Land use/land cover change detection through using remote sensing and gis technology – a case study of st.thomas mount block, Kancheepuram District, Tamil Nadu

The present study aims to find out the land use/land cover change detection between the year 1998 and 2008 in St. Thomas Mount Block of Kancheepuram District, Tamil Nadu. The total area of the Block is 243 sq.km. The study has made use of IRS LISS III and high resolution IRS LISS IV pan merged satellite imageries for the year 1998 and 2008 to identify the land use/land cover categories in St. Thomas Mount Block. ERDAS image processing and ArcGIS software were used to demarcate the land use/land cover divisions in St. Thomas Mount Block. Remote Sensing and GIS provide consistent and accurate base line information than many of the conventional surveys employed for such tasks. The land use and land cover analysis has been attempted based on thematic features of the area consisting of built-up land, agriculture land, water bodies, forest and waste land. The research concludes that there is a rapid expansion of built-up area; a perceptible change in transportation network especially on metalled and unmetalled road; and decrease of agricultural area from the year 1998 to 2008. Land use and land cover information, when used along with information on other natural resources, like water, soil, hydro-geomorphology, etc. will help in the optimal land use planning at the macro and micro level.