Remote Sensing Geographic Information System Research Articles

MIF and AHP methods for delineation of groundwater potential zones using remote sensing and GIS techniques in Tirunelveli, Tenkasi District, India

Abstract The present study aims to identify whether the delineation of potential groundwater potential zones (GWPZs) is essential for monitoring surface and conserving underground water resources. This study analysed the morphology of earth surface characteristics such as geomorphology, lineament density, lithology, slope, soil types, land use and land cover, drainage density, land surface temperature, normalized difference vegetation index, rainfall, and topographic wetness index parameters to delineate the potential groundwater zones. This article applies the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and multi-influence factor (MIF) methods to identify potential groundwater zones in the Tirunelveli and Tenkasi districts of Tamil Nadu, India. In the AHP method, individual parameter's geometric mean and normalized weights were determined using the pair-wise matrix analytical method. Remote sensing-geographic information system (RS-GIS) techniques were used to generate thematic map layers from normalized weights to delineate GWPZs. The GWPZs were classified as Very Low, Low, Medium, High, and Very High. The result shows that the GWPZs were identified as 3.57, 0.55, 6.62, 58.09, and 31.21% in the study area for the five classes, respectively. In this study, the thematic maps were also prepared by assigning fixed scores and weights from the MIF approach. In the MIF approach, GWPZs were classified into five classes and identified as 3.16, 0.33, 2.14, 61.21, and 33.16% in the study area, respectively. GWPZ maps were evaluated for both MIF and AHP techniques using the Kappa statistics method with agreement values of 0.77 and 0.72%, respectively. This study's GIS-RS method is more proficient and efficient in delineating the GWPZs.

Multi-criteria approach to assess groundwater potential: a case study of Baringo County, Kenya

Abstract In this study, the groundwater potential zones in Baringo County (Kenya) were identified using an integrated approach of Remote Sensing-Geographic Information System (RS-GIS) and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) techniques, and thematic layers of rainfall, slope, lithology, soil type, land use, drainage density and lineament density. The data were validated using borehole yield and fluoride data obtained from boreholes in the area. Using RS-GIS-based methods to identify potential groundwater zones is more convenient and less expensive compared with the conventional methods. Rainfall, lithology, soils and land use/land cover were found to be the most significant factors influencing groundwater with weighted values of 31, 24, 18 and 10% respectively. The very good, good and poor potential zones covered 0.39, 65.33 and 34.27% area coverage of the study area respectively. Low yield boreholes were found in the poor groundwater potential zones and vice versa. Moderate yield boreholes were found in the good groundwater potential zone. The majority of the boreholes with acceptable fluoride concentration was found in the good groundwater potential zones, while those with high fluoride concentration levels were found in the poor groundwater potential zone. Generally, from this study, it can be concluded that remote sensing and GIS in conjunction with AHP are important tools in monitoring and evaluating groundwater resource potential areas.

Ecological modelling of potential Isparta Rosa areas (Rosa damascena Mill.)

Rosa damascena is widely used in the perfume, cosmetics, food, and medicine industrie around the world. Especially in the last two years, the use of drugs containing Rosa damascena has been emphasized in the treatment of Covid19 patients. In order to ensure the sustainability of these studies and to get to know Rosa damascena better, first of all, the ecological demands of Rosa damascena should be determined, and to expand the production area together with planning studies. In this study, the necessary ecological criteria (soil, climate, topography) for Isparta rosa growing were determined. An ecological modeling of potential agricultural areas suitable for Isparta rosa cultivation was made using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Remote Sensing-Geographic Information Systems (RS-GIS), Potential Isparta rosa production areas were determined spatially. With this study, it was determined that 105,637 ha (12.12%) of Isparta’s land was classified as “very suitable” for rose cultivation, but rose cultivation was carried out on an area of only 2,975 ha. Physical assessment was revealed that the areas suitable for Isparta rose cultivation were significantly restricted by the socio-economic structure of the province.

An Approach toward Integrated Management for Wadi Haseeb Watershed using Remote Sensing GIS and Hydrological modeling System, East Khartoum, Sudan

This study has been conducted in Wadi Haseeb Watershed, which originates from the upland in South East of Khartoum State. It descends in the North West direction to the confluence with the Blue Nile. The objective of this study was to specify an integrated management strategy to harness the potentiality of the watershed for sustainable agricultural purposes. An integrated approach of remote sensing (RS), geographic information system (GIS), hydrologic engineering center geospatial hydrologic modeling extension (HEC-GeoHMS) and hydrologic modeling system (HMS4.0) was performed to develop a daily rainfall-runoff model. The watershed was delineated and divided into four basins yielding an average water volume of 23 million cubic meters month-1. The results indicated that the first scenario needed 48 MCM month-1 whereas watershed discharge was 23 MCM month-1 with a deficit of 25 MCM month-1. The second scenario needed 32 MCM month-1, leading to a deficit of 9 MCM month-1. The third scenario needed 4 MCM month-1 with a water surplus of 19 MCM month-1. However, it was not economically and technically feasible to construct a canalization system for this small area. The questionnaire analysis indicated that high flood levels increased the cultivated area of some farms from 0.8 to 22 ha and the yield of sorghum from 400 to 2500 kg ha-1. The effect of the flood on the cultivated area and crop yield was highly significant (P ≤ 0.01) during high flood periods and significant (P ≤ 0.05) during the low floods.

Modelling of piping collapses and gully headcut landforms: Evaluating topographic variables from different types of DEM

The geomorphic studies are extremely dependent on the quality and spatial resolution of digital elevation model (DEM) data. The unique terrain characteristics of a particular landscape are derived from DEM, which are responsible for initiation and development of ephemeral gullies. As the topographic features of an area significantly influences on the erosive power of the water flow, it is an important task the extraction of terrain features from DEM to properly research gully erosion. Alongside, topography is highly correlated with other geo-environmental factors i.e. geology, climate, soil types, vegetation density and floristic composition, runoff generation, which ultimately influences on gully occurrences. Therefore, terrain morphometric attributes derived from DEM data are used in spatial prediction of gully erosion susceptibility (GES) mapping. In this study, remote sensing-Geographic information system (GIS) techniques coupled with machine learning (ML) methods has been used for GES mapping in the parts of Semnan province, Iran. Current research focuses on the comparison of predicted GES result by using three types of DEM i.e. Advanced Land Observation satellite (ALOS), ALOS World 3D-30 m (AW3D30) and Advanced Space borne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) in different resolutions. For further progress of our research work, here we have used thirteen suitable geo-environmental gully erosion conditioning factors (GECFs) based on the multi-collinearity analysis. ML methods of conditional inference forests (Cforest), Cubist model and Elastic net model have been chosen for modelling GES accordingly. Variable’s importance of GECFs was measured through sensitivity analysis and result show that elevation is the most important factor for occurrences of gullies in the three aforementioned ML methods (Cforest = 21.4, Cubist = 19.65 and Elastic net = 17.08), followed by lithology and slope. Validation of the model’s result was performed through area under curve (AUC) and other statistical indices. The validation result of AUC has shown that Cforest is the most appropriate model for predicting the GES assessment in three different DEMs (AUC value of Cforest in ALOS DEM is 0.994, AW3D30 DEM is 0.989 and ASTER DEM is 0.982) used in this study, followed by elastic net and cubist model. The output result of GES maps will be used by decision-makers for sustainable development of degraded land in this study area.

Changes in LULC and agricultural practices in narkhed critical zone observatory: Understanding ground water depletion

Depletion of water resources and unavailability of water is a major challenge for the country. Land use changes have also contributed to unavailability of water. Narkhed taluka in Nagpur, Maharashtra practices groundwater dependent extensive agriculture and the area has seen rapid change in Land use land cover (LULC) in the last few decades. Present study was carried out to understand the impact of changes in LULC in water availability and agricultural practices over the last two decades (1999 to 2018). Remote sensing/Geographical information system (RS/GIS) form change detection study followed by questionnaire survey approach was used for understanding the scenario. The change detection study provided an overview on the decrease of barren land by 13.7% and vegetation cover by 15.6% in the study area. Increase in fallow land, water body, and built-up was 23.2%, 2.3%, and 3.8% respectively. It was observed from survey responses that around 71% of farmers in the area lack sufficient water for irrigation, while only 29% of farmers have access to adequate water, and 7% agriculture is still rain-fed. Shift in cropping pattern from indigenous to cash crops is seen. Thus, high water demand for cash crops, the cultivation of orange and cotton has decreased by 1% and the cultivation of cereals has increased by 17%. Socioeconomic conditions of farmers has been affected. Although, construction of reservoir in the region has increased surface water yet is not sufficient. The Critical Zone Observatory in this study endorses transformative agriculture, restoring the critical zone functions and services in the region.

Assessment and prediction of land-use/land-cover change around Blue Nile and White Nile due to flood hazards in Khartoum, Sudan, based on geospatial analysis

Rising floodwaters in the Blue Nile (BN) and White Nile (WN) tributaries continually affects people’s lives and the safety of infrastructures in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. Recently, floods have covered a wide area of Khartoum and destroyed many buildings and bridges. We conducted this study to evaluate and predict the flood effects around BN and WN in Khartoum to make recommendations in view of upcoming flood disasters. Land-use/land-cover (LULC) changes after floods that occurred in 2014, 2016, and 2020 were evaluated and LULC was predicted for 2024 by applying a combination of remote sensing (RS) and geographic information-system (GIS) techniques. We also evaluated the expected hazard due to floods. Our results showed that the agricultural, built-up, and water changes around BN were 0.30%, 0.25%, and 0.05%, respectively, for the period 2014–2016, and, that changes for the period 2016–2020 were 3.38%, 3.68%, and 7.28%, respectively. Correspondingly, the agricultural, built-up, and water changes around WN were 5.56%, 3.26%, and 8.02% during 2014–2016 and 13.79%, 5.62%, and 21.40% during 2016–2020. The change estimation indicates that the most flood effects in the region occurred around WN, possibly covering the whole areal extent of Khartoum city. The area covered by waterbodies may decrease by 4.18% (BN) and 20.35% (WN) during 2020–2024, based on RS–GIS evaluation, but hydraulic evaluation shows that the expected hazard due to floods in Khartoum is high. Thus, flood-risk assessments should take into account both physical hazard and the distribution of the population across the whole area of Khartoum.

Land Suitability Analysis for Potato Crop in the Jucusbamba and Tincas Microwatersheds (Amazonas, NW Peru): AHP and RS–GIS Approach

Agricultural productivity in the Peruvian region of Amazonas is being jeopardized by conflicts and inadequate land use, that are ultimately contributing to environmental degradation. Therefore, our aim is to assess land suitability for potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) farming in the Jucusbamba and Tincas microwatersheds located in Amazonas, in order to improve land-use planning and enhance the crop productivity of small-scale farmers. The site selection methodology involved a pair-wise comparison matrix (PCM) and a weighted multicriteria analysis using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) on selected biophysical and socioeconomical drivers. Simultaneously, land cover mapping was conducted using field samples, remote sensing (RS), geostatistics and geographic information systems (GIS). The results indicated that for potato crop farming, the most important criteria are climatological (30.14%), edaphological (29.16%), topographical (25.72%) and socioeconomical (14.98%) in nature. The final output map indicated that 8.2% (22.91 km2) was highly suitable, 68.5% (190.37 km2) was moderately suitable, 21.6% (60.11 km2) was marginally suitable and 0.0% was not suitable for potato farming. Built-up areas (archaeological sites, urban and road networks) and bodies of water were discarded from this study (4.64 km2). This study intends to promote and guide sustainable agriculture through agricultural land planning.

Education and Training in Applied Remote Sensing in Africa: The ARCSSTE-E Experience

In Africa, there is growing knowledge regarding the use of data obtained by remote sensing and analysed while using Geographic Information Systems for solving myriad problems. The awareness has largely arisen through the efforts of the Programme on Space Applications (PSA) of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), and the subsequent UN resolutions for the establishment of Regional Centres for Space Science and Technology Education, to train scientists and researchers in different thematic areas of space, including Remote Sensing/Geographic Information Systems (RS/GIS). The African Regional Centre for Space Science and Technology Education in English (ARCSSTE-E) is one of these regional centres. The Centre has successfully trained 474 professionals from 18 countries since its inception in 1998; about 14% of these trainees have been female. This paper highlights the training programmes of ARCSSTE-E from its inception, and discusses the potential areas of improvement with a focus on the RS/GIS area. In 2019, a survey was conducted on alumni of the Postgraduate Diploma (PGD) programme of ARCSSTE-E. Based on the analysis of their responses and the progression of the PGD programme to a new Masters programme in RS/GIS at the university, there is clear evidence regarding the impact of the UNOOSA-assisted capacity building programme on the work and career of alumni, which has already produced an appreciable number of trained personnel in developing countries in Africa.

Delineation of Groundwater Potential Zones of Semi-Arid Region of YSR Kadapa District Andhra Pradesh India using RS GIS and Analytic Hierarchy Process

Water scarcity due to increasing urbanization and population in urban and rural areas makes necessary planning for artificial groundwater recharge. Remote Sensing (RS), Geographic Information System (GIS) and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) are advantageous tools to delineate the Groundwater Potential Zones (GWPZ) in arid and semi-arid areas of India. An aggregate of eight thematic layers affecting groundwater potential of the area were assigned appropriate weights dependent on the Saaty’s 9 point scale. These weights were normalized using AHP technique to delineate the GWPZ. About 2.30km2 shows very good groundwater potential (GWP), 162.10km2 shows good GWP, whereas 127.78km2 and 1.45km2 are under moderate and poor GWP, correspondingly. The structural hilly terrain located in the Eastern and Southern parts has a poor groundwater potential due to higher degree of slope and low permeability of clayey soils. This study can be helpful to identify the GWPZ of drought-prone zones useful for planning and development with integrated water resources management.

CAPACITY BUILDING FOR RS & GIS TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS: STUDENT REMOTE SENSING AND GEOSPATIAL PROGRAMME IN ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS

Abstract. Digital India program aims to transform India into a knowledge economy with Smart Cities / Smart Villages etc. It depends significantly on Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). It requires enormous computing Infrastructure and RS-GIS trained professionals along with Information and Communications Technology (ICT). Satellite based Earth Observation (EO) data volumes are increasing at a rate of several Terabytes a Day in heterogeneous formats (different spatial and temporal resolutions in optical, thermal and microwave). The recent trends towards free and open access policy creates unprecedented opportunities for both industrial and academic research communities for Big Data applications.During the last decade, Engineering Institutions across the nation have improved significantly in terms of high end computing, Wi-Fi campuses and qualified faculty to help students. Agricultural Universities/Colleges are also making extensive use of RS-GIS technology. Many research papers are also being published by students from Engineering / Agricultural Institutions in the domain of RS–GIS. Here lies the scope for enhanced collaboration between ISRO / Industry and Academia in the form of Student Remote Sensing and Geospatial programme (SRSGP) for scaling up operational services to sustain Digital India and boost the Geospatial Readiness Index of the nation. It will expand the hands-on experience of the student community and enrich their job-readiness in the industry and lead to development of trained RS-GIS professionals. It has the potential to make Digital India the global destination for RS-GIS applications similar to how Y-2K made India the global IT-destination.

Site Suitability Analysis for JFM Plantation Sites using Geo-Spatial Techniques

The Joint Forest Management (JFM) programme is an institutional innovation that has much potential in any country confronting the disempowerment of indigenous communities and environmental degradation. The implementation of JFM in different states of India initiated in the year 1992. This plantation strategy succeeded as well as failed depending on the existing conditions of that area. Out of the several factors contributing to the failure the most significant was the site selection. This factor can be rectified using the advanced Remote Sensing-Geographical Information System (RS-GIS) approach. The present study was undertaken for identifying suitable areas for JFM plantation in the Nandod taluka of Narmada district. The weighted overlay analysis of different themes like landuse, slope, settlement/etc. in GIS mode has aided in giving the precise number of villages in this taluka which are found highly, moderately and least suitable for implementation of JFM strategy, thereby providing a useful input to the forest planners.

Measuring water availability with limited ground data: assessing the feasibility of an entirely remote-sensing-based hydrologic budget of the Rufiji Basin, Tanzania, using TRMM, GRACE, MODIS, SRB, and AIRS

This study explores the feasibility of an entirely satellite remote sensing (RS)-based hydrologic budget model for a ground data-constrained basin, the Rufiji basin in Tanzania, from the balance of runoff (Q), precipitation (P), storage change (ΔS), and evapotranspiration (ET). P was determined from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission, ΔS from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment, and ET from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, the surface radiation budget, and the Atmosphere Infrared Radiation Sounder. Q was estimated as a residual of the water balance and tested against measured Q for a sub-basin of the Rufiji (the Usangu basin) where ground measurements were available (R2 = 0.58, slope = 1.9, root mean square error = 29 mm/month, bias = 14%). We also tested a geographical information system (GIS)-driven (ArcCN-runoff) runoff model (R2 = 0.64, slope = 0.43, root mean square error = 39 mm/month). We conducted an error propagation analysis from each of the model's hydrologic components (P, ET, and ΔS). We find that the RS-based model amplitude is most sensitive to ET and slightly less so to P, whereas the model's seasonal trends are most sensitive to ∆S. Although RS–GIS-driven models are becoming increasingly used, our results indicate that long-term water resource assessment policy and management may be more appropriate than ‘instantaneous’ or short-term water resource assessment. However, our analyses help develop a series of tools and techniques to progress our understanding of RS–GIS in water resource management of data-constrained basins at the level of a water resource manager. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Remote sensing and geographical information systems: Their past, present and future use in global marine fisheries

ABSTRACTHistorically, the fishing community (e.g., fishermen, resource managers) has used remotely sensed products either in the form of direct Automatic Picture Transmission (APT) reception on a ship or FAX charts transmitted from land‐based stations. Both these products have severe limitations within the context of near real‐time support/management of an operational fishery. Moreover, relatively little use of geographical information systems (GIS) technologies has been made by either the fishing industry, fishery resource managers, or by the general oceanographic community. This latter omission is unfortunate because GIS has the potential to overcome two long‐standing problems associated with satellite‐directed fisheries: 1) the absence of information due to clouds; and 2) the general lack of support for nonpelagic fisheries. This report gives the background, motivation, and essential design elements for use of a combined remote sensing/geographical information system (RS/GIS) in an operational fishery and illustrates how a combined RS/GIS approach can be used to mitigate some of the traditional limitations in satellite‐directed fisheries. Finally, an attempt is made to provide some possible directions this new technology may take during the 1990s.

USE OF SPACE IMAGERY IN THE FOREST ECONOMY

This paper provides a broad overview of current Soviet applications of remote sensing in the performance of forest inventories and related valuational studies, and in the production of derivative thematic maps—in particular, the photostatistical method of forest inventory based on interactive computer-assisted interpretation of satellite imagery and large-scale air photos. The ultimate future objective is the formation of a unified remote sensing-geographic information system for forest management and inventory purposes that will encompass the entire forested area of the country. Advances in the use of satellite imagery in the monitoring of forest fires, insect infestations, and rangeland deterioration have also been made since the late 1970s. Translated from: Geodeziya i kartografiya, 1986, No. 4, pp. 30–36.