Spatiotemporal change analysis of land use/land cover in NCT of Delhi, India using geospatial technology

Increasing anthropological and economic activity has transformed human–environment connections. Using remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS), severe issues connected to rapid growth, such as supplemental infrastructure, informal residents, demolition of ecological construction, shortage of natural resources, and environmental contamination, have been studied for a fast-growing metropolis like Delhi. Industrialization accelerates urbanization, resulting in land transformations, which are one of the major uses of natural resources. In a fast-growing city like Delhi, the development has been rapid, and it is important to investigate the factors behind these shifts. For the present study, remote sensing and GIS models are used for land use and land cover (LULC) change detection. The applied model in the study uses the satellite datasets of two different satellites, i.e., Landsat 5 (TM) of 2010 and Landsat 8 (OLI) of 2021, from November with little or no cloud cover, which could block the LULC features. The study compares the temporal LULC map and analyzes the change and increase in urbanization for two periods, 2010 and 2021. In the study, it is revealed that urbanization causes constant shifts in vegetation, built-up area ratio, and land-use patterns. To confirm the same, indices like the normalized difference vegetation index and the normalized difference building index are also studied. Inequitable land use is a major contributor to environmental degradation. The spatial datasets from two time periods used in the study and the database results are helpful in extensive LULC investigations, land use planning, spatial growth, and urbanization patterns in the NCT of Delhi. Further, the change detection model used in the study was supported by the standard accuracy assessment of the Kappa coefficient. Overall accuracy in 2010 was 89.52% with a Kappa statistic of 0.863 and 89.92% with a Kappa statistic of 0.868 in 2021. Such studies using remote sensing and GIS are extremely helpful in understanding and monitoring urban sprawl patterns.