Application of geospatial technologies for environmental impact assessment: an Indian Scenario

Abstract

Geospatial technology is an essential component of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process, as environmental resources are directly affected by changes in the shape and extent of the proposed disturbance. With the use of spatial techniques like remote sensing, Geographical Information Systems, and Global Positioning Systems, EIA has enhanced substantial viewing, movement, query, and even map‐making capabilities. However, one of the main challenges is to have access to the most up‐to‐date and accurate geospatial data and interpretations. With an emphasis on using geospatial data in particular, the value of the information resource is far higher than is generally available with text and numeric information. This paper focuses on discussing the application of geospatial tools in environmental monitoring and the effective analysis of the natural resources for developmental planning, policy formulation, and decision‐making. Several specific relevant applications of geospatial tools to integrate EIA are presented in the context of an Indian scenario. Applications have included monitoring of natural resources (air, water, land, etc.), ground‐level ozone, soil erosion, study of sea‐level rise due to global warming, change‐detection studies, delineation of ecologically sensitive areas using digital‐image analysis and Geographic Information Systems. This study focuses on the possibility of using a proposed spatial‐decision‐support system to conduct EIA, which should make it possible to upload, evaluate, maintain, and report field and analytical data that have been stored in a variety of formats.