Integrated RS and GIS to Analysis Land use Land cover: Qaladze City as Case Study

Abstract

This research investigated the changes in Land Use Land Cover (LULC) in Qaladze city which is located in the Northeast of the Kurdistan Region Government (KRG) of Iraq, within the Sulaymaniyah Governorate, over the past twenty years. The study research aims to utilize both GIS and RS techniques for evaluating changes that occurred in LULC within Qaladze city  . The data analysis based on various Satellite images LE07_L1TP 2003, LC08_L2SP 2013 and LC09_L1TP 2023 were freely downloaded from the (USGS) website. The maximum likelihood algorism of supervised classification and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) methods were applied to generate LULC maps. The results reveal significant agricultural land and vegetation decreasing dramatically from 2003 to 2023, while the area occupied by built-up or settlement areas in 2003 more than doubled by 2023. The research highlights the need for sustainable urban planning and land management strategies to mitigate the adverse impacts of such rapid changes on the environment and agricultural resources.