Land Use and Land Cover Change Analysis Using Multi-date Multispectral Satellite Data: An Integrated Study of South Chennai in Tamil Nadu State, India

Abstract

Cites are the attraction for the growth of the social, economic, and political development of the country. It has a power for the development of large-scale and small-scale industries, educational institutions, administrative offices, public and commercial establishments, etc. In turn it attracts more migration from the rural area to the urban area or shifting from one urban center to another urban center. Hence the population density is getting magnified in certain pockets of the cities. As a result there would be a drastic conversion and modification in usage of land. Therefore, there should be a definite analysis and various assessments are required for such a development and also to preserve the city environment including preparation for future disasters. South Chennai is a part of Chennai City, which is the capital of Tamil Nadu and one of the four major metropolitan cities in India, located in the southeastern India. The average population growth rate of the Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA) is 21 % per decade that recurrently reduces the green-covered area. Exceptionally, during the post-economic liberalization period, i.e., between the years 1997 and 2007, most of the agricultural lands and other natural land covers are being converted to developmental activities such as industrial including information technology and information technology-enabled services (IT and ITES) sectors. Also the CMA has become a major hub for higher education and specialized health-care facilities, inviting increasing population both from various parts of the country and abroad. During the last 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the subsequent cyclones, the study area has witnessed with devastation in terms of life loss, infrastructure, and environmental quality. Therefore, it is essential to assess the land use/land cover changes and its associated environmental parameters using technology tools like remote sensing data and GIS. Land use/cover information are derived from PAN plus LISS data of IRS 1C and IRS 1D for the pre- and post-2004 Indian Ocean tsunami years, i.e., 1990, 1998, and 2005, in order to demarcate vulnerable sites and to focus on our future disaster risk reduction (DRR) activities.