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Title
Application of remote sensing and GIS for sustainable development

PRESENT AND ALTERNATE LANDUSE BASED ON
NATURAL RESOURCES - ROLE OF REMOTE SENSING AND
GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SYSTEM
M.L. Manchanda & M. Kudrat
Regional Remote Sensing Service Centre
ISRO, Dehradun, India
ABSTRACT
Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System are potential tools for soil resource inventory and landuse planning. In this
paper, an attempt has been made to demonstrate the potential of these tools for natural resources mapping and landuse planning
with special emphasis on land suitability evaluation, land irrigability and land capability classification. Based on the information of
soil resource inventory, land characteristics and land qualities, landuse planning was formulated through a contextual decision (or
querry shell). A few case studies from different parts of the country are presented in the context of soil mapping and landuse
planning using remote sensing and GIS.
INTRODUCTION
Optimum landuse planning is essential to improve
soil conditions, check soil degradation, conserve soil and
water, which consequently increases soil productivity
and better agricultural return (Smith et al., 1987; Reeves,
1994). However, to a great extent this depends on the
maintenance of land and soil properties within levels of
variations that would allow their restoration. The
feasibility of optimal landuse planning is based on the
knowledge of the effect of management practices on
water, land and soil properties (i.e. soil inventory data)
and how they effect soil-crop relationship in order to
make sound management decision (Francis and Clegg,
1990; Power and Fallett, 1987). Hence there is call for
optimum landuse planning.
Landuse planning includes various activities
depending on the local needs. The most common
landuse planning activities are:
• Land capability classification
• Land irrigability classification
• Land suitability evaluation for specific landuse.
The first two are used for broad categorisation and
latter one is site specific. This is accomplished by
following the procedures detailed by AIS & LUS (1970)
and FAO (1976). Landuse planning is inevitable and
indispensable for alternate landuse and agrotechnology
transfer (Sehgal, 1996). Soil inventory information and
land characteristics/land qualities constitute the basic
inputs for the landuse planning (Simakova, 1966).
Remote sensing technique is operationally used for
soil resource inventory, natural resource mapping at the
scale of 1:50,000. It provides the realtime and accurate
information related to land/soils. Remotely sensed
satellite data in the form of false colour composite (hard
copy) and digital data can be used to study and monitor
land features, natural and dynamic aspects of
anthropogenic activities towards preparation of thematic
maps, depicting, various status of land and soils
(Korolyuk and Scherbenko, 1994; Kudrat et al.. 1990;
Singh and Dwivedi, 1986). Thus remotely sensed data
become an important element for the development
planning activity by providing the basic informations of
a region.
In the present presentation an attempt has been
made to demonstrate the basic principles and steps of
landuse planning using remote sensing and geographic
information system.
Table 1. Soil resource maps used for various purposes.
SI. No. Information Required Scale
1.
National Level 1
1000.000
2.
State Level 1
250.000
3.
District Level 1
50,000
4.
Tehsil / Subwatershed 1
25,000
5.
Farm Level / Microwatershed 1
4.000
6.
Soil Conservation Planning / 1
Implementation
4.000
7.
Reclamation of salt-affected soils 1
8.000
8.
Command Area & Pre-irrigation Survey 1
1
50.000
25.000
9.
Optimal landuse planning 1
1
50.000
8.000
Source: Peer Review Document. Department of Space. 1998.