Brief note on using geomatics to study land-cover change in the Tarai since the 1950s
This note addresses the use of geomatics for studying the changes in land-cover in the Tarai since the 1950s. The author explains the main principles of geomatics (for social scientists) and shows how certain geomatic methods contribute to addressing this theme. After a presentation of the inventory...
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Paris
2023-07-01
|
| Series: | European Bulletin of Himalayan Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/ebhr/1546 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850258474621992960 |
|---|---|
| author | Jérôme Picard |
| author_facet | Jérôme Picard |
| author_sort | Jérôme Picard |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This note addresses the use of geomatics for studying the changes in land-cover in the Tarai since the 1950s. The author explains the main principles of geomatics (for social scientists) and shows how certain geomatic methods contribute to addressing this theme. After a presentation of the inventory of sources – digitized maps and Landsat and Spot satellite images for the most part – the methodology is explained. The latter is based on the integration into a small geographic information system (GIS), of various finely reworked, georeferenced maps, both raster and vector, that ultimately show land-cover in the Tarai on various scales and at different periods. These maps can be the result of satellite-image classifications using various remote-sensing techniques, and in particular pixel-supervised classifications used here and which identify spatial objects based on their known spectral signatures. However, while our land-cover classifications are fairly accurate at district level, they are less accurate at local level. Indeed, it is difficult to individualise and map small objects by pixel classification, such as rural dwellings in the Tarai that can be mistaken for bare or harvested fields, even on images of a very high spatial resolution. The use of manual vectorisation of these small space objects partly compensates for these inaccuracies. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-988b0fcbfa33491e8e41295f1b089f0a |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2823-6114 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Paris |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Bulletin of Himalayan Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-988b0fcbfa33491e8e41295f1b089f0a2025-08-20T01:56:09ZengCentre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), ParisEuropean Bulletin of Himalayan Research2823-61142023-07-016010.4000/ebhr.1546Brief note on using geomatics to study land-cover change in the Tarai since the 1950sJérôme PicardThis note addresses the use of geomatics for studying the changes in land-cover in the Tarai since the 1950s. The author explains the main principles of geomatics (for social scientists) and shows how certain geomatic methods contribute to addressing this theme. After a presentation of the inventory of sources – digitized maps and Landsat and Spot satellite images for the most part – the methodology is explained. The latter is based on the integration into a small geographic information system (GIS), of various finely reworked, georeferenced maps, both raster and vector, that ultimately show land-cover in the Tarai on various scales and at different periods. These maps can be the result of satellite-image classifications using various remote-sensing techniques, and in particular pixel-supervised classifications used here and which identify spatial objects based on their known spectral signatures. However, while our land-cover classifications are fairly accurate at district level, they are less accurate at local level. Indeed, it is difficult to individualise and map small objects by pixel classification, such as rural dwellings in the Tarai that can be mistaken for bare or harvested fields, even on images of a very high spatial resolution. The use of manual vectorisation of these small space objects partly compensates for these inaccuracies.https://journals.openedition.org/ebhr/1546TaraiGeomaticsGISsupervised classificationLandsatSPOT 5 |
| spellingShingle | Jérôme Picard Brief note on using geomatics to study land-cover change in the Tarai since the 1950s European Bulletin of Himalayan Research Tarai Geomatics GIS supervised classification Landsat SPOT 5 |
| title | Brief note on using geomatics to study land-cover change in the Tarai since the 1950s |
| title_full | Brief note on using geomatics to study land-cover change in the Tarai since the 1950s |
| title_fullStr | Brief note on using geomatics to study land-cover change in the Tarai since the 1950s |
| title_full_unstemmed | Brief note on using geomatics to study land-cover change in the Tarai since the 1950s |
| title_short | Brief note on using geomatics to study land-cover change in the Tarai since the 1950s |
| title_sort | brief note on using geomatics to study land cover change in the tarai since the 1950s |
| topic | Tarai Geomatics GIS supervised classification Landsat SPOT 5 |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/ebhr/1546 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jeromepicard briefnoteonusinggeomaticstostudylandcoverchangeinthetaraisincethe1950s |