Investigating land use land cover dynamics and built-up growth prediction for Kota city: A geospatial based perspective

Abstract

With the growing population in urban areas andachanging demands, there is a call for planners and experts toaestablish the standards for aasuperior standard of living in city environments. Over the last thirty years, Kota city has undergone swift transformations in land usage due to the effects of urbanization and industrialization. This investigation examines the alterations in land use and coverage, as well as the expansion of urban areas in Kota city, Rajasthan, between 1990 and 2020, utilizing data from satellite remote sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS). The changes in land use and cover over time were assessed through the analysis of Landsat images from 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020. Machine learning based Random Forest classification approach was used to classify the land use/land cover data into 5 level 1 classes. UEII and Shannon entropy estimates were computed in order to check the expansion speed and pattern. Cellular Automata model was employed along with various influencing factors for achieving the built-up growth prediction for year 2030. The findings suggest a significant increase in the size of built-up areas in Kota city, with minimal reduction in agricultural land during the research timeframe. The outcomesaindicate a significant expansion of urban land on the outskirts of the city, as well as along major roads or highways. The study highlights the effectiveness of combining satellite remote sensing andaGIS to examine the spatial characteristics of land use change. Additionally, the results of this research could assist policymakers in making informedAdecisions about sustainable urban landause planning.