Quantifying the land use changes by using remote sensing and GIS

Earth observations, monitoring, and information analysis can be conducted through remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) techniques. These tools provide valid means of studying land use changes and environmental transformations. In this study, land use changes are monitored and quantified by using remote sensing and GIS in Mueang Surat Thani district, Thailand. This study focus on four interval years between year 2006 until year 2018. Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) 5 images of two different years which are 2006 and 2010, and Landsat 8 of OLI/TIRS year 2014 and 2018 were compared and classified using supervised classification by using Maximum Likelihood Classifier in Erdas Imagine software 2015. The images of the study were categorized into four classes which are urban, agricultural, forest and water. Throughout the four period of years, the results show that there are increase in agricultural and urban area by 13.97% and 16.01% respectively which contributed to reduction of forest area by 19.97%. However, water area has no significant difference area by 0.57%. By using remote sensing data and GIS, this study provide the current analysis data representation of the land use changes for past years that could assist in formulating mitigation measures as well as minimizing the environmental degradation in future development.