Spatio-temporal Analysis of Land Use and Land Cover Dynamics using Multi-temporal Landsat Imagery in the Dantiwada Watershed, Gujarat, India
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Land use and land cover (LULC) change is an important indicator of landscape transformation and provides useful information for watershed planning and natural resource management. This study assessed spatio-temporal changes in LULC in the Dantiwada watershed, Gujarat, India, using multi-temporal Landsat satellite imagery for 2002, 2013, and 2024. Landsat 7 ETM+, Landsat 8 OLI, and Landsat 9 OLI datasets were processed and classified using the Iterative Self-Organising Data Analysis Technique (ISODATA), an unsupervised classification approach. Five major LULC classes were identified: waterbody, barren land, built-up area, dense vegetation, and vegetation. Post-classification comparison was used to quantify the area and percentage distribution of each class across the 22-year study period. The results showed a marked reduction in barren land from 73.70% in 2002 to 58.22% in 2013 and 45.76% in 2024. Vegetation increased from 18.50% to 28.65% and 33.13%, while dense vegetation increased from 5.70% to 10.07% and 15.97% during the same period. The combined vegetation and dense vegetation classes increased from 24.20% in 2002 to 49.10% in 2024. Built-up area increased from 1.10% to 3.45%, and waterbody area increased from 1.00% to 1.69%. The findings indicate a substantial shift from barren land towards vegetated land cover within the Dantiwada watershed and provide baseline information for watershed-level land resource planning and long-term monitoring.
Language: English
Topic: Remote Sensing and Land Use
Subfield: Geography, Planning and Development
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7166540264