Remote Sensing Data and GIS Application for Landslides Mapping: A Case Study from India

Abstract

Landslide is a major hydro­geological hazard that affects large parts of Himalayan area of Uttarakhand state in India. The developments in Geo-spatial technologies have opened the doors for detailed and accurate assessment of landslide prone area. This  paper  deals  with  a use  of   temporal remote  sensing  data and  geographical  information  systems  for  landslide  mapping. Six categories of   controlling factors   for landslides i.e.  slope gradient, aspect, lithology, land use land cover (LULC), drainage density, lineament density are defined in this study. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) has been generated to identify the vegetated and non-vegetated area. During the study, it is clearly reveals that a total number of about 695 landslides spots covering an area of 2.30 sq. km. were mapped from Landsat-OLI-TRS image of 2015 whereas a total number of 157 landslides covering an area of 1.60 sq. km.  were mapped from Landsat-ETM+  image of the year 2005. This study is valuable for hazard zonation, mitigation purpose and regional planning in the Himalayan area.