Census of Natural Resources with Earth Observation and GIS: A Proto‐type from India

Abstract

Census is the count or inventory of specific phenomenon, such as population, wild life, industry, livestock etc. Another aspect is that census is carried out periodically to show the changing trends of the phenomenon and state. Space based imaging systems, from their vantage position, has unambiguously demonstrated their capability in providing vital information on natural resources. With the availability of high‐resolution multi‐spectral and panchromatic earth observation images and geographic information system, can we now consider a natural resources census? The census of natural resources ‐ land, water, soils, forests and other elements conducted in a systematic manner and with a repeat cycle to depict changes and modifications can provide a “snap‐shot” of a country's status of natural resource at a particular moment of time and help in identifying areas of rapid and significant changes, which can be monitored in detail. Such inventory with periodic monitoring would help in managing the natural resources and will provide inputs to meet the demands of large population in terms of more food production, more energy generation, water management, better civic amenities, more infrastructure built‐up and increasing per‐capital expenditure for maintaining a quality of life. In India, Natural Resources Census (NRC) programme has been conceptualized and is being implemented. The NRC will use Indian Remote Sensing satellite images and prepares natural resources information layers of 7 key themes (land use/land cover, soil, geomorphology, vegetation, snow/glacier, land degradation, wetlands) at 1:50,000 scale with the periodicity of 5-20 years for different themes. The NRC maps and data support the repository of natural resources information and contribute to the operationalisation of a spatial data infrastructure (SDI). Recognising that standardization of methodology for mapping and spatial database generation to enable NRC for SDI is important, few proto‐type NRC studies has been conducted. This paper discusses the concept of a nation‐wide NRC programme and the results of one of the proto‐type studies (Bangalore urban district) that India has carried out. The concept, methodology and standards suggested for NRC will be certainly useful for any country.