Study of Land Use/Land Covers Dynamics in Thar Desert Using Geospatial Technique

Abstract

Spatial information on land use/land cover is a necessary prerequisite in planning, utilizing and management of natural resources. In current context of development planning, information on land use/land cover and the changes over a period of time attain prominence because of its primary requirement in all the planning activities. Thar desert is undergoing land transformation mainly due to better management, irrigation facility and mining/industrial activities. Land use/land cover to derive Level-I classification using multi-temporal AWiFS datasets and See-5 decision tree software for all cropping seasons have been carried out. Changes over five year period have been analysed for its dependence on rainfall and to identify the ‘hot spot’.