Change Analysis of Atoll Ecosystem and Evaluation of Land Use / Cover in the Selected Island of Lakshadweep Using Geoinformatics

Abstract

Classifying land usage and land cover refers to the practice of dividing the surface of the earth into several categories according to its physical and biological characteristics. The use of land by humans, including forestry, mining, agriculture, and urbanization, is referred to as "land use". Land cover is the collective term for the physical and biological characteristics, such as marshes, grasslands, forests, and bodies of water, that cover the surface of the earth. For a number of reasons, including resource management, environmental monitoring, and land-use planning, it is crucial to classify land use and cover. Classifying land use and land cover is a common use of Remote Sensing (RS) technology and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), which analyze satellite images and other spatial data. The purpose of this study is to determine how land use and land cover have changed between 1999 to 2022 on a few chosen islands in the Lakshadweep archipelago in India, namely Kalpeni, Kadamat, Agathi, and Androth. Vectorization and analysis were done using Google Earth Pro and the high-end GIS software named Arc GIS. The investigation's findings support the hypothesis that the aforementioned islands underwent a major transformation. Particularly during that period, the built-up and commercial premises in areas increased.