Land Use Land Cover Change Analysis using Geospatial Tools in Case of Asayita District, Zone one, Afar Region, Ethiopia

Abstract

Land use land cover change is a complex matter, which is caused by numerous biophysical, socio-economical and institutional factors. The main objective of this study was to analyze Land use land cover change in Asayita district, Zone one, Afar Region, Ethiopia. Land sat Satellite image is the main source for the study. Geographic Positioning System data collection instrument was used to collect spatial data from the field. ERDAS IMAGINE 14 and Arc GIS 10 are main software’s used to analyze the study. Preprocessing, enhancement, classification and accuracy assessment was the main tasks involved in satellite images processing. Therefore, four major land cover classes were identified based on spectral characteristics of Land sat MSS, image namely, open woodland, Pasture land, bare land and water. The result revealed that barren and open wood land increased at the expense of pasture and water. Therefore, creating awareness among the society concerning optimum use of natural resources, create green economy, conservation systems and their benefits by policy makers and non governmental organization could play significant role in rehabilitation of the environment.

Keywords: Land use, land cover, satellite image, remote sensing