Abstract
Land use/land cover (LULC) change is considered one of the most important signals of regional environmental changes. In this study, supervised classification and post-classification change detection techniques were applied to Landsat images acquired in 1987 and 2015 to map LULC changes along the north part of the Nile delta coastal zone specifically, at Damietta promontory. Landsat images were radio-metrically and geometrically corrected, and then, multi-temporal post-classification analysis was performed to detect LULC changes rates of the Nile delta coast around Damietta promontory where the Damietta branch (of the Nile River) meets the Mediterranean Sea.
Four categories including seawater, developed (agriculture and urban), and undeveloped areas were selected to evaluate their temporal changes by comparing the processed images. The objective of this study is to map and assess the rate of changes LULC changes at the study area which can help the decision makers to replan the use of natural resources efficiently.
By applying remote sensing/GIS technique, areas of rapid change are identified and targeted for more detailed monitoring in the field. Changes among different LULC classes were assessed. The results show that the sew water and urban area were increased. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.