Characterization of biophysical land units using remote sensing and gis

In the present study, an attempt has been made to characterize the biophysical land units in Kanholi bara river basin of sub-humid tropical ecosystem of central India using remotely sensed data, field surveys and GIS based multi-criteria overlay analysis. The geo-spatial database on elevation, slope, landforms, soil depth, soil erosion, land use/land cover and hydrogeomorphological parameters has been generated using IRS-ID LISS-III satellite data coupled with soil survey data in GIS. The methodology followed in characterization of biophysical land units in GIS includes assigning scores for different classes of the layers and weighatges for different layers based on their characteristics and degree of influence on desired output. GIS based ‘multi criteria overlay’ analysis reveals seventeen distinct biophysical land units in the river basin. Severe (50.5-59.5) to very severe (59.5) biophysical stress units are found in plateau spurs, isolated mounds, linear ridges, dissected plateau and escarpments. These zones are associated with severe to very severe erosion, steep to very steep, extremely shallow soils, poor to very poor groundwater prospects, wastelands and scrublands. The characterization of biophysical land units helps in analysis of their potentials, problems and stress environment to plan and execute site-specific landscape management practices and maximize the productivity from each biophysical land unit. The present study demonstrates that generation of geo-spatial database based on remotely sensed data and field surveys in GIS and their analysis helps great extent in characterization of biophysical land units and analysis of their stress environment for management.