Landuse Pattern Analysis Using Remote Sensing: A Case Study of Mau District, India

Land use mapping is fundamental for assessment, managing and protection of natural resources of a region and the information on the existing land use is one of the prime pre-requisites for suggesting better use of terrain. Advances in satellite sensor and their analysis techniques are making remote sensing systems realistic and attractive for use in research and management of natural resources. Land use maps are valuable tools for agricultural and natural resources studies. Due to strength of natural resources, updating these maps is essential. Employing traditional methods through aerial photos interpretation to produce such maps are costly and time consuming. With the growth of population and socio-economic activities, natural land cover is being modified for various development purposes. This has increased the rate of changes on land-use pattern over time and thus, affecting the overall ecosystem health. Land use mapping is an important tool for land management and monitoring. This paper analyzes landuse pattern of a part of Mau district, U.P. India using remotely sensed data and digitized using ERDAS IMAGINE software.The various categories of land use in the area recognized are forest, agriculture, Settlement, Fallow Land, Salt affected land, water bodies and reeds. Agriculture is the major land use categories in the study area due to the one of fertile soil of the world.