International Conference on Interdisciplinary Applications in Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System ICIARSGIS-2013



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Hydrogeological Investigations of Pt-6 Watershed in Akola District, Ms, India Using Remote Sensing and GIS Techniques with Reference to Watershed Management[ ]


The interpretation of satellite data for geomophological study is best accomplished by visual interpretation techniques with the understanding of spectral property of rock material and image characteristic of landforms. The criteria of interpretation may, however, change from region to region due to climatic influence on weathering, vegetation cover and mass movements. Effective data regarding surface water availability for watershed management demands application of geospatial techniques such as remote sensing, image processing techniques and GIS. In this study, detailed hydrogeological investigations were carried out for the PT-6 watershed in Akola District, MS, India using remote sensing and GIS techniques with reference to watershed management. The database is created using various techniques for the watershed management and morphometric analysis. The drainage map is digitized from Survey of India toposheets and open source satellite image using Arc Map software. The land use /land cover map is created using supervised and unsupervised classification method in ERDAS Imagine software and Arc GIS 10 versions. Other thematic layers like soil, geomorphology, DEM, slope, land use land cover, and drainage density are also generated using Arc Map software using the available reference data. The Morphometric analysis is mathematical calculation of the parameter likes stream order, bifurcation ratio, and drainage density and so on. For the Morphometric analysis Geographic information system techniques has been used and Strahler (1964) stream order method used for stream ordering. The drainage density of the basin is high at Adsul region indicating the potential groundwater conditions of the aquifers in the region. The results of this study have provided useful information regarding the hydrogeological parameters of the PT-6 watershed. This study has provided information regarding the soil map, land use land cover, slope map, Geomophological parameters, drainage density map, drainage pattern, Morphometric analysis and Digital Elevation Model investigations and watershed Management response in PT-6 Watershed in Purna region area in Akot Taluka in Akola District Maharashtra, India. The relationship between geological setup and drainage pattern is analyzed using a topographic maps and triangulated irregular network (TIN). Regional and local trends of geological setup are reflected in the variable orientation of channels of different rank in the catchment.

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Structural Feature Extraction from Satellite Images[ ]


Roads, buildings and bridges are the main structural features obtained from satellite images. Detection of clouds and shadows supports the extraction of these features. Different algorithms are available for the extraction of these features, depending on the availability of remotely sensed data. In this paper, a comparative study is done for different algorithms using different types of data.

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Role of Remote Sensing Using Topographic Analysis for Wetland breeding sites Encephalitis Disease Vectors in Gorakhpur district, Uttar Pradesh, India[ ]


Japanese encephalitis is confirmed to Asia and is almost always associated with rice ecosystems. In India, JE was clinically diagnosed for the first time in 1955 at Vellore, erstwhile North Arcot district of Tamil Nadu. Subsequently, the outbreaks have occurred in 25 states and union territories of India. In the past two decades many tropical countries have experienced several major encephalitis epidemics. Currently there is a renewed interest in exploring the possibility of vector control through additional using technique for environmental management. This study examined the determinants of mosquito larval habitats and usefulness of remote sensing in identifying these habitats in Gorakhpur district. The probability of finding aquatic habitats and habitats with larvae were modelled based on the digital elevation model and land-use types. Remote sensing also can be used for determining factors affecting vector abundance mosquito breeding sites. Remote sensing is a powerful tool for determining the landscape features and climatic factors associated with the risk of vector-borne diseases. The objective of this study was to assess using DEM for identifying larval habitats of vectors and for determining other topographic features.

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Spectral Analysis of Hyperion Data for Mapping the Spatial Variation of Bauxite Mineral in a Part of Katni District, Madhya Pradesh, India[ ]


Hyper-spectral remote sensing has the potential to provide the detailed physico-chemistry (mineralogy, chemistry, morphology) of the earth’s surface. This information is useful for mapping potential host rocks, alteration assemblages and mineral characteristics, in contrast to the older generation of low spectral resolution systems. In the present study EO-1 hyperion data has been used for assessing the quality of bauxite deposits and also targeting bauxite mineral by using image processing approach viz , spectral unmixing.MNF transformation was applied to reduce the data noise and for extracting the extreme pixels. The limits of the Hyperion imagery for mineral mapping are the apparent strips in several bands even those important absorption bands and the low signal-to-noise ratio of imagery.The field checking and geological map of the study area illustrate that Hyperion data is useful for identifying mineral abundances and mapping the geological characteristics.

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Assessment of Green Space Requirement and Site Analysis in Colombo, Sri Lanka - A Remote Sensing and GIS Approach[ ]


Green space distribution plays a vital role in urban planning since they contribute significantly in enhancing environmental quality of metropolitan areas by improving air quality, urban health, conserving biodiversity, reducing noise, etc. Migration of rural population into urban areas and widespread industrialization lead to the rapid growth of urban population, consequently expanding urban sprawls. Removal of vegetation cover can be identified as one of the most adverse effects of urbanization. Proper distribution of green spaces in urban environments is therefore a necessity for the sustainable development and healthy living. Hence, it is essential to identify the green space requirement quantitatively and spatially. In this endeavour, integration of remote sensing and GIS techniques can provide a time and cost effective methodology.Colombo city of Sri Lanka has been identified as one of the most polluted cities in South Asian region. Rapid urbanization and the population growth are the main causes for the degradation of environmental quality in Colombo. Unplanned constructions and settlements in Colombo have contributed to significant reduction of green spaces. Therefore, special consideration has to be made for the proper distribution of green spaces in future development and planning projects in Colombo. In this study, available green spaces in Colombo are extracted through NDVI method using THEOS satellite imagery. Subsequently, green spaces required to be created are calculated with respect to WHO standards of green spaces per capita for healthy living (9.5 m2/ person) and a methodology is developed to spatially define appropriate areas to establish them.

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Eutrophication Potential Modelling Using Geographical Information System and Fuzzy Logic[ ]


This paper attempts to model the eutrophication potential of the Mumbai coastal waters during winter season using Geographical Information System and Fuzzy Logic. The study gives insight to the environmental impact of the system due to excessive growth of algae in different trophic areas. These areas are part of Arabian Sea with huge primary production that aids in the economic development of the country. The study uses in-situ methods to determine the primary factors that are responsible for eutrophication and determine Chlorophyll concentration changes during the pre-winter and post-winter period thus analyze the natural phenomena of seasonal upwelling. In-situ methods will be used to measure the quality attributes of the ocean water, with the help of chemical laboratory. Empirical relationship is to be derived between Chl-a concentration and other primary factors that aid in algal growth. Potential modelling will be done with the help of Geographic Information System (ArcGIS) and Fuzzy Logic (Matlab). Different weightages are given to the predictor maps based on the data analysis and maps are overlaid based on the weightages, generating areas that have high Chl-a potential. Fuzzy logic comprises of two methods; Mamdani Fuzzy Inference System and Sugeno Fuzzy Inference System. Mamdani uses conceptual model to generate fuzzy inference and Sugeno uses empirical relationship developed between data regarding eutrophication and other primary factors. The models are tested for each of these regions with the help of in-situ Chl-a data, and their behavior is analyzed. The study also emphasizes on changes in trophic levels before and after the phenomena of seasonal upwelling in Arabian Sea.

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Estimation of Daily Temperature & Rainfall Using Inverse Distance Weightage (IDW) Method & Inter-Relationship with Water Quality & Adaptive Behaviors[ ]


Do changes in micro-climate or weather have any effect on the manner in which we treat water for consumption? A research study by NEERMAN attempts to answer the question by combination of large scale field surveys, GIS analysis, and advanced econometric models. The field survey conducted data from over 9300 panel households from 242 villages from 4 districts of Maharashtra in summer and monsoon reason in 2005 and 2007 and collected information on socio-economics, disease prevalence, drinking water quality (E.Coli contamination in CFU/100 ml), and household water safety behaviors. Secondary data on rainfall and temperature was collected from 10 Indian Meteorology Department (IMD) weather stations and 103 blocks (Tehsil) rain gauge.Inverse Distance Weightage (IDW) method was used in ArcGIS to estimate daily weather condition (quantitative) of all the surveyed villages by spatial extrapolation of weather data. The data was then merged with the primary household data on basis of location of the village and the date of survey. Such GIS database was then analyzed in STATA - a statistical software - using regression models to assess the effect of temperature and rainfall on water safety related behaviors.

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Generation of Thematic Layers from Spatial Database for Landslide Hazard Management in Part of Garhwal Himalaya[ ]


Landslides are one of the important natural hazards of Himalaya. Due to landslides, the Himalayan region often faces geoenvironmental problems posing threats to, both, life and property. The fragile Himalayan ecosystem, which is characterized by weak rocks, various types of geological discontinuities and unfavorable hydrogeological conditions, is more prone to frequent slope failures especially along the rail and road cut slopes and building terraces. During the past few decades, the processes of natural instabilities have been accentuated due to accelerated anthropogenic activities. The hill slopes located in zones of high annual precipitation and/or seismic activity, are more susceptible to landslides. The following study deals with the layer generation for landslide hazard zonation mapping and inter relating the generated layers with actual ground conditions.

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Geospatial Assessment of Water Quality in Creeks and Coast of Mumbai India[ ]


Mumbai, the financial capital of India is generating about 2700 MLD of sewage from seven service areas and discharging into adjoining coast, Malad, Mahim, Marve and Thane Creeks. The coastal and creeks water quality is deteriorating due to disposal of partially treated sewage, wastewater from open drains as well as industrial wastewater. The objective of present paper is to assess and evaluate the water quality during low and high tides. 65 samples from west coast including beaches and seafronts, 44 from creeks and 3 from ocean outfalls were collected as per Standard Method. The samples were analysed for physico-chemical and bacteriological parameters and results were compared with SW II standards as prescribed by Central Pollution Control Board, India. The results were incorporated on the GIS platform for further geospatial analysis and visualization. The spatial distributions of water quality were generated to delineate the areas affected due to sewage discharges and disposal through ocean outfalls. Based on water quality analysis and spatial distribution, creeks were observed to be worst and most of the parameters were above the prescribed standards as compared to west coast. Spatial and temporal assessment of water quality suggests that there is a dire need of improvement in wastewater collection, treatment and disposal facilities to achieve designated standards in creeks and coastal environment.

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A Systematic Study of Application of Spatial Decision Support System in Agriculture[ ]


Agriculture is a foundation in Indian Economy. Sustainable Agriculture production and processing systems have become more complex with involvement of biological, chemical, physical processes such as soil, water, climatic scenarios and crop management practices respectively. It is a great challenge to extract knowledge from these data. Information technology based expert systems are playing important role for sustainable agriculture development. The effectiveness of decision making in agriculture domain can be improved by integrating Geographical Information System (GIS) and advanced in information technology techniques. This paper reviews and summarizes the application of spatial decision system and spatial data mining techniques and algorithms in agriculture.

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Groundwater Regime of the WGK5 Sub-Watershed of Wainganga River Basin Around Saoner Region, Nagpur District, Maharashtra Using Remote Sensing and GIS Techniques for Sustainable Development[ ]


Resource management using watersheds as an organizing unit has proven to be an effective scale for natural resource management. Remote sensing and its image processing technology provide access to spatial and temporal information on watershed, regional, continental and global scales. GIS and remote sensing applications have proved to be indispensable tools in decision making in the case of problem involving watershed conservation because of the enormity of spatial data involved. The land forms along with slope gradient and relief intensity are other parameters to determine the type of water harvesting and water conservation structures.In this present study, an attempt has been made to understand the groundwater regime of the WGK5 subwaterhed of Wainganga River basin around Saoner region, Nagpur District, Maharashtra using an integrated approach of remote sensing and GIS techniques with Arc GIS Desktop 9.3 and ERDAS Imagine 9.2 software for the sustainable watershed management. The remote sensing data combined with field survey details has provided a unique and hybrid database for the optimal planning and management of the watershed. The water and land resource development action plan is prepared using various thematic layers like slope, land use/ land cover, drainage, soil texture, soil depth, soil erosion and land capability and weight age and rank were assigned to the thematic according to their importance and these layers are overlaid using union operation and suggested suitable zonation for the water conservation structures like check dam, percolation tank, earthen nala bund, form pond, graded bunding, sunkan pond, roof rain water harvesting, and loose boulder structure and for soil conservation land resources development activities suggested are social forestry plantation with continuous contour trenches, check dam, afforestation with continuous contour trenches, canal command, conservation of forest, dry land agro-horticulture with farm pond, horticulture plantation, intensive agriculture with farm bund, irrigated agro-horticulture with farm bund, and pasture development etc. The conservation zonation structures were suggested to reduce soil erosion and conserve the water as natural resource for the sustainable watershed management. In the action plan for water conservation cement nala bund and canal command structures were suggested as >60% of the watershed is having slope of 1-3%. Roof rain water harvesting is suggested for the study area for the collecting and storing the rain water and also to improve ground water level. Check dams are suggested near to the water reservoir to reduce the siltation of the reservoir from the transported sediment of the river or stream. Loose boulder structures and continuous contour trenches were suggested in the high elevation and where slope of the area is steep to reduce the runoff rate and soil erosion. The land resources development plan was suggested for the utilization of soil resources for the economic and social development of the watershed. In the action plan for soil conservation, irrigated agro-horticulture with form bund and canal command which covers 70% watershed with 1-3% slope and for rest of watershed forest conservation and dry land horticulture were suggested.

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Approach to Accuracy Assessment tor RS Image Classification Techniques[ ]


Several techniques exist for remote sensing (RS) image classification, which includes supervised and unsupervised approaches. Classified maps are the main product of remote sensing image classification. Accuracy assessment of these classified maps is one of the foremost and important tasks of RS image classification technique. Without accuracy assessment the quality of map or output produced would be of lesser value to the end user. However, supervised and unsupervised techniques show different levels of accuracy after accuracy assessment was conducted. This paper describes a study that was carried out to perform supervised and unsupervised techniques on remote sensing data for land use/cover classification and to evaluate the accuracy result of both classification techniques. The study used IRS 1C LISS III satellite image consists of 26718 pixels, which covers Ralegaon Siddhi watershed in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra state, India as a primary data and topographical map of SOI, cadastral map, and district statistical handbook containing land use/cover information as ancillary data. The land use/cover classes for the study area were classified into 5 themes namely, agricultural land, shrubs, water body, wasteland and barren land. Ground verification was carried out to verify and assess the accuracy of classification. A several sample points with sufficient numbers of samples were collected based on Systematic Random sampling criteria. The comparative analysis based on the overall accuracy and Kappa statistics for the various classiers reflects the better performance of maximum likelihood classification technique.

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NDVI Based Assessment of Land Use Land Cover Dynamics in A Rainfed Watershed Using Remote Sensing and GIS[ ]


Assessment of Land use/ Land cover dynamics is critical for conservation, sustainable use and development of natural resources in rainfed regions. In the present study Kaddam watershed, G-5 sub basin of Godavari River, India, a typical rainfed watershed characterized by acute annual rainfall of 715 mm and dry land crops has been considered for the evaluation of land use/land cover changes. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), an indicator of vegetation growth and coverage, has been employed to describe the spatiotemporal characteristics of land use land cover, including percent vegetation coverage. using multi spectral remote sensing. The Land use/Land cover (LULC) classification was done based on Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) using four IRS-P6 LISS-III satellite imageries each of Kharif and Rabi seasons for 2004 and 2005. The LULC assessment based on NDVI for Kharif and Rabi seasons of 2004 and 2005 has resulted that crop land has been decreased by drastically by 148.23 sq km and fallow land has been increased by 150.32 sq km from 2004 to 2005. Changes were noted in the aerial extents of water bodies and bare soil classes, change in forest class was nominal. The ranges of NDVI values are stressed for kharif season imageries and bounds of NDVI values of different LULC classes are subject to change from Kharif to Rabi in the same year. It can be concluded of all the available methods of image classification with regard to vegetation and LULC, NDVI formed the basis for a better classification especially suitable in such cases where the analysis was carried out using either past imageries or present imageries with no ground truth data.

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Monitoring the Land Cover Pattern of Jharia for Reclamation (Bastacola, Area) Through GIS and Multi Temporal Remote Sensing[ ]


Excavated overburden and ensuing from the surface mining activities pose a long term impact on the environment and the land safety measures. Lack of requisite reclamation of the stripped and the exploited coal in the BASTACOLA (Eastern Jharia, area) has resulted in the loss of substantially important agricultural and urban land. Accurate quantification of the extent of the area occupied by the overburden is important for the assessment and proper restoration of the waste land. Substantial quantity of non urban land monitored can be used to fill the excavated profiles of overburden, thus providing useful reclamation patterns. This research paper investigates the use of multi temporal remote sensing and satellite imagery for the location of the baseline of undulating overburden profiles to further their reclamation due to stripping activities. LandSAT 5 TM multispectral ASTER DEM images of the area (year 2000 and 2010) were used for quantification of overburden. The paper embeds the data acquisition though satellite imagery, data presentation via GIS and image registration and the final analysis and accuracy assessment. The interpolation of results and the statistics acquired can be used for the describing, analyzing and predicting the land use change over the considerable timeframe with the help of the Markov model and statistical and stochastic timeline analysis.

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Application of Geographical Information System in Progress Monitoring of Construction Project[ ]


Construction is a major sector of civil engineering. The construction industry is the second largest industry of the country and makes a significant contribution to the national economy and provides a measure of infrastructure development. Construction of vast projects such as township, stadiums, and dams is a challenging task both in terms of managing complexities of the project and addressing the demands of all the stakeholders. The success or failure of any project largely depends on the cost effectiveness, time-bound delivery, quality and amount of resources available throughout the lifecycle of construction. This clearly turns the focus towards effective construction project management. With the advances in information technologies, its use is being constantly explored in the area of construction planning and monitoring.This paper presents the concept of integrating Geographic Information System (GIS) with construction project management to provide a better solution for monitoring the progress of a project. GIS is an IT tool which with input is able to display 3-D view of building. With time as fourth dimension, the progress of construction task can be displayed as 4-D view. For the purpose of presenting the integrated GIS solution for progress monitoring, a sample three-bed room apartment is considered. The architectural drawings are prepared using AutoCAD in which the components of the buildings are distinguished into different layers. The schedule and progress of task is captured using MS Project 2003. The AutoCAD drawings are imported and digitized into shape files using ArcMap module of ArcGIS software. The 3D view representing the progress of building construction is the developed using ArcScene module of ArcGIS. The extrusions of 3D view of building depend on the progress information updated in the schedule worksheet of MS Project. The 4D model of progress monitoring is beneficial to all the stakeholders of the project and can be opted as future of planning and monitoring in the fast developing construction industry.

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Application of Geo Informatics in the Construction of Floating Airport (FLAIR)[ ]


The unprecedented growth of air travel and the development of larger and faster aircrafts demands new approaches to aircraft design. Real estate within reasonable proximity in large cities is expensive, if at all available and the acquisition of land is becoming central and certainly the most time consuming aspect of airport planning. In addition to this neighboring communities mount powerful objections to the danger, noise and pollution which to some degree are un-avoidable by products of large airports. Thus, as an alternative viable solution one must consider airports located in seas or large water bodies. Using radar images & remote sensing for locating the site in a shoreline and constructing an offshore airport for the city of Mumbai in the Arabian Sea is the purpose of this paper. The Arabian Sea has various profound depths and structure like airport requires a depth level of 200 to 500 feet. Sea tides and seismic activity plays a vital role hence radar data can be used to analyze tide patterns and seismic data of the Arabian coast subsurface will help us to acquire enough data about the shortcomings of this project. Also surrounding industries, marine flora and fauna and the urban busy life of the Bombay coastline has to be kept in mind which can be seen precisely using satellite imagery and stereophotogrammetry of the city hence a suitable site for construction can be located. Floating airport requires the use of submerged buoyancy chambers as their foundation support by means of vertical columns below the surface which diminish the buoyant volume of the structure subjected to wave motion. This buoyancy tends to raise the platform and elevate the chambers to the surface of water and to restrain the structure vertically and laterally, taut mooring cables and anchorage system will be used. Hence Civil and Geo Science engineering emerge for this project. The concept of a Floating airport was first proposed in 1934 by E.R. Armstrong as ”Seadrome” and it may be used in the upcoming project of London Airport constructed on River Thames.

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Application of Error Gradient Functions by Generalized Neuron Model under Electric Short Term Load Forecasting[ ]


Utilization of Generalized Neuron Model (GNM) has paved a way to Electric Short Term Load Forecasting (ESTLF) an new arena. By using Error Gradient Functions, Generalized Neuron Model can solve Electric Short Term Load Forecasting for non adaptive, adaptive learning which is more precise, more flexible, no hidden nodes etc. A practical electric load data has been taken for the simulation through MATLAB 7.0®. The outputs were root mean square testing error, maximum testing error, minimum testing error.

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Geo-Hydrological Study of Watershed GV-41, Shivana River Basin Using Remote Sensing and GIS Techniques[ ]


As we know that Deccan Trap having the multiaquifer system and heterogeneous in nature of basalts. In an effort to maintain the water table condition in balance, artificial recharge schemes are being implemented in various parts of the world. The selection of sites for artificial recharge is a very important task in recharge studies. The occurrence and movement of groundwater in hard-rock terrain are controlled by secondary porosities developed through weathering and fracturing. Groundwater occurs in the weathered residual under unconfined conditions and circulates through fractures and fissures below. Here the aquifers are characteristically discontinuous. The presence of buried pediments and palaeochannels offer good sources of water with lineaments. The present study aims at siting artificial recharge structures in the hard-rock terrain of the Shivna river basin in the Aurangbad district of Maharashtra, India, where the average annual rainfall is 650mm. In this investigation, integrated remote sensing and GIS techniques were used. Various parameters like lithology, structure, landcover /landuse, aspects of drainage, basins, landforms and other parameters were extracted from visual interpretation of IRS_P6 Satellite data and Survey of India (SOI) topographical sheets, aided by field checks. The depth of weathered material, water table conditions, and rainfall data were been considered. All the thematic information layers were digitized and analyzed in a ArcGIS environment and the composite maps produced show suitable sites for construction of artificial recharge structures.

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Performance Benchmarking of Geospatial Applications[ ]


Geospatial applications deal with large volume of datasets. In web based geospatial applications the datasets need to be transferred from server to client tiers as fast as possible. Hence the main concern while developing these applications is Performance. This paper describes a workload model for benchmarking performance of geospatial applications. The proposed model simulates a workload for N number of concurrent users and N is varied each time. The Performance metrics which are evaluated are Response Time, CPU utilization and Wait time, which are then used to identify problems of scalability aspects under heavy load. The case study of Karnataka geo-portal has been considered to analyze the performance of large web-based geospatial applications.

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Hydrogeological Investigation of the Morna River Basin, Akola District, Maharashtra, India Using Remote Sensing and GIS Techniques for the Assessment of Groundwater Conditions[ ]


Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology has played critical roles in all aspects of watershed management, from assessing watershed conditions through modeling impacts of human activities on water quality and to visualizing impacts of alternative management scenarios. The field and science of GIS have been transformed over the last two decades. Once considered a Cinderella technology in selected disciplines and application domains, GIS has grown quite rapidly to become a multi-billion industry and a major player in the broader field of the ubiquitous information technology. Advancements in computer hardware and software, availability of large volumes of digital data, the standardization of GIS formats and languages, the increasing interoperability of software environments, the sophistication of geo-processing functions, and the increasing use of real-time analysis and mapping on the Internet have increased the utility and demands for the GIS technology. In turn, GIS application in watershed management has changed from operational support (e.g., inventory management and descriptive mapping) to prescriptive modeling and tactical or strategic decision support system.Groundwater constitutes an important source of water for various purposes. The conventional approach for groundwater investigation is ground based survey. Keeping this in view the present study attempts to map groundwater prospect map of the Morar river basin using remote sensing, GIS and geoelectrical techniques. Geomorphological, geology, lineaments and slope map has been prepared from satellite data. All the thematic maps maps are integrated in GIS environment and classified the area in four categories of groundwater prospects from poor to excellent groundwater potential zones. For the field verification of the result obtained from the integration of thematic maps are crossed checked with resistivity survey of the area. In this study, an attempt has been made to understand the hydrogeological characterstics of the Morna River basin and ‘potential groundwater contributing zones’ were delineated using geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) analysis tools.

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Assessment of Seasonal Variation of Land Surface Temperature (LST) in an Urban Area[ ]


Land surface temperature varies with different landuse category. Thermal infrared (TIR) remote sensing technique is able to identify the temperature as measured at the time of satellite overpass. The present study is an attempt to find the seasonal variation of temperature in different landuse pattern and management in Delhi city. Land surface temperature has been calculated from Landsat TM5 satellite images in different seasons (January, April, June and October) by Mono-window algorithm. Field validation of same season (June) has been carried out with calculated temperature which varies from 0.5ºC to 1.8ºC. Landuse map has been classified into five major classes (Built-up, Dense vegetation, Light vegetation, water body and fallow land) by supervised Fuzzy C-mean method with 88% overall accuracy. Finally, the results indicate that LST of vegetation and water is much low in comparison to others. The difference in LST can be minimized in highly heated areas by initiating plantation programmes in the city built up areas and surroundings throughout the year.

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Environmental Impact Assessment of Six Laning through NH-4[ ]


The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a systematic investigation of both Positive and Negative impacts on the physical, biological, socioeconomic environment, which would be caused or induced due to a proposed developmental project. EIA helps to develop environmental friendly projects and seeks to reduce environmental degradation caused by developmental activities. It also provides a plan to reduce the unconstructive environmental effects of proposed development project through alternative approaches, design modifications and remedial measures. Highway construction is a major activity of economic development especially in developing countries like India. Road development is a major source of damage to the environment, including ecological deterioration, habitat disturbance and damage to flora and fauna. The present report analyses the environmental impacts likely to occur due to the proposed widening of a 130 km stretch of NH-4 from Pune to Bangalore. The report highlights the importance of EIA in the sustainable development of highway project with a case study of vital link of about 130 Kilometers. The study concentrates on the environment impact assessment of the project in the light of the existing situation at the highway site. The parameters covered in study like Socio-Economic, Biological, Air, Water, Noise, Ecological & Soil. Samples of air, water & soil were taken to analyze their present conditions. Data was also collected from various Government offices like the forest department and town & country planning department. Highway capacity was analyzed and it was observed that the present two lane highway is insufficient to handle the current traffic volume so the section requires six laning immediately to accommodate more traffic. After analyzing different parameters and discussing the probable impacts suggestions are made regarding the mitigation measures that can be taken at different stages in order to reduce the environmental impacts and awareness to the public through it.

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Automatic Alcohol Detection and Interlinking with the Police Headquarters Database[ ]


The article is related to Automatic Alcohol Detection in vehicles, and their interfacing with the speed and indirectly to the engine potential which will help in locating the vehicle and will further assist in law enforcement. By the use of GPS (Global Positioning System) and geospatial information provided, authorities can track the location of all vehicles from their database. This concept, with the assistance of GPS, GIS (Geographic Information System) and engineering will be helpful in seizing the offender, relief, and also for security on roads. An Alcohol Detection System (ADS) is to be placed either on some part of the steering or around which will calculate the presence of alcohol in the driver’s breath. This will be interlinked with Automatic Cruise Control (ACC) which will control the speed of the car at a certain rate and also prevent from accidents by maintaining definite distance from other vehicles on the road. The ADS and ACC are both interfaced with the engine potential. When the ignition is ON, the GPS in the car will automatically start working and so will the ADS. When the alcohol level detected is above the pre-determined threshold, the speed of the vehicle will be controlled by the ACC. As soon as the alcohol is detected in the vehicle, it will be marked in a different colour in the database provided to the police authorities. The control room will automatically send this information to nearest patrolling police vehicle, and the vehicle will thus be prosecuted under law.

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Developmental Issues and Dynamics of Mumbai Cityscapes: Geoinformatic Inventory of F & G South Ward[ ]


Conceptually, the Geo-environmental landuse mapping is the spatial representation of the human activities which is mainly dependent on socio-economic condition on the nature's own built system exemplifying the suitability of different terrain units in relation to the existing utilization or selective alternate uses, i.e. sustainable landuse planning. The holistic approach, using Geographical Information System (GIS) allow managers to observe, study and monitor, for instance, the effects and consequences of a particular decision on land use within a large geographical area concurrently and over appropriate periods of time. The paper presents the authors' contributions to ways of understanding the mapping and interpretation to understand the powerful players who make decisions for a socio-economic vulnerable space. The area selected for the study is the part of Mumbai City. F & G South ward which has experienced a drastic landscape transformation over a period of time. The area is targeted for valorization of space. Vertical and horizontal spatial extension is distinct. Traditionally known as mill area it is associated with cotton mills, their workforce establishment and infrastructure. This area lost its significance after the closer of these mills in early 90s. There is a clear cut contrast in the form of basic amenities, infrastructure and facilities in the old residential area and newly developed skyscrapers. An attempt has also been made to create a spatial data base for the study area and develop a model in GIS environment to evaluate present and future problems the area is facing and the solution for the same, if any.

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Development of GIS based Noise Simulation Software (DGNSS)[ ]


The objective of the study is to develop GIS based noise simulation software for heterogeneous traffic conditions in metropolitan cities. In the present study traffic noise simulation software has been developed for sound level calculation. The software covers the following five input variables i.e., noise sources (point and mobile), vehicle speed, distance, honking and noise attenuation while noise Leq is the output of the software. The software is implemented for traffic noise level prediction at eight selected locations of Nagpur city. The field data is collected for a period of 15-minutes during the morning and evening rush hours. The correlation coefficient between measured and predicted noise Leq found to be 0.84. Results show that the software performs reasonably well for heterogeneous traffic condition and could be implemented in other region for noise level prediction.

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Creation of Hydrogeomorphological Map from Satellite Imagery for Ground Water Prospect Evaluation: A Case Study from Harishchandrapur, West Bengal[ ]


Ground water is an important source of water supply throughout the world. Seasonal fluctuation of ground water table leads to many problems to mankind. Such problems are much pronounced in the northern part of West Bengal i.e. Malda District. The area comprises of many geomorphic features such as channel bar, alluvial plain, levee etc. To address the problems an attempt has been made by creation of hydrogeomorphological map of ground water potential using remote sensing data which acts as a very useful guide and an efficient tool for regional and local ground water exploration, in a cost effective manner.The entire study has been carried out in and around Harishchandrapur, Malda district, West Bengal, which represents the above mentioned problem more prominently. In the present work, various aspects, including the geomorphologic, lithological and finally hydrogeomorphological maps have been prepared from Remote Sensing data by using an Image Processing and GIS (Geographic Information System) software to find out the ground water potential zones of the study area and thereby manage the ground water resource. Later the analyzed data were validated by field work. The field work was conducted in order to collect ground truth information. Ground water table measurement has been performed from the domestic wells. Finally a ground water prospect map was generated. After integrating all the results, it provided that the channel bars and palaeochannels of flood plain have excellent ground water potential, whereas back swamps have very poor potential. Overall alluvial plain younger have more potential than alluvial plain older and flood plain region has very good ground water potential.

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The Monument in the Landscape: using remote sensing to understand the south Indian megaliths[ ]


The south Indian megaliths are believed to be the constructions of iron-using cultures that date between 1500BC to 200AD, though it is now understood that the beginning of this cultural practice may date back to the Neolithic. Despite nearly 200 years of study and some attempts to classify the disparate structures which vary in scale, form and typology, but also exhibit startling similarities over large geographical regions, a complete understanding of the meaning these monumental constructions held for the societies that authored them still elude us. We have been investigating these monuments since 2007 in an attempt to understand the knowledge systems which were extant in the period of their construction, with reference to mathematics, geometry and space-time concepts. We have studied most of the major types of megalithic monuments that exist in peninsular India. We present the results from some of these surveys especially centered on the megalith type known as “stone alignments” or “avenues”. Several of these alignment sites, like Hanamsagar and Vibhutihalli are spread out over a very large area, which makes it time-consuming to survey. Hence a case is made for studying these sites initially from high-resolution remote sensing imagery, both to plan field work as well as to understand the monument in its setting. The avenue type extant in southern coastal Karnataka typified by the monument at Nilaskal also would benefit from study of high-resolution satellite pictures of the region. The landscape-level study of the planning of these monuments with regard to site selection criteria, location with respect to quarries, settlement sites etc. are of great relevance to understanding the role these monuments played in the prehistoric societies that erected them. Often, the clues to the understanding of a monument in totality are distributed over an area much larger than the immediate surroundings of the monument. Thus the study of remote sensing imagery of the landscape around each of these sites on a scale of few tens of kilometers is expected to shed more light on the meaning of these monuments. We recommend the practice of using remote sensing imagery of megalithic sites, especially alignment and avenue sites, as an important and early component in the study, to be followed by intensive surveys on the ground of promising sites. This is not only because studying remote sensing imagery before undertaking the ground survey helps to plan the survey better, incorporating other features near the site that otherwise would have been missed, but also because it helps in arriving at a landscape-level understanding of the monument.

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Space Technology in Disaster Management[ ]


A disaster management support program (DMSP) at ISRO has been undertaken at Space Applications Centre, ISRO under the 10th plan (2002-2007). The program addressed the various stages of disaster like pre-disaster planning, during and post disaster. The program is being continued into the subsequent plan periods including the present 12th Plan of the Government of India. An integrated approach of using Remote sensing and Communication system like disaster warning Radar system and many other portable communications systems with satellite link developed at the Space Applications Centre of ISRO were found very suitable. The remote sensing applications were started with the use of Landsat data and aerial photos and later made use of the all weather Synthetic Aperture Radar. For example in flood damage assessment it was assessment in terms of the extent of flooding and progressive inundation using multi date data from Radarsat-1 Canadian Space Agency (CSA). Today with the launch of RISAT in 2012 by ISRO, an all weather indigenous capability to monitor and assess disasters in near-real time has been achieved. Bhuvan, a web based geoportal launched by ISRO to showcase the capabilities of Earth Observation from Indian Remote Sensing Satellites has enhanced the outreach of remote sensing observation for natural resources besides disasters amongst the users and decision makers.

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Application of Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System for Natural Resource Management[ ]


India is a large and prosperous country with rich natural resources and extensive variability in terrain characteristics and associated eco-system. The Country frequently faces natural calamities such as drought, floods and earthquake, besides locale – specific hazards of industrial emissions and pollutants, epidemics, hailstorms, fires, etc. The drought continues to remain the major factor of uncertainty and affects vast areas. Natural Resources especially land and water are the two most vital resources for agricultural development in the country. These resources are under tremendous stress due to the ever increasing biotic pressure. The rapid economic growth and urbanization have reduced the per capita availability of land and water over the decades. The quality of soil and water is really alarming. The resources are deteriorating due to uncontrolled industrial effluents and sewage. There is gradual depletion of water table. Today, Indian agriculture faces numerous challenges with rapidly changing business environment, globalization, climate change, uncertainty of monsoon; poor support from rural banking etc. Volatility of agricultural commodities price discourages needed investment in agriculture for development due to increased financial risks and uncertainty for farmers and traders. These issues which occur often, though confronted and managed, lack proper planning, organization and implementation strategy. Such situation can certainly be improved if cause and effect relationships are analysed and understood properly for gearing up the administration and the infrastructure for drawing appropriate action plan. This calls for a critical evaluation of the existing situation in terms of the natural resources status and its spatial distribution in relation to socio–economic conditions. In order to assess the implications of occurrence of natural hazards & control resources degradation, to increase the productivity, profitability and sustainability of agriculture, one needs critical analysis of the situation for which an information base is essential. Such information base should comprise both spatial and non spatial data related to natural resources, infrastructure and the associated socio-economic parameters. Further, creation of computerized data base adds a new dimension to the dissemination of information through networking for the free flow of data and information exchange for speeding up implementation programs and their monitoring.

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Radar Remote Sensing for Earth and Planetary Science[ ]


Among imaging sensors, RADAR, an acronym for RAdio Detection And Ranging, is generally used in different modes. The radar system transmits a microwave signal directing towards the region of interest and detects the signal backscattered by the surface. Due to long wavelength, microwave signal can penetrate through cloud cover, haze, dust and heavy rainfall. This property of microwaves helps in acquiring data in almost all weather and environmental conditions so that data can be collected at any time.

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