DETECTION OF LAND USE AND LAND COVER CHANGES IN DIRAB REGION OF SAUDI ARABIA USING REMOTELY SENSED IMAGERIES

Knowledge of Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) changes is important for many planning and management activities. It is thought to be an essential element for modeling and understanding the major land forms, especially in arid regions like Saudi Arabia. This study investigates the LULC changes in Dirab...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of environmental sciences 2014-01, Vol.10 (1), p.8-18
Main Authors: Madugundu, R, Al-Gaadi, K A, Patil, V C, Tola, E
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Knowledge of Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) changes is important for many planning and management activities. It is thought to be an essential element for modeling and understanding the major land forms, especially in arid regions like Saudi Arabia. This study investigates the LULC changes in Dirab region of Saudi Arabia between 1980 and 2010, using Landsat TM/ETM+images. After the geometric correction and radiometric normalization, multi-temporal image data sets were spectrally enhanced separately using Principal Component Analysis and Tasseled Cap Transformation. Post Classification Comparison method was adopted for LULC change detection. Change trajectories and accuracy assessments were made by comparing the detected land use change layers with medium/high resolution images of Google Earth data base. The results suggested that significant land use changes occurred in Dirab area from 1980 to 2010, which may be related to rapid development of agriculture between 1980 and 2000 and economic development and urban expansion between 2000 and 2010.
ISSN:1553-345X
1558-3910
DOI:10.3844/ajessp.2014.8.18