistical population of this research is the customers of Ahvaz Agricultural Bank. Since the statistical population of this research is unlimited, the sample size is determined to be 384 people based on Cochran's unlimited population formula. The research tool is a questionnaire. In this research, content validity was done by asking the supervisor and other professors who have opinions on the subject area of this research. After applying these opinions on the questionnaire's content and solving the existing problems, Moore's questionnaire was approved. Data analysis was done by SOM neural network analysis method in MATLAB software. After the implementation of data analysis, the findings of the research identified five different categories of customers with different behavioral and demographic characteristics. These 5 segments are largely traditional and valuable customers, golden customers, low-value customers, loyal diamond customers, and special customers.

Among the numerous corrections of the spiritual Mathnavi, the edition of Mohammad Ali Movahhed is the last and without a doubt the best. More than four years have passed since the first edition of this work, which has now reached its third edition. The professor has put corrections on eight complete and monograph versions, all belonging to a maximum of fifteen years after Rumi's death, and three other auxiliary versions. Of these, seven copies were probably written under the supervision of Hossam al-Din Chalabi, the last caliph, and Sultanwaleed, the son of Maulana. Of the other three versions, two versions were written during the lifetime of Sultan Vold. In this article, we have evaluated this magnificent work, while enumerating its advantages, in the following four areas:1) Correction and recording of verses: In this section, due to the avoidance of word length, we have only discussed the correction of a number of verses in the first book. In order to understand the meaning of some verses according to their recording, because the professor did not say anything in the correction of the book (and we hope that they will clarify the point in the annotations or commentary of the Masnavi later), we have no choice but to speculate. The priority of recording some verses or some words in Masnavi verses, considering the possibility of different readings in the recording of words and combinations such as Bad/Yad, Karkan/Karn, Kardi/Gardi, forms the main topics of this part of the article. In this section, we have reviewed 14 examples, which are mainly related to the meaning and sometimes the validity of the verses included in the margins of the versions.   2) Spacing between the verses of the Masnavi: One of the interesting features of this correction is the spacing between the verses throughout the Masnavi. What obligates this work is the most obvious characteristic of Masnavi in ​​telling stories and parables, which, apparently, is the horizontal line of travel And they are not straightforward. The professor listed three goals for these intervals: 1- to guide the reader in the content; 2- Preventing the possible boredom of the singer due to the repetition of monotony and continuity on a single song; 3- Paying attention to the turn of Rumi's words according to the situations of the narration and reflecting on his narrow thoughts. (Rek: Molana, 1396, vol. 1, introduction one hundred and fifty-five). The author considers spacing between the verses of the Masnavi useful and worthy of appreciation due to the possibility of easier communication of the modern reader with this text. According to the author, out of the three goals that Professor Mowahed has set the foundation of spacing on, the second goal, especially with the clause "probable boredom of the reader", is not very evaluable, because in fact it is not known which reader gets bored where. Therefore, in this part of the article, we have examined and analyzed the first and third reasons, which are responsible for the plot of Rumi's continuous twists and turns from the straight line of the speech, and we have shown that in some cases, the application of scholarly correct spacing may not be justified. 3) Script: Although the Persian Language Academy has made efforts to organize the Persian script for many years, among the high-quality corrections and numerous editions of ancient texts, one can find less evidence that the correctors have a single policy in writing all kinds of Persian words throughout the text. Applying a single policy to distinguish word types, especially in rhymed texts, can guide readers to "correct reading". Even though Professor Mowahed did not use a single procedure in writing in this correction, his precision in calligraphy is noticeable. According to the author, adopting a well-thought-out and uniform script in the correction of texts, based on what has been determined by the Persian Language Academy, both arrests the reader in correct reading and frees the printing of old texts from confusion. In this part of the article, we first pay attention to examples of the teacher's correction, which correct handwriting prevents reading and, as a result, misunderstanding of the verses. Then, in this edition, we will review some mistakes made in typesetting and failure to adopt unity of procedure, especially in writing compound words. About the typesetting of the book, it seems that the beauty of the letters and the arrangement of the words of each stanza was much more important than determining and limiting the privacy of the words. 4) The use of punctuation marks: it is clear that the use of these marks (dot, colon, comma, semicolon, etc.), in its right place, guides the reader in reading and understanding sentences and verses correctly. In the master's printing, the use of signs, without the usual extremes, is interesting. In this part of the article, while showing some examples of the master's accuracy which is the way to the correct meaning of the verses, we have briefly examined the use of the comma and mentioned the cases where the comma has limited the meaning of the verse, or caused a defect to it. In this article, to avoid the length of words, we have examined only the first book of the Masnavi, although sometimes we have given examples of verses from other books to confirm or strengthen the content. In reciting the verses of the Masnavi, we have used the exact writing and recording of the master's edition as a criterion everywhere.

"Mu'tmahdians" are people who falsely introduce themselves instead of the 12th Imam among the general public. Ahmad Ismail Basri is one of the claimants of Mahdism who has stepped in this field in recent years and by making promises to the people, he has used all his efforts to divert them from the Shia religion. Ahmad Ismail Basri and his supporters, in line with their goals, tried to create an acceptable image for themselves by using the hadiths of the infallible imams (peace be upon them). Due to the importance of the subject of Mahdism and the identification of false Mahdism claimants, the present study tries to investigate one of the traditions cited by them, the hadith known as "Ma Ashkala". According to this hadith, they claim that the meaning of "The Covenant of Nabi Allah", "Weapon" and "Parcham" are testament, knowledge and call to the sovereignty of God, respectively. The present research has investigated the narration of "Ma Ashkala" using the library method and with a descriptive-analytical structure and using the rules of "Fiqh al-Hadith" and It was found that cases such as incorrect segmentation of hadith, incorrect interpretations, failure to form a family of hadith, incorrect understanding of the words and expressions of the Hadith, lack of attention to the context of hadith and lack of attention to other sources of hadith, are among the most important defects of Fiqh al-Hadithi in the mentioned narration. Also, it was determined by Rijali's investigation that the hadith in "Tafsir Ayashi" is suspended and the hadith mentioned in the book "Al-Ghaibah" has two correct ways and three weak ways.

The emergence of car import market in Arvand Free Zone in Khuzestan province, has covered a significant share of car purchases in this vast province. The present study was conducted using artificial network algorithm of self-organizing maps model aiming at segmentation and profiling of customers of Arvand license plate registered vehicles. In order to identify the profile of customers and adopt an appropriate marketing strategy, the statistical population of this study was formed over 70,000 owners of Arvand license plate registered vehicles across the Khuzestan province. Using Morgan table, 384 people were selected as a sample by random sampling method, and a questionnaire was utilized to collect information. Research in the group was carried out with a quantitative method that was applied in terms of purpose, exploratory-survey in terms of nature, and also cross-sectional time wise. Data analysis was performed by self-organizing neural network analysis (SOM). Simultaneously, the demographic, psychological, and behavioral characteristics have also been considered to categorize customers. Based on the results, 3 sections including indifferent, conservative and loyal customers were identified and named. The validity and reliability of the study were also statistically confirmed. The results of this study show that demographic, psychological and behavioral variables have a decisive and special role in customer segmentation of Arvand license plate registered vehicles.

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors with various properties offer potential in various remote sensing applications, such as land cover and land use segmentation. Despite the two independent approaches of region-based segmentation and boundary-based segmentation, it isn't easy to obtain satisfactory results if either process is used in SAR images. In contrast, complementary information can be obtained using both region-based and boundary-based segmentation methods, removing existing limitations and improving results. In this research, with the help of polarimetric SAR images, a new segmentation method is presented, aiming to improve segmentation results by combining the two region-based and boundary-based approaches. From the set of superpixel methods, the Felzenszwalb method as a proposed region-based algorithm is compared with Quickshift and SLIC methods. The proposed method was able to prevent over-segmentation of the image and significantly increased the efficiency of segmentation analysis. Also, as the proposed method of boundary-based segmentation, Shannon entropy has considerably preserved the boundaries of the image segmentation compared to the two gradient-based methods, Canny and Laplacian. Comparison of the results of this method with reference data shows the total error of 10.39% and 11.25% for the first and second-time images, respectively. Compared to the performance of the other two methods, the absolute error has been decreased to 5.81% and 9.73% in the first image, and 11.16% and 13.86% in the second image, respectively. Finally, as a significant achievement of this research, integrating the two proposed segmentation algorithms improves the accuracy of polarimetric image segmentation.

Religious tourism is one of the five main branches of tourism according to the World Trade Organization. The popularity of pilgrimage has increased in recent decades, and religious tourism has been an important part of the dynamics of the world tourism economy. Therefore, this applied descriptive-survey study sought to segment and determine the psychological-demographic and behavioral profile of Karbala pilgrims attending the annual Arbaeen rituals. The statistical population of the study comprised of the pilgrims of Karbala who have traveled through the borders of Khuzestan province to attend the Arbaeen rituals. The neural network algorithm was used to analyze the data via self-organizing maps. The study's findings indicated that there were three different groups of pilgrims with different travel motives, who were categorized as a) being more tourist than a pilgrim (tourist pilgrim), b) being more pilgrim than a tourist (pilgrim tourist), and c) pilgrims. These three groups of tourists were named after leisureists, enthusiasts of various activities, and religious people, suggesting that each type of pilgrim had its own psychological, demographic, and behavioral characteristics. Therefore, marketing strategies for developing tourism activities should be set based on the characteristics of each type of tourist.

Knowing customers and identifying profitable services is of great importance due to the diversity of bank customers and the variety of services in the country's banking system. Customer relationship management is now the core of the business world, today the electronic portals of banks using various information exchange networks such as Satna, Paya, Chakavak, Sayad and. . . They are connected to each other. The most important interbank network used in Iran is Shetab network.In this study, data mining techniques were used to classify and rank customers in the Shetab network using an improved RFM-based data mining model so that banks could analyze and evaluate their customers' behavior in this network and formulate Deal with effective policies in dealing with customers.For this purpose, the required data were extracted from the bank card switch database and the required analyzes and data mining operations were performed on it by CRISP method. This data is available in the database of the Welfare Bank and was extracted from the database of the institution using DML commands. Also, in order to review similar studies and increase information through library and internet studies, information related to the model was collected. Finally, R+FMW presented a model for clustering bank customers and their transactions. The results showed that the developed R+FMW model has a higher accuracy than the basic RFM model and by using this model, banks can identify customers active in the interbank exchange network (acceleration) and expensive customers and communication channels. Recognize in terms of fees and demographic information

The present study was conducted with the aim of the effects of segmentation and redundancy methods on cognitive load and vocabulary learning and comprehension of English lessons in a multimedia learning environment.The purpose of this study is an applied research and a real experimental study. The statistical population of the present study includes all people aged 14 to 16 who are enrolled in language schools in Damghan. The subject of the educational content was to explain the activity of volcanoes in the form of PowerPoint software in a maximum of 10 slides (based on the type of group) to 90 subjects who were randomly divided into six groups (15 people in each group). High segmentation / Audio presentation, High segmentation / Visual presentation, High segmentation / Redundant, Low segmentation / Audio presentation, Low segmentation / Visual presentation, Low segmentation / Redundant were assigned. The research was completely experimental (a completely random 2×3 factor design). Researcher-made test of vocabulary and comprehension learning, prior knowledge assessment and Pass Cognitive Load Scale (1992) were used to collect data. Analysis of variance was used to analyze the data.The results of analysis of variance showed that the interaction between segmentation method and redundancy method on cognitive load and learning was significant. The results of post hoc test also showed that the High segmentation / Visual presentation group reported significantly lower cognitive load and higher comprehension learning compared to other groups. no significant difference was observed in the vocabulary learning variable between High segmentation / Redundant with High segmentation / Visual presentation group. According to the obtained results, it can be said that segmentation and redundancy methods are effective in reducing cognitive load and promoting English language learning in a multimedia learning environment.

Increasing the efficiency of banks is one of the fundamental steps in the economic development of countries and recognizing the segmentation of branches based on customer satisfaction is essential for adopting the strategic orientation of banks. The purpose of this study was to determining the efficiency of Sepah Bank branches to segmentation of branches based on customer satisfaction with service quality. This research was a descriptive survey and applied study. Data were collected using a questionnaire based on the perceived quality of service components provided by Zitemel et al. (2000). Validity of the questionnaire was assessed by face and content validity and reliability was assessed through Cronbach's alpha coefficient. The statistical population consisted of 41 branches of Sepah Bank Economics in Khorestan province and 384 clients were selected as the sample of the study using stratified random sampling. In this study, for determining the level of efficiency of branches, Data Envelopment Analysis with Scale Variable Efficiency (BCC-I) in input-driven mode and GAMS software was used. Then, the efficiency of the branches is clustered based on customer satisfaction with the quality of service among the efficient branches of Khuzestan province's economy. The results show that first cluster customers are the most important in using modern equipment in the branches, cleanliness, employing specialized staff and creating trust, financial security in their minds. Also, the factors related to “responsiveness” and “empathy” received the highest score from first cluster customers.

Infallibility (‘Iṣma) is a fundamental principle in Prophecy and Imamate and is a special characteristics of Shiite belief. Faiṣal Noor, a contemporary Wahhabi scholar, in a chapter of his book “al-Imāma wa al-Naṣṣ” renounced the doctrine of Imam’s ‘Iṣma and tried to challenge this idea according to the Shiite accepted principles and the traditions in Shiite books. The manner he narrated and exerted the traditions in his book is full of fallacy and distortion, and needs to be analyzed critically. This paper tries to review the most important manner of Faiṣal Noor confronting the Shiite traditions and to criticize samples of his arguments. This study aims to show his fallacies that he used method against the method of accurate criticism. Of his most important method is citing weak (ḍa’īf) and spurious traditions, purposeful segmentation, distortion of traditions, citing one hadith with neglecting other traditions.

Due to the accumulated volume of customer purchasing information and the complexity of competition in the present era, the importance of creating a platform for analyzing up-to-date and accurate customer data, with the aim of creating effective relationships with current and loyal customers, more than ever for organizations as It has become a competitive advantage. The purpose of this study was to investigate the behavioral patterns of customers buying Hygienic Products in order to classify them based on the WRFM using data mining methods. 65534 samples were collected from the company databases in the period of 1396-1397 among the customers of Tehran province by the available purposeful sampling method, also with the help of SPSS, the amount of WRFM determined according to the opinion of industry experts and then this field had been to other fields in the research and using Clementine software, customers clustering has been done according to 70% of the data; also, in order to evaluate the quality of clustering, the criteria of Gini Score, error percentage, and normalized mutual information were used. The results indicate the high efficiency of the K-Means clustering method with the number of four clusters with purity percentage (0.761) for customer segmentation.

With the aging population and the prevalence of chronic diseases in this age group, the importance of physical activity as a risk-reducing factor becomes clear. In this study, considering the role of social targeting, customer segmentation and physical activity positioning for the development of sports among the Iranian elderly have been studied.

This study was practical from the point of view of purpose and was conducted employing a qualitative research method based on thematic analysis method. The population consisted of specialists in Sports, Social Sciences, Psychology, Law, and Medicine. The sample was selected using purposive sampling with a conceptual saturation criterion, which was conducted after 11 interviews.

According to the three components of the targetbased strategic marketing model, segmentation criteria including individual and social characteristics, economic conditions and activity criteria were classified; factors such as contextualization, customer analysis, social system analysis, and policy coordination were identified in targeting the identified areas, and in the positioning section, encouraging the elderly to be inactive and move toward group and network-based activities were the results.

Based on the three components of segmentation, targeting and positioning, the need for people, society and officials to emphasize the use of physical activity to promote physical activity among the older adults and personal and social health of the elderly has been mentioned. As a result, efforts to activate the elderly in a neighborhoodbased manner and small-scale planning will be effective from several perspectives, including improving their individual and social health and reducing treatment costs.

The present study is a descriptive method that has been conducted in the field. 760 men aged 18 to 65 years watching the football matches of Persepolis and Esteghlal teams in the Premier League randomly and voluntarily completed the participation measurement scale (Beaton, Funk, Alexandris, 2009). Findings based on the dimensions of participation (pleasure, Centrality and badge) and in the form of a continuous psychological model, showed that in Esteghlal and Persepolis football teams, the lowest and highest levels of participation are related to the levels of loyalty (17.2%) and attractiveness (32.2%), respectively. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the multidimensional participation model is a useful tool for segmenting the audience into different theoretical stages, so event managers can design the appropriate marketing strategies to meet the needs and wants of each segment and move along. Facilitate the chain towards loyalty The overall result of the research shows that the psychological continuum model can be used as a criterion for segmenting sports spectators to guide sports researchers and marketers to design targeted marketing strategies.

Multi temporal changes in built up areas are mainly caused by natural disasters (such as floods and earthquakes) or urban sprawl. Detecting these changes which consist of construction, destruction and renovation of buildings can play an important role in updating three dimensional city models. Multi-temporal remote sensing data are one the powerful tools for detecting urban changes due to the increasing growth and then, for updating the three dimensional city models. Urban changes detection methods using various types of remotely sensed data have been proposed by many researchers to meet a wide range of applications (Singh, 1989). Considering the procedure of algorithms and the utilized multi-temporal remote sensing data, change detection algorithms can be divided  into two dimensional and three dimensional categories (Qin et al., 2016). Many of the proposed urban change detection methodologies have utilized only the multi-spectral remote sensing data without considering digital elevation models, which caused some problems in buildings identification (Bouziani et al., 2010; Brunner et al., 2010; Huang et al., 2014; Vakalopoulou et al., 2015). Two dimensional changes detection methods have some serious problems such as high computational cost and inaccessible volumetric information due to the absence of altitude data. Moreover, as digital elevation models can be easily produced recently, the three dimensional changes detection methods are more concerned (Martha et al., 2010; Tian et al., 2014; Waser et al., 2008; Daniel & Doran, 2013; Gruen, 2013). Three dimensional change detection methods are suitable for identifying the changes of high altitude objects such as buildings and their results are more close to reality. Three dimensional change detection methods can be considered in one of the spectral-geometric analysis methods or geometric comparison (Qin et al., 2016).

The objective of this study is to provide an effective method for three dimensional changes detection of buildings in urban areas based on Digital Elevation Models (DEMs). The proposed three dimensional building change detection algorithm in this research is considered for estimating the construction of new buildings in flat areas and renovation of low-rise buildings (up to three floors) in order to make high-rise ones (more than three floors). The proposed method in this paper consists of three main steps; 1) generating Digital Surface Model (DSM), Digital Terrain Model (DTM) and normalized DSM for two epochs, 2) performing object based image analysis consists of segmentation and structural classification of DEMs in order to generate multi temporal classification maps, 3) producing the change maps and analyzing the change percentages between various object classes.

The ability of the proposed algorithm is evaluated in a rapid developing urban area in Tehran, Iran in a 9-years interval. The obtained results represent that the ground and bare soil decreased for about -1.37% and low-rise buildings also decreased for about -9.7%. Moreover, the class of high-rise buildings increased for about +16.4% which conforms making new constructions in addition to renovation of low-rise buildings. As the objective of this research was to investigate the three aspects of changes in built up areas containing new constructions, destruction and renovation of buildings, some interesting results are obtained. The main changes occurred in this region are in the new construction category with 4.8% growth which is occurred to about 132680 square meters of the study area. Moreover, the renovation of low-rise buildings to high-rise ones is 3.05% of land use equivalent to 83889.5 square meters. The obtained results showed 3.89% destructions in the buildings which is occurred to 106896.25 square meters of this study area. Most of the destructions are in the low-rise building class which confirms decreasing the worn texture of the city and urban passages sweating.

According to the results, the construction of new buildings is faster than the vertical growth of the city and its destruction in this 9-years period. As it is clear from the results of this study, change detection in urban environment can help urban planners to manage land resources and prevent the growth of irregular constructions. As high-rise buildings prevent wind, disrupt the urban ecosystem and increase air pollution, it is important to control and manage the vertical growth of the cities.