ISPRS Workshop on Service and Application of Spatial Data Infrastructure, XXXVI(4/W6), Oct. 14-16, Hangzhou, China 
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METROPOLITAN GROWTH MONITORING AND LANDUSE CLASSIFICATION 
USING GEOSPATIAL TECHNIQUES 
Amjed S. Almas a ’, C. A. Rahim \ M. J. Butt \ Tayyab I. Shah c 
a Department of Space Science, University of the Punjab, Quaid-e-Azam Campus, Lahore, Pakistan 
b Department of Meteorology, Comsats Institute of Information Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan 
c Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Pakistan 
E-mail: amjed5@yahoo.com 
KEY WORDS: Urban Environment, Metropolitan, GIS, Remote Sensing, Spatial Analysis, Resolution 
ABSTRACT: 
The present research relates to the exploitation of Remote Sensing and GIS techniques for studying the metropolitan expansion and 
landuse/ landcover classification of Lahore, the second largest city of Pakistan where urbanization is taking place at a striking rate 
with inadequate development of the requisite infrastructure. Such sprawl gives rise to the congestion, pollution and commuting time 
issues. The metropolitan expansion, based on growth direction and distance from the city centre, was observed for a period of about 
thirty years. The classification of the complex spatial assemblage of urban environment and its expanding precincts was done using 
the temporally spaced satellite images geo-referenced to a common coordinate system and census data. Spatial categorization of 
urban landscape involving densely populated residential areas, sparsely inhibited regions, bare soil patches, water bodies, vegetation, 
Parks, and mixed features was done with the help of satellite images. Resultantly, remote sensing and GIS techniques were found 
very efficient and effective for studying the metropolitan growth patterns along with the classification of urban features in to 
prominent categories. In addition, census data augments the usefulness of spatial techniques for carrying out such studies. 
1. INTRODUCTION 
Located at 31°34’north latitude and 74°22”east longitude, the 
geographic expanse of Lahore district has witnessed random 
growth in population from 0.67million to 6.3188million during 
1941 to 1998 (FBS-1998). This alarming growth rate has 
heaved the population density from 379 to 3,566 persons per 
square kilometre giving rise to congestion, commuting problems, 
improper provision of civic amenities to the citizens, and 
environmental pollution etc. Eighty two percent of the total 
population of Lahore district is urban and the rest is rural. Out 
of the total urban population, 88% are provided with clean 
water supply and 80% have the drainage facility. On the other 
hand, only about 20% of the rural population enjoys afore-said 
basic facilities (FBS-2002). Urbanization can be viewed as a 
characteristic of the population, as a characteristic of particular 
kinds of land uses and land covers, as well as a characteristic of 
social and economic processes and interactions affecting both 
population and land (McIntyre et al. 2000). In particular, urban 
places are routinely defined as concentrations of people who are 
engaged in non-agricultural activities (Weeks, 2002). 
Definitions based on size, density, and economic activity all 
imply a dichotomy between urban and rural, and that notion is 
almost certainly accurate from an historical perspective. 
The management of fast growing population in Lahore is beset 
with a complex set of problems borne out of the inter-netting of 
both service and administrative infrastructures. Information 
sharing and management in such environment is of critical 
importance to city planners and also to the public at large. 
Unlike developed countries where computerized databases 
provide interactive map information to the general public on 
transportation routing, location of service centres, tourist sites 
and emergency response centres, no such context-sensitive 
information has yet in practice. Development could only be 
availed until the information is rightly and precisely available. 
Until a few years ago, provision of context-sensitive geographic 
information was difficult to imagine without computer 
automation. Now, not only the digital manipulation techniques 
have improved but the fundamental need for high degree of 
geographic details has also been satisfied. As such, it has 
become possible to link the nature (service and administrative 
facets) of information to its respective geographic location. The 
geographic information systems (GIS) are the preferred tools to 
administer such a linkage for developing a Metropolitan 
Information System (MIS). GIS provides a way in which the 
statistical results can be represented spatially on the map and 
spatial patterns can be recognized. The quality of geographic 
information is of real interest and importance for all the people 
concerned with its use and exploitation. In the absence of 
conventional maps showing details on infrastructure, high- 
resolution satellite images can be used to effectively monitor 
and implement changes in land use through detailed street level 
mapping. The integration of remote sensing and geographic 
information systems (GIS) has been widely applied and been 
recognized as a powerful and effective tool in detecting urban 
land use and land cover change (Ehlers et al. 1990, Treitz et al. 
1992, Harris and Ventura 1995). The Satellite Image 
interpretation and understanding always involve object 
recognition and scene analysis tasks. All municipalities have 
internal data flows between departments that may or may not be 
explicitly documented. These data flows often require a re- 
evaluation when department responsibilities or new 
technologies are introduced into the organization. 
The foregoing strengthened the anticipated need for 
technological assails in managing the civic infrastructure within 
the metropolitan environment. For the geographical expanse of 
Lahore, it is imperative to not only improve the current 
capability to monitor and channelise existing resource-base but 
also to facilitate planned interventions. For all this to happen,