Geospatial Technologies in Land Resources Mapping, Monitoring, and Management: An Overview

Abstract

Geospatial technologies broadly includes remote sensing, photogrammetry, cartography, geographic information system (GIS), global positioning system (GPS), and information technology (IT). Geospatial technologies deal with the acquisition, storage, processing, production, presentation, and dissemination of geoinformation. Remote sensing technology allows us to observe the earth features from the space, and there are several techniques to differentiate the information collected from remote sensing on land, vegetation, water, etc. GIS is a computer-based system to capture, organise, store, edit, analyse, display, and plot geographically referenced data. GPS allow the surveys to collect the precise locational information and increase the accuracy in mapping and monitoring over the conventional surveying techniques. IT is the use of any computers; storage, networking, and other physical devices; and infrastructure to create, process, store, secure, and exchange all forms of electronic data. The information generated through conventional methods, remote sensing, and GPS techniques could be used effectively to create database in GIS and perform variety of spatial analysis in sustainable management of land resources and generate environment-friendly action plans. Some of the applications of geospatial technologies are digital terrain modeling, geomorphological mapping, soil resource inventory and mapping, soil-landscape modeling, land use/land cover mapping, croplands mapping and monitoring, assessment and monitoring of droughts, soil erosion assessment, mapping and assessment of land degradation, water resource management, watershed management, agricultural land use planning, spatial decision support systems, etc., which have a far-reaching impact on mapping, monitoring, and management of land resources on sustainable basis.