Applications of remote sensing GIS for land use and land cover change analysis of Gadag Taluk, Karnataka

In India, urbanization is progressing at a rapid pace. The urban population was 11.4% at the 1901 census. This percentage gradually increased to 31.16% according to the 2011 census. The main side effect of urbanization is the conversion of agricultural land to non-agricultural land use. This article aims to identify changes taking place on agricultural land and transform them into a different type of land cover (LULC). To achieve this goal, land-use change mapping is done using Remote Sensing and GIS. The study used satellite imagery along with field studies and statistical data to detect a change in agricultural land into a different LULC type at Gadag Taluk in the Gadag District. This study is conducted over a 13-year period from 2001 to 2014. This paper presents in detail the expansion and shrinkage of agricultural land and open areas at the Taluk level. Resourcesat -LISS III and IV data as well as Sentinel-2 were used in this study. LISS and MSI images from the study period, i.e. from 2001 to 2014, are collected and then pre-processed. The classification of images is done manually. Training samples are collected using ground truth information (GCPs). The identification of land use changes is done on the basis of polygons. This would determine which LULC class is mainly responsible for agricultural land shrinkage. These space-time and statistical studies will help build the basis of a model of sustainable development