Detecting and Assessing the Spatio-Temporal Land Use Land Cover Changes of Bahrain Island During 1986–2020 Using Remote Sensing and GIS

Abstract The Kingdom of Bahrain has experienced accelerated development growth since the 1980s. These rapid land demands increased pressure on country area to rebuild urban centers and cities surrounding coast. purpose this research is detect investigate changes in use cover (LULC), which one most critical aspects planning managing as a natural resource. massive demand, particularly small-area countries like Bahrain, forces decision-makers re-plan main island areas (Bahrain, Muharraq, Sitra, Nabih Saleh). study focuses mapping LULC detection over 1986–2020. It employs an integrated approach remote sensing GIS (Geographic Information System) analyze evaluate islands using multi-temporal multispectral Landsat satellite imagery acquired 1986, 1994, 2000, 2005, 2013, 2020. In addition, high-resolution images different dates IKONOS GeoEye1 2011, Worldview3 2019, ASTER 2012, multiresolution seamless image database-MrSID 1998 were used enhance classification. Furthermore, ancillary data utilized adjust decision classes. supervised Maximum Likelihood Classifier (MLC) algorithms generate seven maps. seven-raster classification maps revealed overall accuracies exceeding 85%, Kappa statistics range between 87 95%. results indicate that increment built-up was dominant last 3 decades.