National Symposium

NATIONAL
SYMPOSIUM
Recent Advances in Remote Sensing

and GIS with Special Emphasis on
Mountain Ecosystems
Dec 7 - 9, 2016
Dehradun
Table of Contents
Theme Page No
Advances in EO Sensors & Processing Techniques 1 - 46
Advances in GIS 47 - 67
Agriculture in RS & GIS Applications 68 - 137
Atmosphere, Weather & Climate in RS & GIS Applications 138 - 178
Capacity Building 179 - 188
Coastal and Ocean Applications 189 - 221
Disaster & Risk Reduction in RS & GIS Applications 222- 263
Energy in RS & GIS Applications 264 - 269
Forestry & Environment in RS & GIS Applications 270 - 322
Geosciences & Mineral Exploration in RS & GIS Applications 323 - 347
Health GIS 348 - 357
Infrastructure & Developmental Planning in RS & GIS Applications 358 - 398
Planetary Exploration 399 - 409

Satellite Positioning & Navigation: IRNSS & GAGAN Systems &
410 - 418
Applications
Soils & Sustainable Land Management in RS & GIS Applications 419 - 436
UAV Remote Sensing and Applications 437 - 448
Water Resources, Snow & Glaciers in RS & GIS Applications 449 - 541
ISRS - ISG National Symposium on Recent Advances in
Remote Sensing and GIS with Special Emphasis on Mountain Ecosystems
December 7 - 9, 2016 Dehradun (India)
Theme- Advances in EO Sensors & Processing Techniques Abstract Id: 140
Edge Detection in Polarimetric SAR Image based on Bandlet Transform
Roy Thankachan2, Sethunadh R2 and Ameer P M1

1NIT CALICUT, 2Vikram Sarabhai Space Center, ISRO, Trivendram
Abstract
Edge detection in SAR images is a challenging task as these images are inherently affected with speckle noise. This paper presents a multi-
resolution edge detection method for multilook polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (Pol-SAR) images based on the bandlet transform. Bandlet
transform can provide flexible multiscale and directional decomposition of SAR images. The input image is first decomposed using Bandlet
transform and the bandlet coefficients so obtained are modified via maximising the polarimetric contrast between the adjacent subband levels,
instead of using the difference of the adjacent subbands as used in the additive noise model. The method takes advantage of the geometrical
features of bandlet transform for retaining the edges and boundaries of the objects present in SAR images while removing the speckle effectively.
Here the edges are detected in the bandlet domain based on fusion of the directional subband coefficients at different scales. Experimental results
with both simulated and real Pol-SAR images show that the present approach is robust to speckle noise and extracted edges are complete and
continuous.
Keywords: Polarimetry, Bandlet transform, Speckle noise, ,

Corresponding Author: roy_thankachan@vssc.gov.in
Page No. 1
Evaluation of Adaptive Filters for Speckle Reduction in RISAT-1 Data for Flood Mapping
Surendar Mohan1, Bhaskar R. Nikam2, Praveen K. Thakur 2, S. P. Aggarwal 2 and N. Kingma3

1, 2Indian
Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun, 3ITC/UOT, The Netherlands
Abstract
Realizing the need for operational space based active microwave remote sensing system Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has launched
it’s first indigenously build, multi-mode, multi-polarization Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) on-board RISAT-1 (Radar Imaging SATellite -1), on
26th April 2012. Since it’s commissioning, data from RISAT-1 has being extensively used in various applications including flood mapping-
monitoring. However, like every coherent imaging systems, SAR also has inherent problem of Speckle noise, commonly known as slat-and-
pepper effect. Processing SAR images without reducing speckle would yield inaccurate and unreliable results. To overcome this problem many
speckle reduction techniques/filters have been developed. However, the choice of best speckle reduction filter is subjective to characteristics of
data and objective of study. So, this paper focuses on evaluating the performance of five filters viz. Lee filter, Lee Sigma filter, Frost filter, Local
Region filter and Gamma filter for their efficiency in speckle reduction over RISAT-I (MRS) data. The process of choosing an optimal filter is a
trade-off between reduction of speckle and loss of useful data. The terms of trade-off therefore were defined first. Since the aim of speckle
reduction was to utilize the resulting filtered image for flood mapping, the specifications to determine efficiency of filter was defined accordingly.
The specified characteristics of the filtered images were measured by Mean Square Error, Signal to Noise Ratio, Speckle Suppression Index,
Speckle Mean Preservation Index and comparison of change in Mean and Standard Deviation and also by close visual examination. The RISAT-1
data was filtered using all the five filters in three window sizes - 3×3, 5×5 and 7×7. The impact of various filters was studied on the entire image
as well as water bodies separately. Keeping in mind that an efficient filter should reduce maximum speckle while preserving features and minimal
loss of useful data, it was concluded that a single pass of Frost (7×7) is most suited filter for RISAT-1 data intended for flood mapping application.
Keywords: RISAT-1, SAR, Speckle filter, Speckle Suppression Index, Frost filter
Corresponding Author: bhaskarnikam@iirs.gov.in
Page No. 2
Identification of Algal Blooms in Inland Waters using Advanced Land Imager/ Earth Observing Mission-1
Meghna Sengupta1, Dr. Annadurai R1 and Sachikanta Nanda1

1SRM University
Abstract
This study focuses on the identification of algal blooms in Indian inland waters using various image processing techniques. For the current study,
Chilika Lake of Odisha, India has been considered which is the largest brackish water lake in Asia and is a home for numerous migratory birds
and aquatic life. It falls in the catchment of three sub-systems, the Mahanadi river system on the northern side, river channels from the western
side and the Bay of Bengal on the eastern side. In 1981, Chilika Lake was designated the first Indian wetland of international importance under
the Ramsar Convention due to its rich biodiversity. The lake is a prime fishing zone and a lifeline for the local communities. The inflow of fresh
water is from precipitation and different inflowing river streams whereas there are two outflows from Chilika to the Bay of Bengal. Also, the area
is used for various recreational purposes. Although the water is not primarily used for drinking, however, it is in close proximity with the human
habitat and thus come in direct contact. Various image processing techniques like Principle Component Analysis (PCA), Band ratio and
Normalised Differential Vegetation Index (NDVI) have been carried out to identify algal blooms in the study area. Various False Colour
Composite (FCC) combinations have been identified which enhance the presence of algal blooms. In this study, data obtained by Advanced Land
Imager (ALI) on board the satellite Earth Observing Mission-1 has been used. Since the study area covers an area of about 800 km2, hence
moderate resolution imagery obtained from the EO-1 ALI with a spatial resolution of 30m (MSS) and 10m (PAN) proved to be quite efficient in
this study. The use of GIS played an important role in the representation of spatial distribution of algal blooms in the area. This study identifies
and represents algal bloom infested areas by using remote sensing and GIS techniques which can be a valuable contribution to the governing
bodies responsible for the maintenance and management of the inland ecosystem and provide a better understanding of the degree of concern for
the same.
Keywords: Algal Blooms, Principal Component Analysis, NDVI, Earth Observing Mission-1, Advanced Land Imager
Corresponding Author: meghna.2108@gmail.com
Page No. 3
Advance Military Survillance through RGB-D Camera
Deepika Narkidimelli1 and Kranthi Kaliki1

1Sathyabama University, Chennai
Abstract
In our country we have different types of military surveillance system but although those system helps in some similar condition only and it is
difficult to surveillance in forest area and hill area from long distance this can be overcame through this new concept. By an ongoing research on
promising using of RGB in three dimensional mapping through its RGB-camera by combines the stranger or optical lens with thermal properties
laser range timer through this compiler perception solution much closer and accuracy,this works in easier manner first RGB-D sensors capture the
terminal and the image of the peripheral area which need to be observed by those particular area with compare data is synchronised colour and
depth layer by comparing calibration data causes with that overwrite ,movement or human or mechanical object can be found,be the active stereo
camera have long been used for depth sensing,emulating how humans perceive distance passing steps has major limitations .outdoor stereo lens
on the watching appearance and tails at structure less region,passive camera are mainly of the conditions which are often poor indoors. Depth and
RGB-D calibration through this we will store the pre-object colour data in our server by this metal material(armed guns) also can be recognized
some case is also used for finding in landmine also this works in single process in multi applications with 3-D mapping,visual odometry .this an
be used In real time end interactive mapping this can be easy to access.We need not to replaced all the equipment by only updating camera and
our data server (calibrated data ) .mapping has been a long standing challenge for both image and shape based techniques.outdoor setting are
particularly demanding lighting conditions and texture less especially in forest area and mountain if we calibrate at a particular area region.this an
be used again and again.this can be used in surveillance camera ,drones and thermal properties equipment. This is going to be revolution in the
best surveillance system in all over the world
Keywords: surveillance, RGB-D, calibration

Corresponding Author: deepikadeepu515@gmail.com
Page No. 4
Indigenous Stereo-interpretation Tools for Mapping Complex Mountain Topographies
Murali Mohan1
1MobiterraSolutions, Hyderabad
Abstract
Stereo-interpretation is a well-embraced technique in the RS&GIS community for mapping the terrain for geomorphological, geological and
similar natural features. However, the pre-processing effort to make the digital stereo imagery amenable for the task continues to be a deterrent in
exploiting the hugely available satellite data such as of Cartosat-I. This is either because of the involved intricacies and lack of simple tools or the
prohibitive costs of photogrammetric software. A few COTS tools do produce anaglyphs requiring an orthoimage and a DEM as inputs. The
popular public-domain DEMs fail to represent the treacherous mountain terrains adequately. Hence, this approach calls for high-quality DEMs as
a pre-requisite. The alternate elegant process we adopted is to align the stereo-pair through epipolar registration. This approach is fast, direct and
presents the terrain to the interpreter as captured by the imaging satellite. The resulting products possess mapping-standard geometric accuracy,
radiometric and geometric seamlessness across different models acquired both along and across track of the satellite. A software suite, HINDAVY,
specifically for exploitation of Cartosat-I data is developed from the scratch. The algorithms heavily exploit the Rational Function Coefficients
(RPCs) that are associated with the imagery. The algorithms include improving the geometric positioning through Bundle Block Adjustment and
producing refined RPCs; generating portable stereo views using raw / refined RPCs autonomously; orthorectification and mosaicing; producing
large-area seamless stereo mosaics. The outputs of these modules (including the refined RPCs) are in standard formats for further exploitation in
3rd party software. The design focus has been on minimizing the user-interaction and to customize heavily to suit the Indian context. The core
libraries are in C/C++ and some of the applications come with user-friendly GUI. Further customization to suit a specific workflow is feasible as
the primary photogrammetric toolset is in place. The paper discusses the algorithms and the applications of the tools. The value-added products so
produced using these tools will be presented to demonstrate their utility in mountain ecosystems. With this simple and inexpensive indigenous
tool, we hope Cartosat-I stereo data will further be exploited by the RS community for resource mapping and monitoring.
Keywords: stereo-interpretation, Block adjustment, Cartosat-I, 3d-mapping, orthoimage

Corresponding Author: photogrammetry@rediffmail.com
Page No. 5
Analysis of Various Support Vector Machine Kernels on Hyperion Data for Land Use / Land Cover Classification
Veeramallu Satya Sahithi1, Rajiv Kumar1 and G. Ravi Shankar1

1NationalRemote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad
Abstract
Of late, extensive research work has been carried out on hyperspectral data classification that has demonstrated statistical learning theory base
Support Vector Machine (SVM) classification outperforms the other standard classifiers like Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), Spectral Angle
Mapper (SAM) etc. SVMs are independent of the dimensionality of the feature space and require a very few training samples. The main principle
behind this is to build a decision surface (hyperplane) using the boundary pixels that separates the classes in the image. In this study, the standard
linear and non linear kernels of SVM classifier namely - Linear, Radial Basis Function (RBF), Polynomial and Sigmoid kernels are compared.
Hyperspectral EO-1 Hyperion dataset has been tested for a part of Krishna district in Andhra Pradesh. The dataset was preprocessed and
converted to reflectance using Fast Line of Sight Atmospheric Analysis for Spectral Hyper cubes (FLAASH) atmospheric correction tool. Further,
the end members were extracted from the atmospherically corrected Hyperion image using Sequential Maximum Angle Convex Cone (SMACC).
The extracted end members were used for classifying the hyperspectral dataset using various kernels of SVM classifier. The degree of polynomial
value of 1, 2 and 3, penalty parameter value of 100, 500 and 1000 were tested with a constant bias value of 1. The gamma value was calculated by
taking the inverse of the spectral bands. The pyramid parameter was assigned a zero value allowing the Hyperion image to process at full
resolution. The classification probability threshold was assigned a zero value so that there would be no unclassified pixels in the image. Confusion
matrix was used as a measure to compare the results of various classified outputs obtained from all the four kernels. Final results demonstrate the
superiority of RBF kernel over the other methods in improving classification accuracy.
Keywords: Hyperion, SVM kernels, land use/cover classification, comparative analysis, accuracy assessment.
Corresponding Author: sahithi.geo@gmail.com
Page No. 6
Enhancing the Security of Manet by Identifying Untrusted Node using Cognitive Reasoning
Suba Nachiar1
1ThiagarajarCollege of Engineering, Madurai
Abstract
Cognitive radio (CR) is the next generation wireless communication system which plays a major role in the traffic demand of wireless networks.
CR node detects the available channels in wireless spectrum band and automatically changes its parameters (transmission or reception) to meet
the user needs. The CR technology combines with the artificial intelligence to attain an adaptive and intelligent adhoc-network. Thus, with this
notion,a unified trust management scheme with uncertain reasoning concept that enhances the security for cognitive Manet is proposed. The
proposed scheme, posses a trust model which has two components: trust from direct observation and trust from indirect observation. With direct
observation from an observer node, the trust value of the observer node is derived using Bayesian inference and on the other hand, with indirect
observation from neighbor nodes of the observer node, the trust value of the observed node is derived using the Dempster-Shafer theory. On
combining the components of the trust model, we obtain more accurate trust values of the nodes .On evaluating the trust values of observed nodes,
we eliminate the low trust valued nodes and establishes a secure routing path in the malicious environments. Cognitive radio technology
positively supports the effectiveness and performance, which improves throughput and packet delivery ratio considerably, with slightly increased
average end-to-end delay and overhead of messages
Keywords: Manet, Uncertain reasoning, Bayesian approach, DST, Cognitive radio

Corresponding Author: subhanatchiar.t@gmail.com
Page No. 7
A Spectral Structural Approach to Image Segmentation for Building Extraction from High Resolution Images
Minakshi Kumar1, P.K. Garg2 and S.K. Srivastav1

1Indian
Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 2Uttarakhand Technical University, Dehradun
Abstract
Automatic feature extraction from high resolution satellite imagery remains an open research area and an important field of research in remote
sensing and machine vision. While many algorithms have been proposed for automatic building extraction, none of them solve the problem
completely. This paper proposes a system for increasing the degree of automation in extraction of building features from high resolution
multispectral satellite images. Image segmentation is a key and prerequisite step for processing of very high resolution imagery. Most existing
image segmentation methods use spectral information of an image alone. A novel image segmentation method for very high spatial resolution
multispectral images using combined spectral and structural information is proposed in this paper. The method involves computation of textural
parameters from an original high resolution multispectral image and combined with the spectral bands for quantification of spectral-structural
characteristics of a pixel. The multi-resolution image segmentation is then applied on this combined spectral-structural image, resulting in the
formation of the different level of polygon primitives at different space scale. Hence in addition to the spectral information, the tone, texture and
shape information is evaluated for an object oriented analysis. Object primitives which have homogeneous colour, similar texture, and constrained
shape are generated providing us different view of the scene at different resolution. The support vector machines classification rules are applied on
the previously generated object primitives. The proposed method is evaluated using three different high resolution image datasets and compared
with segmentation algorithms using spectral information alone. Experimental results demonstrate that the joint use of spectral and structural
information outperformed the use of either information alone.The proposed image segmentation method is well applicable to the segmentation of
imagery over urban and suburban areas for large scale building and road extraction.
Keywords: Image Segmentation, Textural analysis, multi-resolution segmentation, support vector classification,
Corresponding Author: minakshi@iirs.gov.in
Page No. 8
Evaluation and Comparison of Various Image Segmentation Techniques
Sameer Saurabh Pandey2, Minakshi Kumar1 and Patralika Patra1

1Banasthali
University, Vanasthali , 2Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore , 3Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun
Abstract
The Land Use Land Cover (LULC) classification and mapping has always been a burning research topic in the field of digital image processing
and remote sensing for the proper utilisation and management of mountain ecosystem & development. The advancement in technology helps us in
achieving accurate and precise result in a very short time, therefore choosing correct method and processing technique is very important in any
field of research and development. The most general steps in any classification and mapping techniques are segmentation, classification and
accuracy assessment. Segmentation is method of partitioning an image into non overlapping homogenous image objects. Creation of the proper
shape and size of image object is very essential in segmentation process so as to avoid segmentation errors. The error in the segmentation result
leads to less accurate classification result. Therefore the accuracy of segmentation plays crucial role in further processing of LULC classification
as the result of this segmentation (image objects) are used to classify an image. It means for obtaining better classification and accuracy
assessment, one should have to obtain better segmentation result. Therefore it gets essential to choose proper segmentation technique inorder to
reduce the time for classifying satellite imagery. The study includes segmentation of satellite data with different segmentation techniques like
Chessboard, Quad tree, Contrast split, Multiresolution, Multitreshold, and Spectral Difference technique, Accuracy assessment and comparison of
segmentation results of the above techniques. The parameters tested were Length Width, Average area, Perimeter, Shape Index, and Compactness
on reference objects. The performance of algorithms varied from feature to feature and image to image. A algorithm which gave optimum result
for each image and feature was multiresolution segmentation which is based on fractal net evolution approach (FNEA).
Keywords: Image Segmentation, Object Based Image Analysis, , multi-resolution segmentation, Accuracy Assessment
Corresponding Author: minakshi@iirs.gov.in
Page No. 9
EO-1 Hyperion Data Capability for Retrieving Complex Urban Land Cover using SAM Classifier in Comparison
with Multispectral Data
Ajay D. Nagne1, Amol D. Vibhute1, Rajesh K. Dhumal 1, K. V. Kale1 and S.C. Mehrotra1
1Dr.Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad
Abstract
Over the past two decades, A Hyperspectral Remote Sensing either airborne or satellite or both systems has been used as a data source for many
applications. An Urban Land Use Land Cover (LULC) classification is very challenging task because of complex spectral and spatial urban
features. The Objective of this paper is to report the study carried out to assess and evaluate the Urban LULC classification on Hyperspectral
Remote Sensing data; also results were compared with Multispectral data. The Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) Hyperion Hyperspectral data of 20
March 2015 was used to identify LULC which covers Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) area. Initially bad bands have been removed
from Hyperion Hyperspectral data then QUAC atmospheric correction method was performed. QUAC determines atmospheric compensation
parameters directly from the information contained within the observed pixel spectra from VNIR to SWIR without any ancillary information.
Advanced per pixel classifier i.e. Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM) was used to classify both Hyperion data and LISS-III Multispectral data of 1
February 2015. The area was categorized into seven types. The overall accuracy of Hyperion and LISS-III datasets based on classification were
88.30%, 83.78% with its kappa values 0.85, 0.77 respectively. An Accuracy assessment on the both classified data indicated that SAM classifier
provides a good accuracy on Hyperspectral data over a Multispectral data because of lower spectral resolution. The future research will be focused
on designing and developing a spectral library of an Urban features.
Keywords: EO-1 Hyperion, LISS-III, Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM), Land Use Land Cover (LULC), QUAC
Corresponding Author: ajay.nagne@gmail.com
Page No. 10
Novel Scattering Power Decomposition from Full and Compact Polarimetric SAR Data
Arnab Muhuri1, Shaunak De1, Surendar M.2, Swinky Dhingra1, Debanshu Ratha1, Abhishek Maity1 and Avik Bhattacharya1
1Indian
Institute of Technology, Bombay , 2University of Erlangen-Nuremberg
Abstract
In this paper we present novel scattering power decomposition techniques for full and compact polarimetric SAR data. The SD-Y4O
decomposition technique is based on statistical information theory. In this, the powers of the Yamaguchi four-component decomposition are
modified using the maximum relative stochastic distance between the T33 and T22 components of the 3x3 coherency matrix at the estimated
orientation angle (OA). This OA is estimated by maximizing the Hellinger distance between the unrotated and the rotated T33 and T22
components of the coherency matrix. In the Adaptive G4U decomposition (AG4U), the largest value of the Degree of Polarization (DOP), among
the two complex special unitary transformation matrices is chosen to transform a real unitary rotated coherency matrix. AG4U shows appreciable
improvements in the scattering powers, particularly in urban areas oriented about the radar line of sight compared with the Y4O and G4U
decompositions. Very recently, a methodology (AGU-DOP) has been proposed to enhance target scattering information using a criteria on the
DOP. Morever, in the domain of compact polarimetric SAR decomposition, the S-Omega and the modified m-chi decomposition have been
proposed. In S-Omega decomposition the odd and the even-bounce scattering powers are obtained by combining the powers received in the same
and opposite-sense circular polarization with the polarized power-fraction. The volume-power is obtained by combining the total power with the
unpolarized power fraction. The parameter Omega is a function of both the transmitting and receiving ellipticities and orientations. In the
modified m-chi decomposition a linearized factor (1 +/- 4*(chi/pi)) is introduced. This shows greater sensitivity to ellipticity variations in the
neighborhood of perfect circularity.
Keywords: SAR, Full-Polarimetry, Compact Polarimetry, G4U, Decomposition

Corresponding Author: muhuri.arnab@iitb.ac.in
Page No. 11
Performance Evaluation of Natural Sites for External Calibration of SAR Data
Gautam Dadhich1, Shweta Sharma2, Parul Patel1 and A.K. Mathur2

1NirmaUniversity, Ahmedabad , 2Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad
Abstract
Distributed targets are used worldwide for the external calibration of SAR data. They can be viewed as an extension of point targets. Due to
terrain irregularities, most natural targets do not have well-defined reflection geometry, but they tend to have many scattered reflection points.
Distributed targets are comprised of many elementary point scatterers, where each scatterer has random reflection amplitude, but the superposition
of these random amplitudes results in the total RCS for that distributed target. They are constant in time and shows very little variation in the
backscattering coefficient. This property of distributed target is used for the calibration of SAR image. In this study, four potential natural sites are
thus analyzed in terms of their temporal and seasonal variability. Fine Resolution Stripmap (FRS-1) Single Look Complex (SLC) RISAT-1 data of
various locations of Amazon rainforest, Congo rainforest, Cameroon rainforest and Antarctica in both RH and RV polarization was used in the
study. Radiometric stability was assessed by studying the uniformity and consistency of backscattering coefficient with wide range of incidence
angle along with the temporal stability. This work provides most suitable site of distributed target for external calibration of SAR missions.
Keywords: SAR, Calibration, Distributed target, RISAT

Corresponding Author: gautamdadhich3392@gmail.com
Page No. 12
The Advancement of Earth Observation through Ku-Band Frequency Range
A.N. Satyanarayana1
Abstract
This paper presents the Advancement in Earth Observation Satellites through Geo-synchronous orbit in Ku-band frequency for GISAT data
acquisition. The remote sensing satellites launched by ISRO so far revisit the same area once in every 2 to 24 days and acquire images of a
geographical strip (swath) at different spatial resolution (360 meter to better than 1 meter). GISAT will provide near real time pictures of large
areas of the country, under cloud free conditions, at frequent intervals. That is, selected Sector-wise image every 5 minutes and entire Indian
landmass image every 30 minutes at 50m spatial resolution. In the coming years, ISRO is planning to launch GISAT (Geo-Imaging Satellite) to
meet National Disaster Management Requirements. Geo-Imaging spacecraft was conceived with the objectiveTo tap new functionalities hitherto
not covered by existing LEO & GEO Missions like fast revisit capability, real time monitoring, high resolution multi spectral and Hyper spectral
imaging all on a single, agile, jitter free platform. Basic applications of Payload include Disasters, Natural hazards, Calamities episodic and Short
term events etc. Casting of spectral signatures for agriculture, forestry, mineralogy, oceanography, meteorological is the other important
applications. In order to meet the GISAT data reception requirements it is proposed to develop suitable antenna system with Ku band reception
capability having G/T of 38dB/deg K along with associated tracking and control system. The Ku- band signal in the range of 10.7 GHz to 12.75
GHz will be received from GISAT Satellite. The proposed station is required to have auto tracking capability in Ku band. The mount is EL Over
AZ, with Cassegrain feed configuration. The antenna is driven in AZ & EL axis by using servomotors (each axis) and drive system. It tracks the
satellite with high precision tracking and pointing accuracies. The antenna system is capable of 0 to 140 deg continuous travel in Azimuth and 0 to
90 deg continuous travels in Elevation axes respectively. The feed will have the capability for adjustment of polarization as well. Baseline
Developmental Requirements: To meet these mission objectives, following baseline requirements are contemplated: At present NRSC, IMGEOS
Ground station capabilities to receive Remote sensing satellite data which are in Polar orbiting, capability receive the data in S and X band
frequency bands. The upcoming GISAT is in Geo Synchronous orbit satellite and the operating frequency band is in Ku-band, which is very high
frequency band. The challenge is to track the GISAT satellite and receive the data as a new system of reception. Next challenge is to archive the
data and store the data from the GISAT, which is going to down load at 250MBPS data rate, every 30minutes. a)The ground station antenna is a
vital link between the satellite and Ground station electronic equipment. b)The Antenna must provide a reliable high receiving gain and the
pattern having sufficiently low wide angle side lobe. c)The receiving gain (G) is an important parameter, as it decides the important parameter G
in Figure of Merit (G/T). d)While designing the Antenna we have to primarily meet the RF Requirements, in addition proper consideration is
necessary towards Control Systems Requirements and Pointing & Tracking accuracy requirements. e)Factors Affecting Antenna: Amplitude
Illumination, Spillover, Aperture Blockage, Reflector Surface, Defocusing, Cross Polarization. Feed Losses etc. Considerations for Storage
Consolidation: Every 30 minutes and entire Indian landmass image is covered by this satellite. To archive this data a special storage requirement
is required. For online processing or archival, High performance vs. cost effectiveness, Write once/ read many or continuous read/ write
Frequently accessed or infrequently accessed, Heterogeneous platform access, multiple users or single user/ limited users, parameters has to be
addressed. Data acquisition processes and data processing chains require high performance storage suitable for online processing, etc. Storage
Sizing: Provide high speed online 1 TB of FC disk storage for one day to facilitate faster generation of satellite data products. Provide about 10
TB of high-speed disk space for data processing systems for generation of products. Provide about 10 TB of high-speed disk space for databases
like GCPL, Carto DEM, TCPL and etc. The specific focus of this paper is to present a new, enhanced functionality of data reception from GISAT
at NRSC Ground Station and storage methodology to address these new requirements.
Keywords: GISAT (Geo Imaging Satellite, Satellite link, GEO

Corresponding Author: satyanarayana_an@nrsc.gov.in
Page No. 13
Automated Water Body Extraction by the Synergistic Use of Optical and SAR Data in Hilly Terrain
Sushil Kumar Joshi1, Ramya M.N.S.1, Shefali Agrawal1, Hina Pande1, Poonam S. Tiwari 1 and Shashi Kumar1
1Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun
Abstract
Remote sensing technology helps in continuous monitoring and mapping of water resources for its proper management and regulation. Automatic
extraction of water features using optical data is generally carried out by using threshold based technique over various indices like NDWI, NDVI,
NDPI etc. These threshold values are data and scene dependent. The extraction is also challenging over hilly and rugged terrain and are likely to
suffer from clouds and shadow. VV polarization channel of microwave data is challenging for water feature extraction as it is difficult to segregate
water bodies from other classes in this channel. This comprehensive study combined the microwave and optical data to efficiently extract water in
a cost effective manner over mountainous regions. Newly and freely available C-band Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data and fine
spatial resolution Sentinel-2 optical data acquired over Uttarakhand state in India were utilized in this study. SAR data and optical data were
acquired on 12th May, 2016 and 15th May, 2016 respectively. Modified normalized difference index (MNDWI) from optical data and backscatter
values from VV channel of SAR data were used to determine an optimum and generic threshold for both the dataset to extract water bodies. The
problems associated with each dataset were well investigated and resolved by incorporating the advantages of the inherent properties of each
dataset and a decision tree based was used to extract water body. The rules generated are generic and can be easily adapted to other areas and
dataset. This methodology was successful in removing the effects of clouds, shadow, layover and also maintained the continuity in the river bed.
Bridges over water feature could also be separated. Overall accuracy and Kappa coefficient achieved from the integrated data are 88.4% and 0.78
respectively. This study highlighted the potential of SAR and optical data integration for fast extraction of water feature.
Keywords: Water, synthetic aperture radar, optical data, indices, decision tree
Corresponding Author: skj.sushil@gmail.com
Page No. 14
Generic Quality Requirements on Geospatial Web Applications and Services
R. Nandakumar2, Amit Gupta2 and Yogesh Verma2

1SpaceApplications Centre, Ahmedabad
Abstract
Recent advances in geospatial domain relate to the availability of web applications and services, such as those that are available in the MOSDAC
web site for forecasting weather and predicting heavy rainfall, etc., over India. Here, we identify a set of generic quality requirements that is
applicable to all these kind of geospatial web applications and services, which are structured based on the ISO/IEC 25010:2011 SQuaRE quality
model of specifying and evaluating software product quality characteristics. Both geospatial domain-specific requirements as well as generic
web-related requirements have been included. As per the ISO standard, there are eight major software product quality characteristics and 31
sub-characteristics. The major characteristics are: (i) functional suitability; (ii) performance efficiency; (iii) compatibility; (iv) usability; (v)
reliability; (vi) security; (vii) maintainability; and (viii) portability. Sample quality requirements covered under these eight characteristics
respectively are as follows: (i) The accuracy of the geospatial data or derived information that are provided by the application/ service should be
accessible to users as metadata; (ii) The performance in terms of response to user actions should be well within the normal expectations of users,
commensurate with the client-side processor capability, taking into account the maximum simultaneous load on the server; (iii) when multiple
services are provided from the same source they all should have compatible user interface features, such as, choice of language, standard zoom
options, choice of colours, selection of fonts, accessibility features for differently-abled persons, etc.; (iv) Usability requirements include
availability of key-board short-cuts for information otherwise accessible after multiple mouse-clicks or menu selections; (v) The availability of the
services should be ensured round the clock on all 365 days; (vi) The geospatial data or information that is served to the user should not be
accessible to anyone else on the network; (vii) The application should have built-in features for collecting user-behaviour, for continuous
improvement; (viii) The application should be made available on not only Android platforms but also iOS and other relevant OS flavours, in use.
The requirements identified are to guide analysts to specify qualitative or quantitative quality requirements for any specific geospatial
web-application/ service.
Keywords: Geospatial Services, Web Services, Quality Requirements, ,

Corresponding Author: yogeshverma@sac.isro.gov.in
Page No. 15
Fully Polarimetric RADARSAT-2 Data for Land Use and Land Cover Classification
Ramya M.N.S.1 and Shashi Kumar1

1Indian
Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun
Abstract
Land use and land cover (LULC) classification is important for understanding the environmental changes of the resources and sustainable
development. As India is a tropical country affected by the cloud cover therefore, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) can be used for the
classification due to its all-weather capability. SAR image classification became an important research topic in the scientific field facing many
challenges like speckle, variation of backscattering values of the features with polarization and incidence angle. Classification based on the
backscattering coefficients in a single polarization of SAR is affected due to the speckle and limited information from the resolution cell
consisting different scatterers. To overcome this problem backscattering coefficients in different polarizations were integrated for LULC
classification using polarimetric SAR (PolSAR) data. Fully polarimetric data extracts information in different polarizations like HH, HV, VH and
VV polarizations, which helps in the better characterization of the target. Fully polarimetric RADARSAT-2 data of C-band is considered in this
study acquired in March 2013. Backscattering values of the target depend on the shape, texture, size and dielectric constant. Backscatter values of
different scatterers were retrieved from the polarimetric decomposition model, which separates the radar measurement into different physical
scattering mechanisms such as surface, double bounce and volume scattering. Freeman and Yamaguchi decomposition model are considered and
different scattering mechanisms were computed. Classification techniques such as Mahalanobis Distance classifier and Knowledge Based
classifier on SAR data was focused in this study. Mahalanobis is a direction sensitive distance classifier, which measures the Mahalanobis
distance between the pixel and class centres based on this method each pixel is assigned to the particular class. To improve the classification
accuracy of the classified image, segmentation and knowledge based classification was applied. The overall accuracy and kappa statistics of the
classified image were 79.17% and 0.75 respectively.
Keywords: Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar, Backscattering coefficients, Polarimetric decomposition model, Mahalanobis Distance Classification ,
Knowledge Based Classification
Corresponding Author: ramyamns92@gmail.com
Page No. 16
Object-Based and Knowledge-Based Classification Techniques in Urban Areas using Hyperspectral Imagery and
LiDAR Data
Prarthna Dhingra2, Asfa Siddiqui1, Saloni Jain2, K. Venkata Reddy2 and Vinay Kumar1
1Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 2National Institute of Technology, Warangal
Abstract
The Land Use/ Land Cover (LULC) classification of urban areas is a difficult task due to its spectral and spatial complexity. Hyperspectral data
which provides hundreds of spectral bands and LiDAR data which provides precise horizontal and vertical variability may be combined together
for achieving satisfactory LULC classification results. But with the development of fuzzy logic based object oriented classification methods
classification accuracy can still be improved. Fuzzy logic not only takes into account the mixed pixels which is very important in case of urban
scenarios but is also able to give definite boundary to the objects considered. Present study compares the results of Object based classification
with that of the pixel level knowledge-based classification. For knowledge-based classification a set of hypothesis, rules and variables are defined
based on different indices derived from hyperspectral image and height based on LiDAR data. For object-oriented classification the image is first
segmented into different objects and then a set of rules is defined based on brightness value, shape and compactness of different objects in the
image. The accuracy achieved in object-based classification overpowers knowledge-based classification by 10-15% which indicates a good
potential of object-based classification approach for urban LULC classification with high resolution hyperspectral imagery.
Keywords: urban areas, Knowledge-based classification, Object-based classification, LiDAR, hyperspectral imagery
Corresponding Author: prarthna.dhingra@gmail.com
Page No. 17
A Tool for SARAL/AltiKa Waveform Classification
Surajit Ghosh1, Suvajit Dutta2, Praveen Kumar Thakur1, Subrata Nandy1 and Vaibhav Garg1
1Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 2Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore
Abstract
Altimetry satellites like SARAL/Altika basically determine the distance from the satellite to a target surface by measuring the satellite-to-surface
round-trip time of a radar pulse. So, an altimeter waveform represents the energy reflected by the earths surface to the satellite antenna with
respect to time. A lot of information can be extracted from altimetry waveforms. This article is about the development of a tool to classify
SARAL/Altika waveforms in an unsupervised way. The tool has been developed using python scripts, a dynamic programming language, and it
has a wide range of packages for implementations and analysis various kind of data. For the development of this tool, we have used Python
Tkinter package of ease of development, and for waveform clustering evolutionary minimize indexing function (EMIF) with k-means was applied
(Ghosh et al. 2016). The idea was to develop a simple interface which takes a set of altimetry waveform data as input and classify them based on
EMIF. For this, the user can choose the folder which contains raw waveform data; EMIF algorithm then runs in the background for clustering the
waveform data. The algorithm clusters the altimetric data into desired groups. The tool is simple, easy to interact with GUI for the user and it
takes very low space also; the tool gives clustered output faster than the software like MATLAB to process. Ghosh, S., Thakur, P. K., Dutta, S.,
Sharma, R., Nandy, S., Garg, V., Aggarwal, S. P., & Bhattacharyya, S. 2016. A new method for SARAL/AltiKa waveform classification:
contextual analysis over the Maithon Reservoir, Jharkhand, India. SPIE Asia-Pacific Remote Sensing. International Society for Optics and
Photonics, 98780G-98780G.
Keywords: SARAL/AltiKa waveform, Python, Tkinter, Evolutionary minimize indexing function (EMIF),
Corresponding Author: surajitghosh.ind@gmail.com
Page No. 18
Use of Wavelet Transform for Enhancing Satellite Images for Accurate Long Term Change Assessment in Coal
Mining Areas
Shivesh Kishore Karan2, Sukha Ranjan Samadder2 and Amartanshu Srivastava1

1Bharat Coking Coal Ltd., Dhanbad , 2Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad
Abstract
This study is focused on refining the accuracy of long term land use change assessment by improving the quality of earlier generation satellite
imagery. Older satellite datasets lack several quality features like fine spatial and polished spectral resolutions. This considerably reduces the
classification accuracy and also, these images may not serve as a reliable data for long term land use change delineation. A part of Jharia coalfield,
India was selected as the study area to assess changes in land use due to open cast coal mining over a period of 41 years. For the present study, we
used dual-tree complex wavelet transform (DT-CWT) technique to improve the quality of Landsat 2 MSS (Multi Spectral Scanner) data of 1975
and Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS (Operational Land Imager/Thermal Infrared Sensor) data of 2016. The images were classified using Support Vector
Machine (SVM) classifier and were subjected to post-classification change detection. The classification accuracy was measured using a standard
cross-tabulated confusion matrix. The results of confusion matrices revealed that the classification accuracy of DT-CWT enhanced image of 1975
was significantly higher than the unenhanced image. An improvement of about 10% was observed in the overall classification accuracy for the
image of 1975. Also, the results of per-pixel based post classification change detection revealed that the total areal coverage of OB Dump in the
study area increased from 16.6% in 1975 to 37.61% in 2016. Also dense vegetation in the study area decreased from 18.6% in 1975 to 10.7% in
2016. This study introduces an improved process of monitoring long term land use change with higher accuracy for better planning and
management of these natural resources in conjunction with sustainable development.
Keywords: Image Enhancement, Complex Wavelet Transform, Support Vector Machines, Change Detection, Coal Mining
Corresponding Author: shivesh.karan@gmail.com
Page No. 19
Object-Based Geospatial Feature Extraction using Aerial Imagery and Airborne LiDAR Data
Shridhar Jawak2, Satej Panditrao1 and Alvarinho Luis2

1IndianNational Centre for Ocean Information Services, Hyderabad , 2National Centre for Antartica and Ocean Research, Goa
Abstract
This study addresses the prospective of geospatial information extraction by using light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data and aerial optical
images for multiple feature extraction in an urban landscape. The study has adopted an advanced geographic object-based image analysis
(GEOBIA) technique consisting of rule-based procedures relying upon the integration of spectral, textural, and spatial characteristics of aerial
imagery (RGB) and roughness of point cloud of LiDAR for simultaneous fusion of aerial imagery and airborne LiDAR for urban geospatial
information extraction. This study is focused on the extraction of four tangible intra-urban geospatial features, e.g., buildings, trees, marine
vessels and cars. The feature extraction accuracy was assessed against manual digitization by visual interpretation, statistical analysis, and
confusion matrix. The accuracy was found to be ranging from 90% to 95%. The accuracy of buildings class was improved using intensity image
generated from LiDAR data and Hough image along with morphological operations. In a nutshell, this study emphasizes the improvements in
geospatial extraction of urban features by employing more than one dataset synergistically, and by demonstrating an effective geospatial method
which proves to be conducive for complex urban areas. Our approach deals with the implementation of GEOBIA to examine the strength of each
geospatial data source to extract accurate geospatial information.
Keywords: LiDAR, Aerial imagery, image processing

Corresponding Author: satej.panditrao@gmail.com
Page No. 20
Robust Image Registration Based on Phase Congruency Map for High Resolution Multispectral Airborne Images
Abhishek Patil2, Meenakshi Sarkar2 and Debajyoti Dhar2

Abstract
In this paper, we present Band to Band Registration (BBR) algorithm for airborne multi-spectral imaging system. Generally, since being imaged
by different CCD arrays, mis-registration between bands can be attributed to misalignment, attitude & altitude variations in imaging time between
two bands. In general, BBR is carried out by rigorous sensor calibration and geo-tagging each bands separately based on IMU solution, which is
essentially a geometric correction procedure. Registration achieved by this procedure is quick and efficient. However, if IMU solution or
alignment angles are not available during imaging, described image matching based approach can be adopted. Here registration is done in 3 steps,
which are interest point matching, modeling with outlier rejection and resampling. Interest or regular grid interval points or both are generated for
imaging period around which suitable windows are selected. Maximum phase congruency maps which correspond to normalized edge response
are generated and correlated with each other. Sub-pixel shifts are achieved by up-sampling correlation maps across its peak. Wild points, if any are
weeded out by Random sampling and consensus (RANSAC) which is proven to be robust. In modeling step, BBR shifts between bands are
modeled with scan and pixel position. Second degree or non-rigid mappings are created after which one band can be resampled with suitable
resampling kernel, to match with reference band. Registration residuals generated from this method are better than 0.25 pixels, which show
effectiveness of this method. By this algorithm, we have tested and verified generation of quick usable co-registered images in realistic time.
Keywords: Band to Band Registration, Multispectral Imaging, Phase Congruency, Airborne Imaging,
Corresponding Author: pabhishek@sac.isro.gov.in
Page No. 21
Multi-Sensor Image Fusion with Minimal Spectral Distortion
Mayank Goyal1, Ankush Khandelwal2 and K.S. Rajan1

1Indian
Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad , 2University of Minnesota
Abstract
Multi-sensor data fusion aims at combining strengths of different sources in a manner such that the resultant product preserves the best of the
participating sources. From among all the levels at which fusion is done - pixel, feature and decision level, pixel level data fusion is the most
elementary form of fusion. Its real advantage is that it has the actual raw input data at its disposal which could be transferred to the output in a
form closest to the input. Hence, pixel level algorithms need to aim at preserving the input properties rather than just improving the overall visual
quality. Most of the existing methods like Brovey method are aimed at visual quality improvement and perform fusion using global distributions,
which results in loss of uniqueness of certain objects and features and lead to spectral distortion. Such objects are either completely lost or their
responses are milder in the output. These types of local distributions can be preserved using a localized method of fusion. Here, we present an
algorithm which aims at Image Enhancement while preserving local characteristics and in turn the overall spectral distribution of the input bands.
The proposed Gaussian Linear Stretch Image (GLSI) Enhancement algorithm is a window or object based technique which aims at improving
spatial resolution of multispectral bands using higher resolution panchromatic band. GLSI fuses the two inputs by transferring spatial details of
the panchromatic band into each multispectral band independently at local window or object level, hence prevents suppression of local unique
features and preserves spectral distribution of each band as well. In this approach, local window or object statistics are used to establish linear
relationships between corresponding windows/objects from two different spatial resolution bands. GLSI enhances each band independently
without using any derived or aggregated knowledge, thus making this technique suitable to fuse any combination of input images. Results show
that in addition to improving spatial details, the spectral distributions of GLSI outputs are more closer to the input multispectral bands as
compared to the output of other widely used approaches. The results are visually appealing as well.
Keywords: ImageFusion, DataFusion, , ,

Corresponding Author: mayank.goyal@research.iiit.ac.in
Page No. 22
Evaluating Two of Non-Parametric Methods for Land Cover Classification in Part of Northwest Himalaya Using
ICESat/GLAS Waveform Derived Parameters
Surajit Ghosh1, Subrata Nandy1 and S. Aikat Patra1

Abstract
In the present study, three parameters derived from Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite/Geoscience LaserAltimeter System (GLAS) full
waveform were applied for land cover classification using non-parametric methods in the western part of Northwest Himalaya. The three
parameters which are considered in this study are maximum canopy height (mch), front slope angle (afslope) and canopy return ratio (rCanopy).
Two non-parametric methods viz., k-nearest neighbor (k-NN) and Decision Tree (DT) were evaluated for classifying the land cover types using
supervised learning technique. Forest, mango orchard, agriculture and barren/fallow land and other class including settlement, dry river bed,
etc.are the five classes taken to consider in this study. Classifiers like DT come under the category of eager Learners because they first build a
classification model on the training dataset before being able to actually classify a test dataset. The k-NN classifier, however, does not build any
classification model. It directly learns from the training instance. It starts processing data only after it is given a test observation to classify. Thus,
k-NN comes under the category of lazy learner approach. DT performed the better than k-NN. Kappa- coefficient (k-c) for both the method was
calculated; for DT, k-c was found 0.71 which more than 0.17 from k-NN. The study evaluated two non-parametric methods viz., k-NN and DT for
classifying land cover types using GLAS full waveform data. However, the study can be further extended to classify a large number of classes for
better assessment of these classifiers.
Keywords: ICESat/GLAS, Waveform parameters, Forest cover classification, k-nearest neighbor (k-NN) , Decision Tree (DT)
Page No. 23
Simulation of Hyperspectral Data from Resourcesat -2 LISS III Multispectral Data
Varun Tiwari2, Vinay Kumar1, Kamal Pandey1, Rigved Ranade1 and Shefali Agarwal1
1IndianInstitute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 2International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Kathmandu
Abstract
India's indigenously developed Multispectral Remote Sensing (MRS) sensors have shown their potential in understanding the earth's dynamics
since past few decades. These MRS sensors record Electromagnetic Energy (EMR) in optical wavelength region with limited spectral bands
(generally 3 to 6) and coarser bandwidth. Due to these constraints of MRS sensors data, it is difficult to distinguish spectrally similar features
which is one of the prime requirement for detailed land use land cover (LULC) studies. On the other hand Hyperspectral Remote Sensing (HRS)
sensors are capable of providing spectrally rich data, enabling species level discrimination and feature identification. But the availability of HRS
sensors is limited as it require sensitive detectors which makes acquisition difficult and costly. In Indian context, only one space borne HRS sensor
i.e. HySI (Hyperspectral Imager) on board Indian Mini Satellite (IMS) -1 is acquiring data with 64 narrow channels and a coarse spatial
resolution, i.e. half a kilometer. Although the data can be utilized for broad level studies but it is not suitable for detailed land cove classification.
Due to this, there is a huge requirement of simulating HRS data with better resolution, utilizing available Indian MRS data. Spectral
reconstruction approach is one of the technique which utilizes atmospherically corrected MRS data and normalized ground spectra for simulating
hyperspectral bands from multispectral bands. In the present study, Resourcesat - 2 LISS III MRS data has been utilized for simulation of
hyperspectral bands. Over all 38 hyperspectral bands were simulated in common wavelength region as of LISS III data. The results obtained were
validated using different statistical and classification approaches. And it was observed that simulated HRS data demonstrated improvement in land
cover classification results with improved accuracy over RS-2 LISS III MRS dataset.
Keywords: Hyperspectral, Simulation, LULC

Corresponding Author: varunkt91@gmail.com
Page No. 24
A Spectro-Radiometric Analysis of Ocean Colour Sensors and Proposal for a Miniature Hyper spectral Imager for
Future
D.R.M. Samudraiah1, Ashutosh Kumar Jha1, A. Senthil Kumar1, Y.V.N. Krishan Murty1, Ujjwal Kumar1 and Kusum Arunachalam1
1DoonUniversity, Dehradun , 2Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 3National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad
Abstract
Ocean colour sensors traditionally are of fixed spectral channel systems with specified bandwidth of about 20nm in the visible region and about
40nm in Near Infrared region. In these systems, it is known that a radiometric error of 1% in the measurement of top of the atmosphere signal may
lead to an error of 10% in the retrieved upwelling radiance from the oceans. In this paper we investigated the wavelength range participating in
signal collection (Effective spectral pass band, ESPB) using relative spectral response (RSR) data of various sensors flown earlier. The RSR
denotes the spectral transmittance of the sensor at given wavelength. It was measured in the laboratory at discrete wavelengths covering visible
and near IR range. These discrete data are to be interpolated appropriately before estimation of EPSB and the radiance are attempted. It is shown
that these data are best fitted with B-spline interpolation method and hence was adopted in the present study. EPSB values were computed for
each spectral channel at various error ranges and the results showed that ESPBs are quite high compared to specified bandwidths. These values
were found to vary with sensor and band. As the knowledge of spectral profile of the signal in the ESPB helps in better estimation of spectral
radiance at the intended wavelengths, a miniature high performance Linear variable filter based hyperspectral sensor is proposed. We present here
the design concept and report the estimated performance of such sensor that can be realized even with commercial off the shelf components for
operational implementation.
Keywords: Ocean Colour sensor, Bandwidth, Effective spectral pass band , cubic spline , Linear Variable filter
Corresponding Author: samudraiah@yahoo.co.in
Page No. 25
Ground Based Bistatic Scatterometer Measurement of Ladyfinger Crop at X-Band
Ajeet Kumar Vishwakarma1, R. Prasad1, D.K. Gupta1, P. Kumar1 and V.N. Mishra1
1IndianInstitute of Technology, Varanasi
Abstract
The present study describes the ground based bistatic scatterometer measurement of lady finger crop at its various growth stages in the specular
direction with the azimuthal angle (=0) for the angular range of incidence angle 20 to 70 at steps of 10 at HH and VV polarization. An outdoor
ladyfinger crop bed (4x4m2) was specially prepared for a bistatic ground based scatterometer measurements. The crop growth variables like
vegetation water content (VWC), leaf area index (LAI), wet and dry biomass, plant height (PH) etc are also measured at the time of each bistatic
scatterometer measurement. The entire crop growth variables are found increasing behaviour as the crop grows up to certain point then after
decrease. The bistatic scattering coefficients are found decreasing trend as the increasing crop growth variables up to a certain point without
appreciable saturation effect even at higher values of crop growth variables then after increasing. At the initial stage of the crop, the coherent
contribution of the microwave from soil surface is dominated in the specular direction. As the crop grows, the contribution of microwave from
soil surface is quenched by the crop growth variables.
Keywords: Bistatic scattering coefficients, VWC, LAI, Plant height, Lady finger crop
Corresponding Author: ajeetbhu87@gmail.com
Page No. 26
Class Based Sensor Independent Indices Approach for Hyper-Spectral Data
Eknoor Singh3, Navika Babbar2 and Anil Kumar1

1IndianInstitute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 2National Institute of Technology ,Jalandhar , 3National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar
Abstract
For much of the past decade, hyper-spectral imaging has been an area of active research and development. Hyper-spectral images have many
applications in resource management, agriculture, mineral exploration, and environmental monitoring.Hyper-spectral image data consists of
hundreds of contiguous spectral bands with a fine spectral resolution. The difference between consecutive spectral bands can be very small e.g.
0.01m. The indices based approach in remote sensing is used for the purpose of differentiating a class of interest from other classes using some
combination of band reflectance values which are called as indices. In the spectral range of multi-spectral data, there may be 10 to 20 bands of
hyper-spectral data. The large number of bands in hyper-spectral images is a challenge for the calculation of indices.The use of indices is to
enhance the intensity of a particular class and reduce the topographic effect.Spatial indices information can be used as data base in digital
classification. This indices database will have less dimensionality as well as low correlation between the various classes.This paper proposes class
base sensor independent indices generation to overcome the challenges faced in generation of indices. The proposed methodology reduces the
worst case complexity from exponential to polynomial. The methodology uses only class location to generate class based indices database from
hyper-spectral data. It does not require bands information from user to be used in indices calculation. The indices generated for each class are such
that they give minimum correlation between the different classes, thus increasing the intensity difference among classes. More the intensity
difference, more enhanced is the visual clarity. This has been achieved through the introduction of the concept of a reference class and reference
ratio. The reference class is preferably the one whose reference ratios are empirically known. The proposed methodology has been tested through
an in-house developed tool.
Keywords: Indices, Hyper-spectral Image, Sensor, ,

Corresponding Author: navika15@yahoo.com
Page No. 27
Tomographic Imaging with ALOS PALSAR Data for Urban Region
Saranya P.1 and Vani K.1

1Anna University, Chennai
Abstract
Synthetic Aperture Radar Tomography (TOMOSAR) is an advanced imaging technique for the reconstruction of reflectivity profile of RADAR.
In this work, an Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) Palsar dataset is used for tomographic processing. A new reconstruction algorithm
(SRS) is attempted for TOMOSAR processing. SRS algorithm combine the functionality of Machine Learning approach and model based method
that gives output with high detail and less noise. Reflectivity profile and 3-D image is calculated from this method. Finally, the proposed method
is validated by comparing the results with Capon Spectral Estimation and Multi signal classification algorithms. SRS algorithm is found to be
providing better results.
Keywords: Synthetic Aperture Radar, Coherence, Reconstruction, Palsar, Tomography

Corresponding Author: saranyasivam@auist.net
Page No. 28
A Comparative Study of SAR Backscatter Data from RISAT-1 and Sentinel-1A for Various Land-Cover Regions
Hari Priya S.1, Manoj Joseph1, Niharika K.1, Sitakumari E.V.S.1 and Prasad A.V.V.1
1National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad
Abstract
Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is a coherent, side-looking imaging system which is inimitable in space based remote sensing. It is a potential
tool for sustainable applications in crop assessment, disaster management, soil moisture, forestry, geology and oceanography. When radar signals
strike a surface, the proportion of energy scattered back to the receiving sensor by the target is called its backscatter. It depends on the radar-beam
parameters including radar wavelength and polarization, the incidence angle and on the target characteristics such as roughness, dielectric constant
etc.. For a distributed target, the radar backscatter coefficients can be classified as Sigma naught (0), Beta naught (0) and Gamma naught (0)
depending upon the plane of measurement. Sigma naught and Gamma naught backscatter play a pivotal role in radiometric calibration and also
enable inter-sensor data comparison. RISAT-1 the C-band (5.35 GHz) SAR of ISRO has been operational since 1st May 2012. The MRS primary
mode (18-25 m resolution) is operated systematically at 36 degrees with a repeat cycle of 25 days covering 115 km swath in HH+HV. The data is
distributed in CEOS and Geo-TIFF formats. For continual study area monitoring, enhancing application potential and to improve the temporal
resolution, contemporary non-IRS SAR like Sentinel-1A could also be used along with RISAT-1. Sentinel-1A launched in April 2014 is a C-band
(5.405 GHz) SAR of ESA. Its primary mode over the land-masses is the IW Interferometric Wide Swath covering 250 km at 20m Ground Range
Resolution with 12 day repeat- cycle and is in the Standard Archive Format for Europe (SAFE) format. This paper describes the methodology
implemented for derivation and comparative study of Sigma Naught and Gamma Naught backscatter data from RISAT-1 MRS and Sentinel-1A
IW data. In order to reduce dependency on commercial software packages, in-house software has been developed for the purpose. For various
land cover features like agricultural fields, soil cover, water bodies and distributed targets like the Amazon, sigma naught and gamma naught
backscatter patterns are generated . A comparative study of the results of target interaction and backscatter mechanism at various polarisations for
RISAT-1 and Sentinel1A is carried out.
Keywords: RISAT-1, SENTINEL-1A, Backscatter, sigma naught, gamma naught

Corresponding Author: haripriya_s@nrsc.gov.in
Page No. 29
Military Surveillance by Advance EO Sensors And Processing Techniques
S. Gowtham1, S. Saravanan1 and R. Ragulkannan1

Abstract
Electric optical sensors and processing techniques are the basic methodsin military surveillance. Here we provide advance processing technique
on EO to protect borders of nations in high resolution, reliable and technical processing of many individual instruments, main objective of this
project is to reduce continuous monitoring of human source, at the same time it will provide high accuracy on detecting of enemy on borders.
Inter functions of various necessary instruments, all the instruments can be used in multipurpose function for monitoring the landscapes and
operatable at various altitude and various temperature.Using this instruments monitoring large area for activity can be easier, it is capable of
working in both day and night conditions.
Keywords: , , , ,
Corresponding Author: isro.saravana@gmail.com
Page No. 30
Hyperspectral and Panchromatic Sensor Data Fusion for Anomaly Detection
Bebi Khatijal Kubra1 and Iyyanki V. Muralikrishna1

1DRDO-Research Centre Imarat, Hyderabad
Abstract
Anomaly detection is the identification of unusual spectra in the imagery which does not conform to an expected pattern. For this, sensor data
with high spectral and spatial resolutions would be of great value as different objects on the ground have varying spectral signatures. An important
challenge of hyperspectral is to detect small targets without any prior knowledge, particularly when the interested targets are insignificant with
low probabilities of occurrence. The specific characteristic of anomaly detection is that it does not require atmospheric correction and signature
libraries. Recently, several useful applications of anomaly detection approaches have been developed in remote sensing. A program on
development of sensor specific algorithms for anomaly detection is under progress. As a part of the program an effort on validation of the existing
algorithms is made. In this paper the detection is done by using a variant of the well known multivariate anomaly detector called RX Anomaly
detection using the Reed-Xiaoli Detector (RXD) algorithm. As a variant of the well known multivariate anomaly detector called RX algorithm,
the method of dimension reduction RX algorithm (DRRX) is used. The hyperspectral data of Hyperion (EO- 1), multispectral data of Operational
Land Imager (Landsat 8) and panchromatic data of Orbview 3 is used in study. The hyperspectral data which has high spectral resolution is fused
with Panchromatic for enhancing the scope for anomaly detection. This paper also describes an expanded anomaly detection algorithm for small
targets in hyperspectral imagery. A Comparison of the fused image with reference to varying spatial resolutions from multispectral sensors is
carried out. The validity of the RXD Algorithm for fusion of the different sensors data is explored.
Keywords: Hyperspectral Imagery, Anomaly detection, RX algorithm, Analytical Image Fusion,

Corresponding Author: khatijal.kubra91@gmail.com
Page No. 31
Integration of Feature Selection Techniques for Satellite Image Classification
Kuldeep1, P.K. Garg1 and R.D. Garg1

1IndianInstitute of Technology, Roorkee
Abstract
Feature selection methods have the potential to enhance the classification performance for the sparse datasets with number of features. In this
paper, an attempt has been made to assess the potential of these methods over complex and multidimensional remote sensing datasets. The
wrapper classes of methods have been compared to analyze the classification results. The most popular feature selection methods in this category
viz. Sequential Forward Selection (SFS), Sequential Backward Selection (SBS), Sequential Floating Forward Selection (SFFS) and Sequential
Floating Backward Selection (SFBS) have been tasted over features extracted from the high resolution satellite images. The aforementioned four
feature selection methods are applied to select the best suitable texture feature for landuse classification of the optical datasets. Various Gray
Level Co-occurrence Matrix (GLCM) based textural features per pattern have been computed from texture model. The manuscript attempts to
determine whether the classification error can be reduced by applying feature selection methods to all the features to obtain the optimal set of
features. The optimal feature set is further used for classification and classification score for the feature set has also been computed. The SFFS
method has outperformed in terms of optimal feature selection for classification as compared to other feature selection methods
Keywords: , , , ,
Corresponding Author: kesu1001@gmail.com
Page No. 32
A Robust Estimation Algorithm for Automatic Registration of Remote Sensing Images
Rama Rao Nidamanuri1 and Dhanya S Pankaj1

1Indian
Institute of Space Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram
Abstract
Image registration is a fundamental process in the processing and analysis of multiple images remote sensing. Given the enormous increase in the
availability and variety of modern remote sensors differing widely in spatial, spectral and dynamic range resolutions, automated registration of
images has become an important issue. A wide range of registration techniques has been developed for many different types of applications and
data. Generation of matching points, estimation of mapping functions, and resampling are the three main stages involved in image registration.
The estimation of transformation function involves matching and filtering of numerous matching points generated in the previous process. The
second, step, robust estimation of mapping functions gives the automated registration algorithms the robustness required in the presence of a large
of number of outliers in the matching points. The robust estimator, random sample consensus (RANSAC) algorithm has been the method of
choice to accomplice this task. However, despite a speedy estimator, the RANSAC algorithm is very sensitive to noise in the data and produces
inaccurate results for images which differ widely in their resolution characteristics. There have been few improved versions of the RANSAC
which increase the speed of registration or reduce the numbers of outliers in the estimated models. Especially, the ability of reducing outliers in
the transformation models estimated is crucial to achieve accurate image registration results. This study proposes a new robust estimator,
ProLoSAC, which performs filtering matching points and estimation of mapping functions accurately while maintaining speed of the RANSAC
algorithm for image registration. The proposed algorithm has been applied for the automatic registration of multi-sensor multi-resolution remote
sensing images namely, LISS-IV, WorldView-2, Landsat-8, Sentinel-2 images. The validation of results carried out using various error metrics
indicates a close agreement with manual control points based image registration.
Keywords: image registration, RANSAC, robust estimation, automatic registration, satellite images
Corresponding Author: rao@iist.ac.in
Page No. 33
Dual Frequency Spaceborne SAR Tomography for Understanding Backscattering Behavior in Forest Vegetation
Sushil Kumar Joshi1 and Shashi Kumar1

Abstract
Forest vertical height is a direct indicator of forest height and growth. Deeper penetration of radar frequencies retrieve backscattering
contributions from different forest height levels. Therefore understanding its behavior in forest is essential to estimate various forest biophysical
parameters. SAR tomography is a recent advancement in the domain of SAR image processing that retrieve the whole vertical distribution of the
scatterers and reconstructs their complete 3D profile. This study is mainly focused on the estimation of radar reflectivity related to each forest
height level and generate the tomographic profile of the forest vegetation using dual frequency spaceborne fully polarimetric SAR data.
Multibaseline multipass satellite data of C-band Radarsat-2 and high resolution X-band TerraSAR-X/TanDEM-X acquired over Haldwani forest
in Uttarakhand state of India were utilized in this study. Teak patch of the study site was used to carry out the work. After certain preprocessing
over multilayer stack of SAR data, TomoSAR algorithms, ranging from Fourier transform to superresolution spectral estimation techniques like
beamforming and Capon were implemented in this study. The results showed the significant contributions of backscatter power at each forest
height level for both the frequencies and for all the algorithms. Fourier transform badly suffered from high sidelobes and height ambiguities.
Superresolution techniques substantially improved the vertical profile and significantly reduced the sidelobes and spatial leakages. High resolution
data was able to provide high variability in backscattered power and gathered power contributions from the ground as well. The potential of
Capon algorithm in noise minimization was observed more in X-band data because of less temporal decorrelation. In terms of imaging quality,
superresolution techniques outperformed the Fourier transform for both the frequencies.
Keywords: SAR tomography, Fourier transform, beamforming, Capon, forest

Corresponding Author: skj.sushil@gmail.com
Page No. 34
Evaluation and Comparative Analysis of Automated Endmember Extraction Techniques for Land Cover Feature
Extraction
Deepali Shrivastava2, Vinay Kumar1 and Richa U. Sharma1

1DeviAhilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore , 2Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun
Abstract
Endmembers are the pure spectral components of any landcover feature extracted from the remote sensing datasets and its identification is a
crucial task. Once the individual image end members are extracted and identified, several methods can be used to map their spatial distribution,
associations and abundances. Most popular approaches for Endmember extraction (EME) are designed from a spectroscopic viewpoint, thus
neglecting the spatial arrangement of the pixels. There are some other EME techniques which consider both spectral and spatial aspects and
therefore provide more accurate Endmembers. In this study multispectral (EO-1 ALI and Landsat 8 OLI) and hyperspectral (EO-1 Hyperion)
datasets of Udaipur region, Rajasthan are used. The above mentioned datasets are preprocessed and converted to ground reflectance using Fast
Line-of-sight Atmospheric Analysis of Spectral Hypercube (FLAASH). This study includes a comparative study of a spectral-only endmember
extraction technique i.e. Sequential Maximum Angle Convex Cone Analysis (SMACC) and a combination of spectral-spatial techniques including
Count based Index (CoB), Minimum Average Spectral Angle (MASA) and Endmember Average RMSE (EAR) which finds the optimal
endmembers from the image. It was observed from the obtained results that SMACC gave endmember which are on the extreme points of the
image without taking into account the spatial aspects of the image whereas spectral-spatial technique gave distinguished endmembers from all
over the image, hence provides better and improved results than SMACC.
Keywords: Hyperspectral, Multispectral, Endmember Extraction, SMACC, EAR CoB MASA

Corresponding Author: deepali.6nov@gmail.com
Page No. 35
Matching of First-Order Derivatives of Hyperion Spectra for Improved Species Level Mapping
Padma S.2 and Sanjeevi S.1

1AnnaUniversity, Chennai , 2Saveetha Engineering College, Chennai
Abstract
Use of hyperspectral imagery for species level mapping of flora with similar spectra and mapping the members of the same species with wide
variation in spectra (due to background noise), results in erroneous species/habitat-maps. To derive an accurate map of Pichavaram mangroves,
southern India, this paper attempts to implement spectral matching algorithms using the first-order derivative spectra of the cover types. The
algorithms include the Spectral Angle Mapper (geometrical angle based), Spectral Correlation Mapper (correlation angle based), Jeffries-Matusita
distance (stochastic distance) and JM-SCM and JM-SAM (combined measures). The spectrum of the unknown target from the hyperspectral
image data is matched with the reference spectrum present in the spectral library. Using the field spectra (library), the matching algorithms are
extended in a supervised framework, to classify the image. The library comprises of the spectra of mangrove species such as Avicennia marina,
Avicennia officinalis, Rhizopora apiculata,Excoecaria agallocha, Ceriops decandra, Lumnitzera racemosa, Salicornia brachiata, the associated
flora such as Suaeda maritima, grass, dry and moist saline soil (mud flat and salt flat) and brackish water. These spectra were collected using the
Analytical Spectral Devices, hand-held spectroradiometer operating in 325-1075nm region. The target spectra are derived from the Hyperion
image. A spectral subset (400-1075nm) of the Hyperion image (400-2500nm) is generated, followed by convolution of field spectra with the
Hyperion bands. The first-order derivatives of the convolved bands are compiled as a spectral library and the first-order derivative of the
Hyperion wavelengths is obtained. The matching algorithms are implemented using the original spectra and the first order derivative spectra to
result in two sets of classified images. The performance of the algorithms is assessed by Relative Spectral Discriminatory Probability (RSDPB)
and Relative Spectral Discriminatory Entropy (RSDE) measures, while classification is validated by accuracy assessment. Thus, the potential of
the spectral matching algorithms using the derivative spectra to characterize a mangrove ecosystem has been demonstrated. Compared to original
spectra, the first derivatives enhance the subtle spectral variations to result in better discrimination of similar species. Further, matching the field
spectra with the image spectra obtained at different spatial and temporal scales are also reported.
Keywords: Hyperspectral imagery, Jeffries-Matusita, Spectral Correlation Mapper, Spectral Angle Mapper, derivative spectra
Corresponding Author: padmagi91@gmail.com
Page No. 36
Implementation of RISAT-1 Hybrid Polarimetric Decomposition Techniques and Analysis using Cornor Reflector
Data
P.V. Jayasri1, K. Niharika1, Manoj Joseph1, H.S.V. Usha Sundari Ryali1, C.V. Ramana Sarma1, E.V.S. Sita Kumari1 and A.V.V. Prasad1
Abstract
With recent advances in polarimetry, SAR with Hybrid polarity (CL-pol) architecture, a demonstration of compact polarimetry enabled larger
swath coverage, reduced PRF and SAR system complexity as compared to fully polarimetric systems. The first CL Space-borne SAR in Earth
Observation orbit, India's Radar Imaging Satellite (RISAT-1) is a new-fangled gateway to remote sensing user community for Agricultural
Monitoring and other land use classifications. Various Hybrid Fine Resolution Stripmap (cFRS-1) Single-Look Complex SAR datasets acquired
during initial and operational phase of RISAT-1 over deployed corner reflectors at IMGEOS, NRSC have been considered in this paper. On these
datasets, different hybrid polarimetric decomposition techniques are implemented to further analyze the characteristics of scattering mechanism
from point targets. In response to a right-circularly polarized transmitted signal, hybrid polarimetry provides Stokes parameters (S0, S1, S2, S3)
by using data received in two mutually orthogonal channels. Based on the derived stokes parameters, several useful quantitative measures like
Circular Polarization Ratio(CPR), Degree of Linear Polarization(DoLP), Degree of Polarization (m), Poincare ellipticity parameter (), scattering
angle () and relative phase () between the two linear E-vectors of the backscattered field are estimated. M-Delta, M-Chi and M-Alpha polarimetric
decomposition methods along with suitable weighting functions in terms of three principal components are derived which maps Stokes parameters
to RGB image space for representing odd bounce, even bounce and volume scattering targets. Hybrid polarimetries being self calibrating system,
these decompositions are further evaluated with dihedral and trihedral corner reflectors to demonstrate the scattering mechanisms as per their
characteristics when interacted with a polarized signal. Moreover, a comprehensive Point Target Analysis has also been performed on corner
reflectors using these hybrid polarimetric datasets to derive Calibration Constant (K), Peak Side Lobe Ratio, Integrated Side Lobe Ratio, Impulse
Response Width, Background to Peak Ratio by deriving integrated interpolated energy over main lobe and side lobes. The detailed analysis
performed using in-house developed software on Hybrid polarimetric data produced encouraging results and are presented in this paper.
Keywords: Hybrid polarimetry, corner reflector, RISAT-1, decomposition, Stokes parameters

Corresponding Author: jayasri_pv@nrsc.gov.in
Page No. 37
Mapping of Chlorophyll and Nitrogen of Paddy Crop from Hyperspectral Imagery
Shreedevi Moharana2, Teekam Singh1 and Subashisa Dutta2

1ICAR-CentralRice Research Institute, Cuttack , 2Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati
Abstract
Chlorophyll and nitrogen are the most essential parameters for paddy crop growth to manage the country's food security. In this study, chlorophyll
and nitrogen content of rice are mapped spatially from hyperspectral space platform. Firstly, spectroradiometric measurements were collected at
canopy level during the critical growth period of paddy and chemical analysis were carried out in the laboratory to quantify total chlorophyll and
leaf nitrogen content. Both the chlorophyll aimed indices (LNC, OASVI, Gitelson, mSR and MTCI) and nitrogen aimed indices (SR and LNC)
were selected based on statistical performance of ground based hyperspectral measurements. By utilization of this in-situ hyperspectral data, both
the chlorophyll and nitrogen regression models were established between the index and their respective growth variable. Moreover, these indices
were also computed from hyperspectral Hyperion imagery. It was observed that the SR and LNC indices followed a linear and non-linear
relationship respectively are completely different from the published Tian et al. (2011). Using the developed relationships, the total chlorophyll
and nitrogen content were estimated destructively for the rice cultivated region from Hyperion L1R data. The result showed that by adopting
developed relationship, the nitrogen content varies widely from 1-4 % for paddy crop from Hyperion imagery while it is only 2-3 % in case of
Tian et al. (2011). The spatial variation of nitrogen was well captured from space platform over a rice agriculture system using LNC non-linear
model. It matched well with nitrogen content retrieved from ground hyperspectral measurements. On the other hand, It is found that total
chlorophyll content retrieved from Hyperion imagery for the rice agriculture varied spatially from 1.77-5.81 mg/g 3.0-13 mg/g, 0.5-10.43 mg/g,
2.18-10.61 mg/g and 2.90-5.04 mg/g by employing LNC, OASVI, Gitelson, mSR, MTCI indices respectively. The observed total chlorophyll
content varied from 1.14-7.26 mg/g over the studied rice agriculture area which is well captured from the hyperspectral Hyperion imagery. This
spatial variation of chlorophyll and nitrogen will impact on the degree of heterogeneity of rice agriculture area. The field heterogeneity can easily
be quantified from this spatial variation and add an informative system for precision rice agriculture system.
Keywords: Rice, chlorophyll, nitrogen, hyperspectral data, vegetation index

Corresponding Author: shreedevimoharana@gmail.com
Page No. 38
A Joint Super-Resolution and Fusion Framework for Multi-Spectral and Panchromatic Cartosat Images
Rekha A.2, Sowmya Bhatraju1 and Srivaishnavi S.1

1S.S.N.College of Engineering, Kalavakkam , 2Sri Sivasubramaniya Nadar College of Engineering, Kalavakkam
Abstract
A Joint Super-Resolution and Fusion framework for Multi-spectral and Panchromatic Cartosat Images Rekha.A, Sowmya Bhatraju,
Srivaishnavi.S, Jino Hans.W, N.Venkateswaran and Madheswari.K Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Department of
Computer Science and Engineering, SSN College of Engineering, Chennai Abstract In this paper, we propose an efficient approach for a joint
super resolution (SR) and fusion framework for Multi-spectral and Panchromatic Cartosat images. Most earth observation satellites have sensors
that provide panchromatic (PAN) images of good spatial resolution but with low resolution (LR) multi-spectral images (MS). In the proposed joint
frame work, the input PAN and MS images are initially super resolved using a matrix-based regression operator, learned directly from the
respective LR and HR training images. Then, a fusion algorithm is designed that optimally combines spectral information and spatial information
from the super resolved Multi-spectral (MS) and Panchromatic (PAN) images to create a single comprehensive fused image. As the performance
of the fusion scheme relies on the choice of fusion rule, Brain Storm Optimization (BSO) algorithm is employed to obtain the optimal weights for
the fusion rule by applying Curvelet transform (CT) to the super resolved source images. The objective function in BSO is so formulated to
maximize the entropy and minimize the Root Mean Square Error (RMSC). The results are compared with the traditional fusion techniques
involving Brovey, Principle Component Analysis (PCA), Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT), Non Sub-Samples Contourlet Transform (NSCT)
and Intensity Hue Saturation (IHS). From the experimental results and analysis, the resulting fused MS image has increased spatial resolution with
increased edge information and yields a better performance in terms of subjective and objective methods than the traditional methods.
Keywords: Super Resolution, Image Fusion, Curvelet Transform, Brain Strom , Optimization
Corresponding Author: b.sowmya0306@gmail.com
Page No. 39
Day-1 INSAT-3DR Vicarious Calibration using Reflectance-Based Approach Over Great Rann of Kutch
Piyushkumar N. Patel2, K.N. Babu2, R.P. Prajapati2, Vikram Sitapara2 and A.K. Mathur2
1Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad
Abstract
The advancement and popularity of satellite remote sensing data usage for societal benets not only requires the development of new and complex
satellites but also to improve the quality of satellite sensor and data products. Therefore, it has become even more essential to continually upgrade
the ability to provide calibration of sensors. This study describes the post-launch calibration for visible (VIS) and shortwave infrared (SWIR)
channels of Indian National Satellite System (INSAT)-3DR, which was successfully launched on 8th September, 2016 by Geosynchronous
Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV)-F05, equipped with the indigenous Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS) from SDSC-SHAR into a Geosynchronous
Transfer Orbit (GTO). The Day-1 vicarious post-launch calibration was performed over a uniform desert site of Great Rann of Kutch in Gujarat
on 15th September, 2016 when for the first time INSAT-3DR VIS and SWIR Imager camera was switched-on. This calibration activity was
performed to account for the characterization errors or undetermined post-launch changes in sensor spectral response. A reflectance-based
approach was adopted, where the measurements of surface reflectance and atmospheric variables (aerosol optical depth, total columnar ozone and
columnar water vapor) were carried out at the site synchronising with the viewing and solar geometry of the INSAT-3DR scan. Top of atmosphere
(TOA) spectral radiances were computed using 6SV (Second Simulation of the Satellite Signal in the Solar Spectrum) radiative transfer (RT) code
with the in-situ measurements as well as spectral response function (SRF) of each channel. Preliminary results of the Day-1 vicarious calibration
yield gain coefficients of 0.974 and 0.820 for VIS and SWIR channels respectively despite the inhomogeneity of the ground target caused by
sufficient sub-surface soil moisture.
Keywords: INSAT-3DR, Vicarious calibration, Reflectance, 6SV, Radiative transfer

Corresponding Author: piyushether@gmail.com
Page No. 40
Calibration of RISAT-1 Data using Trihedral and Dihedral Corner Reflectors
Neeraj Agrawal1, Vineet Kumar1 and Y.S. Rao1

1IndianInstitute of Technology, Bombay
Abstract
Hybrid polarization refers as transmission of circular polarization while reception in linear orthogonal polarization. Indian RISAT-1 is the first
earth observation satellite working in hybrid pol data acquisition mode. The existing model for hybrid pol data calibration works with an
assumption of perfect circular wave transmission while existing antenna technology does not permit prefect circular wave transmission. This
study aims at calibration of RISAT-1 single look complex data which was acquired in Circular Fine Resolution Scan (CFRS-1) mode on 21st May
2016. The test area was centered around 16. 30.44 N Latitude and 80.31.50E Longitude, located in a relatively flat and bare fields near to
Vijayawada city of Andhra Pradesh, India. Three trihedral and two dihedral corner reflectors (CRs) were used in the calibration experiment over
the test site. These corner reflectors considered as a point targets to obtain impulse response. In this study, integration method was used to
calculate the point target power from corner reflectors as well as power received around the corner reflectors. The difference observed between
theoretical and measured sigma-0 for three trihedral and two dihedral CRs in RH and RV polarization is 0.14 dB, 5.2 dB and 1.5 dB and 2.4 dB
respectively. The antenna pattern analysis was performed to analyze peak side lobe ratio (PSLR) and integrated side lobe ratio (ISLR) in range
and azimuth resolution after interpolation and assessed individually for RH and RV channel. The combined response of trihedral and dihedral was
used to calculate cross-talk in RH and RV channel. The observed value of cross-talk for RH channel is 0.74 dB and 0.81 dB for RV channel. The
channel imbalance for trihedral and dihedral observed is 0.97 dB and 0.97 dB respectively.
Keywords: Corner reflector, calibration constant, cross talk, channel imbalance, antenna pattern
Corresponding Author: neeraj123agrawal@gmail.com
Page No. 41
A Supervoxels-Based Approach for Urban Tree Mapping using Airborne LiDAR Data
Ramiya M. Anandakumar1, Rama Rao Nidamanuri1 and Ramakrishnan Krishnan1

1AmritaVishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore , 2Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram
Abstract
Precise mapping of urban green spaces is critical for sustainable development of urban ecosystem. LiDAR remote sensing technology has proved
to be valuable to capture geometrical structure of natural and man-made resources. However, there has been no fully automatic and operational
method to extract individual urban objects. This is largely due to the complexity involved in processing the massive LiDAR point cloud. It has
been a challenge to label tree canopy point cloud compared to the point cloud from man-made structures such as building. This study proposes an
object-based labelling framework for individually delineating tree canopy clusters in urban green spaces from airborne LiDAR dataset. In
addition, to reduce the computational complexity of the algorithm, supervoxels - a computer vision technique, has been introduced for handling
massive LiDAR point cloud. The LiDAR point cloud are semantically labelled using an object-based point cloud labeling framework employing
supervoxels. The delineated trees can be used for extracting various structural parameters for efficient monitoring of green space. Experiments of
various airborne datasets demonstrate the efficiency of the methodology for delineating individual tree canopy.
Keywords: LiDAR, urban green space, supervoxels, ,

Corresponding Author: ramiya@iist.ac.in
Page No. 42
Evaluation of CartoDEM from the Perspective of Accuracy and Application Potential
D.S. Prakasa Rao1, S. Srinivasa Rao1, G. Sreenivasan1 and Y.V.N. Krishna Murthy1
Abstract
Digital elevation data has emerged of late as one of the important inputs in a wide variety of Geographical Information System (GIS) and mapping
applications. Deriving Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) from satellite stereo images has become a common practice in geospatial studies world
over, as it is pragmatic, practically feasible, economically viable and technically sound. Automatic techniques for image matching and DEM
generation have been developed by many institutions to achieve optimum usage of the stereo data sets. Some of the notable achievements in
automatic DEM generation at global level during the last decade are SRTM global DEM, ASTER GDEM and CartoDEM. Because of the
widespread use of DEMs in a number of applications involving natural resources mapping, monitoring and developmental planning, their quality
becomes very critical. The traditional assessment of DEM's accuracy is restricted to estimating elevation error and only describing the frequency
distribution of this error, with one of a number of momental statistics the RMSE. Other momental statistics, visual examination of the surface
model and statistics summarising key morphometric characteristics of the DEM can provide valuable additional information/ This study is aimed
at bringing out an accuracy assessment of the CartoDEM products i.e. DEM and ortho image and also to bring out an assessment of the
application potential of these data sets. Study area chosen for this study is Durg district in Chhattisgarh state. Point based, Profile based, Surface
based and Derivatives based methods have been used in this study to evaluate the DEM in question from the perspective of absolute accuracies
and application potential. Results show the RMSEs in X and Y are 4.5 and 7.6 respectively with NIMA CE 90 value of 13.1 meters. The vertical
component also showed good accuracy with RMSE of 4.4 and NIMA LE 90 of 7.6 meters respectively. The main emphasis was on slope and
drainage extraction. The derivative analysis of slope and drainage network extraction yielded good results comparable to that of from other
DEMs.
Keywords: CartoDEM, Accuracy Analysis, Derivative Analysis, LE 90, CE 90

Corresponding Author: sreenivasan_g@nrsc.gov.in
Page No. 43
Assessment of Co-Polar Phase Consistency of Hybrid and Quad-Pol Data
Shubham Awasthi1, Shashi Kumar1 and Praveen K. Thakur1

1Indian
Abstract
Synthetic Aperture Radar is a promising technique for monitoring various land cover targets. Continuous day and night monitoring of different
natural and manmade features is done utilizing their backscatter information. Polarimetric properties of the Electromagnetic wave SAR system is
used to separate different scattering elements available in single SAR resolution cell. Quad polarized SAR gives the backscatter information in all
four polarization channels. Hybrid polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) also has enormous advantages over linear polarimetric SAR like
self-calibration, low susceptibility to noise, higher incident angle range coverage, larger swath coverage and lower rotational sensitivity of the
target. Fully polarimetric SAR data is quad polarized data with phase consistency across different polarization channels. This paper is focused on
assessment of Co-polar phase consistency of Hybrid and Quad pol data using Co-Polar phase difference. Three dataset each of RISAT-1
FRS-1(Hybrid), RISAT-1 FRS-2(quad) and RADARSAT-2 acquired in March 2014 over Manali region in Himachal Pradesh were used in this
study. Pre-processing of the data included speckle filtering and slant range to ground range conversion. The phase coherency between
Co-polarized HH and VV of RISAT-1 FRS-2(quad), RH and RV channels of `RISAT-1 FRS-2(quad) were evaluated using Co-polar phase
difference (CPD). The RISAT-1 FRS-2 and RISAT-1 FRS-1 phase distribution curve was compared with the same obtained from Radarsat-2 Fully
polarimetric data. The Radarsat-2 and RISAT-1(Hybrid) showed characteristic relative phase curves matching to the theoretical PDF (Power
Distribution curve). RISAT-1 FRS-2 was having incoherency in between co-polarized channels HH and VV. The RISAT-1 FRS-2 was found
inconsistent for considering it as a fully polarimetric data like RADARSAT-2. This made this data unsuitable for the generation of relative phase
(HH-VV), generation of coherency matrix and calculating stokes parameters.
Keywords: Synthetic Aperture Radar, Quad pol SAR DATA, Fully polarimetric data, Hybrid SAR Data,
Corresponding Author: shubh.awasthi@gmail.com
Page No. 44
Application of Very High Resolution Satellite Imagery and Terrestrial Laser Scanning for Forest Carbon Stock
Assessment
Anchit Sharma1, Subrata Nandy1 and Surajit Ghosh1

1IndianInstitute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun
Abstract
Accurate forest biomass/carbon estimation is essential for greenhouse gas inventories, terrestrial carbon accounting and climate change studies.
The present study aims to estimate carbon stock of individual trees using Very High Resolution Satellite (VHRS) imagery and Terrestrial Laser
Scanning (TLS) data in Barkot-Rishikesh Forest Range, Dehradun Division, Uttarakhand. To acquire the LiDAR data, multiple scanning
technique was used as it provides complete 3D information of the tree. From the point cloud, individual trees were extracted and from the
extracted trees, the inventory parameters, viz., dbh, height and CPA were measured. TLS derived dbh and field dbh were found to be highly
correlated (R2=0.99). The linear relationship of TLS derived height and field height was with a high R2 value of 0.89. TLS derived CPA and field
CPA showed a strong linear relationship with R2 of 0.98. Multi-resolution segmentation followed by watershed transformation and morphology
segmented the objects. The objects were then classified into five classes: dry river bed, Sal, Teak, other vegetation and shadow with an overall
accuracy of 87.12%. CPA-carbon model for tree species were developed. It was observed that TLS derived CPA and carbon of individual trees
maintained a non-linear relationship with R2 of 0.84. The carbon stock of individual trees were mapped using the relationship of CPA and carbon.
The results were further validated and found that predicted and observed carbon were highly correlated (R??=0.93). The study highlighted the
utility of VHRS imagery and TLS data for AGC estimation at individual tree level.
Keywords: Aboveground carbon, Terrestrial laser scanning, Very high resolution satellite imagery, Canopy projection area, Tree diameter
Corresponding Author: subrato.nandy@gmail.com
Page No. 45
Application of Very High Resolution Satellite Imagery and Terrestrial Laser Scanning for Forest Carbon Stock
Assessment
Anchit Sharma1, Subrata Nandy1 and Surajit Ghosh1

Abstract
Accurate forest biomass/carbon estimation is essential for greenhouse gas inventories, terrestrial carbon accounting and climate change studies.
The present study aims to estimate carbon stock of individual trees using Very High Resolution Satellite (VHRS) imagery and Terrestrial Laser
Scanning (TLS) data in Barkot-Rishikesh Forest Range, Dehradun Division, Uttarakhand. To acquire the LiDAR data, multiple scanning
technique was used as it provides complete 3D information of the tree. From the point cloud, individual trees were extracted and from the
extracted trees, the inventory parameters, viz., dbh, height and CPA were measured. TLS derived dbh and field dbh were found to be highly
correlated (R2=0.99). The linear relationship of TLS derived height and field height was with a high R2 value of 0.89. TLS derived CPA and field
CPA showed a strong linear relationship with R2 of 0.98. Multi-resolution segmentation followed by watershed transformation and morphology
segmented the objects. The objects were then classified into five classes: dry river bed, Sal, Teak, other vegetation and shadow with an overall
accuracy of 87.12%. CPA-carbon model for tree species were developed. It was observed that TLS derived CPA and carbon of individual trees
maintained a non-linear relationship with R2 of 0.84. The carbon stock of individual trees were mapped using the relationship of CPA and carbon.
The results were further validated and found that predicted and observed carbon were highly correlated (R=0.93). The study highlighted the utility
of VHRS imagery and TLS data for AGC estimation at individual tree level.
Keywords: Aboveground carbon, Terrestrial laser scanning, Very high resolution satellite imagery, Canopy projection area, Tree diameter
Page No. 46
Theme- Advances in GIS Abstract Id: 392
Regional Groundwater Assessment of Krishna River Basin Using Integrated GIS Approach.
P. Harini1, Iswar Das1, C. Manikyamba1, M. Durgaprasad1, S. Dineshkumar1 and M.J. Nandan1

1CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad , 2National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad
Abstract
The groundwater occurrence and movement within the flow systems are governed by many natural factors like topography, geology,
geomorphology, lineament structures, soil, drainage network and Land use land cover. Due to complex natural geological/hydro-geological regime
a systematic planning is needed for groundwater exploitation. It is even more important to characterize the aquifer system and delineate
groundwater potential zones in different geological terrain. The study employed integration of weighted index overlay analysis (WIOA) and
geographical information system (GIS) techniques to assess the groundwater potential zones in Krishna river basin, India and the validation of the
result with existing groundwater levels. Different thematic layers such as Geology, Geomorphology, Soil, Slope, Land use, Drainage density,
Lineament density and Annual rainfall distribution were integrated with WIOA using spatial analyst tools in Arc-GIS 10.1. WIOA is being carried
out for deriving the normalized score for the suitability classification. Weight factor is assigned for every thematic layer and their individual
feature classes considering their significant importance in groundwater occurrence. The final map of the study area is categorized into five classes
very good, good, moderate, poor and very poor groundwater potential zones. Results showed that even though the western part of basin is
recorded with very high annual rainfall (4000 to 4600 mm) it contains higher degree in slope (72.40) and thus the runoff is very high showing
very poor potential zones. High yielding wells and good potential zones are related to the lineaments with high density and good intersection.
Greater portion of the study area (103499.591 km2) representing about 41 % of the total basin, fall within good groundwater potential zone
underlain by sedimentary, igneous rocks with good fractures/joints setting. About 21122.5623 km2 (8 %) fall under very good groundwater
potential zone by fluvial/coastal sediments, laterite, bauxite and barakar formations. The very poor groundwater potential constituted 13475.24
km2 area which is only 5% of area within the basin.The result describes the groundwater potential zones at regional scale which are in good
agreement with observed ground water condition at field level. Thus, the results derived can be very much useful
Keywords: Groundwater, Thematic layers, weighted index overlay analysis, GIS, Planning and Management
Corresponding Author: ngriharini@gmail.com
Page No. 47
Web GIS Server Performance Benchmarking for quality of service
Anuj Tiwari1, Akshay Pandey1, Mohd Shoab 1 and Abhilasha Dixit3

1GlocalUniversity, Uttar Pradesh , 2Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee , 3National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee
Abstract
In the form of information portals web GIS and LBS are became the indispensible part of different e government, public participation and life
saving services. Web GIS and Location based services are not limited to get navigation information, they have redefined with the real time event
descriptors, sensor services and social media feeds. As the level of services and reach of people in terms of applications of GIS is increasing over
web and mobile there is a growing demand for Quality of Services (QoS) by end user. The aim of this paper is to simulate these real time
scenarios where a large number of concurrent requests with varying number of users over a high end computing platform (xeon processor, 16 GB
RAM, 2TB Hard Disk) is made to demand all possible web GIS services. 3-tier web GIS architecture is built using Apache web server, Geoserver,
postgresql and PostGIS. The experiment was conducted for Web Map Service, Web Feature Service, Web Coverage Service, Web Sensor Service
and behavior of web GIS server in terms of response time, throughput, and information assurance is benchmarked.
Keywords: Web GIS, Location Based Services (LBS), Benchmarking, Geoserver, 3-tier Web GIS architecture
Corresponding Author: anujtiwari.iitr@gmail.com
Page No. 48
Calibration of a Multi-Criteria Evaluation based Cellular automata model for Indian cities having varied growth
patterns
Sandeep Maithani1
Abstract
The study aims to investigate the efficiency of Cellular Automata (CA) based models for simulation of urban growth in two Indian cities
(Dehradun and Saharanpur) having different growth patterns. The transition rules in the CA model were defined using Multi-Criteria Evaluation
technique (MCE). The model was calibrated by varying two parameters namely the neighbourhood (type and size) and model iterations. The
model results were assessed using two measures, i.e., percent correct match and Moran???s Index. It was found that for Dehradun, which had a
dispersed growth pattern, Von Neumann neighbourhood of small size produced the highest accuracy, in terms of pattern and location of simulated
urban growth. For Saharanpur, which had a compact growth pattern, large neighbourhoods, produced the most optimum results, irrespective of the
type of neighbourhood. For both study areas, large number of model iterations failed to increase the accuracy of urban growth assessment.
Keywords: Multi-criteria evaluation technique, Cellular Automata, Moran Index, Neighbourhood, Analytical Hierarchical Process
Corresponding Author: maithanis99@gmail.com
Page No. 49
Multi Resolution Raster - Introduction to new Raster format
Praveen Gupta1
1PitneyBowes
Abstract
MRR- Multi Resolution Raster - Introduction to new Raster format. Pitney Bowes has developed a new raster data format called MRR (Multi-
Resolution Raster) as part of a new raster visualization and processing package (MIRaster) for MapInfo Professional (64 bit edition). MRR is a
new raster data format for the modern computing age. It unifies raster data types, maximizes storage flexibility, minimizes storage requirements
and guarantees high performance data access at any scale. Some of its key features include Supports image data, classified (or thematic) data and
continuous and discrete data. Supports raster datasets of virtually unlimited size. Extends the concept of a raster from a simple 2D array of cells to
an extensible sparse matrix of tiles of cells. Contains a binary data pyramid enabling data access at any scale. Achieves efficient storage using
lossless and lossy compression techniques via industry standard compression codecs. Supports the temporal dimension, allowing data to be
accumulted and accessed by time. Supports a wide and extensible number of data types including complex numbers. Stores one or more multi-
banded fields. Supports local registration for each field, and tile decimation. Contains high quality statistics. Is contained within a single file on
disk.
Keywords: MRR, Raster, MultiResolution, efficiency, capabilities

Corresponding Author: pravs.gupta@gmail.com
Page No. 50
Development of framework for spatial big data analytics using Hadoop cluster computing environment
Ram Swaroop Uniyal1, Kamal Pandey1 and Harish Karnatak1

1Indian
Abstract
Hadoop framework developed by Apache foundation has emerged as a platform to handle big data for different disciplines such as banking
system, market analysis, and trend analysis for business strategies. Distributed file system and parallel processing by MapReduce programming
paradigm are two major features of Hadoop framework. However, utilization of Hadoop framework for computation intensive processing of
geospatial data are limited. The concept of big data analytics in geospatial domain is an emerging and challenging area for researchers of this
domain due to voluminous data size, spatial variability and flow of data from multiple sources varying from space based sensors to ground
observations. Handling and processing of geospatial big data in real-time mode for various applications is need of the hour. The future challenging
space programmes for earth observation through geostationary orbits such as GISAT of ISRO are intended to generate large amount of spatial data
in multi-frequency domain with high temporal resolution. In this study we have designed and developed a Hadoop based spatial framework for
handling of geospatial big data for various thematic applications. The developed framework is a new integrated approach for geo-web services
based online GIS applications using geospatial big data. The developed framework is based on Hadoop, ZOOKEEPR, GeoMESA and Geoserver
which is tested for I/O based geo-web application and found to be very effective to enhance the performance of online application. The developed
manuscript presents the approach and application of developed framework for spatial big data analytics.
Keywords: Hadoop, MapReduce Programming, Distributed Computing, Geospatial, Big Data Analytics
Corresponding Author: uniyalrs.iirs@gmail.com
Page No. 51
GIS Based Solution for Location Allocation Problem using Metaheuristic Algorithm
Hari Shankar1, Monika1, Kapil Oberai1 and Sameer Saran1

Abstract
Location-Allocation Problem (LAP) is a combinatorial optimization network problem which has been widely studied by operational researchers
due to its many practical applications. In real life, it is usually very hard to present the customer's demands in a precise way and thus they are
estimated from historical data. In LAP, locations are the places to put the central facilities, also called facility point, and allocation are the places
where material demand is required and is also called customer location. Its objective is to find locations for facilities and allocate customers
(demands) to them in order to minimize the total transportation cost. In short, Location-Allocation determines the optimal locations of a service in
order to serve the population in the most efficient manner. Many models have been presented for the solution of LAP, and numerous algorithms
have been designed for these models, involving branch-and-bound algorithms, simulated annealing, Tabu search, heuristic and metaheuristic
which is proved to obtain the best results when the number of facilities to locate is large. In this study, a metaheuristic approach is applied in GIS
environment which gives quick and near optimal solution. To achieve this, one case study based on supply and demand of milk from Vita
Distributors to Vita Booths in Hisar City, Haryana have been performed. In this study, the effectiveness and robustness of the metaheuristic
algorithm was tested over a GIS geodatabase based network dataset consisting of road network (line features) and facility & customers locations
(point features). The performance of the algorithm was also checked for two types of impedance factors i.e time and distance. The results of this
location-allocation problem are very much satisfactory in term of minimization of total transportation cost in providing high quality service
locations (Vita Booths) for milk distribution.
Keywords: Transportation GIS, Network Analysis, Location-Allocation Problem, Metaheuristic Algorithm, Optimization
Corresponding Author: harishankar@iirs.gov.in
Page No. 52
Development of GIS Tool for the Solution of Chinese Postman Problem using Improvement Algorithm: A case
study of Pune city, India
Hari Shankar1, Sachin Bhusare1, Prabhakar Alok Verma1 and Sameer Saran1
Abstract
The transportation network problems that involve the periodic collection or delivery of goods and services are of great practical importance.
Common examples of such problems are mail/letter delivery, garbage collection, snow removal, school bus transportation etc. Chinese Postman
Problem (CPP) is useful for organizing and managing the country's postal services in an optimal way. In general the job of postman is to start from
the post office and deliver letters to individual households by moving on the city streets and finally come back to the post office. In this journey he
wants to visit each and every street once and only once in order to minimize the total travel distance from post office to streets to post office. It is
very much needed to provide the better route to the postman for delivering the letters by keeping in mind the total travel distance is minimum. If
the road network structure is Eulerian, the solution (route) can be easily identified but mostly the existing road networks are not Eulerian and
hence the solution of CPP is very difficult for non-Eulerian networks. Under non-Eulerian case, the postman moves more than once (repetition) on
some street and total travel distance increases from the existing total road length. Therefore, there is a need to minimize this repetition and hence
the total extra travel distance. To tackle this problem, in this study a GIS Tool is developed using improvement algorithm in Python script in
Python Shell and analysis of CPP was performed over a digital geospatial database in geographic information system (GIS). The performance of
the tool is assessed by applying it over the road transportation network of Pune city. The performance of the tool is very much satisfactory in
terms of minimizing total travel distance. The developed tool is very much user friendly and requires less number of inputs for analysis. This GIS
tool can also be applied to solve the problems of collecting solid waste in the city for deciding the optimal routes of the vehicles for collecting the
garbage from different dumper placer and compact placer and dropping in a dumping yard.
Keywords: CPP, Transportation network, Improvement Algorithm, Python script, Geographical Information System
Corresponding Author: harishankar@iirs.gov.in
Page No. 53
Modelling the Urban Realm in third dimenson with CITYGML
Sameer Saran1, Kavisha1, Parag Wate1, Amol Konde1, Arnab Dutta1, Arsh Doda1 and A. Senthil Kumar1
Abstract
Virtual 3D City models are increasingly being used to model the realms of the real world for utilization in a number of applications related to
environmental simulations including, urban planning, mapping the energy characteristics of buildings, noise mapping, flood modelling, etc. Apart
from geometric and appearance/textural information, these applications have a requirement for complex urban semantics. Currently, a number of
3D standards are available in CAD, BIM and GIS domain for the storage, visualization and exchange of 3D geodata. At first, the 3D data models
(such as COLLADA, VRML, X3D, etc.) were purely graphical/geometrical in nature and used for visualization purposes. With the inclusion of
thematic classes in OGC CityGML, the integration of geometry and semantics in a single data model paved the way for better exchange and use
of 3D city models. Inspite of the availability of a wide range of 3D data standards, there are certain differences with respect to geometry, topology,
semantics, LODs, etc., which complicates the integration of 3D geodata from heterogeneous sources. The study serves to highlights the need for
the urban planners to provide innovative solutions in context of urban environmental simulations based on virtual 3D City models. Five use cases
are studied in this context namely, (i) urban solar potential estimation utilising CityGML models, (ii) simulation of traffic noise level mapped on
building walls from the urban road segments, (iii) CityGML based 3D data models interoperability, (iv) 3D Indoor logistics & subsurface utilities
and (v) satellite derived 3D models for solar potentials and rain water harvesting. However for modelling majority of use cases, CityGML does
not provide explicit thematic representations but provides support for extending the CityGML schema using ADEs (Application Domain
Extensions). In a nutshell, the study explores the semantic modelling capabilities of the CityGML for the transformation of native 3D city models
to semantically enriched and interoperable 3D city models. Moreover the satellite derived 3D city models at LOD 1 provides fast generation of
models and also to estimate the potential of those models for solar and rain water harvesting capabilities.
Keywords: CityGML, Interoperability, 3D Citymodels, CityGML ADE, 3D GIS

Corresponding Author: sameer@iirs.gov.in
Page No. 54
Model for land cover estimation using Google Maps color images and unsupervised machine learning technique
using python
Rajat Subhra Bhowmick2, Anil Kumar2, Shashi Kumar1 and Gagan Deep Singh2
1Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 2University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun
Abstract
Remote sensing data are broadly used for land cover information. There are so many challenges to classify pixels on the basis of features and
characteristics. Generally classification required the count of pixels for certain area of interest. In this model, we are proposing unsupervised
machine learning to classify the content of the input images. This study aims to compare classification accuracy of different landscape
characteristics. Water, forest, urban, agricultural areas, transport network and other classes adapted from CORINE (Coordination of information
on the environment) nomenclature. To fulfill the aim of this paper accessing data from Google map using Google static API service which creates
a map based on URL parameters sent through a standard HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) request and returns the map as an image which can
be display on any graphical user interface platform. The Google Static Maps API returns an image either in GIF, PNG or JPEG format in response
to an HTTP request. To identify different land cover/use classes using k-means clustering technique that is a kind of unsupervised learning
method. The paper describes the clustering as well formulate the area of the concerned class or clustered fields. Developed tool is dynamic in
nature that supports the model and provides graphical user interface (GUI) to the user for visualization of the undergoing process in each step.
Keywords: Unsupervised Machine Learning, CORINE nomenclature, Google Static Map API, GUI(Graphical User Interface), k-means clustering
Corresponding Author: rajatbhowmick15@stu.upes.ac.in
Page No. 55
Mutual Information Based Hierarchical Band Selection Approach for Hyperspectral Images
Sonia Sarmah1 and Sanjib Kumar Kalita1

1Gauhati University, Guwahati
Abstract
Hyper spectral sensors capture images with hundreds of spectral bands with relatively narrow bandwidth and hence records detailed information
of the objects. Due to this detailed and enormous amount of information content, the use of hyperspectral images has become very popular in
various fields such as land cover monitoring, agriculture, defense etc. However, this increased spectral dimension at the same time increases the
computational complexity. Hence, the selection of minimal subset of spectral bands to represent the actual information effectively without much
degradation has always been a challenge in the field of hyperspectral image analysis. In this paper, we are proposing a hierarchical band selection
approach by constructing a spectral partition tree based on mutual information. Initially, each spectral band has been considered as a leaf node. To
minimize the redundancy of information carried by neighboring bands, in every level, new nodes are created by merging adjacent bands or group
of bands, for which mutual information has been used as the deciding criterion. Finally from each group of bands a representative band is selected
which jointly form the set of selected bands. Experiment is carried out on the AVIRIS Indian Pines dataset by designing training and testing
samples containing only the selected set of bands. Support Vector machine was used for training and testing the classifier.The experimental results
of the proposed method are found to be very promising and competitive with the existing techniques. Using only 38 selected bands overall
accuracy of 86.83% could be achieved which is only 0.23% less than the classification accuracy achieved by all the bands of the image.
Keywords: Hyperspectral sensors , Spectral Partition Tree, Entropy, Mutual Information, Support Vector Machine
Corresponding Author: sarmahsonia07@gmail.com
Page No. 56
Optimized web model for easy and fast access of SNAPHU through GUI on AWS server without switching the
platform
Anil Kumar2, Abhinav Mishra2, Akash Ranjan2 and Shashi Kumar1

1IndianInstitute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 2University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun
Abstract
SNAPHU is a statistical-cost network-flow algorithm for phase unwrapping developed at Stanford University by Curtis Chen and Howard Zebker.
It is widely used algorithm for phase-unwrapping of SAR interferometry. Phase unwrapping is very critical state for SAR interferometry for
digital elevation model (DEM). Any error in phase unwrapping will result in the wrong information of height measurement. Already SNAPHU
proved their potential for DEM generation. As it is the part of open source community, so we are trying to make it more users friendly and easy to
use. In current practice, SNAPHU is one of the techniques of doing interferometry and it requires different platforms to execute the files. The
inefficiency of the current practice represents a significant training cost (time) and system setup charges. On an average the current practice uses a
16GB RAM per user along with i7 processor. The new process will be optimized for time efficiency and it will also solve the problem of
switching from one platform to other platform. Using cloud service such as AWS (Amazon Web Services) which will have SNAPHU installed
along with providing an interface on it. This is not only eliminates the system overhead but also reducing the complexity of work and make it easy
to use. It can be accessed from anywhere and required high speed internet.
Keywords: SNAPHU, Phase Unwrapping, Cloud Services, GUI(Graphical User Interface), interferometry
Corresponding Author: mabhi684@gmail.com
Page No. 57
A review on open source software in deploying Web Processing Services
Burada Girija Kalyani2, Sameer Saran1 and Vinod M. Bothale1

1IndianInstitute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 2National Centre for Antartica and Ocean Research, Goa , 3National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad
Abstract
Web Processing Service (WPS) specification is one of the web services specification developed by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC). The
specification standardizes the service interface by providing the definition of the service operations that facilitate the publishing of geospatial
processes, and the discovery of and binding to those processes by clients. The WPS can facilitate the exchange of data between several clients,
which themselves might be network services, creating a whole cascade of processing steps. Thus, the WPS can play a role of an intermediate layer
transmitting information between the client and particular server functionality. The paper presents two different approaches to deploy a process as
a web processing service. This paper reviews all the open source softwares that can deploy the web services; GeoServer, 520North, PyWPS
,deegree and Zoo. Though we discuss all the mentioned softwares, the deployment procedures and limitations with respect to back-end languages
of GeoServer(Java) and 520North(WPS4R) will be discussed in detail. We consider a case study of a species and its distribution, how it is
deployed and implemented in order to simplify custom OGC compliant WPS implementation. The paper also highlights the advantages and
limitations of the specification recognized during implementation. The software frameworks presented include samples of simple web processing
services implementation. Thus, we present this review to make it easy for the fellow researchers for approaching a methodology while choosing a
software to deploy a Web Processing Service.
Keywords: Web GIS, GeoServer, 520North, WPS, Open source

Corresponding Author: girija.kalyani18@gmail.com
Page No. 58
Geo-Visualization of Soil Moisture (SM) and Soil Wetness Index (SWI) using Web-GIS
Shashikant Patel2, Dharmendra Pandey2, Pankaj Bodani2, Sasmita Chaurasiya2 and Arundhati Misra2
Abstract
In today's world, internet and open source technologies are changing the access and transmission of spatial data, applications, visualizations and
disseminations. Recent developments in web GIS technology are featured with the GIS and internet functionality. Web GIS has become a tool for
managing, storing, analyzing and supporting decision making by seamlessly combining both spatial and non-spatial data. In this paper, an attempt
is made to explain handling of time varying spatial information of agrometeorological parameters to support administrator, researchers and
scientists in decision making processes. Paper demonstrates how daily generated Soil Moisture (SM) and Soil Wetness Index (SWI), two key
parameters to monitor vegetation conditions in India for prescribing agricultural practices, are disseminated over web under the umbrella of
VEDAS web portal (www.vedas.sac.gov.in). This paper deals with using Web Services of Free and Open Source Software server (FOSS) for
solutions. This paper also describes the progress made by the Open Source community in displaying maps on the web using different open source
technologies viz. GeoExt, ExtJS and OpenLayers, Geoserver and various services (WMS: Web Map Service, WFS: Web Feature Service)
provided by map server (Geoserver). ExtJS, a popular client-side JavaScript library for building user interfaces, is used for application
development. GeoExt adds extensions to ExtJS that binds basic ExtJS components to the spatial features of OpenLayers. Proposed automated
procedure has been applied to pull the entire dataset as a WMS services over the Web application for SM and SWI. Furthermore, developed web
GIS application provides functionality to download SM and SWI data for desired administrative boundaries (State level and District level). The
datasets are available from April 2015 to till date daily at 0.125-degree spatial resolution. The developed Web-GIS application also provides the
basic GIS functionalities viz. Pan, Zoom-In, Zoom-Out, Identify, Full extent and Overlay.
Keywords: Web-GIS, Open Source, Remote Sensing, Agriculture, Decision Support System
Corresponding Author: shashikant.gis@gmail.com
Page No. 59
Visualizing crowdsourced geotagged information
Prasun Kumar Gupta1, Shreya Korde1, Sameer Saran1 and S. K. Srivastav1

Abstract
Wikipedia, owned by the Wikimedia foundation, is ranked among ten most popular websites. The foundation launched the Wikidata project in
2013, with the main aim of creating a single, cohesive, inter-linked, machine-readable, crowdsourced database of all knowledge. For geospatial
analysts, the main attraction of such a database is that the articles now have a geotagged location to them, often called geographic articles. Since
any person with Internet access can edit almost any Wikipedia article, Wikipedia has become a canonical example of volunteered geographic
information (VGI). VGI is a subset of user-generated content that contains geographic references making it possible for individual citizens to
produce this information. This study was aimed at analyzing the "Simple English" Wikidata to find spatial patterns in the crowdsourced database.
The Wikibrain software framework, an extensible Java-based platform that has access to a range of Wikipedia-based algorithms and technologies,
was used. It supports the storing and querying of geographic information connected to the articles. Using Wikibrain Java library, solutions were
designed to download, parse and save Wikipedia data. The study found 391 geotagged articles within India, consisting mainly of places, events,
educational institutions etc. The results were segregated state-wise and it was found that Jammu & Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh had the highest
number and Pondicherry had the lowest number of geotagged articles. A similarity measure "semantic relatedness" was computed for articles
lying outside India, and it was found that articles for the countries USA, UK and Japan were the most semantically related to India. Globally,
when normalized with the country's population and area, Montserrat and Monaco were the countries with the most number of geotagged articles.
This study showed the usefulness of crowdsourced data for exploratory analysis of spatially linked datasets. The study can be attempted on the
"English" database which is a bigger and more comprehensive database as compared to "Simple English". The methodology can be expanded
further to target specific thematic areas such as environment, natural and anthropological events etc.
Keywords: VGI, Crowdsourcing, WikiData, Data Mining, Visualization

Corresponding Author: prasun@iirs.gov.in
Page No. 60
Web Processing Services for Image Classification: An implementation under parallel computing environment
Hariom Singh1, Harish Chandra Karnatak1 and R.D. Garg1

1IndianInstitute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 2Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee
Abstract
Web Processing Service (WPS) is a widely accepted concept for distributed geospatial data processing. It defines an interface to publish scientific
algorithms in processing environment. As the requirements of earth observation data, scientific algorithms, computation models have become
essential in the geospatial community. Hence, there is a need to develop web computation model to process the geospatial data in an interoperable
framework. However, the model faces a lot of performance issues during complex computations for big spatial data sets. The present study
proposes a parallel computing enabled WPS framework for image classification. Here, the implementation of parallel computing is based on
multi-core computation, open standards, WPS and R geo-statistical platform. Furthermore, the supervised classification algorithm is written in
scripting language and published as web services to classify multispectral imagery using RandomForest algorithms. The data processing
experiment using Landsat-7 image during the study demonstrate that the WPS can be enabled in a parallel computing environment to improve the
computational time over its sequential counterpart. Here, web interface has been developed to upload training areas in a polygon geometry using
shapefile which contains the id as well as class name for each land cover type, and URL of Landsat-7 image data set for specified area. As an
output, the classified map accuracy is identified as moderately accurate. However, the accuracy strongly depends on the input training areas and
theme knowledge of the user. Besides image classification, the developed framework can be extended for complex mathematical calculations of
big spatial data sets.
Keywords: Web Processing Service, Interoperable Framework, Parallel Computing, Image Classification, Big Spatial Data
Corresponding Author: hariom.cs1@gmail.com
Page No. 61
Geoportal for effective District Resources plan in NE Region of India
Dibyajyoti Chutia1, Puyum S. Singh1, Victor Saikhom1, Avinash Chohaun1, Pranab Kaushik1, Abinob Lekharoo1, Jonali Goswami1, Chandan Goswami1, Rocky Pebam1,
Abdul Quadir Khan1, K.K. Sarma1 and P.L.N. Raju1
1North Eastern Space Applications Centre, Shillong
Abstract
Ensemble of 36 district Geoportals with more than 1,260 geo-spatial layers has been realized on the top of the North Eastern District Resources
Plan (NEDRP) framework using open source software, standards and geospatial technology. The prime objective for development of NEDRP is to
strengthen the governance policy through geospatial inputs. MapServer is the core of the GIS engine for the entire application on the top of the
NEDRP framework which facilitates generation of Mapfiles for each of the corresponding 36 Geoportals and development of GIS tools for the
users. All the spatial data are stored and managed with PostgreSQL which is spatially enabled with PostGIS. NEDRP facilitates the multi-criteria
spatial modeling for deriving action plan inputs for land resources (i.e. potential sites for horticulture and aforestation) and water resources (i.e.
optimal sites for check dam etc.) activities. NEDRP is now operational with the URL www.nedrp.gov.in for the planning and advisory services for
the respective district resources. In addition, NEDRP is also available in Bhuvan portal (http://bhuvan.nrsc.gov.in/state/ML) via NEDRP WMS
data and services. Now, it is planned to enhance the NEDRP to facilitate various modes of users such NEDRP on mobile, crowd sourcing of
district resources information from NEDRP.
Keywords: Ensemble of Geoportals, Geospatial Technology, Web Applicaiotns, Action Plan inputs, District resources
Corresponding Author: d.chutia@nesac.gov.in
Page No. 62
A framework of web service orchestration (WSO) for disaster management support services in India
Reshma Jeswani1, Kamal Pandey1, Harish Karnatak1 and Triloki Pant1

1DoonUniversity, Dehradun , 2Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun
Abstract
The online geoportal and web services based systems are becoming popular among users of geo-spatial technology for solving various real world
spatial problems. The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) compliant web service standards using Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) are
providing an interoperable environment for various components of GIS viz. portrayal services, data sharing, data cataloging, data encoding, data
processing and semantics web services. Most of the applications developed using OGC compliant services in internet domain are based on
specific service standards depending on application requirements. In general these services are independent in nature and solve the specific
problem of a particular domain. For example the portrayal services such as WMS, WMTS published by most of the geoportals are only for data
visualization in 2D and 3D GIS platforms, the data services such as WFS, WCS, GML are specific for data sharing and disseminations. To
develop a comprehensive GIS solution using SOA in Internet platform, there is a need to develop a framework for integrating and chaining these
geo-web services. Web Service Orchestration (WSO) is a concept of developing central control system for aggregating various web services for
solving a specific problem. The WSO based framework in geospatial web services can provide a platform for solving any GIS based thematic
problem. In this paper an attempt has been made to develop a WSO based framework for disaster management support services. The framework is
presented as specific case study for India. However same can extended for any location and domain. The geo-web services from various
geoportals hosted by different stakeholders such as NRSC-ISRO, CWC, IMD, MHA, NDMA, SDMA etc. are taken as a input to develop a WSO
based workflow management system.
Keywords: Web service, Service orchestration, geospatial data processing, OGC,

Corresponding Author: kamal@iirs.gov.in
Page No. 63
A Remote Sensing & GIS based integrated approach delineating a probable Gondwana rift in Palar-Pundi area
Subhobroto1
1Oiland Natural Gas Corporation, Dehradun
Abstract
Gondwana sediments belonging to late Carboniferous- middle Triassic have significant hydrocarbon prospects worldwide. In India, substantial
extent of sedimentary succession of equivalent age exists in a number of Gondwana basins and bears significance for hydrocarbon exploration. In
the present study, a Remote Sensing and GIS based approach has been made for plate tectonic reconstruction of Gondwana of India and to
delineate their probable extent based on the continuity and correlation with associated plates. The eastern coast of India on tectonic reconstruction
in a GIS platform indicates that an N-S rift trend may exist passing from south of KG basin through Palar and Pundi. This data is also supported
by N-S trends in Cauvery basin derived from image based morphotectonic analysis of the area. GIS based correlation of Bouger Gravity and
magnetic data of erstwhile associated KG Basin, Enderby land area of Antarctica and Offshore Cauvery basin shows the existence of continuous
NS Trends in that area. Ongur Formation of the Palar basin considered equivalent to the Talcher Stage of Rewa and Mahendragarh Gondwanas are
found to occur in N-S oriented exposures in linear troughs oriented along this trend. Palynological data of well P-2 drilled in Tanjavur sub-basin in
Cauvery basin indicates Pundi and Palar formations may have been connected by N-S oriented rift with the marine incursions from the south.
Keywords: tectonics, rift, paleo-reconstruction, ,

Corresponding Author: subhom007@gmail.com
Page No. 64
Spatial structure pattern prediction using deep learning technique for land cover modelling
Damandeep Singh1, Ashutosh Kumar Jha 1 and Alexey A. Voinov2

1Indian
Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 2University of Twente
Abstract
Agile and unplanned urban growth in large areas over the world constitutes of problems ranging from unsustainable development to
environmental degradations. Problems caused by the fast-paced urban development requires decisions and responsive plans from various
authoritative bodies such as government agencies, economy planners and policy makers to develop and implement relevant land policies. Timely
updates and regular reports about the urban habitat are required to understand the urban dynamics. Understanding the spatiotemporal behavior of
land cover is important for analysing the trends in urbanisation. Remotely sensed satellite images provide repeatable observation about the urban
environment; thus becoming an important mean to acquire land change information. To date, several methods have been tried out to model land
use change. The choice of a method primarily depends on the users interest and the availability of datasets. Various models and modelling
techniques have been used to model urban dynamics, such as Urban Sim, Clues-S model and Cellular automata (CA) technique. The above
mentioned models and techniques lacks robustness and is accompanied by limitations. For example: CA gives too much emphasis on the local
interaction of pixels rather than on interpreting the spatiotemporal patterns. There is need of effective modelling technique that will be able to
simulate the changes without incorporating the effects of noise, dependency on vague assumptions, and getting ambiguous results. It has been
observed that neural networks perform well when tackling with poor data and catching non-linear complicated features in modelling process.
Neural networks seems to be most reliable for simulating complicated relationships. In this research, the convolutional neural network will be
explored for predicting the urban spatial structure for better understanding of the urban dynamics based on spatial land change drivers. This will
assist the researchers and government agencies in taking an important decision about land use change to formulate land policies. This research
coils around the development, analysis and assessment of the convolutional neural network for the prediction of the spatial structure of urban
areas i.e. discernible arrangement in the distribution of human activity.
Keywords: Urban, Convolution neural network, modelling, deep learning, spatial structure
Corresponding Author: damanrikki@gmail.com
Page No. 65
Assessment of groundwater quality around Kodungaiyur Dumpyard, Chennai using Analytical Hierarchy Process
Mageswari Shanmugam1 and Vidhya Lakshmi Sivakumar1

1S.A.
Engineering College, Chennai
Abstract
Rapid industrialization, growing population and changing life style are the root causes for increasing rate of solidwaste generation in developing
countries. The improper management of landfill results in high possibility of leachate leakage with subsequent impact on soils, plants,
groundwater, aquatic organism and human beings. Therefore, it is important to know the physic-chemical characteristics of the ground water
quality for effective management of solid waste dump site as well as to control its potential impact on water quality in the surrounding region and
ground water resources. In this study, the intensity of groundwater contamination around the Kodungaiyur dumpyard in Chennai is examined
using Geospatial Technology. Ground water samples are collected around the study area during pre-monsoon and post-monsoon season and were
analyzed for various physico-chemical parameters. The spatial variations of each parameter were mapped using Quantum Geographical
Information System (qGIS). With the help of Analytical Hierarchical Process, pairwise comparison of parameters is carried out and weightage for
each parameter is assigned based on its significant contribution to ground water quality. Pollution concentration map was prepared for both the
seasons with the help of raster calculator in qGIS. The results, thus obtained, show that samples collected with a buffer of 500 m from the landfill
site are heavily contaminated in post-monsoon than the pre-monsoon. It is observed that physico-chemical parameters such as sulphate, Total
Dissolved Solids (TDS), Iron and chloride concentrations exceed the stipulated limits of Indian Standards for drinking water (BIS 10500:1991).
Based on the leacheate flow direction map, it is observed that pollutant concentration will impact leacheate flow towards the north-eastern
direction from the dumpsite upto an extent of 500 m to 1000 m. This will minimize the quality of ground water significantly requiring suitable and
effective treatment methods for potable water.
Keywords: Geospatial Technology, Analytical Hierarchy Process, Leachate, Ground water pollution, Quantum Geographical Information System
Corresponding Author: vidhyalakshmi@saec.ac.in
Page No. 66
Improving Performance of Cellular Automata Model Using Socio Economic Agents for Intra City Growth
modeling
Vivek Kumar Singh2, Ashutosh Kumar Jha 1, Kshama Gupta1 and S.K. Srivastav1
1IndianInstitute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 2Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi
Abstract
Urban land use dynamics are studied in quantitative as well as the predication of urban growth. Earlier urban expansion studies were based on
change in the Land Use Land Cover (LULC) pattern with respect to time. Socioeconomic drivers (population density, literacy rate, household
density, parcel price of the current year, distance to road, school, hospital, commercial centers and police station etc.) of the city act like agents
and play an important role in the expansion of urban growth. Many Urban Cellular Automata (UCA) models are developed based on spatial
resolution and neighborhood properties that affect the urban growth, but implementation of unidirectional nature of socioeconomic parameters in
the model are difficult task to implement to give results both in quantity and spatially. In this study, neighbourhood effect with the weighted rule
mechanism of socioeconomic effect on each LULC classes are calculated. A logistic based regression model is developed to evaluate the
expansion data of Dehradun City, India. Collection of socioeconomic data and validation of LULC classes is done using field data. 3 X 3
simulation window of the model is considered to evaluate the change in each grid. Simulation based on transition rule and neighbourhood effect
observed an accuracy of 84% in build-up classes, but after incorporating socioeconomic drivers the accuracy is raised to 92% in 3 build-up classes
i.e. low density residential, medium density residential and commercial classes. Sensitivity study of parameters and relative window size for
simulation indicated optimal growth in the northeast and south part of the city. Small patches of growth are also observed in central and southwest
part of the city.
Keywords: Urban land use dynamics , Socioeconomic drivers, Urban Cellular Automata, Land Use Land Cover , Logistic based regression
Corresponding Author: december.keviv@gmail.com
Page No. 67
Theme- Agriculture in RS & GIS Applications Abstract Id: 29
Pattern of agricultural drought during 2000-2015 in Marathwada region, India
Aishwarya C.1 and Parth Sarathy Roy2

1AnnaUniversity, Chennai , 2University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad
Abstract
Most prominent agriculture stress and socioeconomic impact has been observed in Marathwada and Vidharbha region of Maharashtra during
recent years. Particularly, Marathwada has been experiencing drought (mild to severe ones) during the past decades. Keeping in view, the main
objectives of the study has been; to assess the influence of climate in agriculture performance in Marathwada; and to analyse the climatic and
agriculture production indicators (area and growth condition and their relationship). The main crops in the Marathwada region are sugarcane,
cotton and rice. These crops need sufficient moisture for optimal growth. Fortnightly MODIS (The moderate-resolution imaging
spectroradiometer) images were used to obtain NDVI (Normalised Difference Vegetation Index) values. The NDVI images were stacked to
include seasonal image data i.e. Kharif (June-Sept), Rabi (Oct-Jan), Zaid (Feb-Mar) for the 2000-2015 period. From the NDVI values, the
deviation (anomaly) was calculated. Gridded rainfall data was analysed to calculate SPI (Standardised Precipitation Index). Long-term analysis of
season-wise precipitation and temperature has been carried out for 50 years for the period of 1965-2015. This study indicates that the temperature
has been increasing steadily over the past 50 years and there has been a decrease in rainfall in the past two decades. These have clearly is one of
the drivers for the persisting drought. The crop area ratio and its fluctuation with the average rainfall was shows high correlation with average
rainfall. The years that have been severely affected by drought are 2000-2002, 2003-2004. The normal years have been 2007-2008, 2010-2011 and
2013-14. District wise frequency percentage of deviation of NDVI indicates that the worst affected districts are Parbhani and Aurangabad,
followed by Hingoli, Jalna, Lattur and Nanded. The Osmanabad district has been least affected due to availability of assured irrigation from
Osmanabad reservoir. It is evident that there is need to develop long term strategy to address the agriculture stress due to climate variability. The
adaptation and mitigation techniques need to address the existing cropping system.
Keywords: Marathwada, MODIS, NDVI, Drought, Precipitation

Corresponding Author: aishchand23@gmail.com
Page No. 68
Pre-harvest acreage and production estimation of Zaid season rice crop in Uttarakhand State using geospatial
techniques.
Divya Uniyal1, Neelam Rawat1, Sourabh Dangwal1 and Durgesh Pant1

1UttarakhandSpace Application Centre, Dehradun
Abstract
Timely and reliable information about estimation of rice acreage and forecasting its production can provide valuable information for governments,
planners, and decision makers in formulating policies in regard to import/export matters. Pre-harvest acreage & production estimation of major
crops is being done with the help of conventional crop cutting method, which is biased, inaccurate and time consuming. Remote Sensing data with
multi-temporal and multi-spectral capabilities has shown new dimension in crop discrimination analysis and acreage/yield/production estimation
in recent years. In view of this, Uttarakhand Space Applications Centre (USAC), Dehradun have initiated a work aim to estimate pre-harvest
acreage/production of Rice crop (Zaid season) in the Uttarakhand state. Out of 13 districts of Uttarakhand state, only in two districts, summer rice
crop is sowing i.e. Udhamsingh Nagar and Nainital (Plains). IRS LISS-III satellite data of Rabi and Zaid season for the year 2015-16 was used for
pre-harvest acreage/production forecast for summer rice. NDVI (Normalized Differential Vegetation Index), supervised classification, Spatial
modeling, and Masking out method using multitemporal satellite data of Zaid season along with the collateral and ground data was used for the
analysis. Result was compared with last year agriculture data statistics which showed good results.
Keywords: Acreage/Yield/Production estimation, LISS-III, NDVI, summer rice, spatial modeling

Corresponding Author: divya.uniyal@rediffmail.com
Page No. 69
Relationship of Crop Yield and MNDVI Values of Sugarcane Crop: Integrating Remote Sensing, GIS and Land
Based Observations.
Divya Uniyal1, Sourabh Dangwal1 and Durgesh Pant1

1UttarakhandSpace Application Centre, Dehradun
Abstract
Pre-harvest prediction of crop yield is important for planning and taking various policy decisions particularly, in the management of concerns in
areas such as food security, price stability, international trade etc. Existing system of agricultural statistics has limitations for providing an
objective assessment of crops at pre-harvesting stages with desired spatial details. In order to enhance the capabilities of the existing system of
crop forecast, technological advancements and adoption of emerging methodologies such as Remote Sensing and GIS etc is must. With the
advancement in the space technology, remote sensing images provide access to spatial information at global scale of features and phenomena on
earth on an almost real-time basis. They have the prospective not only in identifying crop classes but also of estimating crop yield (Mohd. et al.
1994): they can identify and provide information on spatial variability and permit more efficiency in field scouting (Schuler 2002). Remote
sensing could therefore be used for crop growth monitoring and productivity estimation. At present, there is no model that relates field level yield
to NDVI. Most studies have estimated that there is a correlation between NDVI and green biomass and yield, therefore, NDVI can be used to
estimate yield before harvesting (Gat et al. 2000, Groten 1993, Liu & Kogan, 2002, Rasmussen 1997). A study was conducted for acreage
estimation of sugarcane crop in Uttarakhand state using satellite remote sensing data for the year 2015 and 2016. The satellite data was analyzed
using supervised classification techniques for acreage estimation and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was employed for yield
estimation. The acreage estimation was made possible after 100 days of planting of sugarcane and the cane crop is identifiable on satellite data
after April month in the state of Uttarakhand. The relationship between yields of sugarcane with NDVI showed a positive correlation with square
of correlation coefficient of Udhamsingh Nagar is 0.930, Haridwar is 0.858, Dehradun is 0.867 and Nainital is 0.977.
Keywords: Pre-harvest Prediction, Remote Sensing, Field Scouting, Supervised Classification, NDVI
Page No. 70
Preliminary Assessment of Satellite based Agricultural Water Productivity over Indian Region
Indrani Choudhury Singh2 and Bimal Kumar Bhattacharya2

Abstract
The present study investigates the preliminary analysis of Agricultural water productivity (AWP) over Indian region using satellite data through
three steps such as productivity mapping (PM), water use (actual evapotranspiration (ET) /effective rainfall (Reff)) mapping (WUM) and water
productivity mapping (WPM). MODIS data was used for generating agricultural land cover (MCD 12Q1 at 500 m), gross primary productivity
(GPP; MOD 17 A at 1 km) and ET (MOD 16A at 1 km). Reff was estimated at 10 km using USDA soil conservation method from daily NOAA
CPC rainfall data. All the data were analyzed during 2007-2012 from June to October. The seasonal AWP and RWP (rainwater productivity) maps
were generated using the ratios of seasonal GPP (kgC m-2) and water use (mm) maps. The average AWP was found to vary from 1.28-1.48 kg m-3
during 2007-2012 with no significant annual variability but a wide spatial variability over India. The drought year 2012 showed the lowest AWP.
Northern India showed the highest AWP (1.5-2.9 kgm-3) and western part showed the lowest AWP (0.6-0.8 kg m-3). Himachal Pradesh, Jammu
and Kashmir showed high AWP (1.8-2.9 kg m-3) and all north eastern states (except Assam), Kerala and Uttaranchal, the AWP ranges from
1.1-2.2 kg m-3. The low GPP of these area (0.01-0.11 kg C m-2) with low seasonal total ET (1-82 mm) and Reff (6-68 mm) making the AWP
relatively high. These high AWP values do not corresponds to high productivity. Rather, it provides interesting clues to examine possible water
stress. Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka showed low AWP (0.84-0.99 kg m-3) despite having high ET (267-558 mm) and
high Reff (287-468 mm), indicating significant scope for improving productivity. This could be attributed to poor crop and water management
practices. The average RWP ranges from 0.83-1.08 kg m-3, with highest value in the northern parts and Indo Gangetic plains (>0.80 -2.83 kg m-3).
A linear relationship between GPP and water use (R2 >0.90) was observed. The six-years analysis reveals the status of AWP leading to
appropriate interventions to better manage land and water resources which have great importance in global food security analysis.
Keywords: MODIS, Agricultural water productivity, Evapotranspiration, Effective rainfall, satellite data
Corresponding Author: indrani@sac.isro.gov.in
Page No. 71
LAI and FAPAR Estimation Using Semi-Empirical Method for Wheat Crop in Western Uttar Pradesh, India
Mohammed Ahamed Jeelani1, N.R. Patel1 and V.K. Dadhwal1

1Indian
Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 2Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram , 3National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad
Abstract
Satellite imageries have immense potential in providing spatio-temporal dynamics of crop growth condition as well as crop yield. Although
empirical approaches directly correlate the canopy parameters with the reflectance measurements, their use is being increasingly questioned, as
they do not consider the other parameters and processes. The present study was undertaken to quantify crop biophysical parameters like leaf area
index (LAI) and fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (fAPAR) of wheat crop in intensively irrigated region of western Uttar
Pradesh.A simplified semi-empirical reflectance model (CLAIR) was used to test the feasibility for estimating LAI and fAPAR in wheat crop.LAI
and fAPAR of wheat crop was measured in a randomly selected sample sites having homogeneity and adequate aerial extent (>1 hectare). In order
to cover the entire range of variations in LAI and fAPAR, measurements were made at different growth stages of wheat, which coincides within
four days (+/- 4 days) of the satellite overpass. The vegetation canopy reflectance is influenced by the soil background therefore to negate the
influence of this soil background, weighted difference vegetation index (WDVI) was used in the semi-empirical model.This soil line constant was
derived by plotting NIR and Red reflectance of the bare soil. The soil line determined had a high coefficient of determination (R2 = 0.85). The
slope of the soil line thus determined (1.469) was used in calculating WDVI.The alpha which is the function of extinction and scattering
coefficients at vegetative and reproductive stages was determined using the Levenberg-Marquart iterative method from the independent LAI
measurements obtained at various growth stages of wheat (Vegetative stage - R2 = 0.35 and reproductive stage - R2 = 0.51). The CLAIR model
based estimates of LAI and fAPAR using satellite data particularly during the vegetative phase had quite high coefficient of determination (R2 >
0.55) indicating, a good approximation of LAI and fAPAR in wheat canopy at the vegetative phase Whereas, CLAIR model underestimated LAI
and fAPAR during the reproductive phase.
Keywords: LAI, FAPAR, WDVI, Wheat

Corresponding Author: mohammedahamed_j@nrsc.gov.in
Page No. 72
Plant Biophysical Parameter Study using Hybrid Polarimetric SAR Data in Cotton Crop
Viral A. Dave1, Dipanwita Haldar 2, Rucha Dave1, Arundhati Misra2 and Vyas Pandey1
1Anand Agricultural University, Anand , 2Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad
Abstract
A hybrid-polarity architecture consists of transmitting circular polarization, and receiving two orthogonal linear polarizations and also their
relative phase. These data are sufficient to calculate the four Stokes parameters. Different parameters and decompositions are derived from these
hybrid data. Crop information like plant height, plant age and plant biomass was studied with derived parameters from hybrid data and also with
RH and RV values. Surendranagar district was taken as study area. Surendranagar has highest yield and production of cotton in Gujarat. Two
different type of cotton is grown in study area, BT and indigenous cotton, the former is irrigated and the later rainfed. RISAT-1 SAR data were
acquired on different dates at different stages of crop. Hybrid SAR (RH, RV) SLC level1 with cFRS acquisitions dated 15th September and 11th
October 2014 has been used for this study. Groundtruth data were collected by field survey synchronous to satellite data acquisition. It includes
the ground coordinates with all important parameter information of crop and soil. RH and RV values shows good relation with the plant
information as the plat height, age and biomass increases. Volume component shows good response with the increase in height, age and biomass
of the plant, changes were observed in terms of growth as well as decrease in biomass due to picking. As these values increases the plant grows
and the volume of the plant is also increases which is reflecting in all decomposition volume component. RVI values and Alpha angle also shows
significant increases in values as the age of crop is increases. Major kharif crops were evaluated in this study. Cotton, castor, sesame are all
planoophiles, as contrary to the erectophiles like wheat and paddy. The rate of growth is slow in the initial phase but fast post mid-July for both
early and late sown cases. The polarimetric parameters are found to be significantly correlated to the above plant biophysical parameters. C2
based parameters yielded sensible results but pseudo quadpole derived decomposition did not yield expected results. The Freeman 2, 3 and Van
Zyl decomposition did not add any significant result to the Raney decomposition.
Keywords: Hybrid, RISAT-1, decomposition, polarimetric, cotton

Corresponding Author: daveviral1@gmail.com
Page No. 73
Multi-temporal Analysis of Cotton Crop in Gujarat using RISAT-1 Data for year 2013 and 2014
Rucha Dave1, Dipanwita Haldar2 and Viral Dave1

1Anand Agricultural University, Anand , 2Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad
Abstract
The current study investigates the potential of multi-temporal Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data of RISAT-1 to monitor Cotton crop area
where special emphasis was given to the signature analysis of the crop for two consecutive years viz., Kharif 2013-14 and 2014-15. The study
area was selected in major cotton producing districts of Gujarat state which account for 85-90% of total cotton area. The analysis of the SAR (C
-band) backscatter of cotton crop is the function of temporal behavior due to interaction of microwave radiation with the crop canopy and volume
scattering increasing from the early vegetative stage to picking stage and the backscattering time series of different region for both HH and HV
polarizations. The change in backscatter of the order of 2 to 4 dB in C-band was observed. Hierarchical decision rule model based on the temporal
evaluation of SAR backscatter was attempted to classify cotton, groundnut and other land covers achieved about 88% accuracy in the case of
cotton. This output is very consistent in the irrigated tracts of Gujarat. This methodology is crucial for early estimation of cotton area in the
country when cloud free optical data is a major hindrance to the crop inventory.
Keywords: multi-temporal, cotton identification, SAR, backscatter, polarization

Corresponding Author: rch.dave1@gmail.com
Page No. 74
Agricultural Drought Assessment using Satellite Based Vegetation Condition Index and Rainfall Anomaly Index
over Bundelkhand Region, India
Rupanarayan Sahu1 and N.R. Patel1

1Indian
Abstract
Indian agriculture is heavily dependent on the monsoon and a favorable southwest summer monsoon is critical in ensuring food availability to
people of India.. Drought is environmental phenomenon which can be types as meteorological, hydrological or agricultural drought depending
upon its stage, rainfall deficit and/or level of impacts on hydrological cycle and agro-ecosystems. Agricultural drought is one of the most
prominent hazard affecting economy in Bundelkhand region. Agricultural drought has been a recurrent phenomenon in many part of India.
Remote sensing plays an important role for near-real time monitoring of the agricultural drought condition over large area. In the present study
MODIS NDVI data from 2002 to 2015 were used for monitoring agricultural drought through NDVI based Vegetation Condition Index(VCI). The
VCI was calculated for whole Bundelkhand using the long-term NDVI variation. Rainfall Anomaly Index (RAI) was computed from Rainfall
Estimates (RFE) from CPC-NOAA over South Asia for a period from 2002 to 2015 for monitoring of meteorological drought of study area. VCI
were compared with meteorological based RAI for monitoring drought in Bundelkhand. Results revealed that VCI and RAI could capture spatial
pattern of vegetation condition and dryness within seasons and across different years. The VCI and RAI had significant correlation with crop yield
anomaly of both food grains and pulses which shows the trend of crop production in study area. A comparative study on monthly drought
conditions captured using VCI and RAI was made for different pair of years viz., 2002 & 2003, 2009 & 2010 and 2013 & 2014 as drought and
normal year, respectively. In drought year, crop production severely affected which clearly discernable with both VCI and RAI of particular year.
The results show that Hamirpur and Banda was the most drastically affected area in Bundelkhand region due to drought condition.
Keywords: Drought, MODIS-NDVI, VCI, Rainfall anomaly, crop yield anomaly

Corresponding Author: rupanarayansahu@gmail.com
Page No. 75
Geospatial Assessment of Agro-climatic Suitability of Wheat and Maize in Himachal Pradesh in Current and
Future Climate
Jyoti Singh 1 and N. R. Patel 1

Abstract
Climate change has become reality in fragile western Himalayan region and predominantly causing changes in cropping systems and land
suitability zones. Considering the importance of crop planning to withstand future climate change, an agro-climatic land suitability analysis for
rainfed summer maize and winter wheat in Himachal Pradesh was performed in current and future climate. The time period chosen for current
climate is 1950-2000 and for future climate are 2020s(2010-39), 2050s (2040-2069) and 2080s (2070-2099). In this study GIS and Multi Criteria
Evaluation (MCE) is used to produce a suitability map for winter wheat and summer maize based on climate, soil and topography parameters.
This procedure was carried out by (1) defining temperature and precipitation criteria; (2) defining soil and topography criteria; (3) Integrating
climate, soil and topographic criteria; (4) applying MCE, pairwise comparison matrix; and (5) producing temperature, precipitation, land and
combined suitability maps. The results of the present study showed that, temperature suitability of summer maize (June to September) is shifting
upwards due to increase in temperature and some of the lower lying areas in southern parts of the state will become unsuitable because of increase
in temperature in future climate. Precipitation in projected climate data shows increasing trend in future, as a result of heavy rainfall; areas which
were suitable for cultivating maize will become unsuitable gradually with time. Combined suitability for maize revealed that highly suitable areas
in future will decrease because of precipitation whereas; moderately and marginally suitable area will increase with decrease in not suitable areas.
Temperature condition for winter wheat are suitable in lower parts of the state, unlike maize change in suitable areas in future climate are very
less. Precipitation suitability shows increasing trend up to 2050s and in 2080s it shows decreasing trend. Combined suitability (climate, soil and
topography) revealed that very suitable areas for winter wheat will increase till 2050 but will decrease in 2080s, unsuitable areas shows decreasing
trend up to 2050s but increases drastically in 2080s and this irregular change can be related with change in rainfall pattern between 2050s and
2080s.
Keywords: agro-climatic suitability, GIS, Multi Criteria Evaluation, Pairwise comparison matrix, projected climate
Corresponding Author: jyotikashyapvns@gmail.com
Page No. 76
Inventory of Apple Orchards Using Multi-resolution Data for Shopian District, Kashmir
Arvind Pandey1, R. Hebbar1 and Uday Raj1

1Kumaun University, Nainital , 2National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad
Abstract
The soil, climate and the environment of Kashmir valley is most suitable for cultivation of temperate fruit crops which plays an important role in
the food and nutritional security of the people of the hilly region. In recent years, shift in cultivation of apple orchards to higher altitudes is
noticed in the region due to gradual increase in mean temperature. In this context, reliable baseline information on acreage and production of
apple is critical input for proper planning and management. The present study was carried out to explore the potential use of multi-resolution
satellite data for inventory of apple orchards in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir state. Multi-date Landsat-TM data was used for
characterising the phenology of apple orchards vis a vis other vegetation types. High resolution LISS-IV and Cartosat-1 data was used for
mapping of apple orchards. The temporal NDVI profile at monthly intervals indicated that September-November bio-window is optimal for
improved discrimination of apple orchards. Multi-resolution datasets along with temporal NDVI images were used in the RGB clustering
technique for classification of apple orchards. The results indicated that matured and contiguous areas of apple orchards could be mapped using
medium resolution data with reasonable accuracy of about 81.3 per cent. The spectral signature of younger apple orchards were confusing with
other plantation types and thus, requiring higher resolution data. Object based classification using LISS-IV as well as Cartosat-1 merged data was
carried out for improving the classification accuracy. After optimizing segmentation parameters viz., scale, shape and compactness iteratively,
about 21 object features in terms of spectral, texture, geometry and vegetation indices were used in SVM classification. The results showed
significant improvement in the classification accuracy (91.6 %) for mapping of older matured orchards for LISS-IV data alone while the young
orchards showed poor accuracy of 64.1 per cent. LISS-IV and Cartosat-1 merged data improved the classification accuracy for younger
plantations significantly (78.6 %) indicating the utility of higher resolution data. The study explored the use of high resolution data for inventory
of apple orchards and the methodology could be refined for operational application for mapping of apple
Keywords: Apple, NDVI, Phenology, Segmentation, Classification

Corresponding Author: pandeyarvind02@gmail.com
Page No. 77
Insight to Application of Remote Sensing in Crop Yield Insurance
Aakash Chhabra1 and Sravan Chinthaparthi 2

1NIITUniversity, Rajasthan , 2Western Illinois University
Abstract
In India, agriculture is demographically the broadest economic sector and plays a significant role in the overall socio - economic fabric. The
variation in climate conditions and weather patterns impose major challenges for growing crops. Against this backdrop, providing food and raw
materials to a flourishing population becomes a major challenge. The main goal of this study was to reduce the crop cutting experiment (CCE)
using remote sensing without comprising accuracy. LANDSAT 8 OLI and ground truth data were utilized along with the Enhanced Vegetation
Index (EVI) for examining a Kharif season crop Bajra in the JhunJhunu District, Rajasthan. Geo-statistical analysis were integrated with remote
sensing to predict the crop yield before the harvesting period. In this study, we examined the potential, remote sensing technology has to offer for
the insurance market in the agriculture sector in India.
Keywords: Remote Sensing, Crop Cutting Experiments (CCE), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Kharif, Bajra
Corresponding Author: aakash.chhabra7489@gmail.com
Page No. 78
Methane Emission from Rice Ecosystems of Jammu and Kashmir
K.R. Manjunath1
1Indian
Space Research Organisation, Bengaluru
Abstract
Climate change continues to be an important agenda of policy makers owing to the likely impacts it may have on various sectors. Agriculture
happens to be an important sector as it is a major transformers of reservoirs. Rice crop becomes very important both from the food security as well
as global warming point of view. The methane is emitted during the rice cultivation period as transplanting of rice crop needs inundation of water
and impounding of water during major part of rice cultivation is a common practice. The anaerobic condition of rice cultivation leads to methane
emission. The methane emission from rice varies as a function of crop variety, region, duration of flooding, crop management etc. These add to
uncertainties of emission quantification and calls for development of robust techniques by exploring modern tools and techniques. In the current
study use of remote sensing and GIS techniques were explored along with field measurement of methane emission and associated parameters for
characterizing the methane emission pattern and quantification thereof in Kashmir valley of Jammu and Kashmir state (J&K). The IRS AWiFS
and LISS-III and multidate Radarsat images were used for deriving the rice area and crop calendar. The methane samples were collected thrice
during the rice cropping season during the year 2005 and six times in 2006 from thirteen and six locations, respectively. The predominant variety
was nic-China and K-39. The seasonal integrated flux was computed and based on remote sensing derived rice area and field flux of methane, the
total quantification of methane from the major rice growing regions of J&K was computed. The results indicate that the average methane flux was
40.16+-29.80 kg/ha/season from J&K as against the India???s average emission of 56.8 kg/ha/season. The derived average duration of rice crop
was about 140 days and earliest rice crop in India starts at J&K by middle of April. The state of J&K contributes a meager amount of 0.45% to the
India's emission from rice ecosystem. The computed methane emission from the J&K state is 0.015 Tg with a range of 0.004 to 0.026 Tg based on
the current study while it is estimated that IPCC default values and MAC98 coefficient values yield about 0.075 and 0.059 Tg, respectively. The
methodology developed and results obtained are very much useful for generating the national emission inventory and communication to
UNFCCC as part of international Protocol by India.
Keywords: Climate change, Methane emission, rice ecosystem, IPCC, GHG

Corresponding Author: krmanjunath@isro.gov.in
Page No. 79
Geospatial Technologies for Identification of Potential Aquaculture in Andhra Pradesh - A Case Study of Krishna
District
K. Raghuveer Naidu1, L. Kumara Swamy1, K. Sirisha1, V.V.R.M. Narayana Rao1, Y. Ramesh1 and K.V. Ramana1
1Andhra Pradesh Space Applications Centre, Hyderabad
Abstract
Abstract: Aquaculture is a highly profitable venture in India also it has increased the availability of nutritive food for the growing population, the
government of Andhra Pradesh has identified the fisheries sector as a Growth Engine for Socio Economic Development of the new state of
Andhra Pradesh. At the same time A.P Government accords top priority to enhance the fish production to 42 lakh tones in the next five years from
the present level of 19.64 lakh tones and to double the exports value from the present level of Rs.16000 crores. Remote Sensing and Geospatial
Information System can be effectively used for identification of existing aquaculture and map the Potential aquaculture area. The study was
conducted in coastal district of Krishna in Andhra Pradesh for identification of aquaculture potential areas and existing/dry/abandon aquaculture
ponds using high resolution IRS LISS-IV satellite data (March-April 2014-15). The aqua pond farmer and management details where collected
through enumeration in the field. Study was carried out Mandal/Village/Creek/Cluster/FPO (Farmer Producer Organization) wise for
identification of potential aquaculture areas in Krishna district, using visual Interpretation approach. In Krishna district, 59,487 ha were existing as
aquaculture ponds and another 22,971 ha was found to be Potential aquaculture areas. The parcel boundaries (Cadastral layer) were superimposed
on the Aqua Ponds. The area in Krishna district equals to 37 percent of the total aquaculture in Andhra Pradesh, and Machilipatnam mandal
6,049.ha highest aqua area was found.
Keywords: Potential Aquaculture, LISS-IV, Remote Sensing, GIS, Andhra Pradesh Krishna District
Corresponding Author: raghukonanki@gmail.com
Page No. 80
Android Application for Medicinal and Aromatic Crops Growers in the Ccuntry
Manoj Semwal1 and Khwaja Moiz2

1CSIR-Central
Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Lucknow , 2Jaypee Insitute of Information Technology, Noida
Abstract
In India, total area under Medicinal and Aromatic plants (MAP) cultivation is more than 3.0 lakhs ha with annual production of about 30,000
metric tonnes. There is a huge demand of the MAP produce in the country for AYUSH, fragrance, flavour and food industry. However, the supply
of these produce is in shortage. Considering the demand nationally and export potential for MAPs, it is necessary to increase the cultivation area
of these crops in the country. Cultivation of aromatic plants is a challenge due to small land holding size, poor availability of improved genetic
material, poor knowledge of crop management, disease infestations, lack of location specific advisories, complicated post-harvesting techniques
and unorganized market. Information technology in conjunction with spatial technology can be effectively utilized to leverage the acreage of the
aromatic crops as the cultivation of these crops is very region specific. Keeping in mind, the problems faced by the aromatic crop cultivators, the
aim was to develop and test a GIS-based mobile application on the Android platform to provide a platform to exchange ideas and knowledge on
the problems faced by the farmers, which generally are location specific. The various features like geo-tagging of the farmers field, acreage area,
disease management and weather forecasting have been provided to address the issues of aromatic crop selection, variety available, pest and
disease eradication and best time for distillation of the aromatic crops. This mobile application is expected to provide crop specific advisories to
the farmers of the country on the elite varieties available, distillation times, pest and disease management and crop acreage area, so that better
co-ordination and effective information can be exchanged between the farmers and institute. The application has been tested for usability, time
consumption and accuracy in different field and network availability conditions. An attempt was also made to realize the utility of the application
in limited availability or absence of communication network.
Keywords: Android Application, Medicinal and Aromatic Crops, Farmers, Crop Acreage, Diseases
Corresponding Author: mail2manojsemwal@gmail.com
Page No. 81
Status and Dynamics of Shifting Cultivation in Lakhipur, Assam Using Remote Sensing, GIS and Conventional
Technique
Demsai Reang1, Aparajita De1 and Ashesh Kumar Das1

1Assam University, Silchar
Abstract
Shifting cultivation (locally jhum) is one of the major drivers of tropical forest destruction. However the changing dynamics of this ecosystem has
rarely been studied in detail in the Indian sub-continent. This practice provides subsistence livelihood and has been the only mode of crop
cultivation for the native tribes living in the hills of Cachar district, Assam for a long time. In the present study an attempt has been made to
identify and map the shifting cultivation plots and examine the current status and dynamics of shifting cultivation plots. The study was carried out
at Lakhipur, Cachar district, Assam. Delineation and mapping of the jhum plots was carried out using IRS LISS IV satellite data of 2009 and
2012, , geo-registered to UTM Zone 46N projection and WGS 84 datum . Image processing was done using ERDAS Imagine 2013 and ArcGIS
10.1 at 1:50,000 scale with the help of Survey of India Toposheet. Ground control points using GPS are collected to identify and map the jhum
plots and plots that are converted to plantations. False Color Composite image of the study area was generated and the plots are digitized using
on-screen visual interpretation technique. Part of Lakhipur has been digitized and it was observed that there were seven jhum patches present in
the study area with a mean patch area of 7(±3.16) ha in 2009, however in the year 2012, patch number had increased to twenty two with a mean
patch area of 3.27(±2.52) ha. Digitization of shifting plots and plantation plots is still ongoing. We observed considerable change in the cropping
pattern and practice from mixed jhum plots to basically mono culture plantation systems. Some crops that are still grown in jhum fields include
Benincasa hispida, Cajanus cajan, Capsicum frutescens, Cucumis sativus, Cucurbita maxima, Curcuma longa, Dioscorea alata, Gossypium
herbaceu, Ipomoea batatas, Lablab purpureus, Manihot esculenta, Oryza sativa, Sesamum indicum, Solanum melongena, Zea mays and Zingiber
officinale. Plantation crop that are replacing the jhum crops include Ananas comosus, Areca catechu, Aquilaria malaccensis, Hevea brasiliensis,
Musa paradisiaca and Thysanolaena latifolia plantation.
Keywords: Shifting cultivation, Plantation, Remote Sensing, GIS, Visual Interpretation

Corresponding Author: demn000@gmail.com
Page No. 82
Vegetation Cover Change Analysis In Relation To Terrain Parameters Using Temporal Remote Sensing Data
Trilochana Basnett1 and Suresh Kumar1

1Amity University, Noida , 2Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun
Abstract
Alteration of forest lands into scrublands degraded lands and for human development purposes is rapidly changing the vegetation cover of Tehri-
Garhwal region. Knowing the importance of land in terms of planning, conserving and managing efficient techniques have been put up to provide
up-to-date change information. A number of techniques has been formulated, tested and even verified for analyzing the dynamics of vegetation
cover change. For this study, the Change Vector Analysis (CVA) and Vegetative Fraction Cover (VFC) was applied on multitemporal and
multispectral Landsat data from the Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM +) and Operational Land Imager (OLI) sensors to monitor the
dynamics of vegetation change in the Tehri-Garhwal region for two successive time periods 2000 and 2014. The classes created are arbitrarily to
predict the vegetation cover change in the Tehri-Garhwal region. The efficiency of this technique couldn't be verified due to the lack of
availability of ground truth data but nonetheless the terrain parameters extracted using DEM helped in acquiring potential data about vegetation
cover change.
Keywords: Change Vector Analysis, Vegetative Fraction Cover, Terrain Parameters, Change Assessment,
Corresponding Author: trilobasnett@gmail.com
Page No. 83
Acreage Estimation Under Mentha (Mentha arvensis) Crop in Ludhiana District of Punjab Using Multi-date and
Multi-sensor Satellite Data
Anil Sood2, Amanpreet Kaur Benipal2, Brijendra Pateriya2 and Ranjodh Singh Bains1
1Dept. of Agriculture Punjab, Chandigarh , 2Punjab Remote Sensing Centre, Ludhiana
Abstract
Mentha crop is economically significant not only for providing the livelihood to farmers but also for its highly diversified industrial use in
confectionary, cosmetics and pharmaceutical sectors. India is the largest producer and exporter of mentha oil in the world and is cultivated mainly
in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab and Uttarakhand. The area under Mentha in the country is estimated at about 3-3.5 lakh hectares. In Punjab during
the Year 2014-15 total area under Mentha crop was 13277 hectare mainly in the districts of SBS Nagar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Kapurthala,
Rupnagar, Hoshiarpur, Fatehgarh Sahib and Bathinda. It is grown in summers as one of the zaid crops, during the period of Feb-March to June on
irrigated lands and attains a short duration. Such crops enhance the total productivity of cropping system. Authenticated statistics of Mentha crop
are not available which necessitates, the present study focusing on acreage estimation of mentha crop using remote sensing data in Ludhiana
district, Punjab using multi-date, multi-sensor satellite data. Intensive ground truth data was collected before classification to generate signature of
the crop for better identification and discriminating it from other crops following hybrid classification The IRS Resourcesat-2 AWiFS (coarser
spatial resolution i.e. 56m) image was used to identify the overall area under Zaid crops in the Ludhiana district and crop mask was generated.
The crop mask was refined using LISS-III data (Medium spatial resolution 23.5 m). Final classification was performed using high Resolution data
(LISS-IV: 5.8 m spatial resolution) and ground truth data. The total area under zaid crops in Ludhiana was 24.5 and 25.185 thousand ha out of this
mentha was estimated to be 1.599 and 1.395 thousand ha for the year 2015 and 2016, respectively. The classification accuracy for mentha crop
was more than 85 percent for both the years. The biggest demand reportedly comes from the paan masala and gutka making units. However, the
ban on the sale of gutka in many states in the recent past led to a reduced demand of mentha oil in the domestic sector resulting in price fall that
leading to decrease in its area.
Keywords: Mentha, Zaid Crop, Multi-date, Multi-sensor, Hybrid classification

Corresponding Author: anilsood_prsc@rediffmail.com
Page No. 84
Use of Hyperspectral Indices To Detect Nutrient Deficiencies in Rice
R. Jagadeeswaran1, S. Sivagnanam1, Balaji Kannan1 and R. Sivasamy1

1Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore
Abstract
Good crop production is a function of optimal and timely supply of nutrients. Conventional method of assessing the nutrient deficiency are
destructive and time consuming. Reflectance measurement of crop canopy in visible and near-infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum
which are real time and non-destructive has proved useful in detection of plant stresses that can be related to nutrient deficiencies. Keeping this in
view a sand culture experiment was conducted with rice to predict nutrient deficiencies through hyperspectral remote sensing technique. The crop
was treated with varying nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK) levels viz., 0, 50, 75 and 100 per cent and the nutrients are applied through
Hoagland???s nutrient solution. Plant sampling coinciding with spectral reflectance measurement was done and analysed for chlorophyll a, b and
NPK contents. The results indicated that varying levels of nitrogen significantly influenced the leaf chlorophyll a,b and N concentration at all the
stages of observation. The chlorophyll a content for N0 treatment ranged from 0.79 to 2.03 mg/g and for 100 % N it was 1.44 to 2.48 mg/g of
fresh leaf. The spectral indices viz., Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), chlorophyll sensitive index_red edge (CSI_RE) and red
edge position (REP by Linear 4 point interpolation technique) calculated for different stages correlates well with the leaf chlorophyll, nitrogen and
phosphorus content. The NDVI correlate well with chlorophyll a (correlation co-efficient = 0.64 to 0.87), b (0.52 to 0.82) and nitrogen (0.87 to
0.88) at different crop stages, indicating the possible detection of nitrogen stress by spectral measurement. The REP correlates well with
chlorophyll-a (R2 = 0.59) and leaf nitrogen (R2 = 0.66). The step wise discriminant analysis identified effective wavelength for predicting
nitrogen (406, 486, 495, 706, 736 and 885 nm) and phosphorus deficiency (696, 716 and 896 nm) at maximum tillering stage. Thus, the present
investigation reveals that nitrogen stress could be detected through remote sensing measurements and phosphorus to some extent and no
conclusion could be derived for stress due to potassium deficiency.
Keywords: rice nutrient deficiency, spectral indices, NDVI, REP

Corresponding Author: jagawaran@tnau.ac.in
Page No. 85
Comparative Analysis of Spectral Features for Crops Based on Canopy Water Contents Using EO-1 Hyperion Data
Rajesh K. Dhumal1, Amol D. Vibhute1, Ajay D. Nagne1, Karbhari V. Kale1 and Suresh C. Mehrotra1
Abstract
The aim of this work is to identify distinct spectral features of crops at fully grown stage, for that purpose; here we have studied Narrowband
Vegetation Indices based on Canopy Water contents of Cotton and Maize crops using EO-1 Hyperion datasets. The Hyperion data of study area
has been collected from United States Geological Survey (USGS), Earth explorer by data acquisition request (DAR) of the date 15th October
2014. After applying atmospheric corrections by using Quick Atmospheric Correction (QUAC), we have applied selected narrow band vegetation
indices which act as indicators of canopy water contents of vegetation namely Moisture Stress Index (MSI), Normalized Difference Infrared Index
(NDII), Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) and Water Band Index (WBI).Then we analyzed how the values of these indices varies for
cotton and Maize crops of study area by using ground truth information and applying statistical T-test on known fields for both the crops. It is
found that, Normalized Difference Infrared Index and Water band Index having significant difference (t-stat are 2.1473 and 2.1472 respectively)
than the Moisture stress Index (t-stat is -1.6930) and Normalized Difference Water Index does not provide good details for given crops this study
can be further extends by considering these indices values for knowledge based classifier.
Keywords: EO-1 Hyperion, Canopy water contents, Moisture stress Index (MSI), Water Band Index (WBI), Normalized difference Infrared Index (NDII)
Corresponding Author: dhumal19@gmail.com
Page No. 86
Automatic Tree Counting Algorithm in Horticulture Orchards
Kanti Kumari1, Nilay Nishant2 and Bimal Kumar Bhattacharya2

1Collegeof Agricultural Information Technology, Anand , 2Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad
Abstract
Treetop detection and counting of individual tree per orchard for a large area using traditional methods is labour-intensive as well as costly. To
make this work more cost and time effective remotely sensed images with very high spatial resolution (<1m) has been used. Detection of treetop
locations has been carried out by using radial symmetry characteristics of mango trees. Extraction of orchard boundary was performed on
multispectral and panchromatic satellite data merged image using object-based classification. A user friendly Graphical User Interface(GUI) was
developed which takes panchromatic satellite image and orchards boundary as inputs and stores all intermediate results and shape file containing
number of detected trees in each orchard as final output. GUI also contains an accuracy finder section which counts accuracy of tree detection and
counting tool for an orchard with csv file of actual location of trees in orchard and shape file containing detected tree top points as inputs.
Keywords: Tree Counting, CARTOSAT-2, Fast Radial Symmetry, Orchards, LISS-IV

Corresponding Author: nilaynishant@gmail.com
Page No. 87
Projected Changes in Climate and Climate Suitability of Elephant Foot Yam in Major Growing Environments of
India
Byju G.1, Sabitha Soman1, James George1 and Ravi V.1

1ICAR-Central Tuber Crops Research Institute, Thiruvananthapuram
Abstract
This study examined the projected climatic changes in the major elephant foot yam growing environments of India which we have identified
based on expert knowledge and from literature review; and also calibrated and evaluated the EcoCrop model, of FAO to study the impact of 2030
climate the suitability of elephant foot yam in the major growing environments of India. The current and future climatic projections of 22 Global
Circulation models from the SRES-A1B emission scenario were used for the study. A total of 9345 unique coordinates, as points was obtained as
elephant foot yam presence points in India. The projected change in annual mean temperature and total annual precipitation in the major growing
areas ranged from 0.9 to 1.2 °C and from 19 to 68 mm respectively. The calibrated data were used to drive the EcoCrop model to find out the
suitability of current and future climatic conditions. The change in suitability for all the 22 GCMs used was calculated on pixel basis and the mean
suitability change indicate that elephant foot yam is actually positively impacted in the current growing areas of India with 0.8 to 9.6% changes in
climate suitability. The overall suitability change in the major elephant foot yam growing areas showed that the crop is potentially highly resilient
to future climatic changes.
Keywords: ECOCROP, Elephant foot yam, Current climate, Future climate,

Corresponding Author: byju_g@yahoo.com
Page No. 88
Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Land Surface Temperature in Relation to Landuse/Landcover Using MODIS Satellite
Data: A Study of Gujarat State, India
Shashikant Patel2, Janak P. Joshi1 and Bindu Bhatt1

1Maharaja Sayajirao University, Vadodara , 2Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad
Abstract
Land surface temperature (LST) is temperature of the skin surface of land which can be derived from satellite information or direct measurements.
Satellite data provide consistent, continuous and spatially distributed information on the Earth's surface conditions. The Moderate Resolution
Imaging Spectro-radiometer (MODIS) instruments installed on the Aqua and Terra Earth observation satellites from NASA, has provided
MOD11A2 Product, which contains Daytime and Night time LST in 1Kilometer spatial resolution. To investigate the temporal variation of
surface temperature in relation to Landuse/Landcover (LULC),16-Day MOD13A1 Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) MODIS data
from 2005???2009 were used. The study has been carried out for reproductive season (September-October) that is also called as Kharif crop
season. The LULC layer (2005) from NNRMS web portal has been used for sample selection from LST and NDVI layers for Differend LULC
class. LST were plotted for the (September-October) for the year 2005 to 2009 in relation with different LULC specially with different vegetation
types. The results showed that the year 2009 received comparatively less NDVI values for the month of September and October in Vegetation and
Forest land use class for entire Gujarat. The analysis also showed that the LST values are comparatively high in year 2009 as compared to the year
2005,2006,2007 and 2008. Analysis of LST for all five classes shows that the Rann of kachh had higher LST values in September and October
months as compared those of vegetation, forest, builtup land and grass land. In all sample sites, the study found that there was a significant
correlation between LST and NDVI values over study area.
Keywords: Land Surface Temperature, Land Use/Land Cover, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, GIS, Spatial Analysis
Corresponding Author: shashikant.gis@gmail.com
Page No. 89
Soil Erosion Assessment in Chandusa Watershed in the Jehlum Catchment of Jammu and Kashmir Using, USLE,
GIS and Remote Sensing
Mushtaq A. Wani3, I.H. Ganie1, Z.M. Wani2, Shazia Ramzan3 and Shaista Nazir3
1Agriculture
Dept. Kashmir , 2Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand , 3Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Kashmir
Abstract
The Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) parameters were assessed using Satellite Remote Sensing (RS) and GIS with a view to model soil
erosion in Chandusa Watershed, Jammu and Kashmir. The average rainfall erositivity factor (R) for Chandusa Watershed was calculated by using
equation for the determination of R-value. Each grid cells of mean annual rainfall were calculated based on this equation to get the R-value using
GIS software, Arc GIS 10.2. The soil erodibility factor (K) for the present watershed was computed by using the relationship between soil texture
class and organic matter content. The soil erodibility factor (K) values in the watershed ranges from 0.019 - 0.42, based on the soil texture class.
For the present study the (LS) factors were calculated after the generation of Digital Elevation Model (DEM) for the study area from the
topographical sheet. The contour data were extracted from the SOI toposheet (1:50,000) of the study area.. As the slope values increase SL value
decreases. The land use and land cover map of the study area was used for analyzing the C-value. On the basis of C value estimation, same grid
method was used for estimation of P value in the study area. P factor values have been assigned on the basis of relation between terracing and
slope, contouring and slope in the different land facets and crop field area in the study area. The P factor was assigned using values. Average
annual soil loss were calculated by multiplying five factors: R; the erosivity factor, K; the soil erodibility factor; LS, the topographic factor; C, the
crop management factor and P; the conservation support practice. The average soil loss predictions range between 0.75- 69.32 kg/ha /yr.
Sub-basin wise soil loss was calculated. The study area was categorized into 6 sub-basins (SW1-SW6) and it was found that highest soil loss was
found in SW1 and SW3, respectively. These watersheds show inherent characteristics of high proportion of wastelands.
Keywords: Watershed, GIS, Remote Sensing, USLE, Soil Loss

Corresponding Author: mushtaqb4u@gmail.com
Page No. 90
Monitoring of Rice Crop Affected by Flood Inundation Using Temporal SAR Data
R. Hebbar1, G.S. Rao1, M.V.R. Sesha Sai1 and V. Bhanumurthy1

Abstract
The present study demonstrates the potential use of temporal SAR data for mapping and monitoring of rice crop affected by flood inundation.
Severe flood occurred in the deltaic and coastal regions of Orissa state during September 18-29, 2008 which resulted in submergence of
agricultural crops for several days adversely affecting the crop production. Rice is the one of the most important crop cultivated in this region. The
temporal variations in radar backscatter signatures were analyzed for mapping of rice crop and extent of flood inundation. Three dates SAR data
acquired prior to the flood events were used for rice crop mapping. Hierarchical decision rule based classification approach was used for mapping
of rice crop which showed reasonable classification accuracy of 93.2 per cent. Temporal SAR data from Radarsat satellite acquired on September,
18, 23 and 29, 2008 covering the three flooding events was used for mapping of inundated areas. Spatial analysis showed that about 12.5 per cent
of the total rice cropped area (14.66 lakh ha) was submerged due to flood inundation. About 52605 ha of rice cropped area was submerged for
more than a week which would result in partial or complete damage to rice crop. Medium resolution SAR data was used in the study for rapid
damage assessment to rice crop due to flood inundation and could be operationally incorporated in crop forecasting models. Further investigations
are necessary to study the utility of SAR data for mapping the duration and depth of inundation which is vital information required for assessment
of actual crop damage.
Keywords: SAR, flood inundation, rice crop, classification

Corresponding Author: hebbar_kr@nrsc.gov.in
Page No. 91
Automated Module for Extracting Crop Cycle Using Proba-V and OCM NDVI Time Series and its Dissemination
Using WebGIS
Shweta Mishra2, Markand P. Oza2 and Shashikant A. Sharma2

Abstract
In remote sensing, time series data of vegetation indices derived from medium-resolution satellite data are widely used for vegetation monitoring
on a global or region level. Unquestionably, one of the most popular indicator is Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Temporal
behaviour of NDVI is used to study vegetation phenology. NDVI time series are related to vegetation changes and follow the crop cycle of
vegetation. Using temporal analysis of smoothed NDVI series, it is possible to extract number of crop cycles per year. Based on crop cycle at
particular pixel location, number of crops cycle is estimated (single, double and triple) at that location. This information is essential for proper
management of agriculture. Traditionally, there are two approaches to obtain estimates of cropland area and cropping intensity in a country:
agricultural census statistics and land survey. But, it is time-consuming and resources-intensive process carried out by governmental agencies.
Space-borne remote sensing technology provides an alternative and independent approach for mapping cropland area and cropping intensity over
a region. So, the present study investigated the use of NDVI product from remote sensing sensors to estimate the cropping intensity over Gujarat.
To pursue this, Automated module is developed. Proba-V and OCM NDVI data series of one agricultural year over Gujarat is used for carrying
out this study. Development of automated module also include geo-referencing of obtained output image using metadata information which is
provided with satellite products. Spatio-temporal NDVI often accompanied by high-frequency fluctuation. This necessitates filtering of the data.
For smoothening NDVI curves and to reduce noise, two filtering methods: the Gaussian filtering algorithm and the Fourier Transform filtering
algorithm based on harmonic analysis were applied and compared. The Fourier transform based algorithm works better than the Gaussian filter.
Multi crop were not detected in results obtained using Gaussian filter. While Fourier Transform based algorithm was able to detect multi crops
along with other crops. Based on temporal analysis of smoothed NDVI series, it is possible to extract number of crop cycles per year Finally
output showing crop intensity in particular period over study area were derived and presented using Web-GIS technology.
Keywords: NDVI, GIS, Proba-V, OCM, WebGIS

Corresponding Author: jaiswals@sac.isro.gov.in
Page No. 92
Semi-Automatic Extraction of Mountain Agriculture Extent from Time Series MODIS NDVI
Saptarshi Mondal1, Harshit Rajan1 and Jeganathan C.1

1BirlaInstitute of Technology, Mesra
Abstract
Mountain Agriculture Ecosystem (MAE) provides the primary source of livelihood for mountain population. In this regard, current study aims to
automatically extract the annual crop area through quick and efficient methods from time series MODIS NDVI data over mountain region of
Himachal Pradesh. Initially, noise correction and DFT based smoothening was performed to obtain noise free Smoothed Time Series NDVI
(STSNDVI) data. The STSNDVI for four continuous years (having 23 composites per year) from 2010-2013 were used to calculate four yearly
composite-wise mean NDVI (4YCWM_NDVI). The 4YCWM_NDVI was divided into four different quadrants (Jan to Mar; Apr to Jun; Jul to
Sep; Oct to Dec) to capture the seasonal variation in vegetation growth. For each quadrant, four NDVI metrics viz., Max, Mean, Min and Stdev
were computed, and hence we derived 16 metrics which were layer stacked in a separate file (16 bands file). In addition, the degraded SRTM
DEM (250m) was used as an additional band along with the 16metrics, and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was performed to retrieve first
seven components for ISO-DATA clustering. The non-vegetated area and forested area were masked from PCA components before initiating
clustering process to avoid class mixing effect. At first a total of 50 clusters were created, and these clusters were analysed iteratively. At first
iteration, 10 different locations were checked inside each clusters using Google Earth, and the clusters having crop at more than 6 locations were
retained as agriculture area. In the second iteration, again ISO-DATA clustering was performed on the PCA components corresponding to the
clusters which were not marked as crop. Then the whole process of clustering and elimination was carried out up to 4 times. In this way we
extracted reliable agriculture area. The agriculture information extracted from NRSC 50k LULC (2011-12) was used as a reference data for
non-spatial and spatial agreement evaluation. The omission and commission error from spatial agreement analysis was further evaluated using GE
image to identify the error source and reasons. The study confirms that method could be successfully used to quickly and efficiently extract crop
extent in a hilly terrain.
Keywords: Time Series, MODIS NDVI, ISO-DATA Clustring, NDVI Metrics, Mountain Agriculture Ecosystem
Corresponding Author: Sapta.mondal@gmail.com
Page No. 93
Comparative Study Between NC and NC with Hypertangent Kernel Classifier
Achala Shakya1 and Anil Kumar1

1BanasthaliUniversity, Vanasthali , 2Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun
Abstract
Remotely sensed data is the best source for land cover mapping and land uses of data on a temporal scale; therefore there is need of remotely
sensed data to classify. The accuracy of classification and the computational complexity is degraded by the presence of mixed pixels and
non-linear data. The mixed pixels have to be handled properly for the linear separation of the data therefore; fuzzy classification technique is
required for the classification of land covers with increase in robustness and accuracy of remotely sensed images. Kernels are used for clustering
and classification purposes to handle the non-linear separable data based on the similarity between any two samples and these samples are then
mapped to a feature space. A kernel based fuzzy classifier is used to produce the land use/land cover maps while the data is non-linear. The widely
used FCM classifier has limitations as it is not able to handle untrained classes and its membership value does not represent the true concept of
typicality. The KFCM classifier has been used to improve the performance of FCM classifier and to handle the problem of non-linearity and
mixed pixel. This paper presents linear classification of the pixels with the help of Hypertangent kernel based noise clustering fuzzy classification.
By using Hypertangent kernel with fuzzy classifier the non-linear classes will get separated, there will be improvement in the degree of accuracy
of classifier; the membership values are obtained to produce the final result. The classification is done for non-linear class separation by
incorporating Hypertangent kernels and thus to have comparative study between NC and NC with Hypertangent output.
Keywords: Fuzzy c-mean (FCM), Kernel based fuzzy c-mean (KFCM), Noise Clustering (NC), Hypertangent Kernel,
Corresponding Author: shakyaachala@gmail.com
Page No. 94
Kernel-PCA based Support Vector Machine Approach for Multi-temporal Crop Classification Using
RADARSAT-2 Data
Dipankar Mandal1, Vineet Kumar1 and Y.S. Rao1

Abstract
Crop classification is an important part in pre-harvest crop acreage estimation and crop production forecasting which interns helps in making a
strategic decision for food security. It is primarily based on the characterization of crop geometry using backscatter response of radar. The
differences in phenological development of crop lead to different temporal signatures in the backscattering. Two crops may show a similar
response in microwave backscatter within a season. But, crop characteristics are changes in a different growing season which lead to separability
of different crops in different date or season. This principle leads to multi-date classification approach. Kernel principle component is used for
feature extraction from multi-date datasets, and the selected features are used for classification using support vector machine (SVM) classifier. In
kernel-based SVM, generalization performance depends on the selection of optimal structural meta-parameters, the margin parameter (C), the
insensitive parameter, and the kernel parameter. We have adopted the method for the estimation of the meta-parameters from the input data itself
by using k-fold cross validation technique. The classification is done both on single date image and multi-temporal dataset of full pol C-band
RADARSAT-2 acquired over Vijayawada region in India. This area includes major crops like rice, sugarcane, cotton, maize, and banana. Results
obtained in classification have been compared with ground truth, which have been gathered through field measurements synchronous with
satellite passes. Single date fully-polarimetric SAR image has lower overall accuracy in between 50-68%, while multi-date image classification
produces 84% overall accuracy. Among all the crops present in the test site, sugarcane shows class mixing problem with trees and plantation in
that area, which may be due to C-band saturation for high biomass vegetation.
Keywords: Kernel PCA, SVM, Classification, Crop, Multi-temporal

Corresponding Author: dipankar_mandal@iitb.ac.in
Page No. 95
Effective Factor Weighting Using AHP and GIS for Agriculture Land Use Suitability
Kriti Shukla2, Bijendra Kumar2, Madavi Venkatesh2, Kumari Priyanka2 and Anshumali2
1Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad
Abstract
To satisfy the demand and supply of food and allied agricultural products, identification of arable land for intensive and extensive agriculture is
necessary. However, identification of suitable agriculture land, their locations and degree of suitability lacks attention and is not well documented.
GIS based overlay and index technique for ideal site selection can play a major role in this regard. But the main disadvantage of using overlay and
index technique is the subjectivity in assigning weights for site suitability parameters. In this study we present an AHP based GIS model for
categorising the Sidhi district, M.P., into highly suitable, moderately suitable, marginally suitable, currently unsuitable and permanently unsuitable
lands for agriculture purpose. To identify agricultural land suitability, a number of evaluation criteria were identified from global data sources,
literature and field survey. The study incorporated 3 sub-models for the selection of optimal agricultural sites. The first model is the restriction
model which identifies the sites which are not suitable for agriculture. The second model is the suitability model which identifies the sites which
may be suitable for agriculture. The final model identifies and ranks the suitable sites for agricultural land parcels according to priority. The
results of the present study revealed significant improvements in identification of suitable sites for agriculture when compared to simple overlay
and index technique. These improvements are mainly attributed due to the ability of AHP technique in reducing the redundancy among the
suitability factors. This study will help in identifying suitable land parcels for effective agricultural management.
Keywords: Analytic Hierarchy Process, Multi Criteria Decision Model, Weighted Linear Combination, Agriculture, GIS
Corresponding Author: kritishukla.ism@gmail.com
Page No. 96
Identification and Area Estimation of Fodder Crops Using Multi-Temporal Remotely Sensed Data: A Case
Example in Haryana, India
Sumi Kala1, Magan Singh1, Sashank Dwivedi2 and Sujay Dutta2

1ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Haryana , 2Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad
Abstract
India has around 75% small and marginal farmers whose major source of livelihood is livestock. Since almost last decade, India has been the
largest producer of milk in the world. Regardless of the importance of livestock, its productivity has been poor. One of the important reason for
low productivity is the non-availability of proper fodder. A very less percentage of cultivable land is devoted for growing fodder crops and most
of the fodder requirement is met by various crop residues. So, it is very important that the development of fodder is done to sustain the livestock
by improving its availability. Remote Sensing techniques can provide an important input in various fodder development activities. The aim of this
study was to discriminate between fodder and other crops and assess its availability in Haryana through Remote-Sensing techniques. In this study,
Indian Remote Sensing satellite (IRS-P6) Linear Imaging Self-Scanning sensor (LISS-III) multi-temporal data was used to discriminate fodder
and other crops in Haryana during January to June. The fodder crops mainly grown in different districts of Haryana are Barley, Lucerne, Sorghum
and Maize which are mostly sown by March and harvested by June for summer season. Ground Truth data of different fodder crops was collected
from different districts of Haryana. After pre-processing the LISS-III images, Normalized Differential Vegetation Index (NDVI) was derived from
different reflectance images. It was observed from the NDVI based temporal profiles that fodder crops mostly showed high NDVI in the month of
May and low in the months of March and June. Whereas, other crops had different NDVI-temporal profiles and trees maintained a high NDVI
throughout. Unsupervised classification was done using May reflectance image stacked with multi-date NDVI images. Different profiles helped in
discriminating fodder crops from others. Pixel count based area under fodder crops was estimated for different district of Haryana. The total area
under fodder cultivation in Haryana was around 37000 Hectares with highest being in Hisar district.
Keywords: Fodder Crop, Remote Sensing, LISS-III, Multi-temporal, NDVI

Corresponding Author: sumikala@gmail.com
Page No. 97
Development of Satellite-based Surface CH4 flux Model for Major Agro-ecosystems from Environmental controls
Sneha Thakur2 and Bimal K. Bhattacharya2

Abstract
Increasing Green House Gases (GHG) is the prime driver for climate change. Among different GHGs the Global warming Potential (GWP) of
CO2 and CH4 are 1 and 56, respectively, over the period of 20 years. Among different environmental controls, soil moisture, soil temperature and
solar radiation influence CH4 flux emission. The anthropogenic factors, particularly, agricultural activity in terms of intensification or expansion
of irrigated area play significant role for enhanced methanogenesis. Till date, in India, periodic CH4 measurements from sparse agricultural sites
were used for upscaling to compute country's emission potential using fixed emission coefficients sampled over few sites. Extrapolation to larger
area always leads to uncertainties in the regional estimation. In the recent age, atmospheric CH4 concentration was measured by Greenhouse
Gases Observing SATllite (GOSAT). Surface CH4 flux emission data have been generated as L4A product from GOSAT observations at 1° x 1°
spatial resolution produced on monthly basis for the period of June 2009 to may 2012 covering three agricultural growing years. Present study
was carried out to develop Multi-variant Linear Regression (MLR) model of surface CH4 flux emission from monthly atmospheric clearness
index (8 km) , day-night land surface temperature (LST) at 1 km and surface soil moisture (25 km) from Kalpana-1, MODIS TERRA and ASCAT
satellites, respectively. All these products were aggregated to GOSAT L4A product resolution. Selected regions of interest over 2° x 2° grids
representing homogeneously spread agro-ecosystems were used to draw data samples of the order of 300 for the year 2011. Initial results showed
that methane flux produced significant correlation (R2 = 0.61) with three as compared two-factor MLR (R2 = 0.4 for clearness index and LST; R2
= 0.57 for clearness index and soil moisture) in case of wheat-based cropping system. Similarly, for rice-based cropping system correlation was
significant (R2 = 0.61) with three parameters than two parameters (R2 = 0.5 for clearness index and LST; R2 = 0.6 for clearness index and soil
moisture) These relations can be utilized for downscaling of surface methane flux from high resolution LST from thermal remote sensing and soil
moisture from Synthetic Aperture Radar.
Keywords: Climate Change, Green House Gases, Methanogenesis, Agro-ecosystems,

Corresponding Author: snehathakur410@gmail.com
Page No. 98
Retrieval of Wheat LAI from PROSAIL Inversion and ANN using LANDSAT OLI and Sentinel-2 MSI Imagery:
Comparison and Validation
Rajkumar Dhakar1, V.K. Sehgal1, D. Chakraborty1, R.N. Sahoo1 and Joydeep Mukherjee1
1ICAR-IndianAgricultural Research Institute, New Delhi
Abstract
Canopy leaf area index (LAI) governs the several physiological and flux exchange processes in terrestrial ecosystems, thus considered to be key
plant biophysical variable. Retrieval of LAI from high resolution space observations at the scale of individual fields is required to determine the
processes in heterogeneous landscape. Various methods have been developed for the retrieval of LAI from remotely sensed imagery. The current
study employed the artificial neural network (ANN) and look-up table (LUT) based inversion of PROSAIL-5B methods for retrieval of wheat
LAI in 20 farmer's fields. Estimation of LAI from Sentinel-2 MSI having 20 m resolution was attempted for two dates (6th Jan and 6th Feb, 2016)
in four ways: (1) ANN based sentinel tool box biophysical processor derived LAI from top of canopy reflectance L2A product, (2) Sentinel top of
atmosphere reflectance (L1C) product corrected by FLAASH algorithm and then LAI is derived from ANN based sentinel tool box biophysical
processor, (3) L2A product was used to retrieve LAI through LUT based inversion of PROSAIL radiative transfer model, (4) top of atmosphere
reflectance (L1C) product corrected by FLAASH algorithm and then LAI is retrieved through LUT based inversion of PROSAIL. These four
ways are termed as ANN_L2A, ANN_FLAASH, LUT_L2A and LUT_FLAASH, respectively. In addition to this, LANDSAT OLI reflectance
corrected by FLAASH algorithm having 30 m resolution were used to retrieve LAI through LUT based inversion of PROSAIL model for four
dates viz., 5th Jan, 6th Feb, 22nd Feb and 9th Mar, 2016. These LAI retrievals were validated through in-situ measurements collected in
farmers??? fields of Pataudi block, Haryana. The results revealed that ANN_L2A largely under-estimated LAI with least accuracy having root
mean square error (RMSE) varied from 1.1 to 2.2 (m2/m2). Atmospheric correction by FLAASH algorithm improved the LAI retrieval through
both methods i.e. ANN and LUT. ANN based method underestimated the LAI than LUT based method. The best agreement was found for
LUT_FLAASH with RMSE of 0.66 - 0.73 (R2 > 0.75). LAI estimated using OLI were in relatively better agreement with observed LAI having
RMSE of 0.71 (R2 = 0.78) in case of FLAASH corrected reflectance. Finally, increase of spatial resolution (from 30 m to 20 m) demonstrated
reduced LAI estimation uncertainties for the 6th Feb 2016 satellite pass.
Keywords: LAI, FLAASH, Sentinel, PROSAIL, Wheat

Corresponding Author: rajdhakar.iari@gmail.com
Page No. 99
Patterns of Satellite Derived Phenology Parameters in Major Wheat Growing Regions of North India During the
Last Three Decades
D. Chakraborty1, V.K. Sehgal1, Rajkumar Dhakar 1 and R.N. Sahoo1

1ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi
Abstract
The virtual certainty of the anticipated climate change will continue to raise many questions about its aggregated impact of environmental changes
on our regional food security in imminent future. Crop responses to these changes are certain, but its exact characteristics are hardly understood at
regional scale due to complex overlapping affects of climate change and anthropogenic manipulation of agroecosystem. This study focused on
deriving phenology of wheat in north India from satellite data and analyzed trend of phenology parameters over last three decades. The phenology
was derived from two widely used source: (1) GIMMS-NDVI and, (2) STAR- Global vegetation Health Products-NDVI. The STAR-NDVI
product is pre-smoothened and hence is better for direct application without further filtering. The results reveal that the length of growing season
(LOS) has significant increasing trend over southern parts of Punjab and northern Haryana while completely reverse trend was observed in
southern Haryana and parts of Uttar Pradesh when the total period from 1980s to 2010s was considered. But the change point analysis indicated
significant shift in the time series of LOS. Southern Punjab, its adjoining parts of Haryana, northern Haryana showed a shift in the length of
growing season mostly occurring during the late 1990s. These areas showed a negative trend in the LOS from late 1990s to 2010s. Both source of
the data yielded similar results, which is a sign of conformity of the pattern. These trends may be due to changes in cropping pattern, introduction
of new crop or varieties or due to the changes in climate. The results demands further research for proper attribution of the effects into its causes
in general and particularly the trends in recent decades may be due to rising temperature.
Keywords: Crop Phenology, Length of Growing Season, Trend, Change Point,

Corresponding Author: debasishagri@gmail.com
Page No. 100

Shift Cultivation Identification Using Fuzzy Based Temporal Data
Gundapuneni Venkata Rao2, Anil Kumar1 and M. Shashi2

1Indian
Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 2National Institute of Technology, Warangal
Abstract
Shift Cultivation is an important component for the forested components of North East India. It is the process of clearing the land, burning much
of the plant material, planting and harvesting crops, and then abandoning the plot of land before moving to a new plot. The Vegetation growth and
Landscape characteristics of North East India are greatly influenced by the Shift Cultivation due to increase in population. In this study, Shift
Cultivation areas were identified using temporal remote sensing data of Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) and Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus
(ETM+) from 1997 to 2010. Different temporal datasets were generated with four dates having one temporal sample per year of TM or ETM+
imageries. Using this data sets temporal indices data base were generated. The challenges were to identify single class (shift cultivation lands) as
well as handling mixed pixel problem. In this study, possibilistic fuzzy based classification approach was used to handle the mixed pixels for
extracting the single class of interest that is shift cultivation lands. Using ground truth data validation of results is done. It was found that the
developed methodology gave satisfactory results in identifying shift cultivation sites.
Keywords: Shift Cultivation, Temporal Data, Temporal Indices, Fuzzy Classification,

Corresponding Author: grao9493@gmail.com
Page No. 101

Mapping Alpine Ecosystem Services of Johar Valley
Debanjan Sarkar1, Gautam Talukdar2, Regina B. Thomas2 and Amrita Laha2

1ForestResearch Institute, Dehradun , 2Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun
Abstract
Alpine landscape are provides diverse range of ecosystem goods and services. The Johar valley of Askot Landscape, Uttarakhand is a remote and
mountainous area encompassing 672.42 km2 area starting from Munsiari (2200m) to Milam (5000m). The inhabitants of the total 12 settlements
located in the valley are mainly of Bhotiya communities. People of the Johar valley practice seasonal and altitudinal migration. They settle for 6
months (May-October) in the valley and during winter (November-April) they settle in the lower plains. Their livelihood largely depends upon the
natural resources. During their stay in the alpine villages of the Johar valley, they cultivate medicinal herbs in their agricultural land, go for
Cordyceps collection, use fuelwood for cooking purpose etc. A survey was conducted in May, 2016 to assess two major provisioning services, i.e.
cultivation of medicinal herb and fuelwood provided by the total agricultural land and forests. GIS data were used to determine the total land use
and land cover of the area to determine the total agricultural area and forest. Out of the 34 surveyed families in 6 different villages, 97% of the
total surveyed cultivates & collects medicinal plants in their agricultural land which provides approx. 8, 13,300 INR in total. People mainly
extract Bill (Juniperus communis) and Ratpa (Rhododendron campanulatum) from the forests and scrubland during their stay which estimated
approx. 2146.8 Metric tons.
Keywords: Himalaya, Alpine Ecosystem, Ecosystem Services, Agriculture, Livelihood

Corresponding Author: debanjan1193@gmail.com
Page No. 102

Delineation of Risk zones for Rainfed Groundnut Growing Areas of Tamilnadu Using Water Requirement
Satisfaction Index (WRSI)
Ragunath K.P.1, Balaji Kannan1 and R. Kumaraperumal1

1TamilNadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore
Abstract
Cropland irrigation is a major consumer of water in semiarid and arid regions. An efficient and reliable method for determining the consumptive
use of water by crops is crucial for adequate water management. As fresh water becomes scarcer, competition for water intensifies and better
irrigation management will be required to achieve greater efficiency in the use of this valuable resource. Water requirement satisfaction index
(WRSI) is an indicator of crop performance based on the availability of water to the crop during a growing season. FAO studies have shown that
WRSI can be related to crop production using a linear yield-reduction function specific to a crop. WRSI is calculated as the ratio of seasonal
actual evapo-transpiration (AET) to the seasonal crop water requirement (WR) where WR is derived from Remote Sensing derived parameters by
the method proposed by Jiang et al., 1999 for potential evapo-transpiration (PET), the crop coefficient (Kc) adjusted for the growth stage of the
crop and AET represents the actual amount of water withdrawn from the soil water reservoir. The other parameters needed for calculating WRSI
viz., Available water holding capacity were derived from soil data available with the department of Remote Sensing and GIS, TNAU and
precipitation from TRMM data. Groundnut in Tamil Nadu is grown as rainfed crop in two seasons with starting period viz., mid of July and mid
of September. Results derived from WRSI, computed over 14 years of period starting from 2000 to 2013 through remote sensing components
revealed that the July crop is less susceptible for water stress when considered to the September crop. Most parts of the north western and western
region of Tamil Nadu have very high risk to chance of crop failure when grown in September period. Zonal statistics revealed that crop with start
season at mid of September in Dharmapuri, Erode, Krishnagiri, Salem and Tiruppur districts has large extent of area that fall under crop failure
zone. Considerable areas in Coimbatore, Dindigul, Tiruchirappalli, Tiruvannamalai and Vellore districts fall under very high risk zones for
growing groundnut crop.
Keywords: WRSI, Remote Sensing, Rainfed Groundnut, Risk Zones,

Corresponding Author: ragunathkp@gmail.com
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Abstract

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Abstract
Keywords: WRSI, Remote Sensing, Rainfed Groundnut, Risk Zones, TRMM

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Abstract
Keywords: WRSI, Remote Sensing, Rainfed Groundnut, Risk Zones, TRMM

Page No. 109

A Rule Based Classification Approach Using Multi-Temporal RISAT Data for Rice Area Mapping and Yield
Estimation Integrating ORYZA Crop Growth Model
S. Pazhanivelan1, M. Nagarajan1, M. Deiveegan1, Tri Setiyono1 and Massimo Barbieri2

1InternationalRice Research Institute, Philippines , 2Sarmap Switzerland , 3Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore
Abstract
Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery is highly suitable for detecting lowland rice, especially in tropical and subtropical regions where
pervasive cloud cover in the rainy seasons precludes the use of optical imagery. A simple, robust, rule-based classification for mapping rice area
with regularly acquired, multi-temporal, C-band, HH polarized RISAT SAR imagery and site specific parameters were used for classification. The
rules for rice detection are based on the well studied temporal signature of rice from SAR backscatter and its relationship to crop stages. The
robustness of the approach is demonstrated on a very large dataset involving Seven images across a footprint covering Tiruchirapalli and
Thanjavur districts in Tamilnadu, India obtained between August 2014 and January 2015. In-season site visits were conducted across 60
monitoring locations in the footprints for classification purposes and more than 160 field observations were made for accuracy assessment. Some
73,700 ha of rice were mapped with classification accuracy from 89.4% with a Kappa value of 0.79. Using ORYZA2000, a weather driven
process based crop growth simulation model developed by IRRI, yield estimates were made by integrating remote sensing products viz., seasonal
rice area, start of season and backscatter time series. By generating average backscatter for each time series and dB stack for each SoS, LAI values
were estimated. The model has generated rice yield estimate for each hectare which were aggregated per block and compared against CCE yield.
Yield Simulation accuracy of more than 87% at district level and 85-91% at block level from the study means that simulated yield matched
observed yield perfectly indicating the suitability of these products for policy decisions ensuring food security.
Keywords: Rice, Crop Yield Monitoring, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), ORYZA2000, Crop Growth Model
Corresponding Author: pazhanivelans@gmail.com
Page No. 110

Pests and Diseases Damage Detection in Chilli Using Remote Sensing
Mathyam Prabhakar1, N. Ravikumar1, Merugu Thirupathi1 and Ch. Srinivasa Rao1

1ICAR-CentralResearch Institute for Dryland Agriculture, Hyderabad
Abstract
Chilli (Capsicum annum) is one of the important commercial crops in India. India is the single largest producer contributing to 38% of world
production and Andhra Pradesh is the largest producer accounting for 50%. Insects and disease affect the yields through reduction of
photosynthetic area in early stages and infestation on reproductive stages at later stages. Early detection of pest and disease infestation is crucial
for initiation of timely pest control advisory. Recent advances in remote sensing offer scope for detection of crop stress over large area. In this
study spectral reflectance was collected from a range of pests and diseases infesting chilli in Mahabubnagar district, Telangana State during
2015-16. Spectral reflectance was collected from chilli plants infested with powdery mildew, thrips and leaf curl viral disease using ASD
FieldSpec Hyperspectral radiometer (350-2500nm). Simultaneously SPAD data was also collected for chlorophyll content from all the sampled
plants. Size of chilli fields in the area was large (0.5- 2 ha) and ground truth data was collected from 51 fields. Space-borne data from Landsat
ETM+ during the study period was used for the spatial assessment of chilli damage. GCPs were used to verify the training sites (defined classes).
Supervised classification was performed in ENVI 4.7 using maximum likelihood classification. Some of the hyper spectral vegetation indices
from the published literature were tested for diseases in chilli using ground based hyper spectral reflectance data. The results showed that
Chlorophyll Index, ZarcoTejada and Miller (ZTM), Vogelman Red Edge Index (740/720), Anthocyanin reflectance index (ARI) were significantly
superior for powdery mildew damage assessment. While Water Index (WI), Anthocyanin Reflectance Index (ARI), Modified Chlorophyll
Absorption Integral (mCAI) and Triangular Vegetation Index (TVI) were found significant for thrips damage. While for leaf curl disease
Red-edge Vegetation Stress Index (RVSI), Red Edge 750-700, Red Green Ratio Index (RGRI) and Visible Atmospherically Resistant Index
(VARI) were found to be significant. Classification of space-borne data showed that area under chili, cotton and pigeonpea were 759, 750 and 361
ha, respectively. While, area under powdery mildew and leaf curl disease on chilli were at 40 and 252 ha, respectively.
Keywords: Crop, Pests and Diseases, Remote Sensing, Hyperspectral, Landsat

Corresponding Author: prab249@gmail.com
Page No. 111

Urban Tree Canopy Detection Using Object-Based Image Analysis Approach for High Resolution Satellite Imagery
Sujata R. Kadu1, Imdad Rizvi 1 and Balaji G. Hogade1

1Terna Engineering College, Navi Mumbai
Abstract
With half of the world population living in areas dominated by conurbations of asphalt, sealed surfaces and polluted air, the attention has been
centered on how to improve the living conditions of urban dwellers and on how to reduce the environmental effects of urban sprawl. One way to
achieve this is through the management of urban forest in metropolitan area. Urban forest may be defined as the collection of all trees in stands
and in groups as well as single trees with in and close to urban area. These includes for examples trees in woods, parks , private gardens, streets,
as well as tree planted around factories, offices, hospitals and schools. Benefits of Urban forest are trees provide shade and lower surface
temperatures on roads, walkways and other paved surfaces, reducing the heating of rainwater that runs across its surface. This minimizes the fast,
hot and dirty impact of runoff pollution. Trees help protect your house from rain, heat and wind, reducing your energy use. Trees help to shade
your lawn and garden which reducing their water needs in summer. Urban vegetation plays a very vital role in urban planning and environment
protection. This paper proposed for developing an indigenous system for extraction of thematic information from high resolution remotely sensed
data for various tree canopies using MATLAB and eCognition software.
Keywords: High resolution Images, OBIA, Multiresolution segmentation, urban area,

Corresponding Author: sujatakadu@gmail.com
Page No. 112

Wheat Pre-harvest Acreage/Production Estimation (2014-15) using Remote Sensing Data for Uttarakhand State
Divya Uniyal1, Gajendra Singh Rawat1 and Durgesh Pant1

1USAC, Dehradun
Abstract
Economically importance of wheat crop in Uttarakhand state is well known, which is grown in around 26% of total available agriculture area of
the state. A wide variation has been noticed in wheat production in hills and tarai region of the state. The agricultural productivity is lower in hilly
regions as compare to tarai region, due to terrace cultivation, traditional system of agriculture, small land holdings, variation in physiography, top
soil erodibility during rainy season, improper irrigation system etc. Pre-harvest acreage/yield/production estimation of major crops is being done
with the help of conventional crop cutting method (CCM), which is biased, inaccurate and time consuming. Remote Sensing data with multi-
temporal and multi-spectral capabilities has given away new dimension in crop discrimination analysis and acreage/yield/production estimation in
recent years. In view of this, Uttarakhand Space Application Centre (USAC), Dehradun have developed techniques for the discrimination of crops
and estimation of pre-harvest wheat acreage/yield/production. LISS-III sensor data of Rabi season for the year 2014-15 was used and all districts
of the Uttarakhand state along with ground data were used for detailed analysis. Different methods were used for wheat discriminations and
pre-harvest acreage estimations. For yield estimation, mathematical equation has been used. The total pre-harvest acreage estimation of wheat
crop in Uttarakhand state is 378777.94 ha and production estimation range is about 801474.28 m-t-892199.30 m-t for whole Uttarakhand state. To
forecast production before harvest facilitate the formulation of effective marketing strategies leading to better export/import of crop in the state,
which will help to lead better economic condition of the state. Yield estimation would help agriculture department in evaluation of productivity of
land for specific crop. Pre-harvest wheat acreage/production estimation, is useful to facilitate the trustworthy and timely estimates and enable the
administrators and planners to take strategic decisions on import-export policy matters and trade negotiations.
Keywords: Soil erodibility, Pre-harvest acreage, Rabi season, Remote sensing, Yield estimation
Page No. 113

Crop Acreage Estimation in Jharkhand Using Satellite Remote Sensing Data
Sarvesh Singhal1, N.K. Sharma1, N.J. Kullu1, J.B. Lamay1, Swadhina Koley1 and Sabyasachi Pandit1
1Jharkhand Space Applications Centre, Ranchi
Abstract
The study was undertaken to estimate the crop acreage in different season in Jharkhand state. The crop acreage estimation is being done by
agriculture department and Department of economics and statistics, Government of Jharkhand. However, the acreage figure estimated by both the
departments does not match with each other. The main reason for non match of the statistics is due to eye estimation followed by both
departments. Further, the agriculture area varies significantly year to year depending on the monsoon fluctuations. Therefore, the present study
was planned to estimate crop acreage using satellite remote sensing data. The crop acreage estimation for year 2015-16 has been completed using
Landsat-8 satellite images. Total area recorded in agriculture category was 46.13 % and under non-agriculture category (built-up, forest land and
wasteland) was 51.34 % of total geographical area. Waterbodies occupied 2.53 % of total geographical area. In agriculture category 53.1 % area
was occupied by cropland and 46.89% area by fallow land. Kharif, rabi, zaid, double crop and more than two season crop occupied 39.29%,
6.46%, 0.25%, 6.76% and 0.34% area, respectively out of 53.1 % area under cropland. Gross cropped area of Jharkhand was 24.50 % (19526.42
Km2) and net sown area was 21.22 % (16914.17 Km2). Cropping intensity was 115.44. Crop acreage statistics was generated for all the blocks of
Jharkhand. The crop acreage statistics was compared with the estimates of State Agriculture Department and Department of Economics and
Statistics. The analysis showed that there is huge potential of crop acreage increment in rabi and zaid seasons provided the irrigation facilities.
Keywords: Rabi, Kharif, Zaid, Net Sown Area, Cropping Intensity

Corresponding Author: sharmank@rediffmail.com
Page No. 114

Exploring the Feasibility of using Remote Sensing in Estimating the Fodder Crops
Darsh Worah1, Subir Mitra1, Dr. Sujay Datta2 and Mena Paghadar1
1NDDB, 2SAC-ISRO
Abstract
India is the largest producer of milk in the world. The most important aspect of milk production in our country is that it is a major source of
livelihood for a large proportion of the rural population, especially small holder farmers. About 80 percent of dairy farmers are small and
marginal, typically owning one to three milk producing animals and contribute about 70 % to the total milk production. Improving productivity in
our dairy sector can potentially contribute to improved food security and stability of national milk prices, in addition to improving the incomes of
millions of small holder milk producers. One important way in which the productivity can be improved is to improve availability of feed and
fodder for the bovine animals. However, less than 5 per cent of the cultivable land is devoted to growing fodder crops, though the contribution of
the livestock sector to the agriculture GDP (at constant prices) is higher than that of cereals (2012-13). Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) has successfully developed the crop production forecasts (FASAL) technology, for major food crops, using remote sensing techniques.
This pilot project, which is first of its kind in the country, had been initiated in collaboration with Space Applications Centre (SAC), ISRO, to
explore, whether remote sensing techniques could be utilised in estimating the area under fodder crop and the extent of availability of current
fallows and culturable wastelands, with their geographical locations. Fodder crops are normally grown sparsely and in very small plots by our
farmers, typically one hectare or less. This makes the job of discrimination of these crops through remote sensing quite challenging. This pilot
project could estimate the area under green fodder crops in Banaskantha district (81 thousand hectares) and the fallow areas & culturable
wastelands (57 thousand hectares) with 77% accuracy level. It could also demarcate these areas on a GIS platform.
Keywords: Fodder, Livestock, Dairy, Agriculture, Remote sensing

Corresponding Author: dkworah@gmail.com
Page No. 115

An Investigation of Various Hybrid Polarimetric Decomposition Techniques for Crop Discrimination
Thota Sivasankar1, Dheeraj Kumar2 and Hari Shanker Srivastava1

1IndianInstitute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 2Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad
Abstract
Crop discrimination is the primary step for many agricultural related applications using remote sensing data. Although the role of SAR data in
agricultural applications including crop discrimination has been well understood and well documented, the use of hybrid polarimetric SAR data in
this field has been grossly under explored and under reported. Launch of RISAT-1, the Indian indigenous SAR satellite makes multi-incidence
angle multi-temporal hybrid polarimetric SAR data available for remote sensing community. Discrete scattering mechanism generated from
hybrid polarimetric SAR data using three different scattering decomposition techniques (m-delta, m-alpha and m-chi) are widely using for several
geo-spatial applications. This paper investigates the effectiveness of these three decomposition techniques for crop discrimination. In all the three
hybrid polarimetric decomposition techniques (m-delta, m-alpha and m-chi), the depolarized component of the return signal power is considered
as volume component. And the polarized portion of the return signal is formulized to estimate the even bounce and odd bounce parameters
determined by delta, alpha and chi in m-delta, m-alpha and m-chi space decomposition techniques respectively. Volume component can be
discriminate the inter land cover targets such as vegetation and non-vegetation classes but cannot distinguish the intra land cover classes. In such
cases, the even bounce and odd bounce generated from polarized component of return signal power plays vital role in crop discrimination. In this
study it has been observed that superior crop discrimination accuracy has been achieved with m-chi derived parameters than with m-delta and
m-alpha derived parameters. This indicates that the use of relative proportion of magnitude as well as phase difference of the horizontal and
vertical polarized return signals can improve the crop discrimination than by using any of these alone.
Keywords: Crop discrimination, RISAT-1, Hybrid Polarimetric, Scattering decomposition, SAR

Corresponding Author: siva.iirs@gmail.com
Page No. 116

Land Capability Classification for Watershed Development Using Space Technology and GIS Techniques
Deepchand2, A.L. Haldar2, Gajendra Chaurasiya2 and Prakash Chandra Tiwari1

1Kamla Nehru Institute of Physical and Social Sciences, Sultanpur , 2Remote Sensing Application Centre, Lucknow
Abstract
Land is the limited natural resources; it is most vital natural resource which needs to be utilized according to its full potential. The land capability
classification is governed by the different thematic maps such as soil texture and depth, geology, hydrology and topography etc. U.P. is a largest
food grain producing state of India about 20% of the country???s total food grain production. The state is also characterized by extreme
dependence on agriculture. About 80% of its population live in rural areas and rich in resources but has a high population density and declining
soil fertility the percentage is declining gradually.The present study was conducted at Jamrar Watershed of eastern Lalitpur district (Longitude
78° 38' 15" E 78° 46' 52" E and Latitude 24° 35' 1" N to 24° 0' 15" N) of Uttar Pradesh which is facing severe land degradation problems. Here,
an attempt has been made to apply space technology and GIS for watershed development of the study region. The parameters like slope, soil
texture, depth and land use/ land cover are assessed by space technology and GIS techniques for the land capability classification of Jamrar
Watershed. Slope analysis has been carried out by using CartoDEM data. To assess Land use/ land cover conditions, LISS-III image of 2013 year
is classify by supervised classification techniques. Finally, Intersect overlay technique of GIS is used to integrate spatial information and to create
Land capability classification of the Jamrar Watershed. The analysis reveals that Class II, III and sub-class es, e and s are present in the study
region. Out of that Class II which is much suitable for agriculture and there some limitation such as slope (s) erosion (e), these class cover
maximum area in study region. Class III with limitation es is a very less area cover. Land capability classes can change in better classes if remove
or reduces the existing limitation by economically feasible reclamation measure. The Class III is susceptible to land degradation.Land capability
classification indicates the hazards of land degradation, soil and water erosion etc.These hazards limit the use of land for particular purposes only.
Keywords: Land capability classification, LISS-III, pace technology & GIS, Intersect overlay techniques, Supervised classification
Corresponding Author: deepchand123456@gmail.com
Page No. 117

Influence of Interferometric Coherence Derived Canopy Height in SEBAL (Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for
Land)
Prakash Mohan M.M.1, Rajitha K.1 and Murari R.R. Varma1

1BirlaInstitute of Technology, Pilani
Abstract
The use of C band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data of Sentinel 1A in surface energy balance models is studied .The inteferometric coherence
of various land cover classes are studied in different seasons at Vellayanikkara(Kerala) and Coimbatore (Tamil nadu) areas. It was found a
reasonably high correlation between canopy height and interferometric coherence for plantation crops and high stand vegetations. Simple semi
empirical model was used for correlating canopy height with interferometric coherence of HH and VV polarisations. The heights of canopies
interpolated for the study area is used as an input in SEBAL model instead of average height for calculating the sensible heat. Visible and thermal
band of Landsat 8 is used for calculating the SEBAL parameters. It was observed that the estimated values of evapotranspiration improved in
accuracy compared to the condition where the average crop height is used.
Keywords: Sentinel 1A, Landsat 8, SEBAL, Canopy Height, Coherence

Corresponding Author: p2013408@hyderabad.bits-pilani.ac.in
Page No. 118

Monitoring of Paddy Biomass under BGREI Program Using SAR Data: A Case Study in Odisha
Swati Priya2 and Dipanwita Haldar2

Abstract
Low rice productivity had always been a concern in eastern parts of India. BGREI (Bringing Green Revolution in Eastern India) program was
initiated by Ministry of Agriculture for improving productivity in low productivity zones of eastern region by use of improved package of
practices at selected sites. Present study aimed at monitoring of this program through use of space borne satellite data in various districts of
Odisha in the year of 2014-15. The effect of the improved package of practices on kharif rice has been monitored using microwave remote sensing
data as optical data may not be available at suitable timing due to cloud cover during rice planting season. Assessment of potential of BGREI
program was carried out in different BGREI plots by retrieval of parameters like transplantation date, crop vigor and estimation of biomass in
order to explain the response of input and improved practices in terms of change in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) backscatter obtained from
RISAT -1 and was compared with non BGREI plots using normal package of practices. Site wise analysis of kharif rice in BGREI implemented
plots vis-a-vis control plots was done in the current study using SAR data. Multi-date SAR data were acquired over the region coinciding with
transplanting, tillering and peak vegetative stage of rice crop for computation of transplantation date and peak biomass retrieval. To classify all
rice area, decision rule based model was used. Inverse radiative transfer model was used over classified areas to relate fresh biomass with SAR
backscattering coefficient. District-wise analysis showed an increase of 10-30% in peak biomass in various districts. Kandhamal district, low
productive rainfed area, showed highest increase (30%). Other districts, which were part of BGREI program last year, did not show considerable
change. Uniformity in transplanting dates were also observed in BGREI implemented sites in different districts of Odisha.
Keywords: BGREI, peak biomass, backscatter, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), transplanting date
Corresponding Author: swtpr.04@gmail.com
Page No. 119

Soil Moisture Retrieval under Wheat Crop Using RISAT-1 Hybrid Polarimetric SAR Data
Pavan Kumar Sharma1, Dheeraj Kumar2 and Hari Shanker Srivastava1

Abstract
Use of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data for soil moisture retrieval has been well established and well documented. However, use of hybrid
polarimetric SAR data for soil moisture retrieval is grossly under explored and under reported. The launch of RISAT-1 SAR has opened an
opportunity for Indian scientists to explore hybrid polarimetric SAR data for soil moisture retrieval. In this study an attempt has been made to
retrieve soil moisture underneath wheat crop using FRS beam mode RISAT-1 SAR data acquired at low incidence angle. This has been achieved
by exploiting the sensitivity of RISAT-1 SAR backscatter (RH & RV) along with hybrid polarimetric parameters (even bounce, odd bounce and
volume component) derived from m-delta decomposition technique. First of all an attempt has been made to develop an empirical model between
soil moisture as dependent variable and RISAT-1 SAR backscatter as independent variable. This model resulted in R2 of 0.82 and RMSE of 4.09.
Secondly it has been tried to retrieve soil moisture using volume component derived from hybrid polarimetric SAR data. The basic idea behind
2nd model is due to the fact that moist soil can be defined as mixture of water, soil particles and air pockets. This system causes electrical
discontinuities and resulted in volume scattering when illuminated with Radar signal. Therefore it is expected that the volume component should
be more sensitive to soil moisture than backscatter. The 2nd model resulted in R2 and RMSE of 0.87 and 3.57% respectively. However, an attempt
has been made to improve the accuracy of soil moisture estimation by including even bounce and odd bounce along with volume component. This
model resulted in the highest R2 and lowest RMSE of 0.92 and 2.45% respectively. The results of this study shows that the hybrid polarimetric
parameters can be effectively used for soil moisture estimation underneath wheat crop. The larger swath coverage of hybrid polarimetric SAR data
enable to provide the soil moisture information over a large area.
Keywords: RISAT-1, SAR, Soil moisture, Wheat crop, m-delta

Corresponding Author: pavanks.space@gmail.com
Page No. 120

The Study of the Traditional Homegardens as a Component of Rural Landscape in Barak Valley, Assam, Northeast
India using a Combination of Field Study, Remote Sensing and GIS
Tapasi Das1 and Ashesh Kumar Das1

1Assam University, Silchar
Abstract
The present study focuses on the diversity and composition of the homegardens and the spatial distribution of the homegardens in the rural
landscapes of Barak Valley including the three districts of Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj in order to better understand how the diversity and
compositon of the homegardens is affected by the spatial distribution of homegardens. Complete enumeration was done for diversity analysis in
181 homegardens from 38 villages in the three districts of the Valley. Results indicate high plant diversity with a total of 161 tree species
identified from 47 families. Biodiversity conservation in the homegardens was found to be linked to the multiple values of the different plant
species to the homegardeners and further highlight the concept of the 'conservation through use' approach. Mapping and identification of
homegardens and other dominant land use/ land cover classes done with IRS-P6 LISS-IV data using on-screen visual interpretation technique in a
geographic information system environment revealed homegardens to be the dominant TOF class with the highest percentage coverage of the total
geographical area in the three districts. Spatial analysis of the homegardens in a GIS environment revealed a higher aggregated behaviour of the
homegardens in Cachar district resulting in larger cluster of homegardens and a lesser complexity in interaction with other land use classes which
might have positively influenced the higher diversity recorded from the homegardens in the district compared to the other two districts.
Homegardens were found to be normally fragmented and dispersed in the landscape and the fragmentation parameter does not appear to impact
the ecological attributes of the homegardens unless the clusters of homegardens in the landscape, known as patch, is of very small size and the
disturbance factors, such as urbanization and distance from roads, influence the homegarden structure and diversity in the rural ecosystem. Spatial
analysis of the homegarden distribution in the rural landscape can be useful for planning and designing sustainable agroforestry models and will
help design proper conservation programs for long term maintenance of biodiversity with special management for areas where homegardens are
prone to disappear due to different levels of disturbance.
Keywords: Homegardens, Trees outside forests, Conservation, Rural landscape, Fragmentation

Corresponding Author: tap75ster@gmail.com
Page No. 121

Mapping Sugarcane Cultivation in Adamantina, Sao Paulo Using Remote Sensing : A Multi-Temporal Approach
Hamish Dsouza1 and Sudha Gupta1

1K.J.
Somaiya College of Engineering, Mumbai
Abstract
Early crop prediction can help decision makers prepare for emergencies such as deficit or surplus of harvest. Currently, many countries follow
traditional manual survey methods for mapping crop cultivation and yield estimation. Remote sensing technology provides a better and more cost
effective alternative to manual survey methods for crop mapping. Multi-spectral and hyper-spectral images help study the biochemical
characteristics of crops. Multi-temporal images are useful to study the phenological changes. The unique spectral and phenological characteristics
of crops can help classify them. Sugarcane is an economically important crop considering its use for sugar and ethanol production. In the present
work, images from Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) for the months from March 2008 to October 2008 were used to study sugarcane cultivation
in Adamantina municipality of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The applicability of various vegetation indices such as Normalized Differential Vegetation Index
(NDVI), Normalized Differential Water Index (NDWI), Simple Ratio (SR), Leaf Area Index (LAI), Modified Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index
(MSAVI) and Green Vegetation Index(GVI) were studied. The seasonal variation of the vegetation indices were observed. Various combinations
of these indices were compared for identifying sugarcane cultivations. Supervised classification was done using Scaled Conjugate Gradient (SCG)
Neural Network Classifier. Unsupervised classification was performed by clustering the features using K-means and Fuzzy c-means algorithms.
The results were compared with the sugarcane cultivation maps generated from maps available through the Canasat project of National Institute
for Space Research, Brazil. The results were analyzed by computing confusion matrices. Areas under sugarcane cultivation and sugarcane fields
under renovation could be mapped with 82.2% accuracy. Through this paper, a multi temporal approach to analyze the changes in the spectral and
phenological characteristics for mapping sugarcane has been suggested. These techniques can be used to map sugarcane and could help in yield
estimation.
Keywords: agriculture, sugarcane mapping, vegetation indices, multi temporal,

Corresponding Author: hamish.d@somaiya.edu
Page No. 122

Soil Erosion Assessment at Chikmegeri-3 Micro Watershed in Northern Dry Zone of Karnataka, India Using USLE
Equation with RS and GIS Techniques
Manjunatha Chari K.1, Manjunatha Hebbara1, Patil P. L.1, Mallikarjun L.1 and Nagendra B. R.1
1University
of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad
Abstract
Soil erosion is one of the most critical environmental hazards, as large area suffers from increased surface runoff with loss of nutrients and
decreased water availability to plant leads to reduction in productivity. A study was carried out to estimate soil erosional potential using USLE
with RS and GIS technique at Chikkmegere-3 micro watershed of Koppal district, Karnataka, India. Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) is the
most widely accepted method of assessing soil erosion. It is rated as the standard method for estimating soil loss. The daily rainfall for 15 years
(2000 - 2014) was used to calculate the rainfall erosivity factor (R) and the mean annual rainfall erosivity was 334.3 MJ ha-1 mm-1 h-1. Soils with
erodibility factor < 0.1 was classified as very low, 0.1 to 0.2 as low, 0.2 to 0.3 as moderate, 0.3 to 0.4 as moderately high, 0.4 to 0.5 as high and >
0.5 as very high. The LS factor of mapping units ranged from 0.10 to 0.80. The lower LS factor was attributed to the general slope of the
landscape which was nearly level (0-1% slope) to gently undulating (1-3 % slope). The crop cover factor of the study area ranged from 0.20 to
1.0. The conservation practice factor of the mapping units ranged between 0.5 (2.1-5% slope) and 0.6 (0-2% slope). Based on the estimated soil
loss, mapping units of the micro-watershed were grouped under slight (<5 t ha-1 yr-1), moderate (5-10 t ha-1 yr-1) and high (>10 t ha-1 yr-1) soil
loss category. Average annual soil erosion at micro watershed ranges from 1.8 to 14.65 t ha-1 yr-1. The will helpful to the planners / farmers to
take up scientific soil and water conservation practices.
Keywords: USLE, RS& GIS, micro watershed, erosion

Corresponding Author: achu.agri@gmail.com
Page No. 123

Capacity of Rural Roads to Handle Meteorological Drought in Jaipur District, Rajasthan
Sarina Kalia3, Ravikumar Ganti1, K.K. Mishra2 and Richa Singh3

1J.K.Lakshmipat University, Mahapura , 2Public Works Dept., Jaipur , 3University of Rajasthan, Jaipur
Abstract
Rural roads acts as a catalysts linking villages and opening up of opportunities for villagers to reap the benefits of the development programme of
the country, like India where the government formulate and implements various development programmes for majority of its rural population.
Rural roads provide access to appropriate technologies and means of transporting agricultural products to nearest market centres. With improved
seeds, fertilizers and irrigation practices, agricultural output is less affected even in drought like conditions. In the present work, multi-sensors
data is used to deduce surface and meteorological parameters (vegetation index, temperature, evapotranspiration) of the study area for the years
2000-2016 with actual ground data (rainfall, temperature, ground water level) for detailed drought analysis. Using various surface and
meteorological parameters, Standardised Precipitation Index (SPI), drought index is generated through GIS based interpolation. The Standardised
Precipitation Index (SPI) is used to quantify the precipitation deficit. Spatial and temporal variations in meteorological, hydrological, and
vegetative droughts in the study area is analyzed and correlated for monsoon and non-monsoon seasons during the years 2000-2016. Apart from
it, hydrological model is developed to look into the water availability using SCS curve number technique. Then based on hydrological,
meteorological and agricultural drought indices developed, impact of rural roads under PMGSY is shown for handling drought scenario without
causing much impact on the agricultural yield because of the advanced agricultural practices. This was possible because of the better road
connectivity of Phagi and Dudu with Jaipur City.
Keywords: Rural Roads, PMGSY, Phagi and Dudu, Drought Index, SPI
Corresponding Author: richaajm@gmail.com
Page No. 124

Dynamics of Submergence in Rrice Growing Areas of Bihar
D.D. Sinha1, M.H. Dar1, A.N. Singh1 and U.S. Singh1

1GILWEM, Lucknow , 2International Rice Research Institute, Philippines
Abstract
Bihar is one of the most flood-affected states of India. Due to its water-loving nature, rice is the most preferred crop in the flood-prone areas.
However, excessive flooding leading to complete inundation of rice plants beyond 4-7 days may result in almost complete plant mortality. For
short duration flooding of < 15 days, high yielding rice varieties with SUB1 gene are becoming popular in Bihar. However, for long-term or
stagnant flooding areas, presently only few local, low-yielding varieties are available. In order to help rice breeders in their efforts on evolving
varieties responsive to different flood-prone areas, a study was taken up with the objective of understanding dynamics of flooding and generating
information on different duration floods in Bihar. Radarsat/RISAT-1 based flood maps from National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad, from
2007 to 2015 have been used in this study. Analysis of nine years (2007-2015) flood maps shows that the year 2007 was the severest flood year,
followed by 2008. 2009 and 2010 were the years of moderate flood, while the remaining five years were either insignificant flood or drought
years. During 2007, about 4.2 lac ha rice area (12% of total rice) remained flooded for 34 days, while about 2.5 lac ha (7% of total rice) remained
flooded for 55 days. Water stagnated in about 1.1 lac ha for as long as 77 days. In the moderate flood years (2010), 60000 ha rice (2% of total
area) were flooded in two cycles of 8 and 11 days duration. In the low flood years (2013), only 12000 ha rice (0.4% of total rice) was flooded for
9 days. From the above, it may be concluded that except for the severe flood years, rice area is flooded for <15 days duration which is suitable for
growing new Sub1 rice varieties. In the severe flood years, in a large proportion of flood affected area, flood duration is longer than 15 days. Such
areas are not suitable for Sub1 rice. New rice varieties either with longer duration of flood tolerance or with both flash and stagnant flood
tolerance are therefore needed for such situations.
Keywords: Flood-affected, Sub1, Radarsat

Corresponding Author: d.sinha@irri.org
Page No. 125

Integrating Climate Variables with Remote Sensing and GIS Techniques to Assess Waterlogged Areas
Harkanwal Sekhon 1, Som Pal Singh1, Raj Setia2, P.K. Kingra1 and Brijendra Pateriya2
1PunjabAgricultural University, Ludhiana , 2Punjab Remote Sensing Centre, Ludhiana
Abstract
Waterlogging is a major threat to agricultural production and ecosystem sustainability around the world. Landsat satellite data of different seasons
was used to map waterlogging in the parts of south-western Punjab. Three dates (pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon) Landsat-7 satellite
data of the years 2003 and 2007, and of Landsat-8 satellite data of the year 2013 was used to map the spatial and temporal distribution of
waterlogging. Modified Normalized Difference Water Index (MNDWI)) enhanced the waterlogged area in the satellite image and accurately
extracted these features from the satellite images. The overall accuracy of waterlogged area extracted from the MNDWI image was 90 % with the
Kappa coefficient of 0.68. Compared among the three years (2003, 2008 and 2013), waterlogging was highest in the year 2013. Among different
seasons of the year 2013, waterlogging was higher in the monsoon season, but it was negligible in the post-monsoon season. Inverse distance
weighting technique was used to interpolate the rainfall, minimum, maximum and average temperature. Compared among the three years, rainfall
was highest in the year 2013 (monsoon season), average and maximum temperature in the year 2003 (pre-monsoon season), but minimum
temperature was higher in north-east direction of the study area in the year 2008 (monsoon season) and in south-western direction in the year 2013
(monsoon season). ASTER-DEM was used to extract the elevation in the study area. The values of MNDWI and climate variables corresponding
to ground truthing points were extracted from the raster images and the relationships among these variables showed that MNDWI was
significantly positively correlated with rainfall but significantly negatively correlated with temperature and elevation. The integration of rainfall
and maximum temperature maps with MNDWI in GIS showed that waterlogging was higher in the areas with high rainfall and lower temperature,
but lower in the areas with less rainfall and higher temperature. These results suggest that integration of waterlogging with climate variables,
ground water level and topography in GIS may help in developing a strategy to manage the ground water resources for managing the problem of
waterlogging.
Keywords: MNDWI, rainfall, temperature, topography, waterlogging

Corresponding Author: harkanwalsekhon13@gmail.com
Page No. 126

Onion Crop Identification Using Multi Satellite Data and Drought Effect on the Study Area in Nashik District,
Maharashtra
Priyanka2, S. Mamatha1, S.S. Ray1 and V.R. Mandla2

1Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre, New Delhi , 2VIT University, Vellore
Abstract
Onion is one of the important crops having a significant impact on Indian economy. Its production and pricing play vital role in the life of
common man. It is essential to know the production of onion and impact of climate during the cropping season. In this context the study was
carried out to evaluate the applications of Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS) for identification of onion crop and study
the effect of drought on its production. Landsat-8 (OLI) and Sentinel-2A satellite images were used with ground data for classification of onion
and Landsat-8 was used to study the drought affect. Separability measures and confusion matrices of the classification were studied to identify
suitable data for the purpose. Four separability measures were used and maximum likelihood classification was performed on both the data.
Comparison of single date and multi-date data for crop classification was also studied. Classification on multi-date Seninel-2A data showed
promising results as they maintained the field size and shape at the GT locations. In drought condition in the study NDVI of Landsat-8 and rainfall
data were used to assess area. Variation in these values for the year 2015 was analyzed by comparing with the normal year 2013. Drought
assessment revealed that the year 2015 was a drought period in comparison with 2013 and this influenced the decrease in production of onion crop
in the year 2015.
Keywords: Agriculture, Drought, Image processing, NDVI, Onion

Corresponding Author: khan.priyanka37@gmail.com
Page No. 127

Evapotranspiration Estimation Using Energy Balance Algorithm for Spatially Enhanced Thermal Infrared Image
V. Gowri2 and D. Thirumalaivasan1

1Anna University, Chennai , 2St Joseph's Institute of Technology, Tamil Nadu
Abstract
Evapotranspiration (ET) is one of the major components of the hydrologic cycle. Evapotranspiration links the water cycle and energy balance
together. The problem of actual ET estimation over a large area can be solved using remote sensing methods that provide ET on pixel-by-pixel
basis. The objective of this research is to estimate spatial distribution of actual ET from satellite remote sensing images at high spatial resolution.
This study has been carried out using Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper + sensor. The Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land (SEBAL)
was developed to estimate actual ET. The Thermal Infrared (TIR) remote sensing data is very essential in the estimation of the actual ET. The
spatial resolution of the resulting ET maps is determined by the pixel resolution of the TIR sensor. Data fusion techniques take advantage of the
complementary spatial/spectral resolution characteristics of imaging sensors to spatially enhance the acquired image. Based on the review of
different data fusion techniques the Multi Resolution Analysis (MRA) technique, the discrete wavelet transforms based data fusion was used in
this study. It is inferred that the wavelet enhanced images improved the spatial resolution and retain spectral content from the original image. The
surface temperature was estimated and its spatial variation was studied. The surface temperature estimation from the wavelet enhanced TIR image
is better, compared to the resampled TIR image. The actual ET was computed from SEBAL by combination of satellite image and meteorological
data. The relationships of the intermediate parameters in the SEBAL were studied. Compared to the actual ET estimates derived from resampled
TIR image, actual ET estimated from wavelet enhanced TIR image provides marginally better values. The actual ET evapotranspiration estimated
from wavelet enhanced TIR image had percentage error with in the margin of 10% with Penman-Monteith derived ETact.
Keywords: Evapotranspiration, SEBAL, Spatial enhancemnt, wavelet transforms, Land surface temperature
Corresponding Author: gowrisenthilkumar@gmail.com
Page No. 128

Sensitivity of Soil Dielectric Mixing Models Towards Passive L Band Soil Moisture Retrieval
Prashant K. Srivastava1, Tanvir Islam3, George Petropoulos4, Manika Gupta5 and Rajendra Prasad1
1Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi , 2Indian Institute of Technology, Varanasi , 3NASA-Jet Propulsion Lab., USA , 4University of Aberystwyth , 5University of Delhi, New
Delhi
Abstract
Soil moisture is recognized as a key climatic variable for numerous hydro-meteorological studies including climate change, weather evolution,
hydrological modeling and agricultural forecasting. In situ sensors can be used for estimating the soil. However, because of large spatial and
temporal variations of soil moisture, it is very difficult to monitor at large spatial resolution using in situ sensors. Considering the importance of
soil moisture, there are number of satellites are in orbit launched by agencies like NASA and ESA such as AMSR-2, SMOS, SMAP etc and
another one i.e. NISAR is under planning with aim to provide the soil moisture at various spatial and temporal scales suitable for hydro-
meteorological applications. However, soil moisture accurate retrieval is depends on optimally choosing the retrieval parameters in which soil
dielectric mixing model is considered as an important one. In this study, three dielectric models (Mironov, Dobson, Wang & Schmugge are used in
integration with single channel algorithm using H polarization for retrieval of L band soil moisture. The statistical performance indices such as
R2, Bias and RMSE indicates that the Mironov is performing better than Dobson and Wang and Schmugge models for SMOS soil moisture
retrieval.
Keywords: SMOS, Soil Moisture, Dielectric mixing models, Performance Statistics,

Corresponding Author: prashant.iesd@bhu.ac.in
Page No. 129

Estimation of Crop Evapotranspiration Using Temporal MODIS and Agrometeorological Observations
Alok Ray1, N.R. Patel1 and A. Danodia1

Abstract
The crop coefficient plays a vital role in estimation of crop evapotranspiration for efficient irrigation water management. The irrigation system
needs real time information on types of crops, area under irrigation, crop water requirement etc. Crop coefficient based estimation of crop
evapotranspiration is one of the most commonly used methods. However, uncertainties of the generalized dual crop coefficient method of the
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Irrigation and Drainage Paper No. 56 can contribute to crop evapotranspiration
estimates that are substantially different from actual crop evapotranspiration. Satellite images provide a scientific basis for identification of crops,
its water stress condition, irrigation requirement, etc. The Remotely Sensed vegetation indices can be derived to predict crop coefficient at field
and regional scales. Similarities between the crop coefficient curve and a satellite derived vegetation index showed potential for modeling of Crop
Evapotranspiration as a function of the vegetation index. Therefore the possibility of directly estimating the crop coefficient from satellite
reflectance of a crop for the estimation of crop evapotranspiration was investigated in Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Delhi and Karnal.
Satellite image of MODIS 8-Day Land Surface Reflectance (June 2014 - April 2015) were used to calculate different vegetation indices as NDVI,
SAVI, EVI, WDRVI, NDWI and establish a relationship between NDVI and crop coefficient to estimate crop evapotranspiration. The crop
coefficient of Wheat and Sugarcane crop was ranging from 0.35 to 0.72 (for Rabi Season Wheat) and 0.5 to 0.94 (for Sugarcane) using Kc-NDVI
(Basal coefficient). The maximum crop coefficient Kc-NDVI for Rabi season Wheat is 0.72 and for Sugarcane it is 0.94 using Basal coefficient.
The annual crop evapotranspiration (ETc) ranging from 530.97 to 825.97 mm/year for study area. The coefficient of determinatin (R2), RMSE and
Agreement Index between estimated evapotranspiration and actual evapotranspiration from large aperture scintillometer are 0.50, 0.78 and 0.73,
respectively.
Keywords: Crop Coefficient, Crop Evapotranspiration, Crop water requirement, Reference Evapotranspiration,
Corresponding Author: alokroy92@gmail.com
Page No. 130

Prediction of Topsoil Organic Matter from Visible Spectrum
Binny Gopal1, Amba Shetty1 and Abhiya A.M.1

1National
Institute of Technology, Surathkal
Abstract
Soil organic matter is an index of soil fertility. Reflectance spectroscopy of soil provides one of the alternatives to replace conventional methods.
The primary objective of this research is to explore the relationships between soil organic matter and their visible reflectance spectra in lateritic
type of soils. 156 geo-referenced samples were collected from an area of 42 sq. km, in the coastal zone of Karnataka. Visible reflectance spectra of
the samples were measured by a spectroradiometer in the range of 325 to 1100 nm with a 1nm increment. A comparison between Principal
component regression and Partial least square regression analysis were analyzed to get the optimum model for organic matter prediction. The
results indicates that Partial least square regression performs slightly better with savitzky golay method as the best pre-processing method yielding
with correlation coefficient of 0.76. Thus visible spectrum region could be useful for predicting soil organic matter.
Keywords: Soil organic matter, visible spectrum, multiple linear regression, principal component regression, partial least square regression
Corresponding Author: binnygopal@gmail.com
Page No. 131

Potential of Sentinel-1A SAR Data for the Estimation of Winter Wheat Biophysical Parameters
Pradeep Kumar1, Rajendra Prasad1, Dileep Kumar Gupta1, Varun Narayan Mishra1 and Ajeet Kumar Vishwakarma1
1IndianInstitute of Technology, Varanasi
Abstract
The objective of the present study is to estimate and compare the winter wheat crop biophysical parameters using Sentinel-1A images by support
vector regression (SVR) and radial basis artificial neural network regression (ANNR) algorithms. The In situ measurements of wheat crop
biophysical parameters such as leaf area index (LAI), vegetation water content (VWC), wet biomass (WB), dry biomass (DB) and plant height
(PH) were done during 8 January 2015 to 29 April 2015 in Varanasi. The LAI was measured using LAI-2200C Plant Canopy Analyzer at different
locations of the winter wheat field. WB was collected by cutting the plants in 10 cm2 area at the some different locations and sealed in plastic
bags. These sample plastic bags were weighted by digital weighing scale before putting it to make dry. Samples were putted in to oven to make
dry at 100 0C for the 24h-48h. After dryness samples were weighted to get DB. VWC was computed by subtracting DB from FB. PH
measurements were done manually by tape measurements. Average values of LAI, VWC, FB, DB and PH of five different dates with
VV-polarization at C-band were used for the estimation of crop biophysical parameters. Overall high coefficient of determination (adj.R2 = 0.92)
value was found for VWC using ANNR algorithm. Whereas adj.R2 = 0.90 value was found for VWC using SVR algorithm. Linear function
kernel was applied for the SVR regression. The LAI and FB with adj. R2 (0.86 and 0.81, respectively) using ANNR has shown the better response
in comparison to LAI and FB with adj. R2 (0.82 and 0.81, respectively) values using SVR algorithm. Whereas, SVR with adj.R2 (0.74 and
0.72, respectively) for DB and PH has shown better response in comparison to ANNR for DB and PH with adj.R2 (0.73 and 0.70, respectively)
values.
Keywords: winter wheat , Sentinel-1A , SVR , ANNR , biophysical parameters

Corresponding Author: pradeep.rs.app@itbhu.ac.in
Page No. 132

Estimation of Fallow Land for Crop Intensification Using Multi-temporal and Multi Resolution Satellite Data - A
Case Study
Niti Singh1, Bimal K. Bhattacharya2 and Shibhendu Ray1

1Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre, New Delhi , 2Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad
Abstract
Several studies have been taken place for cropland analysis using remote sensing techniques but it is essential to identify fallow areas for each
growing season for the purpose of crop intensification. Conventionally, classification and field information are used to identify fallow region
whether it is seasonal fallow or current fallow. This study has been carried out to identify and estimate agricultural fallow area and period in
Bhivani, district of Haryana using multi-temporal and multi-resolution data independent of any ground-truth support. Three cropping seasons such
as Rabi, Kharif and Zaid were taken for satellite remote sensing data analysis. Seasonal NDVI minimum with (+-) 2*Sigma (standard deviation)
were used as thresholds to identify fallow areas and period within agricultural land use at moderate to finer scale using MODIS time series 16-day
composite NDVI computed from surface reflectance at 250 m spatial resolution. Over the period of 14 years, Rabi fallow area calculated ranges
from 20-70 thousand ha, Zaid fallow ranges from 60 thousand-1.5 lac ha and Kharif fallow ranges from 13 thousand - 2.7 lac ha. The analysis
showed that there was a significant decrease in fallow area with the average rate of 4-6% decrease annually in 14 years, which implies increased
cropping intensity over the years in study area. The multi-temporal NDVI computed from Landsat and Resourcesat-2 LISS-III data at 30 m and 23
m spatial resolutions were further used to validate seasonal fallow area estimated through MODIS NDVI. Relative Deviation in fallow areas
estimated from MODIS NDVI to that from Landsat and LISS-III analysis was found to be (+-) 3-5% in Rabi and Zaid season, but comparatively
very high in Kharif season.
Keywords: Fallow land, NDVI minimum, Multi-temporal, Multi-resolution, Agriculture Applications

Corresponding Author: niti.geoinfo@gmail.com
Page No. 133

Farm Level Land Suitability Assessment for Agricultural Crops Using Geomatics: A Case Study of Badipur Village
of Patan District, Gujarat
Gautam Dadhich1, Parul R. Patel1, M.H. Kaluberne1 and Ajay Patel1

1BhaskaracharyaInstitute For Space Applications and Geo-Informatics, Gandhinagar , 2Nirma University, Ahmedabad
Abstract
Agriculture is major livelihood of majority of rural population in India. Farmers are enforced to produce more food resources in limited land and
adverse climatic condition to cater exponentially increasing food demand. Crop-land suitability assessment can be a suitable solution for
sustainable agricultural production. In this study effort has been made to carry out land suitability assessment at farm level with easily available
evolution parameters. Methodology has been developed for land suitability assessment using soil health card data. The aim of this study is to
determine physical land suitability for major crops using a Spatial Multi-Criteria Evaluation (SMCE) approach and to compare present land use
vs. potential land use. The study was carried out in Badipur village of Patan district of Gujarat state. Relevant parameters listed in soil health card
as Nitrogen, Potassium, Phosphate, pH, electrical conductivity and organic carbon are considered for suitability analysis. The land evaluation
criteria were developed based on farmers knowledge, agriculture expert suggestions, literature and available crop land suitability criteria. All data
were stored in GIS environment and the maps were generated for each and every parameter. For Multi Criteria Evaluation (MCE), Pairwise
Comparison Matrix known as Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was applied and the suitable areas for major crop were identified. Each farm of
Badipur village was classified and mapped into four categories of suitability (high suitable, moderately suitable, marginally suitable, and
unsuitable) as per Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (1976) qualitative evaluation. The study demonstrates that spatial Multi-Criteria
Decision making Method (MCDM) technique is a powerful support system for agriculture resource management at farm level. The methodology
used in this study can be utilized for implementing crop land suitability at farm level.
Keywords: GIS, Crop Land Suitablity, MCDM

Page No. 134

Spatial Suitability Analysis for Mustered Cultivation Using GIS Based Multi Criteria Approach: A Case Study of
Patan District, Gujarat
Gautam Dadhich1, Parul R. Patel1 and M.H. Kalubarme1

1BhaskaracharyaInstitute For Space Applications and Geo-Informatics, Gandhinagar , 2Nirma University, Ahmedabad
Abstract
In our study we investigated the utilization of GIS for mapping suitable for cultivation of mustard crop in Patan district of Gujarat. A GIS-based
Multi Criteria Decision Making land suitability analysis was performed. Hereby, several suitability factors including Land Use/ Land Cover, Soil
Texture, Slope, Soil pH, Soil Salinity, Soil Sodicity, Soil Depth, Soil Drainage, Ground Water Quality and Soil Nutrients (NPK) were evaluated,
based on expert knowledge from stakeholders at various levels. An Analytical Hierarchical Process was used to rank the various suitability factors
and the resulting weights were used to construct the suitability map layers. Finally, a synthesized land suitability map for mustard crop was
generated by combining these maps and by comparing the product with current land use LISS III satellite images. The land evaluation criteria
were adopted from soil suitability manual of National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning (NBSS & LUP), India and literature survey.
Study area was classified and mapped into four categories of suitability (high suitable, moderately suitable, marginally suitable, and unsuitable) as
per Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (1976) qualitative evaluation. Our investigations have revealed that the distribution of Mustard
acreage under various suitability classes was, highly suitable: 9.47 per cent, moderately suitable: 71.93 per cent, marginally suitable: 11.30 per
cent and non-suitable: 7.29 per cent. This indicates a substantial potential to satisfy the significantly increasing regional demand for agricultural
products obtained from mustard crop. The results of our research have been provided to the regional authorities and will be used in strategic land
use planning.
Keywords: GIS, Agriculture, MCDM

Page No. 135

Biophysical Parameters Retrieval of Wheat Crop using RISAT-1 Dual Polarized SAR Data
Hari Shanker Srivastava1, Thota Sivasankar1 and Pavan Kumar Sharma1

Abstract
Crop biophysical parameters retrieval using satellite remote sensing data can rapidly provide spatial and temporal information on crop growth
status. Although optical remote sensing data has been successfully used for this purpose, the non-availability during cloud cover and thick fog
along with its poor penetration inside the crop canopy are the major limitations associated with optical remote sensing data. The SAR data exhibit
several advantages over optical remote sensing data for crop growth monitoring due to its all-weather capability (dense fog, cloud and rain to
some extent) and its unique sensitivity towards geometrical, structural and dielectric properties of crop plant. In this paper, the potential of C-band
backscattering coefficients at HH and HV polarizations at 36 deg incidence angle towards crop biophysical parameters retrieval has been
analyzed. A clear increasing trend of backscattering coefficients is observed with the crop growth, similar to the results obtained in the case of
ground based scatterometer studies. It is also observed that the HV polarization is more sensitive to the crop biophysical parameters than HH
polarization. This analysis showed that the C-band backscattering coefficient is highly sensitive to the plant water content due to its high dielectric
constant (approx. 80) in comparison to the surroundings. Due to the high correlation of plant water content with leaf area index (LAI) and
biomass, backscattering coefficients can be effectively used to estimate these crop biophysical parameters as well. It is identified that C-band
backscattering coefficient is relatively less sensitive towards the plant height. It is also identified that the plant water content distributed in the
volume (described as Interaction Factor) influence the SAR backscatter. Results of this study indicated that use of HH as well as HV backscatter
can significantly improve the crop biophysical parameters retrieval accuracy than using HV backscatter alone.
Keywords: biophysical parameters retrieval, RISAT-1, dual polarisation, remote sensing, SAR
Corresponding Author: hari.isro@gmail.com
Page No. 136

Theme- Atmosphere, Weather & Climate in RS & GIS Applications Abstract Id: 35
Comparison of INSAT-3D Ozone Column Measurements with OMI Observations over the Indian Subcontinent
Indranil Nandi1, Shuchita Srivastava1 and Yesobu Yarragunta1

Abstract
This study makes the systematic comparison of the total column Ozone (O3) over Indian subcontinent retrieved by India's geostationary satellite
INSAT-3D with OMI observations of AURA satellite launched by NASA. The seasonal variation has been also studied to detect the change of
total column Ozone (O3) over the Indian subcontinent. INSAT-3D significantly underestimated the total column Ozone (O3) at all the twenty data
points in India. The maximum Mean bias is coming 28.30 DU at Shimla and minimum is coming 14.33 DU at Gandhinagar. This study evident
very good correlation between two datasets over South India, East India and Central India. The coefficient of determination are found to be
0.32-0.59, 0.63-0.69 and 0.43-0.70 respectively for these regions. Week correlation is reported over North India and West India with coefficient of
determination values of 0.30-0.4 and 0.41-0.55 respectively. From all the data points the maximum and minimum coefficient of determination
values are 0.70 at Ranchi and 0.30 at Shimla respectively. The negative Index of agreement values at Shimla, Dehradun, Chennai, Pondicherry,
Agartala, Aizawl, Bhubaneswar, Panjim describe large variation present in the two observations. The low RMSE (%) for East India 9.12-9.83,
West India 7.47-9.88 and Central India 7.82-9.28 reflects low differences between the INSAT and OMI observations. High differences are found
to be present over North (9.91-11.48) and South (7.80-10.88) Indian region. The lowest difference is found at Gandhinagar and the highest
difference is found at Shimla. Total column Ozone (O3) shows higher values during spring and summer seasons. The total column content is
continuously decreasing from monsoon to winter. The seasonal variation of total column Ozone (O3) is perfectly established over South India,
East India and West India. Over North and Central India the variation is not clearly evident probably due to the presence of anthropogenic Ozone
(O3) precursors and clouds which affects the tropospheric Ozone (O3) concentration and hence the total column. Comparison with in-situ
observations is needed to precisely establish the goodness of INSAT-3D observations over Indian region.
Keywords: Total column Ozone, OMI , INSAT – 3D, RMSE (%), Seasonal variation
Corresponding Author: indranilnandi2011@gmail.com
Page No. 137

Seasonal Change of Atmospheric Precipitable Water Vapor at Subtropical Northern India Assessed from
Radiometric Measurements and Validated with EO-1 Hyperion Image Analysis
Barun Raychaudhuri1
1PresidencyUniversity, Kolkata
Abstract
The seasonal change of atmospheric precipitable water vapor (PWV) from winter to monsoon was estimated for different tropical areas of
northern India having differences in altitude, climate and average temperature. The extent of change from winter to monsoon was very high,
almost five times or more, not in agreement with the seasonal changes in common meteorological parameters measured at the earth surface, such
as temperature and relative humidity. Several possibilities of such mismatch were investigated and a possible explanation was reached with a
numerical model in terms of difference in saturation vapor pressure at different seasons and change in reference temperature. The model was
validated with data derived from Hyperion hyperspectral images. The incident solar irradiance spectrum at Kolkata around 22039'19.24" N,
88023'00.33" E was measured throughout the ultraviolet-visible-near-infrared range for three different seasons, namely monsoon, autumn and
winter. The condition of radiation absorption through PWV was simulated in laboratory by transmitting white light comprising visible and
near-infrared radiation through variable depth of water. The seasonal variations of the monthly average PWV at different AERONET sites of
northern India were noted and compared with the present measurements. Different possibilities of the large seasonal deviation was investigated.
The chance of fluctuation of instrumental constant and wavelength channel for transmission measurement were discarded. It was concluded that
the seasonal variation of saturation of water vapour throughout the atmospheric column can bring about such large change. The variation was
modeled by assuming a seasonal variation of reference temperature, a thermodynamic quantity that can account for the columnar change in
saturation pressure. An empirical formula was proposed to generate theoretical seasonal changes for relative partial pressure of water vapour with
different sets of parameters. Comparing those with the practically obtained data it was demonstrated that the seasonal change in the saturation of
water vapor can give rise to large seasonal variation in PWV under certain conditions of surface temperature and reference temperature.
Keywords: Precipitable water vapour (PWV), AERONET, Hyperion, Seasonal change ,

Corresponding Author: barun.raychaudhuri@gmail.com
Page No. 138

Influence of Topography and Landuse on Winter Precipitation over Western Himalaya: Experiments with a
Mesoscale model
M.S. Shekhar1, Narasimharao Nalamasu1 and Amreek Singh1

1DRDO-Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment, Chandigarh
Abstract
The effect of changing topography and landuse on winter precipitation over Western Himalaya has been studied in detail. Experiments are carried
out with two different topography and landuse i.e. USGS 30'' and SRTM 3'' data. Two different precipitation events have been simulated by using
Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model version 3.7 and sensitivity experiments have been carried out with these two sets of topography
and landuse data. Difference in precipitation simulated by these two experiments has been compared with the observed precipitation values
available over the area. Results show that the model precipitation for a particular case USGS or STRM is close to the observed precipitation
values where the topography is close to the actual heights of the mountains. Topography corrections due to USGS and SRTM are not uniform
throughout the Western Himalayan region and also not close to the actual values of topography. Thus precipitation simulated in these sensitivity
experiments shows irregularity and differs from regions to regions within the Western Himalaya. The experiments are also carried out with two
different landuse and precipitation simulated by the model is studied. The best topography and landuse category was found out for operational
precipitation forecast over Western and Central Himalaya.
Keywords: Winter precipitation, Topography, Landuse and Land cover, WRF, Western Himalaya
Corresponding Author: narasimhagen@gmail.com
Page No. 139

Detection and Analysis of Fog/Low Clouds over Northern India Using Fog Stability Index (FSI) Technique with
AIRS and INSAT-3D Satellite Data
Arun S.H.2 and Raj Kumar Sharma2

Abstract
An effective way of detecting fog/low clouds using data from Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) and INSAT-3D sounder with a recently
developed technique known as Fog Stability Index (FSI) has been discussed in the present study. The study has been carried out during the fog
season of 2015-2016 over seven locations in the Indo-Gangetic plains. Depending upon the meteorological conditions, different FSI threshold has
been derived over different locations. As an indicator of fog, FSI technique is well capable of indicating the presence or absence of fog in most of
the cases in a near-accurate manner. In order to obtain the wind speed information at desired pressure level, Global Forecast System (GFS) data
has also been used. The same algorithm has been used for both day and night-time analysis. The results obtained were verified with INSAT-3D
imager fog maps and found to be in good agreement in most of the cases.
Keywords: Fog, Fog Stability Index (FSI), INSAT-3D, Sounder, Remote Sensing
Corresponding Author: arunshphysics05@gmail.com
Page No. 140

Cloud Fraction using Kalpana-1 over Indian Region
Shivali Verma1 and Hareef Baba1

Abstract
Cloud Fraction constitutes an important factor in the studies related to climate change. It is one of the essential climate variables retrieved by
space borne satellite data that is required by the scientific community. It is an operational product in National Information System for Climate and
Environment Studies (NICES) for a better understanding of climate and its prediction. Its significance lies in earth's radiation budget studies, solar
energy harvesting and climate modelling. It is a measurement to determine how much of the earth is covered by clouds and it is calculated by
counting the number of pixels in a square grid which are cloudy and dividing them by the total area of the grid. Cloud fraction is retrieved using
the Indian geo-stationary satellite Kalpana-1, which has Very High Resolution Radiometer on board, collecting data in three wavelength channels
i.e. visible, infrared and water vapour. The satellite acquires 48 scenes a day, at an interval of half-hour, because of which, cloud fraction at a
temporal resolution of 30 minutes is presented for the first time. Cloud fraction retrieved from satellite depends on how accurate the clear sky
composite has been generated. For this we use a methodology that takes all three bands data as an input, and a series of consistency tests are
involved to generate a clear sky composite, using which cloud is detected. Clear sky composite generation has limitation over snow and desert
areas. The study reveals a good agreement between cloud fraction from Kalpana-1 and MODIS with the correlation coefficient being greater than
0.6. This product is planned to be continued with INSAT-3D and future geo-stationary missions, thereby increasing the temporal resolution from
30 to 15 minutes.
Keywords: Kalapana-1, VHRR, Cloud fraction, Cloud cover

Corresponding Author: shivali15verma@gmail.com
Page No. 141

Development of a Satellite-based fused Atmospheric Aerosol dataset over South Asia using Bayesian Principles
Manoj Kumar Singh2, Ritesh Gautam1 and Parvatham Venkatachalam1

1Indian
Institute of Technology, Bombay , 2University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun
Abstract
Atmospheric aerosols with their absorptive and scattering properties, play an important role in the Earth's radiation budget. By altering
microphysical properties of the clouds, aerosols are also an integral part of the hydrological cycle. Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD), which
represents the column-integrated aerosol loading in the atmosphere, retrieved from MISR and MODIS sensors are available since 2000. AOD data
from these two sensors are widely used in aerosol characterization studies as well as in the assessment of aerosol impacts on the Earth's climate. It
is also known that satellite-based aerosol retrievals are impacted by biases in retrieval algorithms, spatial/temporal resolutions and sampling, as
well as cloud-screening schemes. Therefore, a fused or merged AOD dataset is desirable which is minimal of any biases and has the strengths of
the individual and disparate satellite-based AOD retrievals, with improved accuracy when compared to AERONET. With the need of a more
complete and accurate AOD dataset focusing on southern Asia, we have attempted to generate a fused AOD product based on MISR and MODIS
Level-2 AOD products, using the probability distribution of the AOD, distribution of error present in the individual products and a Bayesian
model. The accuracy of the fused AOD product is inter-compared with MISR and MODIS in terms of correlation coefficient (r) and RMSE with
the AERONET stations in the Indo-Gangetic Plains. It is found that the RMSE of merged AOD (0.08-0.13) data is lower than MISR (0.11-0.21)
and MODIS (0.15-0.21) retrievals. The merged AOD data has higher correlation with AERONET data (0.89-0.92), compared to MISR
(0.81-0.86) and MODIS (0.69-0.86). The accuracy of the fused AOD is also compared with the Expected Error (EE) envelope. It is found that the
percent of the fused AOD (77.3%-84.9%) falling within EE envelope is greater than MISR (58.4%-75.0%) and MODIS (49.1%-69.8%). Overall,
the comparison of fused AOD, MISR and MODIS with the AERONET in terms of r, RMSE and EE envelope suggests significant improved
accuracy of the fused AOD dataset. The resulting AOD dataset and our aerosol data fusion methodology are especially relevant in the scenario of
development of long-term satellite-based climate data records.
Keywords: Aerosol Optical Depth, Data Merging, Bayesian

Corresponding Author: manojspeak@gmail.com
Page No. 142

A Novel Approach using Open System Architecture to Convert Indian Meteorological Grid data in GIS Ready
Format
Ronak Ashar1, Kamal Pandey1 and Harish Karnatak1

1Indian
Abstract
High resolution daily temperature and rainfall data from Indian Metrological Department (IMD) is being used for analysing the climate extremes
in Indian subcontinent regions. IMD at present maintains around 550 surface observatories in the country, where daily surface air temperature
observations (maximum and minimum) are taken. Whereas there are about 6000+ rain-gauge stations maintained by IMD for the observation of
daily rainfall data. Rainfall and temperature data are available at various scales such as gridded at 0.50 x 0.50, 0.25x 0.25 and 1.0 x 1.0 and so on.
The data provided by IMD is in grid (.grd) format which is a closed data format and is not compatible with popular GIS platforms. The grid file
consists of values of temperature or rainfall of the corresponding location. Conversion of this grid data in GIS ready format is required by many
users and researchers of this domain. During this study an attempt has been made to develop an online tool to convert IMD grid data in shape file
format using open source technologies. Python and C programming language are used for server side software application development. Using C
programming language, the data is first converted into ASCII format and then using PySHP library the data is made available in shape file format.
As a server side tool, it is supported in windows and Linux platform for both 32-bit and 64-bit operating system. The developed system provides
an interoperable solution of IMD gridded data to GIS environment for geospatial analysis and processing of climatic data. This manuscript
presents the detailed software system architecture for design and development of this online tool for conversion of IMD gridded data to GIS ready
format.
Keywords: IMD Gridded data, GIS, Climate, Interoperability, Python and C

Corresponding Author: ronak.ashar8399@gmail.com
Page No. 143

Interlink of Aerosols with the Active and Break Rain Spells of the Uttarakhand Region
Charu Singh1, Dilip Ganguly2 and S.K. Dash2

1IndianInstitute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 2Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi
Abstract
Using a long term remotely sensed precipitation data set (TRMM 3B42 V7) for the past 16 years and model derived (ECMWF) aerosol species,
the active and break rain spells during the summer monsoon season have been studied over the Uttarakhand region. The active and break spells of
the Indian summer monsoon are derived using a modified definition. Aerosols are considered as a regional contributor in altering the rainfall
pattern through their direct and indirect effects; apart from this the role of dynamics can also not be ignored in altering the monsoon rainfall
pattern. Therefore, wind speed and direction have also been studied in conjunction with the rain and aerosols in the present study. It is observed
from the analysis that the distribution of aerosols is substantially different prior, during and after the active/break spells of rain. It is suggested that
alteration in the spatial pattern of the aerosols over and surrounding regions of Uttarakhand have a considerable role to play in modifying the
amount of rainfall during the monsoon season. Results presented here are based on a composite time series of the active and break spells of the
monsoon rainfall and are supported by the statistically robust significance test. This study may be useful for the understanding of the linkages
between the aerosols and intensity of rainfall
Keywords: Remotely sensed, Precipitation , Aerosols, Active and break, Monsoon season
Corresponding Author: charu@iirs.gov.in
Page No. 144

Climatological Spatial Distribution of Hydro-meteors over the Himachal Pradesh
Sudeshna Purakait1 and Charu Singh1

Abstract
Water or ice particles that lie in the atmosphere or at the Earth's surface as a result of condensation or sublimation are called hydrometeors.
Various types of hydrometeors based on their sizes and relative positions from the ground can influence different types of rainfall. Various
research works have shown that convective precipitation is found to be more affected by water hydrometeors while stratiform precipitation is
more correlated with ice hydrometeors. In addition vertical profiles of hydrometers also indirectly indicate latent heat structure. Therefore the
study of hydrometeors is essential to analyse precipitation. In the present study we have focused on the analysis of vertical profiles of different
types of water hydrometeors followed by their long term spatial distribution over the state of the Himachal Pradesh (HP) during monsoon when
this state receives more than 80% of its annual rainfall. The state, HP has been selected as the study area since the forecasting of rainfall over this
state is a big challenge due to the modification of the space and time of rainfall though the complex interactions between clouds and topography.
Also the frequency of extreme rainfall events over this state has been increased in the recent years and to the author's knowledge the study of
hydrometeors is least explored. Satellite datasets (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) 2A12 version 6) have been preferably chosen for
this comprehensive study because of the remoteness of the area and lack of in-situ data. The vertical profiles of water hydrometeors have been
drawn using latitude longitude average. From those vertical profiles the levels of maxima have been registered. Further the spatial distribution of
the water hydrometeors at the levels of maxima have been shown and compared with Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) digital elevation
model datasets. The present study will be helpful to understand cloud hydrometeors characteristics in this region in an appropriate way so that
better parameterization in Numerical Weather Prediction Model (NWP) model followed by improvement in the forecasting of rainfall may be
done in future.
Keywords: Hydrometeors, Cloud water, Precipitation water, TRMM 2A12, Himachal Pradesh
Corresponding Author: sudeshnapurakait@gmail.com
Page No. 145

Effect of Sensor Spectral Response on the Estimation of Aerosol Optical Depth using SMART Model - A Case
Study
Manu Mehta1, Rimjhim Rao1, Attili Rajsekhar3 and Gaurav Jyoti Doley2
1BanasthaliUniversity, Vanasthali , 2Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 3Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad , 4National Institute of
Technology, Warangal
Abstract
Aerosols are the minute suspended particles present in the atmosphere. The aerosol load in the atmosphere is quantified in the form of aerosol
optical depth (AOD). Two approaches are generally used to estimate the AOD i.e., ground based AOD measurements and remote sensing
techniques. While ground based approaches are more precise, they are point based. Hence, efforts are made to estimate aerosol optical depth using
satellite datasets. In this study, we perform estimation of AOD data using a radiative transfer approach "SMART" (Simple Model for Atmospheric
Radiative Transfer). The method exploits the signals recorded by first band (B2: 0.52-0.59 micrometer) of Resourcesat-2 Advanced Wide Field
Sensor (AWiFS). Land surface albedo product is taken from NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor. In order
to validate the study, AOD measurements using the sun photometer were also recorded at the time of satellite pass over different features. The
effect of relative spectral response* (RSR) of AWiFS data has been studied in particular. Our analysis found that the results differ only by
approximately 0.7% with and without considering RSR into the computations.
*The RSR data was procured from SAC, Ahmedabad (ISRO)
Keywords: AWiFS, SMART, Relative Spectral Response, Radiative Transfer, Aerosol Optical Depth
Corresponding Author: rimjhimrao@gmail.com
Page No. 146

Assessment of Two Standard Rainfall Products- A Case Study over the North-West Himalayan region
Arkadeb Banerjee 1 and Charu Singh1

1Indian
Abstract
The Himalayan Mountain plays a significant role on Indian Summer Monsoon. Orography and its spatial distribution force the moisture-laden
winds coming from South-West direction during June to September over the Indian region. The North-West Himalayan region has distinctive
climate; rainfall over this region has been least explored because of its complex orography. Lack of ground based observation is also a serious
problem to investigate the amount of rainfall. Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) model are also unable to capture extreme rainfall events
which occurs frequently over the region during monsoon season. In view of above, a comparative assessment has been made using remote sensing
satellite data. The present work utilizes rainfall product from TRMM 3B42 v7 and Kalpana-1 IMR over the North-West Himalayan region.
3-hourly precipitation data from both TRMM 3B42 and Kalpana-1 IMR is taken for 2010-2013 monsoon periods. It is observed that IMSRA
(Kalpana-1 IMR) technique is closer to the TRMM Multi-Satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA) rainfall estimation in terms of location of
rainfall areas though high underestimations are associated with IMSRA algorithm. Correlation factors coming from different observations show
insignificant relationship with IMSRA. Two standard rainfall products over the Indian region are also compared with rain-gauge data and
observational study depicts that Kalapana-1 IMR underestimates satellite rainfall estimation over the region as compared to TRMM 3B42.
Keywords: Monsoon, Orography, NWP, TRMM 3B42, Kalpana-1 IMR

Corresponding Author: arka354deb@gmail.com
Page No. 147

Night Time Fog Detection using MODIS Data over Mongolia
Pooja Jindal1 and Sukhbaatar Bold1

1Aviation Meteorological Centre , 2Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun
Abstract
In the present study, an attempted has been made to develop a method for night time fog detection using MODIS data over Mongolia. A bispectral
thresholding technique involving brightness temperature difference (BTD) between two spectral bands: 3.96 µm and 11.03 µm have been used for
night time fog detection over Mongolia. As this technique is not able to distinguish between fog and low stratus clouds, a wind filtering technique
has been used to remove the lower stratus clouds to get best possible accuracy in the fog image. The study has been done over Mongolia for the
full month of December 2011 and the fog image has been found to be reasonably good by validating with ground observation data. The present
method can be used to monitor night time fog over the Mongolian region on an operational basis using geostationary satellite data.
Keywords: Night time fog, MODIS, Wind filtering technique, ,

Corresponding Author: pooja_j@iirs.gov.in
Page No. 148

Seasonal variation of Colored Dissolved Organic Matter and its Relation with Sea Surface Temperature
Jyoti Prakash Hati1 and A.K. Mishra 1

Abstract
It is well established that Coloured Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM) influences ocean colour in many ways and takes part in various physical
and biological processes. As Bay of Bengal (BOB) receives reasonably huge amount of freshwater from different rivers, (such as Ganga and its
tributaries, Brahmaputra, Jamuna, Meghna, Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, and Kaveri) so CDOM concentration varies in the BOB throughout the
year. For investigating the seasonal variation of CDOM, we have taken a representative year 2014. CDOM concentration in the case 1 waters of
BOB was retrieved from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Aqua data (level 1 and 2 local browser; resolution 1 km x1
km). We have observed low CDOM concentration in April, May and June, whereas after the onset of Monsoon, CDOM concentration gets higher.
Low concentration may be due to the photobleaching effect in the presence of high temperature in those months. In the monsoon months, BOB
receives huge amount of freshwater from different rivers so average CDOM concentration remains high. The outcome anomaly in October can be
interpreted as an effect of cyclonic activity in this region which leads to high mixing rate. A relation between CDOM concentration and
Sea-Surface temperature (SST) was tried to establish also. Incorporating CDOM concentration with MODIS SST data, we have found an
exponential relation between CDOM and Sea-surface temperature (SST), i.e., CDOM concentration decreases with increasing temperature.
Keywords: Colored Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM), MODIS, Bay of Bengal (BOB), Sea Surface Temperature (SST),
Corresponding Author: jyotiprakashhati@gmail.com
Page No. 149

Study of Lower Tropospheric Carbon Monoxide over the Indian Subcontinent using Chemistry Transport Model
MOZART
Yesobu Yarragunta1, Shuchita. Srivastava 1 and D. Mitra1

Abstract
The present study investigates the variability of CO in the lower troposphere over the Indian region. MOZART-4 (Model for Ozone and Related
chemical Tracers-Version-4) simulation has been made from 2003 to 2007 and compared with satellite and in-situ observations to illustrate the
capabilities of MOZART-4 model. The model simulated CO have been compared with latest version (version-6) of MOPITT (Measurement Of
Pollution In The Troposphere) carbon monoxide (CO) retrievals at 900, 800 and 700 hPa. Model reproduces major features present in satellite
observations. However model significantly overestimates CO over the entire Indian region at 900 hPa and moderately overestimates at 800 hPa
and 700 hPa. Model fairly reproduces seasonal cycle of CO in the lower troposphere over most of the Indian regions. However, during June to
December model shows overestimation over NI. The magnitude of overestimation is increasing linearly from 900 hPa to 700 hPa level. During
April-June months, model results are coinciding with observed CO concentrations over SI region at 900 hPa levels. Model simulation has been
compared with surface in-situ observations over ten Indian locations. Model performance is found to be moderate to good over various
observational locations. However, over highly polluted megacities and urban locations, model underestimates observed CO concentration by
300-1500 ppbv. A case study over the forest fire prone area reveals the clear increase of modeled and retrieved CO in February -March and a
decrease in May which is coinciding with Biomass burning emissions and fire counts. Model performance is found to be relatively poor over this
region with r2 of 0.29 and slope of 0.56.
Keywords: Carbon Monoxide, Indian subcontinent, Lower troposphere, MOZART-4, MOPITT Satellite
Corresponding Author: yesobu@iirs.gov.in
Page No. 150

Extraction of time series convective cloud profile from Doppler Weather Radar MAX (Z) product using a Novel
Image Processing Technique
P. Anil Kumar1, B. Anuradha1 and M.S. Arunachalam1

1SriVenkateswara University College of Engineering, Tirupati
Abstract
The information about convective cloud profile is important in understanding the type of convective cloud present over a location. Based on time
series cloud profile at a location, the approximate time for which rainfall has occurred and the intensity of rainfall can be estimated based on the
reflectivity. In the present work continuous extraction of convective cloud optical information such as reflectivity (MAX(Z) in dBZ), cloud base
height (CBH), cloud top height (CTH) and cloud optical depth (COD) from the Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) located at Indian Meteorological
Department, Chennai has been developed in MATLAB. Reflectivity measurements for different locations within the DWR range of 250 Km radii
of circular disc area can be retrieved using this technique. It gives both time series reflectivity of point location and also Range Time Intensity
(RTI) maps of reflectivity for the corresponding location. The Graphical User Interface (GUI) developed for the cloud reflectivity is user friendly.
This technique is also applicable for retrieving other DWR products such as Plan Position Indicator (Z, in dBZ), Plan Position Indicator (Z, in
dBZ)-Close Range, Volume Velocity Processing (V, in knots), Plan Position Indicator (V, in m/s), Surface Rainfall Intensity (SRI, mm/hr),
Precipitation Accumulation (PAC) 24 hrs at 0300UTC.
Keywords: Cloud Base, Cloud Optical Depth, Cloud Top Height, Reflectivity, Time series profile
Corresponding Author: anilkumar417@gmail.com
Page No. 151

Impact of Microphysics and Cumulus Parameterization Schemes on Precipitation over Chennai Region using
WRF-ARW Model
P. Giri Prasad1, S. Varadarajan1 and P. Anil Kumar1

1SriVenkateswara University College of Engineering, Tirupati
Abstract
The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF-ARW) model is widely used as a regional climate model for dynamical downscaling in many
regions worldwide. This study evaluates the WRF model for regional climate applications over the Chennai, India. The results of this experiment
with the WRF-ARW model with and without data assimilation are presented. A sensitivity test on different convective parameterizations available
in WRF for high precipitation event, simulations of the Chennai city was carried out. Simulation over the Chennai region is done using nested
domains (3domains), with a resolution of 45 km, 15 km, 5 km respectively. During the period 8-10, Nov, 2015 a heavy rainfall event occurs over
the Chennai region in India. Simulations are performed over the heavy rainfall days using four convective cumulus parameterization schemes,
namely, BMJ (Betts-Miller-Janjic), GD (Grell-Devenyi), G3D (improved Grell-Denenyi) and KF (Kain-Fritsch) in combination with different
microphysics parameterization schemes, namely, Kessler Scheme, Lin et al. Scheme, WSM-3 scheme, WSM-5 scheme and Thompson Schemes.
WRF model output results are validated with ground based Observations and satellite based Observations.
Keywords: Data assimilation , Dynamical downscaling, Nested Domain, Precipitation, WRF-ARW model
Corresponding Author: giri.svuce@gmail.com
Page No. 152

An assessment on INSAT-3D Aerosol Optical Depth over India
Mukunda M. Gogoi1 and S. Suresh Babu1

1VikramSarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram
Abstract
On-board INSAT-3D, a six channel imager is operational for deriving the important geo-physical parameters on earth. Out of these six channels,
VIS (0.55-0.75 ??m) channel at 1 km ground resolution, and TIR-1 (10.3-11.3 µm) and TIR-2 (11.5-12.5 µm) channels at 4 km ground resolutions
are utilized for the estimation of aerosol optical depth (AOD), which is an important climate forcing parameter to determine the magnitude of
aerosol forcing. Gridded data of AOD (wavelength: 650 nm; processing level: L2G; spatial resolution: 0.1 deg x 0.1 deg) are available in
Meteorological & Oceanographic Satellite Data Archival Centre (MOSDAC) of ISRO. The qualitative and quantitative assessment of these AOD
products of INSAT-3D has been made on the basis of the ground based aerosol data from the ISRO's national network of aerosol observatories
(ARFINET) under the Aerosol Radiative Forcing over India project. It is found that INSAT-3D imager fairly portrays the spatial and seasonal
distribution of AOD over the Indian region, even though the magnitude is underestimated in comparison to the ground based measurements. AOD
difference of as high as 0.3 is noticeable in some of the months between the satellite and ground based measurements, But, the values correlate
well with respect to their temporal variability having correlation coefficients > 0.9 in some of the ARFINET sites.
Keywords: AOD, INSAT-3D, MWR, ARFINET,

Corresponding Author: mukunda.mg@gmail.com
Page No. 153

Soil Microbial Communities and Lichens as Indicator Systems for Monitoring Climate Change Impacts in Alpine
Regions of the Indian Himalayan Region
Pamela Bhattacharya2, Devendra Kumar1, Sonam Priyadarshani2, Ishwari Dutta Rai2, Samrat Mondol2, Gautam Talukdar2 and Gopal Singh Rawat2
1G.B.Pant National Institute , 2Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun
Abstract
Climate change impacts on the Indian Himalayan region (IHR) are of serious concern as this region is experiencing high rate of warming. It is
essential to address the climate change threats through systematic monitoring of the impacts in this region. Rapid indicator systems such as lichen,
soil bacterial and fungal communities can assist in tracking climate change impacts. They are sensitive to environmental stressors such as habitat
destruction, air pollution and climatic factor and play important role in bio-geochemical cycles and are sensitive to environmental change.
Globally much attention has been paid on these groups of organisms as rapid climate change indicators in mountain ecosystems, but information
from IHR are lacking. Our study aims to investigate climate change impacts on large reservoir of lichens and soil bacterial and fungal community
diversity and distribution, composition and function in alpine regions of IHR. We plan to use a combination of remote sensing and GIS,
metagenomics, soil organic carbon (SOC) degrading enzyme activity assays and soil physico-chemical analysis for our study. To achieve our
goals, we identified alpine regions across altitudinal gradients in Gangotri National Park (GNP) using remote sensing and GIS tools. Soil samples
and lichens were collected from selected sites in GNP near Gaumukh glacier and Nelang valley between 2015-2016. We identified 52 species of
lichens and currently standardizing methods for molecular identification of soil bacterial species and morphological identification of fungal
species. We have already standardized soil physicochemical properties and SOC degrading enzyme activity. Data generated in this study will be
used for correlating climatic variables with lichen diversity and distribution along with soil bacterial and fungal community composition and
function. After validation of our data, climatic factors and soil properties responsible for changes in diversity, composition, distribution and
function of the indicator species will be incorporated into climate models for future predictions. Such information will help in developing
long-term strategies to monitor climate change impacts in the IHR.
Keywords: Climate change, Remote Sensing and GIS, Bacteria, Fungi, Lichen
Corresponding Author: pamela@wii.gov.in
Page No. 154

Quantitative Assessment of the Impact of Causative Human Drivers on Urban Ecosystem Productivity using
MODIS and Landsat Satellite Data: A Case Study of Hyderabad City, India
Srikanta Sannigrahi1, Shahid Rahmat1, Somnath Sen1 and Sandeep Bhat1

1Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur
Abstract
Human driving forces, especially, urbanization, population pressure, and socioeconomic development are significantly changing the efficiency of
ecosystem service provision in an urban ecosystem. Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is the sixth largest urban metropolitan
region in India had faced an alarming pace of urban expansion from 1973 to 2015. MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)
thermal products MOD11A2 and surface reflectance products MOD09A1 were employed in this work to simulate areal and temporal Urban Heat
Island (UHI) and Diurnal Temperature Range (DTR) of the GHMC region from 2002 to 2015. A Light Use Efficiency (LUE) based Vegetation
Photosynthesis Model (VPM) was adopted in this work to quantify Net Primary Production (NPP) and to assess the spatiotemporal changes of
NPP during 2002 to 2015. MODIS yearly NPP products MOD17A3 were applied here for the purpose of model validation. Linear Spectral
Mixture Analysis (LSMA) technique was employed in this research to generate impervious surface fraction image of GHMC. Spatially explicit
gas regulation service included as a regulatory ecosystem service to assess the trade-off between economic viability and ecosystem preservation.
Acute urban expansion (over 200%) is mainly accounted to changes the Land Surface Temperature (LST) over 30C to 40C in the inner city region
during 1973 to 2015. A strong negative correlation has been found between the selected human driving forces: UHI, LST, population density,
settlement density and impervious fraction with NPP ensembles the facts of human control on urban ecosystem. This study demonstrated the
necessity of proper quantification and valuation of urban ecosystem services to achieve effective and efficient decision for urban ecosystem
management.
Keywords: Net Primary Productivity (NPP), Urban Heat Island (UHI), Diurnal Temperature Range (DTR), Vegetation Photosynthesis Model (VPM), Linear
Spectral Mixture Analysis (LSMA)
Corresponding Author: shahidrahmat82@arp.iitkgp.ernet.in
Page No. 155

Prediction of Land Surface Temperature using Artificial Neural Network and Microwave Vegetation Index
E. Vinodhini Shanmugapriya1 and P. Geetha1

1Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore
Abstract
Land surface temperature (LST) is a necessary aspect to be considered in monitoring various global changes. The most effective way to obtain
LST measurements is through satellite data. LST from microwave remote sensing satellite data is applied in various field works due to its high
spatial and temporal availability. In this project, prediction of LST uses microwave vegetation indices (MVIs) for analyzing vegetation change
parameters and soil moisture analysis then the elevation, latitude, longitude of the study area as processing inputs exploiting an artificial neural
network (ANN). Microwave radiation having the ability to penetrate through clouds, hence the vegetation indices can be evaluated even under
cloudy conditions. The ANN model were trained and then tested for respective cases where both MVI and LST were attainable. The performance
analyses of the framework were estimated based on typical evaluation methods. The best resultant model was utilized to predict LST where
Vegetation indices were available. Conclusions affirms that ANN model serves good in prediction of LST with the real world observations. The
proposed study using ANN design is useful in predicting LST using the remotely sensed data even under various circumstances of the ecology.
Keywords: Temperature prediction, Satellite data, GIS Processing, Vegetation Index, ANN
Corresponding Author: vinopriya73@gmail.com
Page No. 156

Rule Based Spatial Integration of AWIFS Derived LULC with Global Land Cover Data Set for Indian Region
Devesh Lakhotia1, Kimeera Tummala1 and Sreenivas K.1

1National
Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad
Abstract
Mesoscale models, such as Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, have been very useful for both atmospheric research and operational
forecasting needs. An important input for Mesoscale models is Land Use and Land Cover maps. Land cover changes greatly influence weather
and hence, have a significant effect on the accuracy of the output. The LULC map provided by USGS is generally used for global weather
forecasts by various regional and global circulation models. LULC maps of India are generated every year under the project National Land Use
and Land Cover Mapping using Multi-temporal AWiFS Data that are suitable for spatial analysis at 1:250,000 scale. AWiFS LULC maps were
found to provide land use information with much higher accuracy, as compared to the USGS LULC maps, by validating both LULC maps using
ground truth points collected under AWiFS LULC project. Major differences between the USGS LULC and AWiFS LULC were found in the
double crop areas of Gangetic Plains, fallow areas in Western India and snow covered areas in Northern India. In general, the spatial
representation of plantations (woody trees) is different in many parts of the country. Water bodies and urban areas were also significantly different
in the two LULC products across the country. The present research focuses on developing a methodology to substitute global LULC with AWiFS
LULC for Indian region. The replacement process is not straight forward and involves spatial and thematic matching. Initially, the
WRF-compatible binaries of USGS LULC data were imported and geospatially matched with AWiFS LULC data to sub-pixel accuracy. Thematic
compatibility between AWiFS LULC and global LULC was achieved by logical recoding of AWiFS LULC data. Later AWiFS LULC output was
spatially aggregated by employing a customized rule-based filter. The global data was then replaced with aggregated AWiFS LULC output and
was converted back into the WRF-compatible binaries. This process was carried out for 30 second, 2 minute and 5 minute resolutions. Spatial
analysis was performed to understand the spatial agreement between global and reprocessed local data and highlight the areas of spatial
uncertainty in the final output.
Keywords: Mesoscale Model, WRF, AWiFS, USGS, LULC

Corresponding Author: deveshlakhotia@gmail.com
Page No. 157

Quantitative Assessment of the Effects of Urbanization on Urban Heat Island Intensity and Thermal Changes in
Nagpur Metropolitan Area (NMA) using Geospatial Technologies
Shweta Jain1, Srikanta Sannigrahi1 and Somnath Sen1

1IndianInstitute of Technology, Kharagpur
Abstract
Climate change especially rising temperature in the urban areas has become a major focus of attention worldwide because of the impacts it is
having on the human habitats, the biodiversity and on the urban ecosystem for the services they provide. Time series Landsat (TM and ETM+)
and MODIS (MOD09A1, MOD11A2) satellite data products have been employed in this study to quantify the spatiotemporal LST and UHI
intensity for the year of 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015, respectively over the Nagpur Metropolitan Area (NMA). Biophysical characteristics of the
urban area has been assessed through Normalize Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normalize Difference Built-up Index (NDBI) and
Normalize Difference Bareness Index (NDBaI). It was found that the thermal behaviour around the city varied distinctly. The observation reveals
that the temperature is very high within the city core area as compared to the surrounding areas of the city especially towards the southern side.
The temperature is low towards the northern part of the city which may be due to presence of vegetation in Pench national park and in the areas
occupied by active agricultural field. The temperature is comparatively lower on the western side of the city than the eastern region. Certain
peripheral areas however show a higher temperature. This can be due to the development taking place in the peripheral areas of the city and
destruction of vegetation in the outlying parts of the city. The mean land surface temperature recorded to be highest in ward 115, 116, 121, 1, 2,
30. All of these wards are located in the peripheral parts of the city. Study of NDVI indicates the vegetation around the urban area is not uniform.
It is highly dense in the western part which may be because of the institutions like VNIT, NEERI, Botanical gardens, Seminary hills, PKDV
agricultural land etc. Whereas the eastern part is devoid of vegetation. Also the areas in the periphery especially near the airport and Ambajhari
Lake has very low vegetation. The bareness is also high in the peripheral regions.
Keywords: Land Surface Temperature, Biodiversity, Urban Heat Island Intensity, Remote Sensing,
Corresponding Author: srikanta.arp.iitkgp@gmail.com
Page No. 158

Comparison of Satellite Rainfall Products with IMD Gridded Data for Heavy Rainfall Events Occurred in India
Anil Kumar Singh1, Virendra Singh1, Sateesh M.1, Kamlesh Kumar Singh1, Jayant N. Tripathi2, Anil Kumar Soni1, Chinmay Khadke1 and Amit Kumar1
1IndiaMeteorological Dept., New Delhi , 2University of Allahabad, Allahabad
Abstract
IMD used INSAT-3D Metrological satellite data to drive two type rainfall data viz- Hydro Estimate (HE) & INSAT Multi-Spectral Rainfall
Algorithm (IMSRA) on half hourly rainfall rate and daily accumulated rain fall. In present study, two very heavy rainfall events that had occurred
over India, first Tropical cyclone (TC) 'Hudhud' (October 2014) and second is Peninsular India flood (November-December 2015) are pick up for
validating, INSAT-3D based Hydro Estimate (HE) & INSAT Multi-Spectral Rainfall Algorithm (IMSRA) and Integrated Multi-Satellite Retrieval
for GPM (IMERG) that is generated by NASA and the JAXA from Global Precipitation Mission (GPM) satellites. All these rainfall products are
available at half hourly temporal resolution.IMSRA & GPM (IMERG) are gridded data at 10 km spatial resolution & HE is available at pixel level
(4 km at Nadir). As all these products are estimated from satellites hence they need to be validated against actual observation. In present study we
have validated all satellite derived rainfall products (IMSRA, HE & GPM) with IMD gridded data. IMD rain gridded is downscaled to 10 km grid
by using bilinear interpolation method & hydro estimate derived product is upscale to 10 km grid by using box averaging method to have all set of
data at same spatial resolution . After re-gridding the data to a uniform grid, we found that during HUD-HUD Cyclone, six day accumulated rain
fall (9-14 October 2014).HE is giving better rainfall estimate in-land i.e. Chhattisgarh(RMSE: HE (79.90), GPM (82.66)) & East MP (RMSE: HE
(105.84), GPM (140.27)) where is GPM (IMERG) giving better estimate at costal subdivisions i.e. Odisha (RMSE: HE (103.30mm), GPM
(85.11mm)) & Costal Andhra Pradesh (RMSE: HE (117.64mm), GPM (85.82mm)). During Chennai floods on 16th November 2015 (RMSE: HE
(86.43mm), GPM (124.91mm)) and 2nd Dec 2015, (RMSE: HE (138.08mm), GPM (159.86mm)). On both days, HE is showing better rainfall
estimate compare to GPM for Heavy & very heavy rainfall events. We also found out that in all the cases IMSRA is underestimating after 85 mm
rainfall. So HE can be used for estimating high rainfall.
Keywords: INSAT-3D, HE, IMSRA, GPM

Corresponding Author: singhanil854@gmail.com
Page No. 159

Trend Analysis of Weather Parameters in Climate Change Scenario
Padam Jee Omar1, Reetesh Kumar Pyasi1, Amiya Abhash1 and Ravi Prakash Tripathi1
1ICAR-IndianAgricultural Research Institute, New Delhi , 2Indian Institute of Technology, Varanasi
Abstract
India has diverse climatic conditions, it is full of extremities; for example, its temperature varies from below 50C in Jammu and Kashmir to near
about 480C in most of South India and rainfall from extreme arid less than 100 mm in the Thar Desert to per-humid with world's maximum
rainfall of 11,200 mm at Mawsynram in the state of Meghalaya. Along with this human activity also influences the climatic parameters. Small
change in the climatic parameters affects the environment and their surroundings. One consequence of this unbalancing is the change in the water
cycle, with precipitation being a major component in this. To identify the trend in the rainfall and temperature regime of the Betwa river basin,
located in Central part of India, a study was carried out. In this study, monthly data of weather parameters have been collected for 29 years
(1984-2012) and non-parametric test is used for analysis as it is less affected by the presence of outliers and other forms of non-normalities. The
study revealed a significant decreasing trend in maximum temperature with some exception and for minimum temperature, decreasing trend
observed at 1% and 0.1% in the month of July and August. April, June and July shows increasing trend of relative humidity at 1%, 5% and 10%
significance level. Estimation of magnitude of trends for all weather parameters was also calculated by Theil-Sen's estimator. Analysis of trends in
rainfall and temperature could provide useful information for sustainable planning of water resources in the Betwa basin.
Keywords: Climate Change, Trend Analysis, Betwa Basin, Mann-Kendal test, Theil-Sen’s estimator
Corresponding Author: sss.padam.omar@gmail.com
Page No. 160

A Model to Predict Hydrological Response using Remotely Sensed Data for Sirumalai Hills of Dindigul District in
Tamilnadu
Vignesh Periasamy1 and Geetha P.1

Abstract
This study is used to determine the hydrological response using annual average rainfall data using GIS techniques for the remotely sensed data of
Sirumalai hills of Dindigul district in Tamil nadu. This involves weather data changes acquired for the past 5-10years, Digital elevation model
(DEM), Land use and land cover changes (LULC) and Hydrological Soil Group. Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) dataset is used for
developing a 3D model for the region of interest. LULC detection is created by Landsat series data using GIS techniques. Hydrological Soil
Group, LULC and rainfall data is used for creating a hydrological model to determine the run-off. Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation(RUSLE)
is used quantify to soil erosion. Thereby, these data are compared to determine the hydrological changes in the region of interest.
Keywords: GIS, LULC, Hydrological soil group, DEM, RUSLE

Corresponding Author: vki.19dec@gmail.com
Page No. 161

Estimation of Land Surface Temperature Using LANDSAT Imagery for Assessing Urban Heat Islands over
Kolkata Metropolitan Region
Gowthami V.1, Kavach Mishra1, Mohammad Sanaulla K. Huddar1, S.K. Ariful Hossain1 and Lubna Siddiqui2
1Indian
Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 2Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi
Abstract
Rapid urbanization has led to deterioration of soil cover, water and air quality plaguing the world with global warming and climate change. A
cumulative impact is observed in the phenomenon of urban heat island (UHI). According to United States Environmental Protection Agency
(USEPA), UHI describes those built-up areas that exhibit higher temperature than their surrounding areas. Its effect will yield an increment in the
urban to rural thermal ratio in the coming decades. Land surface temperature (LST) is the most important parameter used for investigating UHI. It
is expressed as a function of urban morphology, land use and anthropogenic activities. The study focuses on analyzing the spatio-temporal
dynamics of LST from 1990 to 2015 at an interval of thirteen years each. Kolkata Metropolitan Region was chosen as the study area which is
located in the eastern part of India at a distance of about 180 km from the Bay of Bengal. Landsat 5 and Landsat 8 data for the month of
November was used to estimate Land surface temperature using Spectral Radiance Model and Split Window Algorithm. MLC classifier was used
to generate LULC maps for the three time periods. Using supervised classification, the study area was divided into seven LULC classes viz.,
high-dense built-up area, low-dense built-up area, vegetation and plantation, agricultural land, fallow land, river and wetland. The results reveal
that, the high-dense built-up area increased from 11.89% to 29.20% from 1990 to 2015 while the low-dense built-up area decreased from 23.66%
to 15.21% during the same time. There was a subtle decrease in the percentage area of waterbodies whereas, the vegetation cover increased by 6
%. The mean surface temperature across all classes increased by 10C-1.50C in 2003, while there was a drop of 20C-40C in the mean surface
temperature across all classes in 2015. This can be attributed to changing scenarios of climatic conditions in the study area and the impact is
evident through this analysis.
Keywords: Urban Heat Island Effect, Land Surface Temperature, Land Use-Land Cover, LANDSAT Imagery, Tropical Urban Area
Corresponding Author: gowthamigeos@gmail.com
Page No. 162

Sensitivity of Hudhud Tropical Cyclone Simulations to Physics Parameterizations using WRF model with and
without Data Assimilation
P. Janardhan Saikumar1, T. Ramashri1 and P. Anilkumar1

1Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati
Abstract
A Very Severe Tropical Cyclone Hudhud caused huge damage and loss of life in eastern India and Nepal during October 2014. The Hudhud
cyclone developed from a low pressure system that formed under the influence of an upper-air cyclonic circulation in the Andaman Sea and
intensified into a Severe Tropical Cyclone. The cyclone reached its peak intensity with a minimum central pressure of 950 mbar and reached the
maximum sustained wind speed of 180 km/h. The cyclone crossed the Andhrapradesh coast near Visakhapatnam on October 12. In the present
study, an attempt is made to simulate the Hudhud cyclone using Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model with and with out Data
Assimilation to predict the track of the cyclone accurately. Three domains are used for the WRF simulation with a horizontal resolution of 45 km
for domain-1, 15 km for domain-2 and 5km for domain-3. Multiple simulations are carried out using initial conditions (NCEP FNL) at an interval
of 6 hours. Simulations are performed using four convective cumulus parameterization schemes, namely, BMJ (Betts-Miller-Janjic), GD (Grell-
Devenyi), G3D (improved Grell-Denenyi) and KF (Kain-Fritsch) in combination with different microphysics parameterization schemes, namely,
Kessler Scheme, Lin et al. Scheme, WSM-3 scheme, WSM-5 scheme and Thompson Schemes. The results from the inner most domain have been
considered for analyzing and comparing the results. Model simulation outputs are compared with corresponding observation data. The track and
intensity of simulated cyclone are compared with best track estimates provided by the Joint Typhoon Warning Centre (JTWC) data and IMD data.
The cumulus, planetary boundary layer (PBL) and microphysics (MP) parameterization schemes have more impact on the track and intensity
prediction skill than the other parameterizations employed in the mesoscale model.
Keywords: Cyclone track, Data Assimilation, Track error, Tropical Cyclone, WRF-ARW Model
Corresponding Author: jskumar.p@gmail.com
Page No. 163

Spatio-Temporal Variation of Absorption Aerosol Optical Depth in Conjugation with Surface Temperature over
the Asian Region
V.V.S.A.P.M. Kameswara Sarma1 and Manu Mehta1

Abstract
Atmospheric aerosols have a significant affect on the earth's climate. They affect the earth's radiation budget both directly and indirectly. The
direct effect is due to the scattering and absorption of electromagnetic (EM) radiation when it interacts with the aerosol particles. The absorption
aerosol optical depth (AAOD) gives the extent to which the aerosols prevent the transmission of light in a column of air by absorption. This study
presents the spatio- temporal analysis of aerosol Absorption optical depth (AAOD) over the Asian region for the period 2004 (October) to 2016
(September) using the data from Ozone Monitoring instrument (OMI) at 388nm. Level-3 daily gridded product OMAERUVd with 1^0 x 1^0
spatial resolution is used for the study. The analysis is carried out for the four seasons namely winter (December, January, February), spring
(March, April, may), summer (June, July, August), fall (September, October, November). High AAOD values are observed over the highly
populated regions like China and Pakistan. High absorption aerosol amounts are observed over the Indian subcontinent and Indian Ocean during
the spring season. Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) surface temperature analysis derived temperatures at 2^0 x 2^0 spatial resolution
are used to estimate the AAOD correlation with the air temperature over the Asian region. For this purpose, the AAOD data is re-sampled in order
to match with the spatial resolution of temperature data.
Keywords: OMI, AAOD, level-3, OMAERUVd, Air temperature

Corresponding Author: kameshvinjamuri@gmail.com
Page No. 164

Variation of Black Carbon in Winter Season over North India
Ravi Ranjan Kumar1

1IndiaMeteorological Dept., New Delhi
Abstract
India Meteorological Department (IMD) has established a Aethalometer network for continuous monitoring of Black carbon aerosol over different
parts of India. The data from north Indian stations of IMD Aethalometer network for winter months (December, January and February) have been
analyzed . The present study includes analysis of BC concentration from New Delhi, Chandigarh, Ranichauri and Shrinagar and Varanasi. Highest
BC concentration of 67930 ng/m3 was observed in New Delhi on seventh January. The average BC concentration of winter season for New delhi,
Chandigarh, Varansi and Shrinagar was 25084 ng/m3, 11350 ng/m3, 8612 ng/m3, and 12268 ng/m3 respectively.Ranichauri is a remote location
where BC concentration is much lower than that of cities like New delhi , Chandigarh and Srinagar. Dirunal variation of BC shows almost similar
pattern for Chandigarh and Varanasi where it attains two maxima, one in the moring hours and other after evening. The highest BC value is
observed between evening and mid-night at Shrinagar. The diurnal variation at New Delhi shows different pattern of diurnal variation which is not
evident at other stations. The BC concentration remains high throughout the night then decreases in the early morning and again increases during
morning traffic hours. The BC concentration reaches to minimum level in the afternoon which start increasing again in the evening. High value of
BC in night time can be attributed to bio-mass burning, low atmospheric boundary layer and increased traffic of commercial vehicles.
Keywords: Black Carbon

Corresponding Author: rrk262ism@gmail.com
Page No. 165

Variation of Black Carbon in Winter Season over North India
Ravi Ranjan Kumar1

Abstract
India Meteorological Department (IMD) has established a Aethalometer network for continuous monitoring of Black carbon aerosol over different
parts of India. The data from north Indian stations of IMD Aethalometer network for winter months (December, January and February) have been
analyzed . The present study includes analysis of BC concentration from New Delhi, Chandigarh, Ranichauri and Shrinagar and Varanasi. Highest
BC concentration of 67930 ng/m3 was observed in New Delhi on seventh January. The average BC concentration of winter season for New delhi,
Chandigarh, Varansi and Shrinagar was 25084 ng/m3, 11350 ng/m3, 8612 ng/m3, and 12268 ng/m3 respectively.Ranichauri is a remote location
where BC concentration is much lower than that of cities like New delhi , Chandigarh and Srinagar. Dirunal variation of BC shows almost similar
pattern for Chandigarh and Varanasi where it attains two maxima, one in the moring hours and other after evening. The highest BC value is
observed between evening and mid-night at Shrinagar. The diurnal variation at New Delhi shows different pattern of diurnal variation which is not
evident at other stations. The BC concentration remains high throughout the night then decreases in the early morning and again increases during
morning traffic hours. The BC concentration reaches to minimum level in the afternoon which start increasing again in the evening. High value of
BC in night time can be attributed to bio-mass burning, low atmospheric boundary layer and increased traffic of commercial vehicles.
Keywords: Black Carbon

Corresponding Author: rrk262ism@gmail.com
Page No. 166

Geo-Statistical Analysis in Air Pollution Profiling in City of Odisha in Indian Sub-Continent
Satyajit Rath1, Sanjeev Kumar Pandey1, Debi Prasad Sandha1 and Bikram Kumar Parida1
1CSIR-Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology, Bhubaneswar
Abstract
Since time immemorial, it is being observed that human being has been pursuing its effort towards life with ease. This has generated a
requirement of building equipments and in turn instigate industrialization and urbanization, which is moving at very rapid pace. In general the
environmental impact of urbanization and industrialization can be divided under four broad heading: Local air quality, climate change, noise and
watercourse pollution, while the clean air is vital to human health. The rate at which urban air pollution has grown across the country is alarming.
In majority of cases air quality fails to meet health-based standards. Almost all cities are reeling under severe particulate pollution while other
pollutants have also begun to add to the public health challenge. As the industrialization is increasing the small townships are being developed in
near by areas. In the similar context these small towns and cities are also witnessing hazardous air pollution. The nearby villages are also
becoming the victims of this pollution. In this the authors carried out a linear measurement of air pollutants with location and time information in
city areas in the state of Odisha in eastern part of Indian sub-continent using wireless sensor node in a moving platform . Using Geo-statistical
analysis like inverse distance weighted (IDW) interpolation and Kriging, the pollutant's profile has been prepared and presented in this paper.
Keywords: Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) interpolation, Kriging, Geographic Information system (GIS), Air Pollution, Wireless Sensor Network
Corresponding Author: satya@immt.res.in
Page No. 167

Estimation of land surface temperature of high altitude region using geo-spatial techniques: A case study of
Haridwar
Jaydip Dey1, Saurabh Sakhre1, Vikash Gupta1, Ritesh Vijay1, Rajesh Biniwale1 and Rakesh Kumar1
1CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Nagpur
Abstract
Mountain ecosystem is an assemblage of different ecosystems like forest, lake, agriculture, glacier etc. which is strongly interrelated to climate.
There are several factors which affect the climate of a locality such as raifall, humidity, and temperature. Temperature is one such important
parameter which is strongly correlated with human activities, global warming, green house effect and overall climate change. It has been reported
that global temperature is increasing due to unscientific urban agglomerations, industrialization, deforestation, mining etc which is a serious issue
for global climate change.Geospatial techniques are modern, advanced and time saving tools for estimation of Land Surface Temperature (LST)
from satellite images. In the present work, Landsat images of 1996 to 2016 were taken and analysis was carried out for LST in Arc GIS 10.3.1.
LST was calculated using pre-launch calibration constants along with digital number, spectral radiance and surface emissivity. Variation of LST
with respect to Land use/cover of the area was also assessed. LULC of the area was carried out using objected based image analysis(OBIA) with
the help of eCognition developer 8.4. From the present study, it has been observed that temperature is coolest in water body, cooler in
vegetation/plantation area, hot in built-up area and hottest in barren/waste land. From LULC map of the area, it could also be concluded that the
urban settlement of Haridwar is increased, vegetation/plantation has been reduced and due to this urbanization overall temperature of Haridwar
has been increased. The study helps and suggests in indentifying the areas withing the city for better urban planning and management in terms of
plantation practices, sustaianble development for smart city and forms a basis of impact of climate change.
Keywords: LST, Spectral Radiance, OBIA, Urban Agglomeration, NDBI

Corresponding Author: deyjaydip.03@gmail.com
Page No. 168

Temporal Study of Land Surface Temperature for Urban Heat Island Phenomenon over the National Capital
Region, India
Rupali Khare2, Kamal Pandey2, Vasant Govind Kumar Villuri2 and Harish Chandra Karnatak2
1IndianInstitute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun, 2Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad
Abstract
Urban Heat Island (UHI) refers to the higher temperature of Urban areas compared to the surroundings rural areas. Previous studies on UHI have
proved the existence of significant effects of land cover and vegetation density on the urban surface temperature. However, they lacked the
Diurnal analysis of UHI. This study analyses land surface temperature extracted from thermal satellite imagery as a consideration for diurnal and
seasonal analysis of UHI with a case study on NCR, India. In this study MODIS/Terra temperature product (MOD11A2) LST, 8 days and 1000 m
spatial resolution product have been used for the two season i.e. winters (November, December, January, February) and summers (March, April,
May, June) to study the UHI phenomenon over National Capital Region (NCR), India. The data product of the time period from 2001 to 2015,
both night time and day time, have been considered. The temperature profile for the urban area and surroundings (10 km buffer region) were
analysed. The finding indicates that the mean LST has increased over the year and the UHI phenomenon exits in NCR during all through the time
period considered in the night time for both the season while in the case of day time only a few years was suffered from UHI phenomenon. The
mean surface temperature has increased by 9°C from 27°C in 2001 to 37°C in 2015. The mean LST have a significant difference between the
different land cover. The mean temperature are the highest for the urban region and the lowest for water/shadow and vegetation cover.
Keywords: Urban heat island (UHI), Land surface temperature (LST), National capital region (NCR), MODIS, Diurnal
Corresponding Author: rupalikhare91@gmail.com
Page No. 169

Mineral Dust Induced Alterations in Ice Clouds Microphysics
Piyushkumar N. Patel2
Abstract
Changes in aerosols can modulate the distribution of radiative heating indirectly by altering the cloud radiative properties, precipitation efficiency,
and cloud evolution. Multi-satellite observations are employed to investigate the impact of mineral dust on ice cloud microphysical processes
based on the massive dust events. The comparisons of cloud properties between dust-laden and dust-free conditions support the hypothesis that
the presence of large concentrations of mineral dust produces more ice particles at warmer temperature through heterogeneous nucleation
processes. In addition to microphysical changes in clouds changes in nucleation processes of ice clouds due to aerosols would result in substantial
changes in particle effective radius and ice water path during dust-laden period. The results also suggest that mineral dusts may invigorate the
convection and enhance water vapor supply in ice clouds, lifting ice particles to higher altitudes. Additional study illustrates that the observed
microphysical modifications of ice clouds ae not simply due to the differences of large-scale dynamics and thermodynamics.
Keywords: Mineral dust, Ice cloud, Aerosol-Cloud Interaction, Satellite Measurements,

Page No. 170

Application of Decision Tree Classification for Land Cover Mapping of Bhubaneswar
K. Lekshmi1, J. Dash3, D. Swain1, G. J. Roberts3, V. Vinoj1 and S. Tripathy2

1IndianInstitute of Technology, Bhubaneswar, 2Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, 3University of Southampton
Abstract
Image classification is the assigning of each pixel to a particular category based on the spectral characteristics. Traditional pattern recognition
techniques like maximum likelihood and minimum distance approaches are being commonly used for multispectral data analysis. Decision tree
classification is a recent classification approach capable of addressing various classification problems due to its non parametric property. It is
flexible to handle the non-linear noisy functions among the input features and classes. This classifier can perform automatic feature selection and
reduce complexity and its simple structure is easily understandable and interpretable. The technique involves sequentially dividing the input data
in to smaller sub divisions based on certain criteria defined at each branch in the tree. These subdivisions are assigned a class label. The land use
land cover classification for Bhubaneswar was carried out using maximum likelihood, minimum distance and decision tree techniques using
Landsat multispectral data having a spatial resolution of 30 m. The purpose of the classification is to use it as an input to quantify the impact of
urbanization on urban heat island. The major challenge for the classification was the high level spectral mixing among the land cover types in the
study area especially between urban cover and barren land as well as within different vegetation types. The traditional approaches like maximum
likelihood and minimum distance classification were found unsuccessful in effective separation of these classes. Decision tree classification
provided a better classification output where the urban areas as well as vegetation cover was separated more efficiently. Comparison with the
ground truth data showed an improved classification accuracy of decision tree output as compared to the maximum likelihood and minimum
distance approaches.
Keywords: Landsat, Land cover classification, Decision tree , ,

Corresponding Author: lk12@iitbbs.ac.in
Page No. 171

Seasonal Variability of Aerosol Characteristics over North West Himalayan Region
Shaik Darga Saheb1, Yogesh Kant1 and D. Mitra1

Abstract
The study deals with temporal characteristics of Aerosol optical depth (AOD), aerosol mass concentration (PM10, PM2.5, PM1) and size
distribution over a selected station Dehradun in North western Himalayan region using measured data during January 2014 to December 2015.
The analysis reveals that the daily mean annual variation of AOD ranges from 0.12 to 1.3, maximum AOD are observed during pre-monsoon
(0.61) and low during winter (0.31). The particle number size distribution of aerosols is high for fine mode particles (<1 µm) while the particle
mass size distribution shows two mode maxima, one for fine mode (0.4-0.6 µm): which may be due to gas to particle conversion and another for
coarse mode (6-10 µm) which may be associated to windblown dust from the surrounding regions including Thar desert. The mass concentrations,
PM10, PM2.5, and PM1 varied from 712 to 218, 6 to 113, and 4 to 94 µg m-3, respectively. The 24 hourly average mass concentrations for PM10
and PM2.5 are found to exceed by 23% & 11% respectively with that of National Ambient Air Quality (NAAQ) standards (100 µgm-3, 60 µgm-3).
Annual average mass concentrations for PM10, PM2.5 and PM1 was observed as 99, 46 and 33µgm-3 respectively which is also at higher end
with reference to NAAQ standards (60µgm-3 and 40µgm-3 respectively) giving indication of poor air quality over North West Himalayan region.
Seasonal comparison of MODIS derived AOD well corroborate with ground based columnar AOD. The statistical regression analysis between
mass concentrations (PM10, PM2.5) and AOD500 for measured is found to be 0.62, 0.71 and for MODIS data as 0.68, 0.84 respectively,
indicating that columnar AOD is more sensitive to PM2.5 than PM10 mass concentrations. These results gives the in depth understanding of
sources of anthropogenic and natural aerosols and significant effects on ambient air quality and regional radiation budget.
Keywords: Aerosol optical depth (AOD), Particulate Matter (PM), Aerosol size distribution, Air quality, MODIS
Corresponding Author: shaik@iirs.gov.in
Page No. 172

High Resolution Climatology of Rainfall Generated from TRMM 2B31 over the North-West Himalayan region
(1998-2013) for the Monsoon Period
Abhisek Das1 and Charu Singh1

1IndiaMeteorological Dept., New Delhi , 2Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun
Abstract
Very high resolution (5x5 km) TRMM 2B31 data set of surface rainfall intensity is the main interest of the present study to delineate the spatial
pattern of rainfall and its variability over the rugged terrain of the North-West Himalayan region. Evolution of topography is subject to spatial
pattern of rainfall and topography also characterizes precipitation pattern. Synthesis of high resolution 2B31 dataset has captured the elongated
spatial rainfall gradient across the Himalayan landscape. The long-term data set has been processed for the time period from 1998-2013 and
in-homogeneity in the geolocated pixels has been countered by interpolating pixels into a uniform grid pixel of 5 km spatial scale for all the
satellite passes. In climatological sense, long-term rainfall pattern shows interesting spatial gradient mimicking the evolution of topography during
principal monsoon season of India. On 5 km spatial scale, dual band structure of rainfall over Uttarakhand, characterized by two step topography
and a single elongated band of high rainfall intensity over Himachal Pradesh, characterized by one-step topography has surfaced. For deriving
promising relationship between rainfall and topographic features, SRTM DEM with high-vertical accuracy has been used in conjunction with the
TRMM data set. Two elongated bands of rainfall peak at the mean elevation of 1 km and 2 km with a 100-km distance apart and a high rainfall
peak over the region of 1-1.2 km elevation signifies the importance of high resolution rainfall intensity data.
Keywords: TRMM 2B31, Rainfall, Himalayan Region, Topography, SRTM DEM

Corresponding Author: iabhisekdas@gmail.com
Page No. 173

Reassessment of Satellite-based Estimate of the Radiative Forcing by Aerosol First Indirect Effect: A New
Statistical Approach
Piyushkumar N. Patel2
Abstract
The main uncertainty in anthropogenic forcing of the Earth's climate stems from pollution aerosols, particularly their indirect effect whereby
aerosols modify cloud properties. In the present study, a new statistical approach to obtain the fitting parameters, determined using a non-linear
statistical approach along with previously published methodology for the relationship between planetary albedo and cloud properties and, further
the relationship of the cloud properties and aerosol optical depth. In order to verify the performance of both statistical approaches (previous and
present), the results from both statistical approaches are compared to the results from radiative transfer simulations. We find that the results of the
new approach agree well with the simulated results. The new statistical approach increases the correlation coefficient of the fitted to the satellite-
retrieved albedo by 21% and decreases the uncertainty compared to the previous approach.
Keywords: Aerosol-Cloud Interactions, First Indirect Effec, Radiative Forcing, Radiative Transfer,
Page No. 174

A Study of Urban Boundary Layer Using different Urban Physics Options Coupled with High Resolution WRF
Model
Payel Ghosh Dastidar1, Kshama Gupta1, Praveen K. Thakur1, Pramod Kumar1 and S.P. Aggarwal1
Abstract
Modelling of urban climate using coupled Global Climate Models (GCM) with urban canopy parameters treats urban area as a single entity to
represent the influence of urban geometry. Although these climate models have improved the representation of urban surfaces, but their spatial
resolution is too coarse. Hence downscaling is of prime significance for urban studies. Weather Research Forecast (WRF) has gained importance
over the years and has been extensively used for downscaling climatic variables at various scales. A number of options are available in WRF
model to characterize the urban areas such as default (no physics option), Single???Layer Urban Canopy Model (SLUCM), Building Energy
Parameterization (BEP) and Building Energy Model (BEM) which quantifies the influence of the urban structures on the local climate at building
level and hence they have to be studied intensively. SLUCM is a single layer model with simplified urban geometry which aggregates heat fluxes
into energy and momentum exchange between the urban surface and the atmosphere. On the other hand, BEP and BEM are multi-layer models
where BEP parameterizes the three dimensional nature of urban surfaces and BEM model also takes into account the exchange of energy between
interior of the building and outdoor atmosphere. This study aims to investigate the performance of different urban physics options in WRF by
simulating the Urban Boundary Layer (UBL) of Delhi and Chandigarh region and downscaling the climatic variables and comparing it with the
ground observations. The model has been integrated with three domains with a horizontal resolution of 9km, 3km and 1 km and simulations were
run for 10 days during three major seasons of India namely Summer, Monsoon and Winter. The present study has helped towards an assessment of
different urban physics options with respect to the size of the urban areas as well as different seasons.
Keywords: WRF, Urban Physics, SLUCM, BEP, BEM

Corresponding Author: pgd31792@gmail.com
Page No. 175

Validation of INSAT3D Sounder Product: Total Columnar Ozone, over India.
M. Sateesh1, Anil Kumar Singh1, Vijay Kumar Soni1, Siddartha Singh1, Virendra Singh1, S.K. Peshin1 and P.K. Thapliyal2
1IndiaMeteorological Dept., New Delhi , 2Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad
Abstract
The present work describes the validation of columnar ozone data from the INSAT3D sounder with the ground based Dobson spectrophotometer
at New Delhi (77.27E, 28.30 N) as well as Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on board the NASA EOS-AURA satellite for 2015 (January to
December). Yearly mean value of Dobson instrument is 296.8 DU, INSAT3D is 260.4 DU and OMI is 287.4 DU. The total columnar ozone values
obtained from the sounder product of INSAT3D is under estimating when compared with the ground measurements and OMI. Columnar ozone
from INSAT3D shows a correlation of 66.5 % with Dobson photo spectrometer, whereas the OMI has a 90.6 % with the ground based
measurements (Dobson). INSAT3D has a mean bias error of -13.08 and a 13.25 of mean absolute bias error with the Dobson Spectrometer. There
is a good correlation of 81% was noticed in February month and a poor correlation of 6% in July month and a highest standard deviation of 10.6
was reported in August month by the INSAT3D satellite product. A highest diurnal variation is noticed in the May month. There is a night time
increase (starts from 1700IST to 1900IST) of columnar ozone in the November to February months. And night time decrease of columnar ozone
(starts from 1700IST to 1900IST) in the April to July months.
Keywords: INSAT-3D SOUNDER, Total Columnar Ozone, OMI, Dobson Spectrophotometer, Dirunal Variation
Corresponding Author: masabhathini@gmail.com
Page No. 176

Validation of NASA Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) Retrieved Tropospheric Ozone Measurements and
Trend Analysis in Urban Megacities of India
Komal Shukla2, Prashant K. Srivastava1 and Mukesh Khare2

1BanarasHindu University, Varanasi , 2Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi
Abstract
Tropospheric ozone is a green house gas and strong oxidative properties, which poses serious impact on human and vegetation health.
Additionally, in India it has been often criticized for damaging the agricultural crops and aiding in formation of photochemical smog episodes.
This ozone is less than 10% of total columnar ozone (TCO) and formation is dependent on meteorological and chemical precursors (via a series of
free radical reaction) like NOx ,VOCs, solar radiation, temperature and relative humidity. Due to the non linearity involved in the formation of
ozone at surface, severe complexity exist due to unpredictable kinetics and thus requires more accurate measurement for improving our modelling
capacity as well as prediction. In this paper we will be validating the tropospheric ozone data products from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument
(OMI) on board the NASA EOS-AURA satellite through comparisons with ground-based observations (CPCB) in Indian urban cities like Delhi
and Mumbai. The study location Delhi (RKPuram) and Mumbai (MCPB Bandra) are selected keeping in mind the contrasting meteorology,
terrain and heavy traffic density. Quality controlled ground monitored ozone (based on absorption of UV radiation) for three years constituting all
sky observations are used to validate the tropospheric ozone observations (DOAS) from OMI. Tropospheric ozone (TO) is derived from the
Aura/Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and the Aura/Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) over the selected sites using the tropospheric ozone
residual technique (TOR). Since tropospheric ozone production in urban agglomerates is non liner and depends on mass ratio of chemical and
meteorological parameters therefore efforts are also made to understand the various scenarios of high and low level ozone formation. Implications
of such composite study may be helpful in improving various measuring techniques and climate-photochemical models for urban cities, which
constituted of mainly vehicular pollution in India. In continuation to finding the agreement between the ground and satellite observations, ozone
dynamics in terms of seasonality and precursor gases are also analysed and presented in this study.
Keywords: OMI-DOAS, Tropospheric Ozone, Microwave Limb Sounder, Delhi, Ozone Dynamics
Corresponding Author: komalshukla1992@gmail.com
Page No. 177

Comparison of Signal to Noise Ratio of Wind Profiler Data using Signal Processing Techniques
S. Narayana Reddy1
1SriVenkateswara University, Tirupati
Abstract
The main objective of the Lower Atmospheric Wind Profiler (LAWP) is used to identify the atmospheric echoes and estimation of the three
spectral moments (i.e., zeroth moment, first moment and second moment) is more important for the study of dynamics and to provide continuous
high resolution wind measurements in all weather conditions. The height profile of the wind vector can be improved by detecting the Doppler
shift of echoes, so that Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) may also be improved. At present, we are receiving the LAWP radar data at the National
Atmospheric Research Laboratory (NARL), Gadanki, India. SNR and doppler shift computation are important parameters in radar signal
processing. This paper discusses improvement of doppler shift using Fast Fourier Transforms (FFT), Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) and
Wavelet Transforms (WT) for LAWP signals. SNR for this LAWP data is computed for EMD and Wavelet de-noised signals are compared with
the FFT de-noised signals. Results show that there is an effective doppler shift and 21 dB improvement in SNR after de-noising using dB11
wavelet for Lower Atmospheric signals.
Keywords: Daubechies, Denoising, Doppler, Signal to Noise Ratio, Wavelet

Corresponding Author: ecemurthy@gmail.com
Page No. 178

Theme- Capacity Building Abstract Id: 246
Capacity Building through Training for Earth Resources Management
V.V.S. Nageswara Rao1

Abstract
Availability of Remote sensing data over India by Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) constellation of satellites opened new vistas for utilization in
earth resources applications and brought a paradigm shift in use of space based approach in monitoring and management of natural resources. To
start with, ISRO launched a series of Indian Remote Sensing satellites to provide multi resolution satellite data for earth resources applications.
High resolution PAN and multi spectral data from Carto-1 & 2 and LISS-4 facilitated generation of maps in large scales and recently launched
Radar Imaging satellite provides data in all weather conditions. The mandate of National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) at Hyderabad is to
acquire process and disseminate data to user agencies and carryout operational projects of National interest on Natural Resources monitoring and
Disaster Support activities with the help of partner institutions. NRSC established new facilities like Disaster Management Support (DMSP),
IMGEOS, Bhuvan and Information systems. Geospatial technology encompasses remote sensing, digital image processing, GIS, GPS and field
study as applied to various applications. Geospatial technology is extensively used in various natural resources applications such as forest
resource monitoring & management, agriculture, land resource management, surface and ground water studies, mineral exploration etc. The
capacity building encompasses user needs and in developing skills and sharing experience in geospatial technology and institutionalize the
mechanism in respective organizations and share state of art technology to participants from various Government, private and academic
institutions. The NRSC Training and Education Division organize Regular courses on "Geo-spatial technologies and Applications","Introduction
to GIS", Special courses such as "Microwave Remote sensing applications" and "Geospatial technologies for private entrepreneurs". Customized
courses are also conducted based on request from user organizations. Some of the government organizations namely State remote sensing centers,
state forest departments, Ground water departments, irrigation departments, Central water commission, academic institutions etc regularly
sponsored their officials. During 2000-2013, 141 courses were conducted and trained 2510 personnel where in 1749 Government, 479 academic,
282 private/ NGO and others. During 1991-1999, 72 courses were conducted and trained 991 personnel where in 585 Government, 301 academic,
105 private /NGOs and others. Such a large scale capacity building envisaged development of resource personnel at various user agencies
transferring up to date state of art knowledge
Keywords: Earth Resourses, Data Dissemination, Disaster Support, Ground water supply, Hyper Sprectal
Corresponding Author: nageswararao_vvs@nrsc.gov.in
Page No. 179

An Innovative Approach for capacity building in Geospatial technology and its application at mass scale in India
Poonam S. Tiwari1, Janardan Vishwakarma1, Mahadev Swamy1, Kavitha N.1, Kamal Pandey1, Harish Karnatak1, S. K. Srivastav1 and A. Senthil Kumar1
1Indian
Abstract
Capacity building for effective use of geospatial technologies and its applications in India is very critical due to large number of users, distributed
geographic locations, multi-lingual environment and multi-disciplinary nature of the domain. The recent technological advancements in
Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) are providing an excellent mode and platform for training and educations. The synchronous
and asynchronous mode of contents delivery for various capacity building programmes are getting popular among user communities. Indian
Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS) Dehradun has started its outreach programme in year 2007 by connecting 12 universities through satellite
based interactive terminals with participation of 312 participants. The programme has grown with many folds with inclusion of various advanced
ICT tools and mode of contents delivery. The IIRS outreach programme was extended to Internet domain to connect more users using A-view
platform in year 2012. Further the e-learning based online programme in English and Hindi language were launched in year 2014 and 2015 with a
concept of "learning anytime anywhere" by targeting working professionals and researchers. Within eight year of its inception the programme is
quite successful to train about 40,000 participants with a network of 500 knowledge institutions in the country. The National meet on effective use
of space technology in the governance was held at New Delhi in year 2015. As the outcome of this meet, the mass training and capacity building
for various user departments and ministries at various levels has emerged as one of the important need of the country. To achieve this, the IIRS
outreach programme is being further extended by developing digital contents for different target users at various levels. A web based knowledge
repository has been developed for widespread knowledge disseminations using digital workflow and Learning Management System. This Paper
presents the experience of IIRS and also technological implementation for online mass scale capacity building in India
Keywords: Distance learning, e-learning, Knowledge Portal, Mass scale capacity building,
Corresponding Author: kamal@iirs.gov.in
Page No. 180

Assessment of Learning Pedagogy in Geo-Informatics
Anjana Vyas1
1Centrefor Environmental Planning and Technology University, Ahmedabad
Abstract
Geo-Informatics has remained primarily centred on how to create and manage the data, analyse it and communicate the information through
geo-visualisation. Advancements of technology have brought 3-D visualization, 4-D incorporation of time, users's interaction with the model,
participatory GIS, crowd sourcing, etc. into the field of geo-informatics. All these leads to efficiency and effectiveness, targeted communication
with all actors of the society and governance. Assessment of delivery methods can gauge the efficacy of learning. It can counsel to realize varied
sources and their respective pros and cons. Also it assists users for getting a clear idea about how helpful the learnings would prove to be for their
prospective profession. Evaluation of e-learning acts as a tool for aiding the designers of the courses. This paper contains a brief survey about the
various teaching and assessment methods used by educational institutions across the globe. It elaborates over pedagogy used for teaching and
training of Geo-Informatics. Through benchmarking done with the use of extensive surveys and deep analysis, a guideline for developing an
educational programme in the context of Geo-Informatics have been developed. The paper also showcases the perspective of industry-academia
gap and instructs towards development of university area envelope and student recourse. It describes various methods of assessments, both
external and internal, of educational programmes and institutions for the purpose of performance measurement. A novel method of analysis of
internal assessment carried out through feedbacks is also analysed. This leads to instructions for significant improvements in the system including
course content, structure and teaching methodology.
Keywords: Education, Geoinformatics, Learning Pedagogy, Assessment Methods, Capacity Building

Corresponding Author: anjanavyas@yahoo.com
Page No. 181

Web Based Satellite Image Processing and Enhancement
Piyush Singh2, Dheeraj Kumar2, Harish Chandra Karnatak1 and Kamal Pandey1
Abstract
The aim of this study is to build web based virtual laboratory for geospatial satellite image processing and enhancement. The online image
processing capabilities in web applications are very limited due to various technical limitations such as application development environment,
network bandwidth, client and server hardware etc. Online image processing system have immense scope for training and capacity building in
distance learning mode for learners of remote sensing and geospatial technologies. The web based satellite image processing system and its tool
provides an opportunity to witness classroom-learned theoretical concepts at work; and thereafter analyze the experimental data; and work
collaboratively. And to provide such a complete Learning Management System around the satellite based image processing where the students can
avail the various tools for implementing different image processing algorithm to enhance the image property for better interpretation. As a part of
this web based satellite image processing, there is need of developing a generalized architecture that will provides a base for satellite image
processing tasks as a web based application. This web based satellite image processing architecture try to find a better way to combine the power
of open source satellite based image processing modules developed in python language like GDAL, mpld3 and matplotlib, etc with php as web
based scripting language produces a significant result to extract useful information from the satellite imagery. This paper introduces an
architecture by which different tools for satellite image processing directly implemented over the internet and this will saves precious time for
those users who wants all image processing tools available at the same time without having any installation of bulky image processing application
on the system. Apart from system requirement this will facilitate in classification of land for various uses by government under the condition of
depleting agricultural land and increase of multiplexes over it. Environment management and monitoring will be compatible.
Keywords: GDAL, matplotlib, mpld3, open source image processing application, python
Corresponding Author: piyushsingh2k7@gmail.com
Page No. 182

Capacity building for safety and sustainability of cities in high seismic zone: an integrated Remote Sensing and GIS
approach
Biswajit1
1Gauhati University, Guwahati
Abstract
The North East India, being situated in the Earthquake Zone V, has experienced many earthquakes of moderate and big intensities. The region had
suffered heavy casualties in human lives and property in the two major earthquakes of 1897 and 1950. The recent earthquake in Manipur has also
caused extensive damage in terms of loss of life and property. A strong mechanism for capacity building not only in terms of community
awareness but also the technical evaluation of the existing building stock especially in urban built environment has become very important in
present day unplanned, uncontrolled and haphazard expansion of cities to mega cities in this highly earthquake prone region. An integrated
approach using Remote Sensing together with Geographic Information System has been attempted and successfully demonstrated in this study for
the city of Guwahati situated in the state of Assam which is considered as the gateway to the North East India with strong communication and
economic potential. Handling of more than 1,50,000 building data from high rise multi storied buildings to vernacular traditional Assam type
houses has been found very useful with the application of the integrated approach. Application of high resolution satellite data was used to prepare
the building footprint map of the study area and integrated with building data of almost 24,000 buildings, physically surveyed for Rapid Visual
Screening (RVS) using a methodology prescribed by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) for estimation of probable damage
during a future earthquake. This database has been further enhanced with the addition of geology, geomorphology, soil type, bedrock depth, site
response, predominant frequency etc. in the GIS environment in order to estimate a probable damage scenario for different building typologies.
Finally, a comprehensive Integrated Remote Sensing and GIS based Decision Support System has been developed for earthquake risk estimation
and subsequent adoption of remedial measures in exercising capacity building and earthquake risk mitigation through proper planning and
management in order to make a safe and sustainable city.
Keywords: iNTEGRATED REMOTE SENSING AND GIS, RAPID VISUAL SCREENING, EARTHQUAKE RISK ESTIMATION, SUSTAINABLE CITY,
DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM
Corresponding Author: iambiswajit@yahoo.com
Page No. 183

ISRO-UNESCAP initiative of Application of Space Technology for Agricultural Drought Monitoring and
Assessment in Neighboring Countries
K. Chandrasekar1, S.S. Raja Shekhar1, M.V.R. Sesha Sai1 and P.G. Diwakar1
Abstract
National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) has been successfully carrying out drought monitoring and assessment using space technology through
a project called the National Agricultural Drought Assessment and Monitoring System (NADAMS) for the past two decades. NADAMS has
matured over the years which prompted Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, to institutionalise the project by establishing a centre called
Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre (MNCFC). The successful institutionalisation of NADAMS project and continuous hand holding
with the user Ministry (Ministry of Agriculture) has attracted international attention. In a joint international initiative, the United Nations
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (UNESCAP) and NRSC envisaged to adopt the drought monitoring mechanism carried out
under NADAMS project using space technology, for the neighbouring countries of India. This was in line with the India's commitment to extend
technical support towards applications of space technology to the lesser space faring nations for sustainable development and disaster risk
reduction under the Regional Space Applications Programme of the UNESCAP. After due diligence by NRSC and UNESCAP during 2014, it was
decided to develop, capacity build and establish a space based drought monitoring mechanism for Sri Lanka. Towards this objective NRSC
conceptualised, designed and developed drought monitoring system and a customised software for satellite data processing specifically for Sri
Lanka was developed. The capacity building of over 35 Sri Lankan Government officials was carried out by organising two training programs in
India and Sri Lanka. The training program was focused on the concept, satellite data utilisation, drought assessment methodology and hands on
training on the DMS-SL software. To hand hold in the implementation, first two cropping seasons during 2014-15, the drought assessment was
carried out in NRSC and from 2015 onward, it is being carried out by the Sri Lankan nodal agency. Seeing the success of this programme in Sri
Lanka, Myanmar requested similar mechanism for their country. Currently NRSC is in the process of establishing drought monitoring mechanism
for Myanmar. An inception meeting was held during April 2016 and the first training program was organised during August 2016 at their capital
to train 35 Government
Keywords: Drought, Agriculture, NADAMS, UNESCAP, ISRO

Corresponding Author: ppkcs@hotmail.com
Page No. 184

Role and Impact of National Supercomputing Mission in building India Geospatial Application Models
Manavalan1, Mangala1 and Sarat Chandra Babu1

1Centre
for Development of Advanced Computing
Abstract
Worldwide High Performance Computing (HPC) labs have enabled various Geospatial application models on their supercomputing clusters
mainly to meet the demands of on real time information sought by the governments. Noted applications that make use of HPC to deliver the
critical information in near real time or real time mode are the early warning systems which include cyclone, flood, tsunami and other natural
disaster forecasting models, the real time traffic management system, real time monitoring of Cyber security-Cybercrime management system,
etc. However, in the present day scenario any such models still need to address the following challenges mainly to retain the real time tag. In
processing the ever growing voluminous high resolution temporal data of multiple sensors and in integrating its outcome. In evaluating and
integrating the real time crowd source data of various social media mainly to incorporate and take the advantages of analytical solutions. In
simulating and developing the implementation models that can suit for regional as well as local scale The above challenges can be addressed by
scaling out the current cluster based HPC models into a distributed HPC application model. Such distributed model obviously need the support of
large scale computing resources as well as in developing new scalable algorithms that can perform well on the heterogeneous environment of the
distributed computing. Hence, in the present day data driven analytical world, evolving many such application models is need of the hour. In case
of India, such complex geospatial models of national importance can be very well experimented and evolved by utilizing the computing,
bandwidth and other HPC software resources of National Supercomputing Mission (NSM). In line to this, this paper initially discusses the
experience gained in enabling few Geospatial applications in Grid-Cloud environment; lessons learned and subsequently put forward the
importance of developing and enabling regional scale geospatial collaborative applications on the top of heterogeneous environment of NSM
which is certainly beneficial to our Nation building activities.
Keywords: Real Time Applications, National Supercomputing Mission, , ,

Corresponding Author: rmanavalan@cdac.in
Page No. 185

Development of a low cost community-based landslide warning system
Pratik Chaturvedi1, Ravinder Singh Bora2 and Gaurav Rawat3

1DRDO-Defence Terrain Research Lab., Delhi , 2National Disaster Management Authority, New Delhi , 3YMCA University, Faridabad
Abstract
Landslides are causing havoc in Himalaya and most of them are induced by rainfall or extreme weather events. Thus effective risk communication
and early warning systems are the need of the hour to save property and life. Early warning systems (EWSs) in India are increasingly taking
centre stage with reference to landslide management practices. Although, technical and complex EWSs are currently at developmental stage in the
predictions and warning process with precisions; yet they remain out of reach of general public. Hence, here comes the need for development of
simple low cost indigenous EWS on the basis of regional rainfall pattern and site conditions available which will be easily adopted by general
public. The Internet of Things (IoT's) and rainfall based threshold models may provide low cost solution for alerting / warning people via siren /
buzzer, SMS, e-mail and website. There is a lot of literature available regarding rainfall threshold based landslide warning. In India also, rainfall
thresholds for landslides are already developed for several landslide-prone routes. Thus, monitoring the rainfall in conjunction with the rainfall
thresholds may be useful in warning of landslides. In this research work, a very low cost system is developed to automate the monitoring and
recording of rainfall using Internet of Things (IoT) infrastructure. The paper describes the hardware and the software components and the data
communication aspects of the design, and their integration as a complete system. The system consists of rain gauges with wireless interface. A
tipping bucket rain gauge is to be connected with Arduino board and GSM module with SIM card for transmission of data from site on web-based
clouds for display. If rainfall value recorded by rain gauges, cross the rainfall threshold value then an SMS based alert will be sent to the
registered user's mobile phone. The information will also be received in a database at the central station which can be accessed via the Internet,
and the data may be downloaded and analyzed. The System may become more efficient by incorporating a Solar Panel that can supply power to
the system for a longer period of time.
Keywords: Rainfall threshold, Tipping Bucket Rain Gauge, Arduino, GSM, Internet of Things (IoT)
Corresponding Author: prateek@dtrl.drdo.in
Page No. 186

Student Remote Sensing & Geospatial Programme (SRSGP) - A potential contribution for Digital India
Murthy Remilla2, J.K. Kishore 2, P. Kesava Rao1 and P.P. Nageswara Rao3
1Institute
of Aeronautical Engineering , 2ISRO Satellite Centre, Bengaluru , 3Visvesvaraya Technological University, Belagavi
Abstract
Digital India program launched recently by Government of India, aims to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge
economy. The goal of flagship programmes like Digital India / Smart Cities / Smart Villages depends significantly on space borne Remote
Sensing and GIS. It requires enormous infrastructure and professional human resources for effective usage with digitized Information. During the
last decade, the Computer Science/ Information Technology/Electrical & Electronics departments in Engineering Colleges across India have
significant Infrastructure and HR. High end computing, networking resources and even Wi-Fi campuses with Internet and qualified faculty help
the students. Many Ex-Scientists from ISRO/ DRDO / BEL / HAL / BSNL / BHEL etc., are now working as Faculty / Advisors which has really
boosted the R & D environment in academia. Many research papers are also being published by students from Engineering / Agricultural
Institutions in the domain of RS ???GIS with the guidance of industry experienced faculty. Additionally, Agricultural Universities / Colleges
across India are also making extensive use of RS-GIS technology for different applications. Presently, there are several individual projects in
Universities / Academia involving RS-GIS. However, they are largely in research mode and not reaching operational services. Hence, it is
suggested to extend the involvement of students and academia in the operational services through Student Remote Sensing & Geospatial
Programme (SRSGP). In addition to the support of ISRO/DOS; the support of State Remote Sensing Application Centres (SRACs), Regional
Remote Sensing Centres (RRSCs) and Ex-ISRO Scientists can become valuable assets for SRSGP and Digital India. Such a programme will
expand the hands-on experience of the student community and enrich their job-readiness in the industry. The other advantage in this mode is
making the content in local language which will increase the outreach of services to citizens. The Student Remote Sensing & Geospatial Program
needs to be viewed in terms of the needs of India vs. Capability & Capacity Building to leverage the benefits of RS-GIS to develop and sustain
Digital India. In this paper, the potential of Student Remote Sensing & Geospatial Program (SRSGP) for Digital India is highlighted.
Keywords: student remote sensing, national GIS, RS&GIS, Digital India,

Corresponding Author: murthyremilla@yahoo.com
Page No. 187

Remote Sensors and GIS for Disaster Risk Reduction
Alvira Shaikh1, PoonamYadav1, Bhushan Sontakke1 and Priya Gokhale1

1SPPU,Pune
Abstract
Disasters are the event that occurs without any prediction. Various disasters kill lots of people and destroy property and infrastructures every year.
Natural disasters are the events which takes place purely by natural phenomena and results in heavy loss to livelihoods and societies. We do not
assess the impact of upcoming disaster. Remotely sensed data can be used very efficiently to assess severity and impact of damage due to these
disasters. In the disaster relief phase, GIS, grouped with global positioning system (GPS) is extremely useful in search and rescue operations in
areas that have been ruined and where it is difficult to find one's bearings. Disaster mapping is the drawing of areas that have been through
excessive natural or man-made troubles to the normal environment where there is a loss of life, property and national infrastructures. Rather
focusing only on emergency response, it considers all facts of disaster management. Integration of GIS with remote Sensing technology acts as a
tool to solve a complex planning and management problems. It also support for decision making in disaster management cycle. This paper present
studies about different methodologies of establishing disaster risk management including laws and regulation.
Keywords: Natural disaster, Remote sensing, GPS , Disaster mapping , GIS

Corresponding Author: alveera.ns309@gmail.com
Page No. 188

Theme- Coastal and Ocean Applications Abstract Id: 316
Estimating the Suspended Sediment Concentration (SSC) Dispersal Extent Along the Maharashtra Coast
Mani Murali R.1, Santhosh Kumar S.1, Riyas M.J.1 and Reshma K.N.1
1CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Goa
Abstract
The Suspended Sediment Concentration (SSC) plays a vital role in the coastal waters which are accountable for the quality of the water and its
effect on the coast. These suspended sediments are derived from rivers, erosive action along the coast and sediments carried through currents. The
estimation of SSC has a long history starting from in-situ measurements to the synoptic view using various tools leading to the determination of
the concentration in a spatial manner. In that aspect, remote sensing became a desirable approach for assessing the concentration of suspended
sediments in coastal water by both spatially and temporally. Many previous studies used different ocean colour sensors like OCM, MODIS and
Sea-WIFS to estimate the concentration of the suspended sediments in coastal waters. In this study, Landsat 8 OLI was used to compute the SSC
in order to get a better perspective spatially and also to derive the dispersion pattern of the SSC from the Gulf of Khambhat to the open ocean.
Different seasons of the year 2014 were mapped and the intra-annual variability of the SSC is being discussed in this paper. The variation in the
SSC along the coast is also derived for the same period using an intra-annual analysis. This analysis was carried out by determining the cross
profile of the SSC using transects along the entire Gulf, coastal regions of southern Gujarat and the entire coastline of Maharashtra. A total of 10
transects, starting from the Gulf to the south part of the Maharashtra coast were drawn to obtain the plume extension from the coast. The
dispersion pattern is observed for the entire year of 2014 with SSC values for each month and the variations are obtained through their cross
profiles. Thus the overall characteristics of the sediments derived from the Gulf and its dispersion behaviour into the open ocean towards offshore
have been clearly understood with the help of remote sensing.
Keywords: Landsat 8, SSC, Dispersion, Gulf of Khambhat, Maharashtra

Corresponding Author: mmurali@nio.org
Page No. 189

Dynamics and Impact of Land use/Land cover Change of Central Odisha Coast
R. Mani Murali1, Reshma K. N. 1 and Richa Choudhary 1

1CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Goa
Abstract
Intense developmental pressures by virtue of agriculture, population, port development, industrialisation, mining and urban development are a
great threat to the coastal habitat. This study focused on the quantification and dynamic nature of land use land cover change along the central
Odisha coast, over a period of last 42 years through satellite data. Hybrid classification method, a combination of supervised and unsupervised
classification was applied to obtain land use land cover maps of enhanced accuracy. Standardized level II NRSC classification was used to
demarcate classes namely; built up, cropland, fallow land, plantation, forest plantation, mangroves, marshy, scrub, sandy area, mudflats and salt
pans. The overall accuracy of the classification ranges from 78 to 89%. The results reveal that built up has increased rapidly to 52.50 km2 by 2014
as this region was the preferred destination for industrialisation because of the vicinity of the port. The study proves that 42% of the land was
urbanised during 1999-2014. Agriculture is the dominant activity over the study area. It shows the growth of aquaculture practices from
1972-2014 by 99.78 km2. Mangrove area shows an overall growth over the period of study. Loss of 9.69 km2 mangrove area during 1999 is
attributed to the Orissa Super Cyclone. The afforestation practices of Odisha Forest Department are seen during 2004-2006 and 2013-2014. This
region is known for the depositional coastal geomorphic landforms such as beaches, spits and sand bars. Reduction of the area from 122.33 km2
(1972) to 55.23 km2 (1999) of these landforms was due to the flash floods and cyclones. Monitoring land use land cover studies will give
awareness and information among the public and decision makers about the current state of the study area and changes occurred over a period of
time.
Keywords: Paradip, Land use Land cover, Supervised Classification, Urbanisation, Odisha
Corresponding Author: mmurali@nio.org
Page No. 190

Retrieval of Chlorophyll and Suspended Sediment Concentration using Landsat 8 OLI in Lanpung Bay, Indonesia
Emiyati2 and A.K. Mishra1

1IndianInstitute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 2LAPAN Indonesia
Abstract
Phytoplankton biomass and Suspended Sediment Concentrations are responsible for changing the spectral composition of ocean water. The color
of the ocean in coastal area can be detected by satellite remote sensing such as Landsat 8 OLI. The objectives of this study are retrieval of
chlorophyll-a (Chla) and suspended sediment concentration (SSC) in Lampung Bay using Landsat 8 OLI bands. In this study subsurface
reflectance of Landsat 8 OLI bands and field measurement from in situ radiometer (TriOS RAMSES) are used for evaluation of existing
algorithms and development of site specific algorithms for retrieval of Chla and SSC and to generate Chla and SSC maps from Landsat-8 OLI
data. The existing algorithms such as ocean Color OC2 and OC3 along with some algorithms based on band ratio with linear and multiple
regression analysis are applied for retrieval Chla in Lampung Bay. Similarly, for retrieval of SSC, the existing algorithms based on single band,
various band combinations with band ratio are applied and their statistical analyses have been carried out. The mean of reflectance spectra
corresponding to three types of dinoflagellates (Pyrodinmium Bahamense, Gymnodinium and Cochlodinium Polykrikoides) and one diatom
(Chaetoceros Sp.) have been analyzed. Since, the existing algorithms failed to provide better result, an attempt has been made to generate site
specific new coefficients for the established existing algorithms using the available in situ field observations. The algorithms with new
coefficients have been applied to the Landsat-8 OLI data to generate chlorophyll and suspended sediment concentration maps in the Lampung
Bay. The satellite estimated and in situ measured Chla and SSC are compared and the statistical analysis have been presented. The distribution of
Chla values in Lampung Bay is between 0.025 to 9.85 µg/L with an average value of 0.774 µg/L. While the distribution of SSC in Lampung Bay
is between 22.45 to 280.52 mg/L with an average value of 148.61 mg/L. The analysis indicates that the Lampung Bay coastal waters are turbid in
nature due high sedimentation near the coast. The spatial and statistical analysis indicates that the Chla in Lampung Bay is little bit influenced by
suspended sediment concentration.
Keywords: Subsurface Reflectance, Chlorophyll-a, Suspended Sediment Concentration, Landsat 8, Lampung Bay
Corresponding Author: mishra@iirs.gov.in
Page No. 191

Long-Term Chlorophyll-a Dynamics in Coastal Water of North-Western Bay of Bengal
Chandanlal Parida1 and K.C. Sahu1

1Berhampur University, Brahmapur
Abstract
The distribution of optically active substances (OAS), accuracy assessment of satellite derived chlorophyll-a (chl-a) and long term trend in
distribution of satellite chl-a was carried out at a coastal site of SATellite Coastal and Oceanographic REsearch (SATCORE) programme. The in
situ data of OAS such as chl-a, Total Suspended Matter (TSM) and absorption due to Coloured Dissolved Organic Matter at 440nm (aCDOM440)
were analyzed for the period of two years. The temporal distribution of chl-a, TSM and aCDOM440 showed one common peak during southwest
monsoon season. Apart from this Chla also showed a prominent peak during pre-southwest monsoon. The spatial variability in TSM and
aCDOM440 was maximum during southwest monsoon whereas in the case of chl-a it was during pre-southwest monsoon. The accuracy
assessment of chl-a, retrieved from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer onboard the Aqua satellite (MODIS A) and Visible Infrared
Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) onboard Soumi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP), showed overestimation in nearshore waters (depth <
30m). The error in satellite estimation of chl-a was in the range of 33 to 51% and the overestimation was predominantly due to the covariance of
TSM with chl-a. Chl-a retrieved from MODIS A using OC3M algorithm was most accurate with better slope (1.001), regression coefficient
(R2=0.67) and Log10RMSE (0.18 mg-m-3). Chl-a retrieved from VIIRS using OC3V algorithm performed equally well. Ten years of chl-a
retrieved from MODISA was analyzed with an aim to understand its trend in the view of bio-physical forcing. The bi-modal distribution of chl-a
was clearly evident. The peak in chl-a during pre-southwest monsoon was due to recurring algal bloom at an annual scale. The second peak in
chl-a during end of south-west monsoon was due to upwelling and entrainment of nutrients due to eddies. The shift in peak chl-a towards end of
the monsoon might be due to the limitation in availability of sunlight due to cloud cover and less penetration of sunlight due to high sediment
from river influx. The chl-a trend in MODIS A and VIIRS matched well. Hence VIIRS chl-a can be efficient utilized to continue time-series
studies.
Keywords: Ocean Colour, Time-Series, Chlorophyll-a, MODIS A, VIIRS

Corresponding Author: chandanlal.parida@gmail.com
Page No. 192

GIS Application to Improve Coastal Inundation Studies - A Case Study of 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami
Mounica Jakkula1 and Kirti Srivastava1

1CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad
Abstract
Tsunami studies on the coastal region have become a study of great interest in the recent years. We are using TUNAMI-N2 model to get the
run-up heights and inundation of the tsunami waves. But the topography data used in the model is not very accurate which can affect the accuracy
of the results. Hence a field study needs to be done to collect accurate elevation and slope data. We have used a Tsunami model to recreate 2004
Indian Ocean Tsunami and used GIS techniques to validate our results. We have collected GPS data for the area of interest (Pondicherry coast).
The elevation and slope values collected from the coast are used to obtain accurate inundation results. We also calculated the different kind of
lateral force acting on the coastal structures and bridges across the water bodies.
Keywords: Tsunami Modeling, GIS techniques, Inundation, Tsunami forces, TUNAMI-N2

Corresponding Author: mounica.jakkula.iitk@gmail.com
Page No. 193

Model Predictive Control of Underwater Vehicle for Ocean Engineering Applications
Modi Pandu Ranga Prasad1 and Akhilesh Swarup1

1National
Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra
Abstract
Earth, the third planet from the sun is the only planet on which life is known to exist. Seventy percent of the earth is covered by oceans. These
oceans have been playing a very crucial role in transporting of goods even before the road. At the same time it cannot be ignored the possibilities
of the negative role of the oceans- a very serious threat to human society and damage of man-made infrastructure through the natural phenomenon
such as hurricanes and tsunamis, the latest being Hudhud in Visakhapatnam and Nilam in Chennai. Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV) and
Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV), are considered as marine robots which are very useful for study of ocean resources such as aquaculture,
offshore mining, ocean survey etc. This paper considers the dynamic modeling of an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) which is used to
track the AUV in the presence of ocean currents and other underwater environmental disturbances. Model Predictive Control (MPC) has been
attempted on AUV for control purpose. The main advantage of using MPC is it can easily handle multi input multi output systems very
effectively. Constraints on inputs, states and outputs can also be considered using this technique. It has the ability to handle model mismatch and
disturbances. Sensor noise can be estimated using filter and Kalman filtering plays an important role in AUV navigation. AUV sensors play an
important role in data collection and remote sensing. Global Positioning satellite (GPS) may not work in underwater environment for remote
sensing. Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) sensor is used to find position of a vehicle and it may also helpful for remote sensing. Mathematical
modeling and MPC formulations are the contributions of this paper. The results presented in this paper can be summarized in three points as
dynamic modeling of AUV, stability issues, and formulation of MPC. All the simulations are carried out in MATLAB environment. These results
help to explain the AUV control concept which is essential for ocean studies to monitor the underwater environment.
Keywords: Underwater Vehicle, Model Predictive Control, stability

Corresponding Author: mprp823@gmail.com
Page No. 194

Spatio-Temporal Variation of Suspended Sediment Concentration in the Near Shore Waters, Southern Karnataka,
India
Ateeth Shetty1, K.S. Jayappa1, Ratheesh Ramakrishnan2 and A.S. Rajawat2

1Mangalore University, Mangalore , 2Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad
Abstract
Suspended Sediment Concentration (SSC) was estimated for the period of four months (November, 2013 to February 2014) using Oceansat-2
(Ocean Colour Monitor) satellite images to understand the coastal dynamics and regional sediment transport, especially distribution and budgeting
in coastal waters. The coastal zone undergoes continuous changes due to natural processes and anthropogenic activities. The importance of the
coastal zone, with respect to safety, ecology, economy and recreation, demands a management strategy in which each of these aspects is taken into
account. Monitoring and understanding the sediment dynamics and suspended sediment transport is an important issue for coastal engineering
related activities. A study of the transport mechanism of suspended sediments in the near shore environment is essential not only to safeguard
marine installations or navigational channels, but also for the coastal structure design, environmental protection and disaster reduction. Such
studies also help in assessment of pollutants and other biological activities in the region. An accurate description of the sediment transport, caused
by waves and tidal or wave-induced currents, is of great importance in predicting coastal morphological changes. Satellite-derived SSC data have
been found to be useful for Indian coasts because of their high spatial (360 m), spectral and temporal resolutions. The present paper outlines the
applications of state-of-the-art operational Indian Remote Sensing satellite, Oceansat-2 to study the dynamics of sediment transport.
Keywords: Suspended Sediment Concentration, Ocean Colour Monitor, Sediment transport, Case – II waters,
Corresponding Author: athith89@gmail.com
Page No. 195

Spatio-Temporal Dynamics of Shoreline Along the Southwest Coast of India
Jyoti Joseph1, Vincent A. Ferrer1 and K.K. Ramachandran1

1National Centre for Earth Science Studies, Thiruvananthapuram
Abstract
Coastal zones are ideal laboratories to monitor the impact of climate change either due to sea level rise, monsoonal variations or oceanic
circulations, the outcomes of which are mainly visualized by the change in shorelines. Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems has
provided valuable information for evaluation of how the shorelines have transformed over a period of time. The main focus of this study is to
assess the changes in the shoreline along the southwest coast of India covering the Kerala coast over a distance of nearly 400 Kms. The coast
which is roughly oriented in NNW-SSE direction is composed of 15 inlets either with natural or man - made openings. The data from the Landsat
Satellite series representing 43 years in 8 datasets of the years 1973, 1979, 1989, 1995, 2001, 2005, 2010 and 2016 are used to extract the
land/water boundary. The rate of shoreline change has been estimated by computing the End Point Rate (EPR) and Linear Regression Rate (LRR).
The shoreline statistics were calculated by identifying four Littoral Cells (LC) with LC1 from Thottapally to Cochin, LC2 reaching upto Ponnani,
LC3 towards Vadakara and LC4 extending upto Bekal. The study shows that LC1 is mostly eroding whereas LC2 has been identified as an
accreting coast. Erosion/Accretion scenario is bit complex for LC3 with alternating processes observed up to Beypore.However, erosion in various
intensities have been observed beyond Beypore up to LC4. The study on the migrational characteristics of inlets have depicted that the northern
part of the Cochin inlet has undergone large scale modification through accretion/reclamation. The Periyar inlet has not undergone major
modifications indicating its stability over the study period. A northerly drifting tendency of the Ponnani and the Koraphuzha inlets is noteworthy.
The KERI has laid reference stones at regular intervals along the Kerala coast to monitor coastal changes, which has been knotted into this
existing geodatabase for future validation of shoreline change. The present study provides a comprehensive database on the stability of the coast
which need to be scaled up for improved insight towards prioritizing action Plan for coastal management.
Keywords: Shoreline, Remote Sensing, Migration, Erosion/Accretion, GIS

Corresponding Author: jyotijesna@gmail.com
Page No. 196

Numerical Assessment of Long-Term Shoreline Changes Along Odisha Coast, Eastern Seaboard of India
Kamal Kumar Barik3, R. Annaduari3, Prakash Chandra Mohanty1, Jagadish Kumar Tripathy4 and Debasish Mitra1
1Indian
Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 2Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, Hyderabad , 3S.R.M. University, Chennai , 4Sambalpur University,
Sambalpur
Abstract
Odisha, a coastal state on eastern seaboard of India posses ~450km long coastline which is under multiple threats due to anthropogenic and
natural factors. Shoreline changes study was carried out along selected regions viz. Baleswar, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapara districts
using USGS Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) version 4.3. Multi-temporal Landsat data of 1990, 1995, 2003 and 2015 were used for
shoreline extraction. These multiple shoreline datasets served as input for USGS DSAS to cast 50m transect interval along the selected regions.
The rate of shoreline changes at a scale of 50m were determined based on Net Shoreline Movement (NSM) and End Point Rate (EPR). DSAS tool
performed well in calculating the statistics of End Point Rate and Net Shoreline Movement. The present study depicted ~48.86 % of the shoreline
is accreting; ~29.85 % eroding and ~21.27% remain steady. Results of field investigation corroborated the derive analysis. The highest erosion
area was observed in coastal tract of Jagatsinghpur (north side of Devi river mouth and near Saharabedi city), Kendrapara (near Hukitola bay and
bhitarakanika mangroves forest) and Bhadrak (near to Dhamara port). Similarly highest deposition was found in Kendrapara (around Kasafal
beach) and Bhadrak (Kasimuhan Port). Most stable shore lines are in Kendrapara (Chandipur beach).
Keywords: Shoreline, DSAS, NSM, EPR

Corresponding Author: kamalkuumar@gmail.com
Page No. 197

Computational and Algorithmic Analysis of Tsunami Wave Parameters
Sudhir Kumar Chaturvedi1, Ugur Guven1 and Pankaj Kumar Srivastava1

1UPES, Dehradun
Abstract
The detailed analysis have been carried out to describe the properties of Eigen functions which indicates the values of wave potential, horizontal
and vertical velocity and acceleration components and the angular frequencies corresponds to the deep, intermediate and shallow water waves.
The result describes the preliminary results for the analysis and measurements of the Eigen functions. The result shows as distance progresses
from the deep to coastal regions, celerity values decreases due to the increment in the significant wave heights. It shows at 80km distance from the
origin of generation, the celerity is 550 m/s in deep waters, 440 m/s for intermediate and 310 m/s for the shallow water waves.
Keywords: Eigen function, Earthquake, Wave measurements, ,

Corresponding Author: sudhir.chaturvedi@ddn.upes.ac.in
Page No. 198

Role of Suspended Sediment Concentration on POC, PIC and Phytoplankton Distribution in the Coastal Waters of
Bay of Bengal along the Andhra Coast.
Baishali Das1 and A.K. Mishra1

Abstract
Near shore waters or case II waters are very dynamic in nature and influenced by strong wave actions, suspended sediment concentration and
turbulence. On the other hand, off-shore waters are comparatively calm. It is difficult to establish a trend amongst the suspended sediment
concentration, chlorophyll, particulate organic matter and particulate inorganic matter in case of near shore waters. An attempt has been made to
establish a relationship amongst these parameters both in off-shore and near-shore waters. MODIS-AQUA data for the year 2014 has been taken
for Chlorophyll (CHL), Particulate Organic Matter(POC) and Particulate Inorganic Matter (PIC) and OCEANSAT-2 data has been taken for
suspended sediment concentration (SSC). After reprojecting the MODIS-AQUA data and geometrically correcting the OCEANSAT-2 data, the
images were stacked for analysis. The datasets of pre-monsoon months belonging to January, February, March, April and May and post-monsoon
months belonging to October, November and December were geometrically rectified and a subset of each data centered around Godavari river
estuary was created for further analysis. The near-shore and off-shore regions were identified and demarcated according to the availability of the
data. Although, it is possible to visualize a trend in the off-shore waters due to lesser mixing and turbulence, it is difficult to visualize the same in
the near-shore waters.
Keywords: Case II waters, MODIS-AQUA, OCEANSAT, Suspended Sediment Concentration, Chlorophyll

Corresponding Author: baisali01@gmail.com
Page No. 199

Spatial-Temporal Shoreline Analysis of Odisha Coast using Remote Sensing and GIS Techniques.
Amaresh Mishra1 and V. Trivedi2

1GeoTechnology Consultancy Co. , 2School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi
Abstract
The coastal area is dynamic, and is subject to constant changes under the influence of phenomenon such as waves, currents, tides, tsunami,
cyclone, sea level rise, sediment characteristics and anthropogenic activity. The temporal change, in position of shoreline, is one of the important
outcome of this coastal dynamics. The remote sensing technologies help to map these shoreline changes over a period of time. This study focuses
on delineation of historical shoreline and understanding rates of erosion, accretion along the Odisha coast. Spatial-temporal LANDSAT and
SENTINEL imageries are used to delineate the historical shorelines. Shoreline change evaluations are based on comparing the time series
historical vector lines (1972-2016) derived from processed satellite imageries. Erosion and accretion rates are computed on the basis of these
delineated vector shorelines. The rates have been represented as meters of change along transects per year. It indicates high erosion, north of
major rivers and accretion near ports. Significant changes have been observed along the coast. The observations made are only periodic and case
has been made about the importance of constant monitoring of the shoreline evolution to detect further changes. The results of this study can be
used for making planning and management decisions.
Keywords: coastal dynamics, erosion and accretion rates, shorelines evolution, DSAS, USGS
Corresponding Author: amaresh.22@outlook.com
Page No. 200

Water Clarity Monitoring of Chilika Lake using Landsat Images.
Sridevi Jadav2, T.H. Syed2 and Binata Nandan Bhol2

Abstract
Eutrophication leads to deplete the oxygen content in water body due to the explosive growth of plants and algae in the lake. The reason behind
the eutrophication problem of the lake is mainly arised due to the high nutrient enrichment and the anthropogenic activities from the human
resources, surrounding the lake. In order to distinguish the trophic status of the lake, this study aims to monitor water clarity (WC) of the Chilika
Lake using remote sensing technique for the period of 2009 to 2015. Water clarity is also expressed reliable information of the lake productivity
and ecosystem characteristics of the Lake. For this study, we acquired six images of Landsat 5 TM and landsat 8 operational land imagery (OLI)
in the month of June and November, 2009 to 2015 and simultaneously collected Secchi Disk depth (SDD) of in-situ observations from 26 stations
on the Chilika Lake. The specific objective of this study is to establish a relationship between insitu measurements of Secchi Disk depth and
atmospherically corrected reflectance value of Landsat 8 (OLI) images. The results of these estimations are validated using the in-situ data by
linear regression, and the accuracies are measured by the coefficient of determination R2. The result reveals an indication of high model fit
between the majority of SDD predictions and the in-situ observations. The developed algorithm applied on the landsat images in order to obtain
spatially distributed SDD map that characterized water clarity of the Chilika Lake during the study period.
Keywords: Water Clarity, Secchi Disk depth, Eutrophication, ,

Corresponding Author: sridevi.jadav89@gmail.com
Page No. 201

Impact on Tropical Cyclones due to Rise in Sea Surface Temperature
Arun Rathod1, Zalak Bhavsar1 and Ashish Upadhyay1

Abstract
Urbanization expansion amplifies global warming which leads to increase in Sea-Surface Temperature (SST). Warmer sea water serves as a fuel to
cyclones and thus cyclones grows much more severe than they were expected to be. The recent study of Hurricane Katrina depicted that the
cyclone headed generally westward toward Florida and strengthened into a hurricane only two hours before making landfall at Hallandale beach
and Aventura on August 25, 2005. Hurricane Katrina eventually started from category 1 near Florida but it turned into category 5 as soon as it
reached Gulf of Mexico. India is a peninsular country surrounded by Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean. The effect of rise in SST has
been observed in BoB, which shows much more intense Tropical cyclones in recent time. This paper focuses on the phenomenon occurring on the
coastal area of India using satellite imagery for deriving SST and monitoring cyclonic movements using wind data and thus deriving relationship
amongst abnormality in SST, Cyclones and Wind Direction.
Keywords: Sea Surface Temperature, Hurricane, Bay of Bengal, Cyclone,

Corresponding Author: arunrathor48@gmail.com
Page No. 202

Mapping of Horseshoe Crab Habitats in India
Basudev Tripathy1
1ZoologicalSurvey of India, Kolkata
Abstract
A study was conducted from September 2013 to April 2014 to identify areas with significant horseshoe crab population along the east coast of
India and mapping their habitats as Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESAs). The study aimed at identification of the horse shoe crab habitats within
the coastal regulation zone along the entire Indian Coast including islands and preparation of GIS-based maps with boundaries for the horse shoe
crab habitats. Based on secondary and ground truth information, GIS-maps with boundaries for all horse shoe crab habitats within the coastal
regulation zone along the Indian Coast including islands and detailed description on the ecological status of each of the highly sensitive coastal
areas along with quantitative data on their conservation value along with brief comments on the strength of the criteria adopted for identification
of horse shoe crab habitats as coastal ESAs was prepared. Currently, the distribution of horseshoe crabs is restricted to smaller stretch of east coast
of India. Estuarine rivers mouths along with mangrove and mudflats of West Bengal, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh along the east coast were
identified as breeding sites of the horseshoe crabs. A small portion of breeding habitat of horseshoe crabs is protected as Gahirmatha Marine
Wildlife Sanctuary but the larger portion of their habitat is unprotected and under tremendous pressure from fisheries and other coastal
developmental projects. In this connection, it is suggested to declare at least some of the remaining parts of breeding habitats of horseshoe crabs
as Conservation Reserves/Community Reserve and required to be managed in collaboration with local fishermen communities.
Keywords: Horseshoe Crab, GIS, Ecosensitive Areas, East Coast, Conservation

Corresponding Author: tripathyb@gmail.com
Page No. 203

Support Vector Machine Bsased Mapping of Mangroves using Multispectral Images for a Region at Tapi Estuary,
India - A Comparative Approach
Shanmuga Priyaa Sakthivel1, Prince Prakash Jebakumar1, Raghumaran S.1 and Karunakar Kintada1
1National
Institute of Ocean Technology, Chennai
Abstract
Mangroves serve an important function of fortifying coastal features and trapping sediments. They are found in abundance near estuaries and
similar places. Gujarat ranks second in the maximum mangrove cover next to West Bengal in India (State of Forest Report, 2015 by Forest Survey
of India). The coast of Gujarat is very dynamic where the field survey becomes a tedious process. Mapping of mangroves by field surveys is a
tedious process owing to complex vegetation and soil conditions beneath. For an effective study on distribution of mangroves, and to monitor
changes over time, accurate, rapid, and cost-effective mapping techniques are required. However, the accuracy of the final map is affected by the
ability of the satellite image classification method to differentiate between various vegetation types. The resultant is a function of the sensors???
spatial and spectral resolution, also a function of the image processing method or classification method adopted and training classes provided as
an input to the algorithm. Thus an effective classification approach and the spectrally and spatially better resolution image dataset is required to
map the mangroves. The present study presents a comparative analysis of multispectral images (RESOURCESAT-2 LISS IV MX, Landsat-8 OLI,
and Sentinel-2A MSI) of different spectral and spatial resolution (5.8m, 10m, 30m) for the mapping of mangroves at Tapi Estuary, Gujarat, India.
This study is based on support vector machine based classification technique to map the mangroves from other non-mangrove species using
different multispectral images and the effectiveness of the algorithm is compared with the conventional image classification approach. The ground
truth data has been collected from the field for the input as training classes, and for accuracy estimation and validation of the results. It is observed
for this regime the use of support vector machine based classification for the Sentinel-2A image with more spectral (13 bands) and decent spatial
resolution (10m), resulted in a better accuracy of 93.5% (estimated using stratified random sampling method and ground truth data) than
conventional classification (Maximum likelihood) approach for LANDSAT-8 OLI and RESOURCESAT-2 LISS IV MX images.
Keywords: Mangrove mapping, Sentinel 2A MSI, Support Vector Machine, ,

Corresponding Author: priyaasakthi@gmail.com
Page No. 204

Tide Normalized Semi-Automated Shoreline Extraction and Change Detection Study along the Coast of Navsari,
Gujarat, India, through Satellite Remote Sensing and GIS Approach
Ankrati Jain1, Alpana Shukla1, Surisetty V.V. Arun Kumar2 and H.B. Chauhan2
1Gujarat University, Ahmedabad , 2Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad
Abstract
Coastline is defined as the physical interface boundary between land and water. It is an important element for both natural and anthropogenic
activities. Due to myriad activities ranging from port to recreational, habitation to livelihood for the people, shoreline monitoring and its
management is considered as an essential practice to be performed for coastal environment protection. With the advent of satellite remote sensing
technology, the detection, extraction and monitoring the shoreline changes have become possible. Major of the satellite are in the sun synchronous
orbit. It passes at specific time for particular location, whereas the tidal period is advanced by certain minutes in the tropical region. Hence, they
must be corrected for tide before comparing temporal data to improve the accuracy of shoreline comparison. In this paper, we propose an
approach to derive a tide coordinated shoreline and estimated the rate of shoreline change along the coast of Navsari district in Gujarat.
Multispectral LISS-IV satellite data of the time frames 2007 and 2011 are processed to compute Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI)
using Near Infrared (NIR) and Green bands. Based on the NDWI values, image pixels are classified into two categories: sea and land by using
Iterative Self Organizing Data Analysis Technique Algorithm (ISODATA) clustering method. These categorized NDWI raster images at different
tidal levels are then converted into vector forms to fetch the shorelines. To normalize the tidal condition, the beach slope is estimated using hourly
fetch tidal level from MIKE 21 tide prediction tool. The slope is then assumed to be constant for the study area and the shoreline are corrected
with respect to the reference one. It has been observed that the coastal stretch is under erosion except in the vicinity of Purna River mouth. About
65 % of the Navsari coast is eroding, about 10% of coast is stable and about 25 % of the coast is accreting in nature.
Keywords: Shoreline Monitoring, Tide normalization, LISS-IV, Coastal Erosion and Accretion,
Corresponding Author: ankratijain92@gmail.com
Page No. 205

Site Suitability Analysis for Aquaculture using GIS Technique
Jasmine Niketha M.1 and Geetha P.1

Abstract
Remote sensing makes available a synoptic idea over large land regions providing suitable areas for aquaculture. The rapid development of the
reared surface area and production leads the tropicalshrimp aquaculture with critical problems owing to ecological and economical limitations.
The site suitability analysis for shrimp aquaculture is defined with the aid of Multi Criteria Evaluation (MCE) method. This technique is being
applied to a new area in India, which has provided an approach to the type of water along with land use mapping. The data originated is being
processed and geo-referenced. This is loaded into GIS (Geographical Information System) which permits to display any request made on spatial
variables along with their statistical data. Based on the present study, it is found that the region of interest has varied geomorphological landforms
such as beach ridges, plain lands, beaches, salt marsh, and backwater canals. Multi Criteria Evaluation is used to determine the optimum areas for
shrimp aquaculture
Keywords: Shrimp Aquaculture, Remote Sensing, GIS, Multi Criteria Evaluation, Site Selection
Corresponding Author: jasmineniketha@gmail.com
Page No. 206

Monitoring the Godavari River Estuarine Ecosystem using Geospatial Technique
Priyamvada Bagaria2, Subrata Nandy1, Debashish Mitra1, Panna Lal2 and K. Sivakumar2
1IndianInstitute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 2Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun
Abstract
Coastal ecosystems are highly diverse, productive and provide a variety of ecosystem services. However, world over these ecosystems are under
severe pressure due to several anthropogenic activities. The Godavari river estuarine landscape is also a highly diverse coastal ecosystem which is
undergoing diverse developmental activities, including an active port. In order to provide monitoring support for this area, Landsat 4-5 TM and
Landsat 8 OLI images were used for detecting the land use land cover (LULC) changes that have taken place in the region between 1977 and
2015. Visual interpretation technique was used for mapping 18 land use/land cover (LULC) classes. Post classification change detection revealed
a net loss of 59 km2 of mangrove to aquaculture ponds, fallow land and coastal inundation. There was no aquaculture in 1977, whereas by 2015
there was about 178 km2 of area under aquaculture ponds. Similarly, the Kakinada Port, which started developing since 2001, occupied an area of
7 km2by 2015. 275 km2of agricultural land area suffered conversions to other LULC types, mainly to aquaculture and settlements. The study
highlighted the utility of geospatial technology to monitor the dynamic Godavari river estuarine landscape over the past 38 years.
Keywords: Godavari Estuary, Mangrove, Change Detection, Geospatial Technology,

Corresponding Author: priyamvada.bagaria@gmail.com
Page No. 207

Coastal Aquifer Vulnerability Mapping of Saline Water Intrusion using GALDIT and AHP Techniques in
Thoothukodi Coast, Tamilnadu
Prithiviraj G.1, Venkateswaran S.1, Vijay Prabhu M.1, Ayyandurai R.1, Deepa S.1 and Kannan R.1
1Periyar University, Salem
Abstract
Potable water is the driving need of human civilization today. As population grows, so grows the thirst for fresh-water for all purposes of life;
from drinking to sanitation and from industry to agriculture. The rise in the level of pollution in terrestrial freshwaters has led to an increased
usage of groundwater. The present study area lies between from latitudes 8021' 06'' N to 90 20' 54'' N and from longitudes 780 05' 14'' E to 780 6'
02'' E with a total area of 2490 km2 along the east coast of India, abutting the Gulf of Mannar, an inlet of the Bay of Bengal. The objective of the
present investigation is to employ the GALDIT method as a procedure in vulnerability assessment of salinewater intrusion by integrating the data
of water table level AMSL with the data of more effective groundwater pumping test in order to effectively represent the groundwater condition.
The term GALDIT refers to the first letter of each parameter involved (i.e. Groundwater occurrence (G), Aquifer hydraulic conductivity (A),
Level of water table above the sea (L), Distance from shore (D), Impact of existing status of saline water intrusion (I), and Thickness of the
aquifer (T)) as the vulnerability of aquifers to saline water intrusion are based on these six parameters. The creation of a saline water intrusion
vulnerability mapping through the application of GALDIT method permits to identify the areas highly vulnerable to salinewater intrusion. This
method incorporates Geographical Information System (GIS) to create spatial maps of the six parameters and these spatial maps are subjected to
Saaty's Analytic Hierarchic Process (AHP) technique involving pair wise comparison matrix analysis for the computation of normalized weight to
each parameter in terms of its impact on the zones vulnerable to saline water intrusion. Weighted overlay analysis is carried out using GIS by
arranging the thematic layers based on the normalized weight and the final output is obtained in the form of a map that provides information about
the areas of saline water intrusion in Thoothukodi coast.
Keywords: Vulnerability Mapping, GALDIT method , Analytic Hierarchic Process Technique , GIS, Salinewater Intrusion
Corresponding Author: prithimscec117@gmail.com
Page No. 208

A Mathematical Morphology Assisted Approach for Shoreline Extraction from Satellite Imageries
C. A. Rishikeshan1, H. Ramesh1 and D. Ritiksha1

1Graphic Era University, Dehradun , 2National Institute of Technology, Surathkal
Abstract
Shoreline extraction is fundamental and inevitable for several studies. Determining the precise location of the shoreline is crucial. Recently, the
need for using remote sensing data to accomplish the complex task of automatic extraction of features has considerably increased. Automated
feature extraction can drastically minimize the time and cost of data acquisition and database updation. Rapid and effective techniques are
required to monitor coastline retreat or aggradation and update coastline maps. In this investigation we present a flexible Mathematical
Morphology (MM) driven approach for shoreline extraction algorithm from satellite images. The salient features of this work are the Preservation
of actual size and shape of the shorelines, run-time SE(structuring Element) definition, semi automation, faster processing and single band
adaptability. The proposed approach is tested with various sensor driven images with low to high resolutions. Accuracy of developed
methodology has been assessed with manually prepared ground truths of the study area. This approach is found successful in shoreline extraction
from wide variety of satellite images based on the results drawn from visual and quantitative assessments.
Keywords: Shoreline extraction, Feature extraction, Satellite image processing, Mathematical Morphology,
Corresponding Author: rishikesh.ca@gmail.com
Page No. 209

Development of GIS for Aquaculture in Coastal Districts of Nellore, Andhra Pradesh
Poli Eswaramma1
Abstract
The coastal belt of Andhra Pradesh is a highly dynamic area and large number of developmental activity is currently taking place along this
coastal belt. Marine fisheries activity is very well established and coastal aquaculture has shown immense potential for further development in the
State. The project on development of Village-level Geo-spatial Information System for Aquaculture in Nellore District of Andhra Pradesh, was
taken with major objective of development of Village-level Geo-spatial Information System for Aquaculture areas using Remote Sensing (RS)
and GIS. This project was sponsored by the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), Ministry of Commerce & Industry,
Government of India for scientific management of Scampi farms in the coastal districts which can help fishermen to better their livelihood and
increase the economic condition on sustainable basis. Indian Remote Sensing Satellite-P6 (IRS-P6) LISS-IV images covering the selected villages
were geo-referenced and village cadastral maps were registered with these satellite images. The individual land parcels boundaries were then
digitized from the cadastral maps and superimposed on the geo-referenced satellite imagery. The aqua-farms were identified on LISS-IV images
and the individual farrm boundaries were delineated. For these individual aqua-farms a unique ID-number along with ownership of an individual
farmer was generated. The secondary data collected by the MPEDA were linked with these individual farms in the GIS environment. This paper
addresses the potential capabilities of satellite remote sensing technology and Geographical Information System (GIS) for the sustainable
management of Aquaculture for improving the economic condition and livelihood of fishermen. The customized query shell was developed using
Web Portal for sharing the information amongst the officers from MPEDA and potential users. This has helped the farmers to plan their
processing and marketing operations so as to achieve better remunerations. The query shell has also helped the farmers to identify potential areas
for Aquaculture and getting required permission from the administration.
Keywords: GIS, Remote Sensing, MPEDA, Aquaculture, Cadastral

Corresponding Author: eshwari_desu@yahoo.co.in
Page No. 210

Vulnerability Assessment and Potential Impacts of Land use Land Cover Changes in the Coastal Stretch of
Ramanathapuram District Using Geospatial Techniques
M. Vijay Prabhu 1, S. Venkateswaran1, R. Kannan1, R. Ayyandurai1, S. Deepa1 and G. Prithiviraj1

1PeriyarUniversity, Salem
Abstract
The coastal shoreline worldwide is changing rapidly as a result of natural physical processes and human activities. Assessment of the coastal zone
is likely to undergo the most profound change in the near future. Consequently, environmental management and planning are severe conflicts over
coastal resource. The degradation of natural resources close development options in the coastal stretch. In addition to the population pressure, the
world's coastal areas are highly vulnerable in natural land use land cover changes. The climatic impact and rising sea level, as well as to changes
in rainfall pattern, storm frequency and intensity. Inundation, flooding, erosion, and saltwater intrusion are only a few of the potential impacts of
coastal changes. Ramanathapuram district coast has totally about 270 km coastal stretch. Coastal zone monitoring and coastline extraction is a
fundamental work for further change detection analysis. Coastline, the coastal zone assessment requires the information about coastline changes.
The estimate the coastline changes for a period of 2000 to 2015 using RS and GIS. In this research, satellite data of 2000 and 2015 in order to
deduce changed. Different image processing techniques have been carried out to enhance the changes during the study period. Supervised and
unsupervised classification, band selection and masking were applied using ERDAS software. A new approach was employed for coastline
extraction, for which a histogram threshold together with band ratio techniques was utilized. Ramanathapuram coastal stretch tidal amplitude,
volume and intensity of fresh water inflow decreases from north to south trend for last five years affecting the soil characteristics, mainly, salinity,
moisture content, chemical composition, texture and nutrient availability. Coastal Zone Management would be significantly enhanced if there was
greater connection to the resilience and vulnerability, corporate social responsibility, social legitimacy, social license to operate, sea change
communities. Potential impact and vulnerability assessment study is very much useful to the sustainable coastal zone management activity and
safe guard of dependent coastal lives.
Keywords: Coastal Stretch and Geospatial Techniques, ERDAS software, Landsat Images, Vulnerability Assessment, Potential Impacts
Corresponding Author: raysvijayprabhu@gmail.com
Page No. 211

Coral Bleaching due to Increased Sea Surface Temperature in Gulf of Kachchh Region, India during June 2016
Mohit Arora2, Nandini Ray Chaudhury2, Ashwin Gujrati2, Devanshi Joshi1, Harshad Patel1 and Rakesh Patel1
1GEER Foundation, Gandhinagar , 2Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad
Abstract
The 2015-2016 El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event was one of the extreme climate change events, which elevated the Sea Surface
Temperature (SST) of tropical oceans. This warming of tropical sea surface temperature increased the level of thermal stress on corals. Coral
bleaching event is mainly caused due to high positive SST anomaly i.e. when SST exceeds their normal summer maxima. Corals in the region of
Gulf of Kachchh, Gujarat have earlier experienced coral bleaching events during 1988, 2010 and in 2014. For this study, SST derived from
NOAA OI SST data set, was used to provide daily SST on 0.250 latitude x 0.250 longitude Global grid for the period 1982 to present. Based on
SST climatological records, the warmest month for Gulf of Kachchh region is June and Maximum Monthly Mean (MMM) temperature stands at
29.310 C. The present study focuses on coral bleaching and status of reef affected with the elevated SST during the period April to July, 2016 in
Gulf of Kachchh region, India. It has been found that SST rose up to 30.620 C and a positive anomaly of 1.310C was observed in the month of
June, 2016. A total of 71 days show a positive SST anomaly, which include 28 days continuous positive thermal stress in the month of June
during the period April to July 2016. In order to validate coral bleaching, forecast an immediate field visit was carried out at Laku point reef in
Poshitra in Gulf of Kachchh region. A total of 13 coral species and a sea anemone species were found bleached in various proportions during the
field visit in Poshitra reef. The Poshitra reef in Gulf of Kachchh region showed an average of 3.9% bleaching of corals at colony scale. The
highest bleaching was found in Porites lutea species.
Keywords: Climate Change, Sea Surface Temperature (SST), , Coral Reefs, Coral Bleaching
Corresponding Author: mohitarorakuk12@gmail.com
Page No. 212

Geomorphic Characteristics of Few Lineaments Around Cuttack,Odisha: A Preliminary Study of Probable

Neotectonic Activity Around Mahanadi Delta Region
Chinmay Dash1 and Pitambar Pati1

1Indian
Institute of Technology, Roorkee
Abstract
Being prone to high sedimentation rate, presence of subsurface basement faults and occurrence of recent earthquakes near to the coast, seismic
activities in the Mahanadi delta region can not be ignored. As the area falls in the coastal plains, it is almost flat and lacks any topographic
prominence. Hence hardly any surface evidences of tectonism are available. The channel morphology and the local geographic setting of the
region can be well correlated with those in seismically active regions of the subcontinent i.e. the Ganga plain in north and western Indian coast.
Therefore, the fluvial geomorphology and local geomorphic settings around Cuttack has been studied in the present work to assess its
vulnerability to seismicity. For the present study geomorphic evidences for probable neotectonic activity around four lineaments to the east of
Cuttack have been studied. Lineaments were marked using 3D digital elevation model and topographic variations were studied from surface
profiles drawn perpendicular to the lineaments. Two sets of lineaments i.e. NW-SE and E-W are observed in the study area. The SE flow of
Chitrotpala River and the eastward flow of the Nuna River are controlled by the NW-SE and E-W lineaments, respectively. The Chitrotpala River
shifts 10 km southeastward along the NW-SE lineament. Increase in sinuosity of streams is also observed around these lineaments. Significant
topographic breaks are observed in 2D surface profiles across these lineaments. Previous works around coastal Odisha using remote sensing and
GIS and subsurface geophysical methods have proved some of such lineaments as faults in the deltaic region. Recent occurrence of few
earthquakes few kilometers far from the coast and presence of neotectonic faults indicate the Quaternary sediments show active faulting which is
probably being triggered from the basement located about 300-400 m depth below the sediment cover. Significant local and regional slope
changes across the lineaments, matching trend of lineaments to that of basement faults, occurrences of neotectonic activity in other parts of the
deltaic region may be cited as preliminary clues of tectonic activities around the mapped lineaments.
Keywords: Mahanadi delta, Lineaments, Neotectonism, Basement faults,

Corresponding Author: chinmay.ism@gmail.com
Page No. 213

Shoreline Changes Around Gopalpur Ports, Odisha using High Resolution Cartosat-PAN and IRS-LISS IV Data
and Prediction using Numerical Simulations
S.V.V. Arun Kumar2, H.B. Chauhan2, Ankrati Jain2 and A.S. Rajawat2
Abstract
The shoreline changes due to erosion and/or deposition, induced by the effect of waves and coastal structures extended into the sea, was studied
for the period of 2005-2015 (10 years) in the vicinity of Gopalpur Ports, Odisha. High resolution IRS-P5 CARTOSAT-1& 2 PAN (resolution: 2.5
m), IRS-P6 and Resourcesat-2 LISS-IV (resolution: 5.6 m) satellite data have been used to extract the shorelines (high water line) during the study
period. In this paper, we have examined quantitatively, the impact of the breakwaters of the Gopalpur Ports (Old and New) on the shoreline
changes in the adjoining regions. There are a number of groins constructed on the northern side of the Old Gopalpur Port for mitigating the coastal
erosion and nourishing the beach. The study has attempted to evaluate the effectiveness of the constructed groins. Linear Regression Rate (LRR),
End point rate (EPR), Shoreline change envelope (SCE) etc., have been computed using an open access Digital Shoreline Analysis System
(DSAS) tool.The impact of the old and new Gopalpur Ports on the shoreline changes in adjoining regions is distinctly observed as wide deposition
towards the southern side and erosion in the northern side of the Ports due to net littoral drift being dominated towards north. Construction of a
system of eight groins in the northern side of the Gopalpur Old Port has helped in arresting the sediment movement and nourishment of the beach.
A 1-D numerical model has been used to predict the future shoreline positions. The study provides details about the methodology and salient
results.
Keywords: shoreline changes, port impact, prediction, DSAS, erosion

Corresponding Author: arunkumar@sac.isro.gov.in
Page No. 214

Identification of a Rip Current Event Along Visakhapatnam Coast using Numerical Modelling
T. Sridevi2, Seemanth M.2 and S.V.V. Arun Kumar2

Abstract
Rip current is a transient, strong narrow jet like current flowing towards sea. Due to the presence of rip currents, many drowning cases have been
reported along Visakhapatnam coast, east coast of India. Rip-current dynamics are primarily influenced by the wave-wave, wave-current,
wave-wind and wave-bathymetry interactions. The strength of the rip currents depends up on the width of the surf zone, slope of the beach and the
tidal strength.This study aims to identify the rip current using numerical modelling for the some recent drowning caseson 11thOctober 2015 and
9th May 2016 at Visakhapatnam coast. MIKE 21 Near shore Spectral Wave (NSW) and Hydrodynamic models (HD) have been utilised for
simulation of waves and nearshore currents. The model domain stretches across and along shores with lengths around 13 km and 18 km (within
longitude 83.235-83.44 E and latitude: 17.56-17.76 N) with 10-50 m grid resolution.The model boundary conditions have been taken from the
WAVE WATCH III (WW3)model, assimilated with altimeter (SARAL/AltiKa, Jason-2)derived significant wave heights (Hs). Wave radiation
stress parameters derived from the NSW model are used to simulate wave-induced currents using HD model.A rip current has been observed with
current velocities ranging between 0.2 to 0.5 m/sand offshore extension of about 1 -1.5 km close to the drowning spot near to R.K. Beach.
Keywords: Rip Current, Drowning, Numerical modelling, Altimeter, Assimilation

Corresponding Author: sirimeteor@gmail.com
Page No. 215

Sub Pixel Mapping of Hyperspectral Data for Mangrove Species Mapping in the Sunderban Biosphere Reserve of
West Bengal, India
Somdatta Chakravortty1, Prem Kumar1 and Monika Rani Patra1

1Government College of Engineering and Ceramic Technology, Kolkata
Abstract
It is evident that hyperspectral data has wide applicability in species level mapping of mangrove forest cover in pure and mixed stands. This study
has attempted to utilize the fractional abundance results of linear and higher order non-linear models to determine the spatial location of mangrove
end members in a mixed pixel. The sub pixel locations have been determined using Simulated Annealing Algorithm which is based on the
assumption that there is a tendency of pixels of the same class to be spatially close to the same end members. It is observed that as 7 dominant
endmembers have been identified from the study area, a 3x3 matrix is sufficient to display the spatial location of mangrove end members
abundances obtained through Linear Spectral Unmixing results. However, when spatial locations of mixed end member abundances have been
determined, as an output of non-linear unmixing, they are more accurately represented using higher value matrices. The algorithm has thus,
correctly located the fractional abundances of sub pixels that has greatly help us in obtaining classified maps at finer spatial resolution. This
algorithm has been successful in finding out the spatial distribution of mixed mangrove species within a pixel in the study area of Sunderban. The
accuracy has been validated from field visits made in the study area. The methodology used helps to overcome the drawbacks of low spatial
resolution of hyperspectral data by enhancing the spatial details. After application of the algorithm we can make use of the high spectral details
and enhanced spatial details for extraction of useful information from the image data.
Keywords: Spatial Resolution, Hyperspectral, Simulated Annealing, Spectral Unmixing,

Corresponding Author: csomdatta@rediffmail.com
Page No. 216

Spatio-Temporal Assessment of Mangrove Growth in Thane Creek, Mumbai: An Impact of Urbanization
Saurabh Sakhre1, Jaydip Dey1, Vikash Gupta1, Ritesh Vijay1, Rajesh Biniwale1 and Rakesh Kumar1
Abstract
Tidal creeks are omnipresent and copious estuarine ecosystems which are important in material transfer and various ecological processes having
characteristics of tidal wave flushing. This natural cleansing phenomenon of creeks makes them a suitable place for sewage and effluent discharge
along with the solid waste from nearby areas and industrial establishments. On the other hand, wetlands are considered important part of
ecosystem as they play a crucial role in ground water recharge, nutrient capture, controlling flood and filtration of sediments. Thane creek is one
of a tidal creek located in Mumbai named after nearby district Thane. It has numerous drainage streams coming from Mumbai sub-urban areas.
The geometry of the creek is such that it is wider and deeper towards the sea and narrow and shallow towards Ulhas river which links at north of
the creek. In past few decades, it has been reported with heavy industrial growth along the creek which also led to great amount of urbanization in
the area. Geo-spatial techniques are widely used for assessing spatio-temporal changes over a region. In present study, geo-spatial analysis of
satellite images of LISS-IV and Landsat have been carried out for assessing growth of mangroves along the creek. The study noticed that apart
from destruction of mangroves in the Thane creek over the years, due to favourable ambient conditions, mud flats have been developed in the
inner periphery of the creek which ultimately increased the growth of mangroves. As per the LULC analysis of the study, it is revealed that mud
flats and mangroves have increased significantly from 2000 to 2016. The study suggests that urbanization tends to increase the air temperature
which is a favorable condition for development of wetland by deposition of silts by discharges of sewage and industrial effluents as well as coastal
geomorphic processes. As wetlands are good nutrient capture strips hence it provides favorable condition for growth of mangroves especially in
the inner side of creek and leads to reduction in the width of Thane Creek.
Keywords: Geo-spatial, Thane Creek, Urbanization, Wetland,

Corresponding Author: saurabhsakhre100@gmail.com
Page No. 217

A Review on Ku-Scatterometer Applications to Polar Regions- with a Special Focus on Sea-ice
Alvarinho J. Luis2 and Burada Girija Kalyani2

1NationalCentre for Antartica and Ocean Research, Goa
Abstract
Polar regions are the ones where satellite remote sensing is of great use since field data collection is constraint by limited area coverage, the
limited number of good weather days, and high logistic costs. Polar regions plays a central role in that atmospheric changes affect global
temperatures and global conveyor transport mass and heat to the global oceans. Microwave instruments and in particular satellite-borne radars,
scatterometer, are of major interest, due to their large temporal and spatial coverage and all-weather measurement capability. Sea-ice is an
important component of the global climate system since the ice surface, in particular snow surface, help to regulate global temperature by
reflecting sunlight back into space. Long term trends in Arctic and Antarctica sea ice are of particular interest with regard to global temperature,
climate change. This paper discusses the ku-band scatterometer applications on Northern hemisphere and its possible research on the Southern
hemisphere. In this paper the utility of ku-band scatterometer data for polar ice studies is illustrated reviewing three cryosphere applications of
sigma-0 backscatter data: 1) sea-ice mapping, 2) sea-ice type classification techniques, and 3) Estimation of the decay status of the first-year (FY)
sea ice. We review the contribution of foreign satellites like NASA scatterometer data (NSCAT), Quik Scatterometer (QuikSCAT), Advanced
Scatterometer (ASCAT) in cryosphere studies. Also, progress in the scientific application of space-based scatterometer data over the past two
decades is described, based on oceanographic and cryospheric applications. Furthermore, the techniques for retrieving snow and sea ice
parameters are also discussed. The purpose of this paper is to present the state of the art of certain methodologies for monitoring sea-ice using
scatterometer data from Indian satellites. Finally, we present brief applications of the recently launched ISRO's SCATSAT-1 data to polar studies.
Keywords: Sea-ice, Scatterometer, sigma-0, SCATSAT-1

Corresponding Author: girija.kalyani18@gmail.com
Page No. 218

Geoinformatics for Integrated Coastal Zone Management: A Case Study of Chennai Coast (India)
Gaurav Jain2, H.B. Chauhan2 and A.S. Rajawat2

Abstract
Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) strives to attain balance across the competing requirements being fulfilled by the coastlines, which
have traditionally been densely populated and ecologically fragile. In India, the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) 2011 Notification, regulates the
activities along the coast and requires preparation of coastal zone management plan for long-term sustainable coastal development. While the 73
and 74 constitutional amendment acts (CAA) in India, devolves the powers for planning in rural and urban areas to respective local
self-government bodies, the role and legitimacy of ICZM plans have frequently been questioned. The integration of multiple objectives is
therefore the key requirement for ICZM plans, whereby remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can play a significant role.
This study proposes an approach for identification of coastal issues pertaining to socio-economic development of coastal population, vulnerability
to coastal hazards, and shoreline dynamics. The proposed methodology is demonstrated for 66km long coastal stretch along Chennai metropolitan
area in Tamil Nadu (India) with 41 coastal settlements accommodating over one million people within CRZ limits. The multi-date remote sensing
data acquired by Indian Remote Sensing satellites (IRS P6 and IRS Resourcesat-2) along with declassified CORONA images of 1965 and 1979
were used for assessing shoreline changes in past 50 years at 1:25,000 scale. Socio-economic characterization of coastal population for the census
years of 2001 and 2011 enabled prioritizing the socio-economically under-developed areas. Multi-variate analysis integrating coastal
geomorphology, topography, natural habitats, wind and wave exposure, and surge potential were used to assess the vulnerability of coastal
population to hazards. Furthermore, socio-economic development priority, coastal vulnerability and shoreline end point rate were used to
determine areas within coastal zone appropriate for development and those that require conservation.
Keywords: Integrated Coastal Zone Management, Shore Line Change, Coastal Zone Vulnerability, Multi-variate Analysis , GIS
Corresponding Author: gvj@sac.isro.gov.in
Page No. 219

Evolution and Environment Degradation of the Kolleru Lake, East Coast of India - A Study through Geo-Spatial
Technologies
K.Ch.V. Naga Kumar1

1Centrefor Water Resources Development and Management, Kozhikode
Abstract
Kolleru Lake, the largest freshwater body along the east coast of India is a low-lying coastal wetland ecosystem serving as a flood-balancing
reservoir in the densely populated Krishna-Godavari twin delta complex and a heaven for migratory and resident birds. Located about 30 km
inland from the Bay of Bengal, the lake is very shallow with an average depth of 1-2 m. With number of rivulets such as Tammileru, Budimeru
and Ramileru besides a host of drains decanting their waters into the area during monsoon, the lake swells over 300 km2 or more with increased
depth, while in summer it dries out to appear in some shallow discrete pools. Considering the low-lying nature and flood-proneness of this
ecologically sensitive area, the government of Andhra Pradesh (AP) in 1999 has designated the area enclosed by 5-foot (approx. 1.5 m) contour
approximately over 493 km2 as wildlife sanctuary, and in 2002 an area over 901 km2 has been declared as Ramsar Site of internationally
significant wetland. In spite of environmental laws governing its conservation and protection, extensive encroachments, especially for culture
fishery degraded the lake. Restoration of Kolleru Lake requires data on the original extent of this shrinking lake and its extant condition. Previous
studies indicated that the lake was a coastal lagoon during the mid-Holocene and later turned into a freshwater body as it has fallen 30 km inland
by shoreline progradation. However, the original extent of the lake is unknown. Mapping of geomorphic features from satellite images and facies
recognition from the subsurface sediments recovered from 40 boreholes revealed that the lake initially extended over 1050 km2 including its
present 245 km2 water-spread area. Analysis of multi-date satellite images indicated aquaculture activity which was absent in 1977 in the 493 km2
area of the designated wildlife sanctuary of the lake within the 5-foot contour, but appeared in 12% of it in 1990 and expanded over 64% by 2004.
Despite demolition of fishponds by the government during 2005-2006, they reappeared in 28% area of the sanctuary by 2008 and further
increased to 43% by 2015 as encroachments continued unabated.
Keywords: Kolleru Lake extent, Lake plain, Aquaculture, Wetland degradation, Operation-Kolleru
Corresponding Author: reddi_chinni@yahoo.co.in
Page No. 220

Application of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) to Delineate the Multi Layer Aquifer System of the Coastal Area:
A Case Study of Nizampatnam, Guntur District, A.P, India.
Manne Gopaiah1, I.C. Das1 and K. Vinod Kumar1

1National
Abstract
Groundwater is the precious resource in near sea coastal areas and is the only source of drinking and irrigation water. Groundwater recharge is
mainly dependent on the rainfall in these areas. Over the years, groundwater is getting depleted and polluted due to salt water ingression caused
by tidal action as well as over exploitation of the groundwater in coastal areas. Therefore, mapping and delineating fresh water aquifers can partly
solve the drinking water scarcity in these regions. The objective of this study was to identify the multiple lithofacies in coastal area of the
Nizampatnam, A.P. to understand the nature of aquifer present in the area. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is a helpful and effective technique in
delineating the lithological layers of the coastal aquifers present in the shallow zones. Velocity analysis is one of the methods used to identify the
layers in different depths. When GPR passes the signal through the heterogeneous ground conditions, then at each interface, the velocity of the
propagating signal gets changed. The greater the velocity change, higher the amplitude of the reflected signal. These changes are caused by the
change in the dielectric properties of the materials. The velocity analysis of the GPR signal in the study area showed the presence of clay, sand,
silt layers and velocity of the GPR signal variations were recorded as, for clay (0.0623 - 0.0653 m/ns), sand (0.1477 - 0.155 m/ns) and for silt
(0.0706 - 0.075 m/ns). Signal velocity in the fresh water saturated areas were between 0.0315-0.0337 m/ns and for salt water it was around 0.01
m/ns. Interpretation of the GPR profiles showed the geometry of the subsurface layers present in the study area. It also helped in understanding
the nature of aquifers present in the area. Thus, GPR profile studies are proven to be very helpful in delineating the aquifer layers and understating
the overall hydrogeological framework of the shallow coastal aquifers.
Keywords: Ground Penetrating Radar , Velocity Analysis, Multiple Lithofacies, Dielectric Properties,
Corresponding Author: gopaiah.manne@gmail.com
Page No. 221

Theme- Disaster & Risk Reduction in RS & GIS Applications Abstract Id: 13
Potential of High Resolution Satellite Data in Assessing the Impact of Uttarakhand Floods, India
Shivaprasad Sharma S.V.1, Bhatt C. M.1, Sunil S. Kulkarni1, G. Srinivasa Rao1 and P Manjusree1
Abstract
Uttarakhand State located in the Greater Himalayan ranges of Indian Sub-continent witnessed devastating flash floods during the second week of
June 2013. Due to the extreme weather conditions, heavy rainfall was witnessed in many parts of Uttarakhand causing widespread flash floods
and debris flow on June 17, 2013 and leading to loss of many human lives and severe damage to livestock and property. A study was carried out
using High resolution satellite datasets of Cartosat-2A (less than one meter resolution) and Resourcesat-2 LISS IV MX (5.8 m multi spectral) data
to delineate the impact caused by the sudden deluge. The advantage of the spectral resolution of IRS LISS-IV MX and spatial resolution of
CARTOSAT-2A were explored to identify the damages to the structures/buildings. A comparative study was carried out to assess the damage to
infrastructure using the pre and post high resolution Cartosat-1 satellite data. The study revealed that maximum damage occurred in Kedarnath
town and about 64 structures (buildings) were completely washed away. Rambara village which is the nearest refuge to Kedarnath temple town is
totally washed away which had about 72 structures. The flood affected area between Kedarnath and Rudraprayag is estimated to be about 1,175 ha
and about 20 km stretch of road spread over 13 locations was completely damaged hampering the relief and rescue operations. This paper
describes the utility of High Resolution satellite datasets like CARTOSAT and RESOURCESAT-2 LISS-IV MX (optical) data for damage
assessment.
Keywords: flash floods, Kedarnath, Uttarakhand, flood, Cartosat-2A

Corresponding Author: sharma_svsp@nrsc.gov.in
Page No. 222

Flood Damage Assessment in Haridwar District of Uttarakhand using Satellite Remote Sensing and GIS
Techniques.
Divya Uniyal 1, Sourabh Dangwal1, Santosh Rawat1, Saurabh Purohit1, Pravesh Saklani1, Devendra Sharma1 and M.M. Kimothi1
1IndianInstitute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 2Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre, New Delhi , 3Uttarakhand Space Application Centre, Dehradun
Abstract
Floods are subject of scientific investigation due to its widespread damage to human lives, land, infra-structure, settlement and to crops. Floods
also create intangible consequences on the health and quality of population, etc. The basic objective of this paper is to develop accurate
information about flood prone zones in terms of damage with the help of Remote sensing (RS) and GIS techniques for containing disaster of
Haridwar district of Uttarakhand state caused by overflowing of Ganga river due to excessive rainfall during September 2010. The damage
assessment was done for an area of 14.85 km2on 1:25,000 scale using High Resolution satellite data of September 2010. The land use classes such
as Agriculture land, Build up land, Forestlands, Wasteland, Water bodies were classified. A total of 320 villages in the district about 11 villages
have been found affected with flood. The flood affected areas has been analysed for different categories which have been affected due to Flood.
The immediate information has been provided to the government, so that effecting measurement was taken to help the people who were living
there to reduce the loss.
Keywords: Remote Sensing, GIS, Flood Prone Zones, Land Use Classes,
Page No. 223

Tsunami Inundation Vulnerability and Impact Assessment using Geospatial Techniques for Car Nicobar Island,
India
Manaswini Ganjam1 and Kirti Srivastava1

1CSIR-NationalGeophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad
Abstract
Andaman and Nicobar Islands are tsunami prone regions located near the Sumatran-Andaman arc, an active subduction zone; recorded with the
major 2004 earthquake of magnitude 9.0 that has generated the most destructive tsunami. The maximum inland inundation of December 2004
tsunami was 2000 meters and run up measurements were about 6-7 meters. Locating spatial distribution of inland inundation, including generation
and propagation of tsunami is important for protection and mitigation planning in coastal regions. Remote sensing and Geographic Information
System (GIS) is an emerging tool, efficient for both pre and post-disaster management. The present study integrates spatial analysis using GIS and
multi-criteria analysis to delineate the vulnerability and impacts of inundation, for defining three priority zones (low, medium and high risk).
Inundation maps were generated by overlaying the threat classes of five identified physical variables, i.e., elevation, slope, land use/cover,
vegetation density and coastal buffer. For a consistent evaluation, multi-criteria variables are organized through Analytical Hierarchy Process
(AHP). We have integrated differential rank values of the variables through weighted overlay analysis using spatial analyst tool of Arc GIS. This
study has identified 10.13% of coastal region under high risk zone and 32.2% under medium risk zone with an area of 231.23 km2 and 734.53
km2 respectively in the study area.
Keywords: Tsunami modeling, Inundation studies, Geo spatial techniques, Analytical hierarchy process, Weighted overlay technique
Corresponding Author: manu.ganjam@gmail.com
Page No. 224

Early Season Agricultural Drought and Irrigated Area Assessment using Remote Sensing
Bhaskar R. Nikam1, Sourav Roy1, Prasun Kumar Gupta1, Arpit Chouksey1, Vaibhav Garg1, S.P. Aggarwal1 and A. Senthil Kumar1
Abstract
Drought is a stochastic natural hazard that is caused by intense and persistent shortage of precipitation. Marathwada region of Maharashtra, India
comes under high drought prone area in the country, with drought occurrence probability as high as 50%. The water requirement of crops in early
Rabi season in the Marathwada region is mainly satisfied by residual moisture content in the soil due to rainfall occurred in October month.
Negative deviation from normal rainfall in this month may cause soil moisture deficit which will instigate agricultural drought in the subsequent
months (early-Rabi season). Satellite based remote sensing data has been shown to be highly useful in agricultural drought monitoring. However,
traditional remote sensing based agricultural drought monitoring indices lacks in identifying the early-season (ES) drought. Hence, an attempt has
been made in the present study to identify and map ES agricultural drought in the Aurangabad district of Marathwada region. Meteorological
deficit has been assessed for the district using Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) estimated using 30 years rainfall data. The advance
Shortwave Angel Slope Index (SASI), which is sensitive to soil moisture and vegetation water content, has been used for agricultural drought
assessment. Impact of meteorological fluctuations on agricultural system in terms of dryness/wetness have been evaluated using SASI derived
from 8 daily MODIS (Terra) Level-3 surface reflectance data for the October months of 2001-2012. It was observed that the area experiences
moderate to severe drought 5 times with 12 years of study period (2001-2012). It was observed that agricultural stress occurred in the area even if
there was no meteorological stress. However, whenever, there was meteorological stress the area under agricultural stress exceeds more than 50%
of the study region. The temporal correlations and probability analysis of meteorological drought index and agricultural drought index has been
performed to identify area which is highly risk prone to ES agricultural drought. Along with this the irrigated area has been differentiated from the
arid area in the reason using this analysis. These risk maps and irrigated area maps can be used for further planning and management activities in
the area.
Keywords: Meteorological Drought, SPI, Agricultural Drought, SASI, Drought Risk

Page No. 225

Application of Information Value Method for Landslide Susceptibility and Vulnerability Mapping: An Approach
Towards Resilient Mountainous Planning
Subhajit Bandopadhyay1, Shovan Lal Chattoraj1 and P.K. Champati Ray1

Abstract
Landslide susceptibility mapping with risk analysis is a vital task for disaster management and development planning perspective, especially in
mountainous terrain. The purpose of this study is to investigate the landslide susceptible and vulnerable zones with risk analysis using bivariate
statistical analysis in form of information value method in the geospatial platform from Gourikund to Kedarnath region, Rudraprayag district
Uttarakhand India. Landslide inventory, the record of past and present landslides was prepared by comparing before and after Kedarnath event
from the high-resolution multispectral earth observation dataset. Multiple landslides were marked along the road corridor from Gourikund to
Kedarnath, one of the important routes for pilgrimages standpoint. To develop the susceptibility map, a set of independent variables in a form of
thematic layers, such as slope, aspect, distance from lineament, geomorphology, vegetation etc. were taken into consideration for spatial database
development and analysis. The influence of every parameter on landslide occurrences was assessed through giving them weight and finally
integrate them into the statistical model to get the output. The final susceptibility map was prepared to show the landslide prone zones of the study
area. Results reported that 19% area comes under the high susceptible zone of landslides and 10%, 12% and 57% of the area comes under very
low, low and moderate susceptible zones respectively. 2% area was threatened by very high landslide susceptibility. However, vulnerability and
risk analysis was done considering built-up and roads. The result showing 5% of the area having coverage of 3.07 km2 comes under the very high
vulnerable zone, where most of the built-up areas, roads comes under threat. Whereas, 28% area covered by moderate and high vulnerable zone.
The accuracy assessment was done by field visit to the study area. The outcome of the research will help the state and district administration,
planning agencies and civil engineers, geographers and geologists in respect to slope management and also for land use planning to develop the
regional resilient framework for better mountainous planning.
Keywords: Landslide, Kedarnath, Susceptibility, Vulnerability, Information Value Methood

Corresponding Author: subhajit.iirs@gmail.com
Page No. 226

Delineation of Landslide Risk Zones on North Konkan Region of Maharashtra Qualitative Landslide Risk
Assessment in North Konkan Region if Maharashtra
Sudhakar D. Pardeshi3, Sumant E. Autade2 and Suchitra S. Pardeshi1

1A.M.College, Pune , 2S.V.N. College, Mumbai , 3Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune
Abstract
Landslide is a major geological hazard in Western Ghats and Konkan region of Maharashtra State. Slope failures in this area cause significant
losses in terms of disruption in road traffic flow, damage to road, damage to built up structures, injuries to people and sometimes human lives.
Landslide hazard assessment provide basis for mitigation of losses associated with slope failure hazards. Landslide risk assessment is an important
step in landslide hazard management. Landslide risk is a product of Hazard (H) and vulnerability (V) to elements at risk (E). Landslide risk
assessment involves database preparation of elements at risk and analysis of vulnerability to determine landslide risk zones. The present work is
an attempt to assess landslide risk in North Konkan region of Maharashtra State. Three elements at risk namely population density, built up areas
and road traffic density have been considered for analysis. Thematic data layers pertaining to elements at risk have been extracted using ancillary
data sources including Census of India (2011), GoogleEarth images and District Road Development plan (2001-2020). Vulnerability to each
element of risk has been calculated by comparing them with landslide hazard classes. Landslide risk zones have been identified by integrating
data layers of landslide vulnerability of all elements at risk and landslide hazard zonation map in GIS database. The findings of the study reveal
that 14.38% of the total geographical area of North Konkan falls in moderate to high risk zones which is spread over 2330.59 Km2 area. The
distribution of landslide risk zones in the study area are attributed to the settlements located at foot slopes of isolated hillocks and western slopes
of Western Ghats and road cut slopes along the roads passing across the Western Ghats escarpment of the study area. The total of 1249 settlements
falls in moderate to high hazard classes which should be prioritized during landslide mitigation planning.
Keywords: landslide hazards, Konkan region, Vulnerability, Risk assessmnet, Elements at risk
Corresponding Author: sdpardeshi@gmail.com
Page No. 227

Hydrodynamic Modelling Over Part of Lower Mahanadi Basin using High Resolution Lidar DEM.
Kirti Khanna 1
1Haryana Space Applications Centre, Hisar
Abstract
Flooding of rivers is one of the most fatal natural hazards observed all over the world and causes a great loss to both life and property. Owing to
the extreme rainfall that India faces due to monsoons and cyclones, it becomes necessary to design and implement a Flood Inundation Model for
timely prediction of extent of flooding and for the formulation of mitigation measures. The present study deals with the flood simulation
modelling over the part of lower Mahanadi basin in Odisha state of India, which is a high flood prone area. Since Mahanadi forms a complex
accurate delta, hence a high resolution Airborne Laser Terrain Mapping (ALTM) derived Digital Elevation Model (DEM) has been used to come
up with the best possible flood extent delineation. Representation of terrain is highly important in floodplain simulations so we have utilised the
concept of multiple Digital Terrain Models (DTM) to manage the area extent and complexity. A Hydraulic model based on the platform of
HECRAS (Hydraulic Engineering Centre-River Analysis System) and HEC-GeoRAS was developed. Other critical input parameters like
roughness coefficients were derived from the land use land cover maps and hydro logical flow parameters or discharge data obtained from Central
Water Commission (CWC) were imported into the model. Flood inundation and simulation maps were created as an output for various flood
events. The final validation of the results was done using the historic flood layers extracted from the satellite data sets of RADARSAT. The model
facilitates the integration of GIS, Remote sensing and 1-D hydrodynamic modelling to accurately model the flood extent and thus reducing the
disaster risks.
Keywords: Hydrodynamic modelling, Cross-Sections, HECRAS, HEC-GeoRAS, Flood Inundation modelling

Corresponding Author: kriti.2710@gmail.com
Page No. 228

GIS Based Bi-Variate Statistical Approach for Landslide Susceptibility Mapping of South District, Sikkim
Chandrashekharazad Vishwakarma1, Harshita Asthana1, Deepali Singh1, Saumitra Mukherjee1 and Manoj Pant1
1Jawaharlal
Nehru University, New Delhi
Abstract
Geologically diverse Sikkim Himalaya is one of the vulnerable zones in terms of natural hazards. Due to being in Earthquake zone-IV and high
rainfall area, the South district consider as one of the landslide susceptible zones of the state. The study is based on the Geo-statistical approach by
using geospatial data analysis in ArcGIS software for landslide susceptibility mapping. The important factors for landslide susceptibility had been
identified and their thematic map prepared in GIS. Various datasets like satellite data, topographic maps and some published map used to generate
this thematic layer. The numerical value had calculated from the thematic layers by using information value model. A landslide susceptibility map
of the study area has already been generated by integrating all the layers in GIS (Geographic Information System) environment. Five categories of
landslide susceptible zones in a part of South Sikkim have been generated i.e. very high, high, moderate, low and very low. This output result has
been validated by reported landslide event and by using field survey of the study area.
Keywords: South Sikkim, Landslide susceptibilty, Statistical approach, Information value model,
Corresponding Author: ajadshekhar@gmail.com
Page No. 229

Satellite Based Urban Flood Extent Mapping: A Case Study of Bangalore Metropolitan Region, India
Venkata Sai Krishna Vanama1 and Y.S. Rao1

Abstract
Many Indian cities that are of national importance are affected by floods. The recent flooding in Bangalore during July 28-29, 2016 is one such
example. In the present research, C-band RISAT-1 satellite data with medium resolution scanning (MRS) mode was used for urban flood extent
mapping (UFEM). Pre (July 5, 2016) and post (July 30, 2016) flood SAR images were co-registered for change detection of flooded area. A
median speckle filter of 3x3 window size was applied on co-registered images to remove speckle effect. Various change detection algorithms such
as ratio, difference and Normalize change index (NCI) were applied on the filtered images to quantify the flood extent. A global thresholding
method was applied on the resultant images for classifying flooded and non-flooded area. The selection of threshold value was completely
iterative process and is not same for all three algorithms. A comparison of flooded area derived by three algorithms was made. The preliminary
results with ground truth information reveals that high double bounce scattering from the buildings and other high rise structures, medium spatial
resolution and high speckle noise in the images contributed to under estimation of flooded area in the city. Also UFEM can be effectively carried
out by HH polarization than HV polarization because of strong backscattering for HH channel.
Keywords: Urban flood extent mapping, RISAT, Bangalore flood

Corresponding Author: vsaikrishna1990@gmail.com
Page No. 230

Flooding Under Changing Climate in Vellar River Basin Using Global Circulation Models
Supriya P.1 and Krishnaveni M.1

Abstract
Flooding is one of the major natural disasters from a storm event in many countries of the world. In this study, event based simulation of
hydrologic model is employed to understand the flood characteristics in Vellar river basin. The daily rainfall and discharge data has been selected
from four flooding events occurred in the years 2005, 2008, 2010 and 2011. MIKE HYDRO River incorporates a modern, map-based and highly
intuitive Geographic Information System (GIS) for river modeling. The MIKE HYDRO River 2016 is a hydrologic and hydrodynamic model. The
main objective of the present study is to acquire the flood simulations using MIKE HYDRO River rainfall-runoff model for Vellar River basin
under different AR5 IPCC (Fifth Assessment Report of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) climate change scenarios
by applying a climate model as Canadian GCM (Global Circulation Model). The MIKE HYDRO requires Evapo-transpiration (ETo) data, which
is estimated by FAO ETo calculator using weather parameters from Mangalapuram station. To further the model is calibrated and validated using
observed discharge data from the stream gauge stations for reliable results. According to the results obtained from the Canadian GCM, variations
in flood characteristics under the two different Representative Concentration Pathways such as RCP 4.5 and RCP 6.0 scenarios are discussed.
Keywords: Flood, GIS, GCM, River Basin, MIKE HYDRO River

Corresponding Author: supriya@annauniv.edu
Page No. 231

Space Based Monitoring of the Recent Catastrophic Hydrological Disasters in Himalayan Region- ISRO’s Disaster
Management Support Initiative
G. Srinivasa Rao1, C.M. Bhatt1, P. Manjusree1 and V. Bhanumurthy1

Abstract
The Indian Himalayan and its adjoining foothills have witnessed some of the cataclysmic hydrological disasters in the recent past. During extreme
hydrological events, when the weather is hostile, accessibility to the area is cut and communication system is collapsed, obtaining quick
information on the severity, persistence, the spatial extent of inundated areas and dynamics of the flood water to have an overall view the
phenomenon in order to plan relief efforts remains a major challenge. Today, India is one of the very few countries to have its indigenous,
operational space and ground segment as well as necessary expertise and a dedicated Disaster Management Support (DMS) Programme to
proactively provide space based information on disasters in the country. The present paper discusses about the successful operational use of
remote sensing technology in mapping and monitoring by DSC of the recent catastrophic hydro-meteorological disasters occurring in the
Himalayan region like Kosi Floods, Bihar (2008), Leh flash floods, Jammu & Kashmir (2010), Kedarnath flash floods, Uttarakhand (2013),
Jhelum floods (2014), Phuktal River Blockade, Jammu & Kashmir (2015) and Kanka River Blockade, Sikkim (2016).
Keywords: Disaster, DSC, Satellite, GIS, Floods

Corresponding Author: cmbhatt2@gmail.com
Page No. 232

GIS-Based Urban Flood Management: A Case Study of Trivandrum City, India
Catherin R Sebastian2, Sheeja R.V.1 and Shashi M.2

1Kerala State Remote Sensing and Environment Centre, Thiruvananthapuram , 2National Institute of Technology, Warangal
Abstract
Despite being one of the best planned cities in India, Trivandrum city experiences flood 3 to 6 times a year. The uneven distribution of rain fall
coupled with Mindless urbanization, encroaching upon and filling up of natural drainage channels and urban lakes to use the high-value urban
land for buildings are the main causes of urban flooding. The built environment of urban areas transforms the natural environment into impervious
ground surfaces, inhibiting infiltration. Hence the surface runoff will increase and will flood roads and paved surfaces in urban areas.
The work reported here Determines flood prone areas by creating a flood hazard map in a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) platform. And
also determines the optimal positions of storm water drains by delineating natural flow routes and their charging sub-catchments from ASTER
DEM. Some recommendations that may help to reduce urban flooding are also suggested.
Keywords: DEM, Urban Flooding, Flood hazard index, Natural flow routes,
Corresponding Author: catherinrsebastian@gmail.com
Page No. 233

Landslide Susceptibility Mapping using Frequency Ratio and Weight of Evidence, in Mandakini River Valley, NW
Himalaya
Meenakshi Devi1 and Vikram Gupta1

1WadiaInstitute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun
Abstract
Landslide hazards are most threatening geo hazards in the Himalayan region especially during rainy season. They causes immense damage to
infrastructure and accounts for numerous lives. In recent years, landslide hazards in the Himalaya have made a remarkable impact on
environment. Therefore identification of landslide hazard zones is of utmost importance for the sustainable development in any region in the
Himalaya. Mandakini River Valley, extended from Kedarnath to Rudraprayag is located between longitudes 78o58'45'' and 79o20'25'' and latitudes
30o17'16'' and 30o37'21'' in NW has been choosen for the present study. In the year 2013, this area has witnessed extreme climatic conditions in
the form of torrential rainfall which led to loss to numerous lives and infrastructure. The valley cuts along the Higher Himalaya and the Lesser
Himalaya separated from each other by a major tectonic line, Main Central Thrust that traverse through village Kund. Numerous major landslides
in the form of debris slide, rock fall and creep have been observed in the vicinity of this tectonic line. The landslide susceptibility mapping has
been carried out by using Frequency ratio and Weight of evidence modelling. LISS IV (5.8 m spatial resolution) and Cartosat-1 (2.5 m) strereopair
satellite images have been used for this study. Total no. of pixels of DEM of the study area is 3804190. Eight causative factors including lithology,
geomorphology, proximity to lineaments, land use, slope, aspect, proximity to drainage and roads have been taken as inputs for the landslide
hazard evaluation based on the site condition. Total no. of pixels covering landslides are 22139. Both Frequency ratio and Weight of evidence
method has been used on the same data set and comparative analysis has been made. Although both models have shown similar trend of
distribution of landslide susceptibility zones but Weight of evidence modelling has shown better results.
Keywords: Landslide susceptibility mapping, causative factors, Frequency ratio, Weight of evidence,
Corresponding Author: meenakshi.gogaat@gmail.com
Page No. 234

Effect of Surface Runoff on Physical Vulnerability on Riverine Settlements of Upper Teesta River Basin, Sikkim
Darjeeling Himalaya: A Remote Sensing & GIS Approach
Subhra Prakash Mandal1, Abhisek Chakrabarty1 and Latiman Khatun1

1Vidyasagar University, Medinipur
Abstract
Sikkim-Darjeeling Himalaya is Multi-Hazards Risk Vulnerability prone zone in India. In this area, the rainfall intensity is very high in monsoon
season from May to October. Due to the high susceptibility of soil and hill slope is highly vulnerable in the Riverside region. In this study, river
basin management includes precipitation-runoff modelling studies. Precipitation-runoff models have been widely used through the last century to
formulate a consistent association with the rainfall which is the input of the model and runoff is the output of the model. According to some news
agency and also NRSC-ISRO provides a brief report on the event at around 13:30 hrs (IST) on 13th Aug 2016. An enormous landslide completely
blocked the flow of Kanaka River (near Mantam village in Dzongu region in North Sikkim) which is under Ringpai Chhu which is one main
tributary to the Teesta River. The modelling studies were carried out by dividing the basin into 17 sub-basins and each sub-basin modelled with its
specific factors. For the hydraulic modelling studies, the new version of HEC-HMS hydraulic modelling software released in August 2016 by ‘US
Army Corps of Engineers’ used in this work. Modelling studies consist of two items: event based hourly simulations and runoff scenarios using
intensity-duration-frequency curves. It has used some model for fulfilling the work such as Soil Moisture Accounting Model, Loss Method,
Transform Method, Time of Concentration, Stream Routing method. These ideal model collaborate with the input the rainfall data. As a result of
model application studies, direct runoff, Precipitation loss, Peak discharge, hydrograph generation parameters of each sub-basin calibrated with
hourly simulations. Hourly model parameters used in monsoon, summer and fall seasons to predict runoff. Flow that corresponds to different
return periods and probable maximum precipitation are predicted using intensity-duration-frequency data as input to frequency curve method of
HEC-HMS software with Arc GIS environment. The simulated runoff values can use for flood control and flash flood damage estimation studies.
Keywords: Precipitation-runoff Model, Landslides, Hydraulic Modelling, Soil Moisture Accounting Model, Frequency Curve
Corresponding Author: subhra.rs.destiny@gmail.com
Page No. 235

Automation for Rainfall Prediction for Medium Range Forecast for the Year 2016 in North Western Himalaya
A.K. Jha1, Praveen K. Thakur1, Pankaj Dhote1, Sameer Saran1, S.P. Aggarwal1, S.K. Srivastav1, P. Dorje Gyamba1 and A. Senthil Kumar1
1CentralWater Commission, New Delhi , 2Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun
Abstract
The North Western Himalayan (NWH) rich sub-tropical pine forest lines and sources of different perennial river of India glaciers. The NWH
mountainous terrain also makes it susceptible to different natural disaster such as flooding, forest fire, and avalanche activity. The high terrain
makes these natural disaster unique in term of travel time, concentrated volume, spreading rate etc. The disaster events such as Glacier Lake
Outburst Floods (GLOF) coupled with high precipitation induced 2013 Kedarnath floods or 2016 forest-fire of chir pine forest are the recent
events. Considering these frequent disaster event a medium term forecast for precipitation, show, wind-speed, wind-direction, and surface-
temperature is initiated by IIRS under Disaster Management Service Research and Development (DMS, R&D) project. An automated system is
built to provide these parameter in geospatial data format through website http://dms.iirs.gov.in and it can be used in different forest fire, river
flow and mud flow simulation. The system generates (twice daily) 3-day advance weather parameter in NWH using double nested domain of
Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model (9 km for outer domain and 3 km for inner domain) using initialized at 00/12 UTC of National
Centre for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), Global Forecasting System (GFS) 0.25 degree hourly data. Historical and current Indian
Meteorological Department (IMD) 0.5 degree gridded daily rainfall data is used for validation of few events of 2016 monsoon. The simulation
accuracy in prediction of rainfall above 100 mm is found to be 60%. The system has successfully detected the landslide inducing rainfall of
30-Jun to 01-Jul -2016 Pithoragarh and Chamoli area events along with the high rainfall events of 5-6 August low to middle hill District of
Himachal Pradesh with accuracy of 0.75 with IMDs rain gauge data. The system generates the first predicted hourly data as early as 20 min of
process initiation and completes the whole process for 72 hours forecast in less than 3 hours for whole NWH region without any manual
intervention using 5 nodes and 120 cores of IIRS cluster computation server. The other products such as snow, wind speed-direction and surface
temperature are also generated. The system has been
Keywords: , , , ,
Corresponding Author: akjha@iirs.gov.in
Page No. 236

Remote Sensing and GIS Application for Landslide Hazard Zonation Mapping in The Hilly Terrain of Kohima,
Nagaland
Kedovikho Yhosh1 and Y.V. Krishnaiah1

1NagalandUniversity, Nagaland
Abstract
Landslide hazards are the most frequently occurring disasters that affect the hilly regions throughout the World. Nagaland owing to its young
tectonically unstable geologic setting along with torrential amount of rainfall in the monsoon season and unplanned and rapid urbanisation is
highly prone to landslide hazard. Kohima, the capital of Nagaland witnesses’ frequent landslides as it lies in the Inner Fold Belt which is
geologically unstable. The landscape of Kohima is changing rapidly mainly because of rapid urbanisation and population growth. With the recent
inclusion of Kohima town in the smart city list of India, a need for a landslide hazard zonation map has become all the more important for
planning. Kohima located on seismic zone V, liable to seismic intensity IX poses an impending threat, if mitigation steps are not taken. In this
study, high resolution satellite image along with topographical map was used for demarcating and generating the various physical thematic
parameters. Quantitative method based on information value method (IVM) was used for establishing relationship between landslide and the
factors. Further, basing on classification methods, the final landslide hazard zonation map based on landslide susceptibility was generated. Five
landslide hazard zones were demarcated- very low, low, moderate, high and very high landslide susceptibility zone. From the study, 19%, 26%,
27%, 19% and 9% of the total study area fall under very low, low, moderate, high and very high landslide hazard susceptibility classes
respectively. The relative landslide density index (R Index) of the study area generated from the landslide susceptibility map was 82.11% which
shows positive correlation. High landslide hazard risk area was observed towards the central southwest and southeast part of the study area.
Keywords: landslide, information value method, hazard zonation, ,

Corresponding Author: kedovikho@gmail.com
Page No. 237

Relation of Damage Intensity of Nepal Earthquake in Indian Region with DInsAR Displacement Pattern and Site
Factors
Anuradha Sharma1, Tanu Jaiswal1 and R.S. Chatterjee1

1Indian
Abstract
The 2015 Nepal earthquake with the main shock of 7.8 Mw in Gorkha region followed by the major aftershock of 7.3 Mw near Kodari region had
a devastating effect in Nepal and the neighboring countries. Many places in India such as Nichaul, Bagaha, Bettiah, Darbhanga, Zyaidpur were
also worst hit by this earthquake. We assessed damage intensity in the Indian region using USGS based point observations on damage intensity in
Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) scale. Interestingly, the spatial distribution of damage intensity in the Indian region shows a peculiar lobe-like
pattern. To gain insight on the spatial pattern of damage intensity, we prepared differential interferometric synthetic aperture radar (DInSAR)
based coseisminc displacement map of the earthquake. Besides, different site factors such as lithology, geomorphology, structural elements,
drainage density and sediment thickness of the affected parts of India were studied to evaluate their role to damage intensity. All these factors
were integrated to prepare a potential damage map due to the earthquake. Finally, the potential damage intensity map was correlated with USGS
based damage intensity in the Indian region. DInSAR based surface displacement map reveals that the maximum displacement was occurred
eastward direction from the main shock. The major after shock with magnitude 7.3 Mw occurred at a distance of 150 km from the main shock
where numerous aftershocks > 4ML were concentrated. Also, beyond this point the density of aftershocks was negligible. We observed that a
number of major structural elements such as faults and lineaments those are transverse across the India-Nepal boundary has a positive relation
with the damage intensity in Indian region.
Keywords: 2015 Nepal earthquake, Damage intensity, MMI scale, C-band DInSAR, Coseismic displacement
Corresponding Author: anuradhasharma264@gmail.com
Page No. 238

Debris Flow Modelling Using Numerical Simulation Technique of Kaliasaur Landslide, Garhwal Himalayas, India
Pooja Sharma1, Shovan Lal Chattoraj1 and P.K. Champati Ray1

Abstract
The present study aims to focus on analysis of landslide/debris flow movements and simulate landslide which is a very common and important
landslide in Kaliasaur region of Rudraprayag district in state Uttarakhand, India. This specific research theme was attempted taking information
from carrying out of a numerical simulation technique using RAMMS (Rapid Mass Movements Software) to frame out a debris flow run-out,
which is the only known factor for the blockade or damaging of National Highway-58, the only way to connect Rishikesh with the famous
pilgrimage sites of India, Kedarnath and Badrinath. The simulation was attempted by numerical modelling using Rapid Mass Movements
Software (RAMMS).The Algorithm used for Modelling is based on Voellmy frictional parameters (dry (µ) and viscous turbulent (ξ) coefficients)
of Debris flow with release area that can be identified on high resolution satellite images and derived DEM like Cartosat-1 DEM. The debris flow
models, developed here for Kaliasaur landslide provided quantitative data on flow height, flow velocity, flow momentum and flow pressure.
These essential outputs derived from the models have potential to make future prediction of flow run-out length, velocity, debris thickness etc.,
which can be helpful in disaster management.
Keywords: Debris flow, RAMMS, Numerical Simulation, DEM, Modeling

Corresponding Author: ALISHASHARMA402@GMAIL.COM
Page No. 239

Geospatial Approach to Model the Precipitation Induced Flash Flood in Sarpang, Bhutan
Jigme Tenzin3 and Aparna S. Bhaskar3

1S.R.M. University, Chennai
Abstract
Flash flood is an overflow of water that submerge lands and properties affecting lives and habitats all around the world. It is impossible to avoid
risk or prevent their occurrence but we can reduce their effects. Incessant monsoon rains in the month of July 2016, triggered flash floods in
several southern districts of Bhutan including Sarpang town affecting hundreds of people. The town was also wiped out after an overnight flood in
1996. Hence, the present study aims to model the flash flood with respect to rainfall to help in emergency management and development planning
at Sarpang, Bhutan by integrating geospatial technology and HEC-RAS hydraulic model. SRTM DEM and Landsat 8 OLI satellite image were
used to derive the data required for modelling and studying the effects. The result of modelling was compared with the LULC map to identify and
delineate affected land and properties. Rainfall data from Bhutan Hydro Met Department has been used to validate the model from recent flood
event.
Keywords: Flash Flood, Modelling, HEC-RAS, DEM, LULC

Corresponding Author: jigmetenzin_tenzin@srmuniv.edu.in
Page No. 240

Desertification Vulnerability Index Model-A Case Study of Bhavnagar
Poonam Patel1, Hardik Panchal1 and Anjana Vyas1

1Centre
for Environmental Planning and Technology University, Ahmedabad
Abstract
Desertification is the continuous degradation process of land under the influence of natural and anthropological causes such as water erosion,
vegetal degradation, wind erosion, salinization/alkalization, water logging, in arid, semi-arid and dry-sub humid conditions. Desertification
depends on some factors as in climate variations and human activities. This research utilizes the integrated remote sensing and geographic
information systems (GIS) in Bhavnagar assess the environmentally sensitivity area to desertification. Major Geological Formation of Bhavnagar
is Deccan Trap & Alluvium. Major aim of research is to identify the process of land degradation, causes and severity of desertification of a district
of Gujarat - case study of Bhavnagar; and developing a vulnerability index model for desertification using Arc GIS Model Builder. The algorithm
is based on the MEDALUS (Mediterranean Desertification and Land Use) model for calculating ESA (Environmentally Sensitive Areas) index to
determine the situation and tendency of desertification. A set of indicators was developed to account for the regional-specific environmental
features as well as for the socio-economic parameters. The results of desertification and land degradation status mapping carried out for the entire
Bhavnagar region on 1 : 50,000 scale using multi-temporal LISS-IIIdata.
Keywords: Desertification, Land Degradation, MEDALUS Model, Environmentally Sensitive Areas, Model Builder
Corresponding Author: pvp.poonam@gmail.com
Page No. 241

Integration of Satellite Remote Sensing and Geophysical Techniques for Landslide Characterization at Kaliyasaur,
Rudraprayag, Garhwal Himalaya, India
Suresh Kannaujiya1, Sanjay Rawat1, Prashant Kumar Champati Ray1, Shovan Lal Chattoraj1, Abhishek Mandal1 and Yateesh Ketholia1
1Choudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut , 2Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun
Abstract
An attempt was made towards temporal change detection and delineation of Kaliyasaur landslide using remotely sensed data and advanced
non-invasive geophysical techniques. The use of multi-temporal imagery and land cover classification techniques revealed growth in landslide
area between 2005 and 2016. The widening of areas was found in different time periods: 18047 m2 in 2005 to 31153 m2 in 2016. The expansion
of landslide area has engulfed surrounding dense forest, open scrub and most importantly caused enormous threat and rise to the NH-58 at the
lower half of the landslide. Therefore, in order to assess its expansion in 3-D (i.e. depth) highly cost effective and non-invasive geophysical
techniques mainly 2D electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and ground penetrating radar (GPR) were used. ERT sections at different depths
depicted low resistivity zone of high moisture content. High resolution GPR radargram sections obtained along the road using 100 MHz antenna,
confirmed presence of subsurface discontinuities and water saturation zones between 1-4 m depth. The integration of satellite remote sensing,
geophysical studies and field observation have thus confirmed the zone of weakness/plane of failure of the landslide. Therefore, the study has
established very cost effective methodology for landslide monitoring as well as failure plane detection by interpreting remote sensing and
geophysical techniques.
Keywords: Landslide, Remote Sensing, GIS, Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT), Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR)
Corresponding Author: skannaujiya@gmail.com
Page No. 242

Automated Mapping of Waterlogged and Flood Inundation Areas using Landsat Imageries
Parmod Kumar2, Kanwar Vivek Singh2, Ravinder Pal Singh2, Raj Setia 2 and Brijendra Pateriya2
1PunjabRemote Sensing Centre, Ludhiana
Abstract
Water classification accuracy problems may be especially pronounced in the areas where the satellite data includes shadows from mountains,
buildings and clouds. The presence of shadows may cause misclassification due to similarity in reflectance patterns. In this study, we compared
various indices for extraction of water bodies and improve accuracy of surface water mapping by automatically suppressing classification noise
from shadows of clouds. We used the various indices (NDVI, NDWI, MNDWI, NDMI, AWEI and TCWI) to extract the flooded and waterlogged
areas in the parts of Punjab (India) using Landsat 8 OLI satellite imageries of two different seasons (Pre-monsoon-27th May, 2013 and
monsoon-30th August, 2013). The satellite data of pre-monsoon was clear but a part of the data of monsoon season was covered with cloud and
shadow. The values of reflectance were negative for flooded, waterlogged, agriculture, and built-up in the areas classified using AWEI and TCWI,
whereas these were positive for all the features in the areas classified using NDVI, NDWI, MNDWI and NDMI. Among all the indices, MNDWI
accurately extracted the flooded and waterlogged areas from other land cover features. In the MNDWI output of monsoon season, the pixels
covered with cloud and their shadows resulted in positive values of MNDWI. In order to remove the clouds and shadows from the Landsat
imagery of monsoon season, a technique Fmask (Function of mask) was used. The Fmask significantly removed the cloud and shadow from the
image with overall accuracy of 93.5%. This was followed by classification of the imagery into areas with water and no water pixels using
MNDWI. The accuracy of water inundated areas in the cloud free pre-monsoon satellite data was 94.5 %, but it was 80% in the monsoon season
data which may be due to the effect of cloud and shadow. However, the accuracy in the MNDWI derived water features without cloud and shadow
removal was only 31%. These results suggest that Landsat satellite imagery with clouds and their shadows can be used to extract water feature
using fmask technique and the MNDWI can be used for accurate delineation of water inundated areas.
Keywords: Flood, Fmask, Landsat, MNDWI, Water logging

Corresponding Author: parmod.nehra25@gmail.com
Page No. 243

Monitoring Urban Growth and Risk in Major Capital Regions of Himalayas Using Geoinformatics
Diksha1 and Amit Kumar1

1CentralUniversity of Jharkhand, Ranchi
Abstract
Urban risk is increased in Himalayas due to its geographical-geological sittings, rapid increase in population and structures located in
hazard-prone area. In the present study, spatio-temporal urban growth mapping along with selected contributing spatial and non-spatial factors
was analyzed to deduce urban risk in major urban regions (capital cities) in Himalayas using LANDSAT satellite image during 1991-2015. The
images were classified using in two classes (urban and non urban) using unsupervised classification techniques. The satellite based urban growth
mapping exhibits high built-up growth in Srinagar (290.05%), followed by Kathmandu (121.35%) as compared to other capital cities i.e., Gangtok
(66.23%), Shimla (40.93%), Thimphu (40.74%), Dehradun (37.29%) and Itanagar (-2.11%), which observed less urban growth. The study shows
that the urban growth pattern in many of these capital cities was unplanned, unregulated and haphazard, leads to excessive urban densification and
congestion and depleting the urban environment to a greater extent. The land consumption rate (LCR) during 1991-2015 exhibits that high LCR in
Itanagar (125.09 sq. m) for the year 2015, followed by Srinagar (122.59 m2), Kathmandu (78.26 m 2), Gangtok (70.77 m2), Dehradun (61.68 m2),
Thimphu (37.98%), and Shimla (26.97 m2). The various causative spatial factor viz., proximity to earthquake’s epicentres and slope along with
causative non-spatial factors (viz., built-up growth rate, population growth rate, and land consumption rate) was used to deduce urban risk using
Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) techniques. The study exhibits the majority of ‘very high’ urban risk zone is in found in Thimphu followed
by Itanagar, and Gangtok than other cities; and majority of ‘high’ risk zone is in Thimphu followed by Gangtok, and Shimla, whereas majority of
moderate risk zone is in Shimla and Srinagar. The high variability in urban risk zones suggests implementation of sustainable urban planning
methods to reduce the urban risk in the region.
Keywords: Urban growth, Land consumption rate, Urban Risk, Analytical Hierarchical Process, GIS
Corresponding Author: diksha25geo@gmail.com
Page No. 244

Detection of a Dust Storm Event over Thar Desert Region of Rajasthan through Remote Sensing Technique – A
Feasibility Study
Manish Verma1, A.K. Bera1, S.S. Rao1, V. Raghu Venkatraman1 and Y.V.N. Krishnamurthy1
1National
Abstract
Sand and dust storms are lower atmosphere events that result from wind erosion liberating sediment participles for the ground surface. Sand
storms occur relatively close to the ground surface, but finer dust particles may be lofted kilometres high into the atmosphere, where strong winds
transport them to long distances. As bare soils is most susceptible to wind erosion, dust storm usually happen in semi-arid and arid areas where
vegetation cover is limited. Minute dust particles eroded from Indian Thar desert region especially during the summer months create a blanket of
dust haze over western India and the Indo-Gangetic Plains. The characteristics of dust minerals affect the radiative spectra directly through
emissivity, particle size, and refractive index. The dust plume detection is affected by various factors like cloud cover, dust plume mineralogy and
surface reflectance. Several dust storm detection image based algorithms have been developed and applied on different dust events across the
world. Brightness Temperature Difference technique has been used widely as dust detection methods. The IR split window technique have the
ability to map the dust cloud after the dust storm event. The thermal signatures of the dust loading provides spectral variations from the other
classes and can be useful in detecting the dust loadings. Present study has been carried out over Thar desert region using MODIS L1B data. Early
results shows that it is possible to detect dust cloud using combination of both brightness temperature difference technique and normalized
difference dust index. Validation of the findings are in progress by comparing with ground based observations recorded on the dust storm event
day.
Keywords: Dust Storm, Brightness Temperature Difference, IR split Window, MODIS,

Corresponding Author: mkverma1276@gmail.com
Page No. 245

Threshold Approach for Mapping Flooded Area using Multi temporal Sentinel-1A SAR Data
S. Pazhanivelan1, K.P. Ragunath1, M. Deiveegan1 and Massimo Barbieri2

1Sarmap Switzerland , 2Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore
Abstract
A deep depression crossed the Tamil Nadu coast on 9th November, 2015 and resulted in heavy to very heavy rains over many areas of Tamil Nadu
and Puducherry. In two days, a rain fall of 457, 397, 382 and 355 mm was received in Kumaratchi , Bhuvanagiri, Parangipettai and Cuddalore
blocks causing heavy flooding in Cuddalore district. Further a rainfall of 952mm (Parangipettai, 455mm) was received during first week of
December, 2015 again inundating more areas. Tamil Nadu Agricultural University has monitored the recent floods of Tamilnadu and mapped the
flooded areas of Cuddalore, Kancheepuram, Nagapattinam and Villupuram districts.
Multi-temporal SAR images were used to detect areas under flooding based on time-series analysis of the backscatter coefficient (dB). Four
images of Sentinel-1A, a radar imaging satellite were acquired at IW-GRD mode with VV polarisation from 31st October, 2015 to 6th December,
2015 at 12 days interval coinciding high rainfall periods. The satellite data were processed using MAPscape-RICE image processing software
developed by sarmap, Switzerland specifically for rice ecosystem. Flooded area was characterized by low SAR backscatter as compared to other
areas with no surface water and certain ground roughness. Stable water has a low average backscatter. The flood class was assigned to those pixels
where the ratio between the calibrated value from one acquisition to flooded date is greater than the Minimum Ratio and the calibrated value in
the flooded date is lower than the Water threshold. The pixels with slope value smaller than DEM threshold and Slope threshold were also
classified as flooded. Cuddalore, Kancheepuram, Nagapattinam and Villupuram were the most affected Districts. Flood map and area statistics
were generated. A total of 75,839 ha area was inundated with floods in the four districts. Parangipettai, Kurinchipadi, MelBhuvanagiri,
Kumaratchi and Keerapalayam were the major blocks with inundated standing water in Cuddalore District whereas Kollidam , Sirkali and
Sembanarkoil were the worst affected blocks in Nagapattinam District with continuous floods.
Keywords: SAR, Flood mapping, Sentinel 1A, Threshold Approach, VV Polarisation

Corresponding Author: pazhanivelans@gmail.com
Page No. 246

Monitoring Agricultural Drought using Multisensor Remote Sensing Data for Tamil Nadu
Kumaraperumal R.1, Balaji Kannan 1 and K.P. Ragunath1

1Tamil
Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore
Abstract
A study was conducted by integrating multisensor remote sensing data from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MODIS), Tropical
Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) and Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS-NOAH) for monitoring agricultural drought and as
well as to identify the suitable drought indexfor Tamil Nadu.The existing vegetation based drought indices viz., NDVI, NMDI, NDWI and NDDI
were derived using the MODIS surface reflectance data for a period from 2000 to 2013. Three MODIS SWIR channels (bands 5???7) were all
tested for NDWI and NDDI separately. The proposed index (Combined index 1 to 3) combines the land surface temperature (LST) data and the
Vegetation Index (VI) data from MODISsensor and GLDAS NOAH data, and precipitation data from TRMM satellite.Each variablewas scaled
from 0 to 1 to discriminate the effect of drought from normal conditions, and then combinedwith three set of weights.So that the scaled value 0
means the driest condition and 1 means the wettest condition.Pearson correlation analyseswere performed between the proposed and existing
vegetation based drought indiceswith 1-month Standardized Precipitation Index over growing season from 2000 to 2013 to assessthe capability of
remotely sensed drought indices in monitoringdrought over time and space.The results concluded that the weighted combination of remote
sensing drought indices of scaled LST, scaled TRMM, and scaled NDVI; scaled LST, scaled TRMM and scaled NDWI6; scaled LST, scaled
TRMM and NDWI7 were identified as the optimum remote sensing-based drought indices for agricultural drought monitoring in Tamil Nadu,
after testing several remote sensing variables and their combinations.
Keywords: Agricultural drought, remote sensing indices, multisensory, MODIS, TRMM

Corresponding Author: kumaraperumal.r@tnau.ac.in
Page No. 247

A Review of Geotechnical Parameters for Liquefaction Analysis
P. Choudhury2, S.L. Chattoraj1 and R.S. Chatterjee1

1IndianInstitute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 2Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun
Abstract
Liquefaction refers to loss of strength and stiffness of soil due to high pore pressure induced by tremors of cyclic earthquake loading. The
saturated or partially saturated sediments act as a fluid, through which the highly pressurized pore water is forced upward to the ground surface
mainly through cracks and crevasses. Liquefaction induced damages are associated with high magnitude shallow focus earthquakes which often
results into permanent ground displacements. Based on in-situ and laboratory tests, liquefaction characteristics of cohesionless soils are revealed
to be affected by a number of factors. Grain-size distribution (liquefaction strength increases as the grain size increases), soil type (type of soil
which provides resistance to deformation is mobilized by friction between particles), grain shape, sorting (well sorted grains are more susceptible
than the ill-sorted ones), void ratio, relative density and Atterberg's limit (the water contents at which the behavior of material changes from one
state to the other such as liquid limit, plastic limit and shrinkage limit) are the important geotechnical parameters accounting susceptibility for
liquefaction. Earthquake loading characteristics such as magnitude and number of cycles of stresses and strains induced in it by earthquake gives a
clear picture of vulnerability of cohesionless soil to liquefaction. It is well known that the increase in the vertical effective stress increases the
bearing capacity and the shear strength of soil, and thereby increases the stress required to cause liquefaction and decreases the potential for
liquefaction. There are two approaches such as deterministic approach and probabilistic approach to evaluate the liquefaction potential.
Calculation of cyclic stress ratio (CSR) and cyclic resistance ratio (CRR) by deterministic approach gives a safety factor (Fs) >1 or <1 to conclude
whether the soil is liquefiable or not. The present study will be attempted for assessing the liquefaction potential in the affected regions of India
due to 2015 Nepal earthquake.
Keywords: Liquefaction, Earthquake, Effective Stress, CSR, CRR

Corresponding Author: pritam.rocky@gmail.com
Page No. 248

Assessment of Coastal Flooding due to Heavy Rainfall along the South East Coast of India using Sentinel1 Data
G. Devipriya2, Prakash Mohanty1 and M. Shashi2

1IndianNational Centre for Ocean Information Services, Hyderabad , 2National Institute of Technology, Warangal
Abstract
The present study focuses on coastal flooding with respective to exceptional rainfall along the south east coast of India during November
December 2015. The extent of coastal flood mapping using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data can be a crucial information source for an
effective disaster management. The present work generates thematic flood maps using Vertical transmit and Vertical receive (VV) polarization
with an Interferometric Wide Swath (IW) mode of Sentinel1 satellite data. This satellite data was processed using the Sentinel Application
Platform (SNAP) tools. The flood and non flood zones were separated out based on threshold values of the filtered back scatting coefficient
(Sigma0_VV) using histogram of input satellite data. Finally, socioeconomic vulnerability maps were generated based on flooding and non
flooding zone as base maps. This composite hazard maps can be useful for understanding the impact of rainfall and their mitigation during
flooding events.
Keywords: SAR, Sentinel, Vulnerability, Polarization, Hazard Maps

Corresponding Author: nani.devipriya5@gmail.com
Page No. 249

Erosional Vulnerability Between Dakhla Pahar and Nagarbera along the Brahmaputra River, Assam
Ratamali Machahary1 and Parag Phukon1

1DibrugarhUniversity, Dibrugarh , 2Gauhati University, Guwahati
Abstract
The Brahmaputra river between Dakhla Pahar (Bura Pahar) and Nagarbera downstream of Guwahati has been subjected to extensive bank erosion
and consequent bank migration along both north and south bank. A study of spatial data comprising satellite image and Survey of India
topographic maps spanning over 100years show consistent erosion induced widening of the river besides increase in braiding over time (Brice
Index ~8). This segment of the river attains a maximum width of about 19km flowing through an extensive alluvial tract west of the crystalline
bedrock segment around Guwahati where the river is constricted to just about 2 km of bankful width. GIS based overlay analysis of consecutive
datasets show that northward and southward erosion has led to migration of the north bank by about 8km while the south bank by as much as
9km, thereby causing a sustained channel widening during the period of study. The entire segment thus has been subjected to erosion without
compensatory accretion resulting in net loss of large tracts of productive agricultural lands so much so that the present active channel system itself
occupy about 66% of the active floodplain zone. Changes in thalweg vector and hydraulic geometry induced by upstream control of crystalline
residual hills at Dakhla and Hatimura together with increased aggradation of the river bed may be identified as possible factors for the high
erosion vulnerability in the present study area.
Keywords: Brahmaputra, erosion vulnerability, bank migration, ,

Corresponding Author: machahary.ratamali@gmail.com
Page No. 250

Cyclone Web-Based Composite Risk Atlas for Coastal India: A Tool for Disaster Risk Reduction
Sushil Gupta2 and Pradeep Sharma2

1NationalDisaster Management Authority, New Delhi , 2RMSI, Noida
Abstract
A cyclone web-based Composite Risk Atlas (CRA) has been developed for all the 13 coastal states/UTs of India encompassing tropical cyclones
Hazard, Vulnerability, and Risk Assessment (HVRA). The web-CRA includes the coastal stretches of 13 States and UTs, which lie up to 10 m
elevation with reference to mean-sea level along the coastline. A cyclonic event can create damage from three components, viz., strong wind,
storm surge, and flooding from cyclone induced rainfall. Thus, the developed Web-CRA has provision to estimate risk individually from cyclonic
wind, storm surge, and flooding from cyclone induced rainfall as well as composite risk from all the three components. The web-CRA has three
major components- a precompiled Digital Risk Atlas, Risk Analyzer, and Hotspot Analyzer. The pre-compiled risk atlas contains all the layers of
hazard components; exposure elements of population and assets at risk (buildings, essential facilities, infrastructure, major agriculture crops, and
horticulture); administrative boundaries at the levels of state, district, sub-district, city, and village; and risk assessment. The risk analyzer
provides capability to decision makers to update exposure, vulnerability and reassess risk at state, district, sub-district, city, and village level. The
risk analyzer also provides capability to generate revised exposure summary and detailed reports and risk assessment report at various
administrative levels at a click of button. This would enable the stakeholders to generate a more precise estimate of local risk and use such
information in mitigation planning and to some extent in response planning. The hotspot analyzer provides the decision makers tools to conduct a
micro-level risk analysis of a small area; say village or a ward of a city, and generate outputs that help in disaster risk mitigation and response
planning. This paper dovetails the capability of web-CRA to be an effective decision support system for disaster risk reduction.
Keywords: cyclone, cyclonic wind, storm surge, hazard risk assessment, hotspot analyzer
Corresponding Author: sushil.gupta@rmsi.com
Page No. 251

Mapping Post Disaster Responses of a Hilltown- Pokhara, Nepal
Aakash A. Malik1 and Anjana Vyas1

Abstract
Nepal experienced an earthquake on 25th April, 2015 which killed over 9,000 people and injured more than 23,000. Its epicenter was east of the
district of Lamjung. It was the worst natural disaster to strike Nepal since the 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake. The city selected for the survey and
study purpose is Pokhara, the second largest city in Nepal.
The aim of this study was to understand the thought process of the citizens which are not directly impacted by the disaster. The study also tried to
answer how the tourism dependent city reclaims and re-builds itself after devastating disaster. The Participatory GIS approach was adopted, for
data collection and mapping. The survey was conducted through questionnaire format which requested the details about the household
information, education level of respondent, employment, income etc. from every household. The secondary survey was in the form of focus group
discussion, collection of reports and literature from government and media. At last, the spatial information and the non- spatial information were
integrated in GIS platform with the help of people and the local – Nepali students and the results were obtained in form of thematic maps which
led to many conclusions.
Keywords: Mapping, GIS, Disaster, Survey, Earthquake

Corresponding Author: malikaakash867@gmail.com
Page No. 252

Demarcation of Avalanche Hazard Areas Using Satellite and Meteorological Data: Case Study of Chowkibal-
Tangdhar Axis (J&K), India
Dhiraj Kumar Singh2, H.S. Gusain1, V.D. Mishra1 and Nenna Gupta2
1DRDO-Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment, Chandigarh , 2P.E.C. University of Technology, Chandigarh
Abstract
In the mountainous regions like the Himalayas, avalanches are one of the most common natural hazards. Therefore, its credentials is necessary for
future planning and development activities. During winter season, avalanche mostly occurs in snow bounded regions at higher altitude. It affects
in the form of loss of property, human life and transportation and communication network worth millions every year. The present approach
combines three causative factors such as, terrain, ground cover and meteorological parameters for demarcation of avalanche prone areas in
Chowkibal-Tangdhar (CT) axis. Terrain parameters (e.g. elevation, slope, aspect and curvature) have been estimated from Advanced Spaceborne
Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) Global Digital Elevation Model Version 2 (GDEM v2) (30 m spatial resolution) while
ground cover information has been extracted from Landsat 8 (13th April 2015) data for demarcation of avalanche prone areas in CT axis. Apart
from this, meteorological parameters (e.g. snow depth, air temperature and relative humidity etc.), have been generated using geospatial
interpolation technique (Gusain et al., 2016). In this techniques geospatial map have been generated using Automatic Weather Stations (AWSs)
data, manual field observatories data and DEM. All the parameters have been integrated in Geographical Information System (GIS) environment.
Further, Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) technique has been used to generate the hazard map by combining both static (terrain and ground
cover) and dynamic (geospatial meteorological map) parameters. Weights and ratings have been assigned to these causative factors on the basis of
field knowledge, experience and results reported by the noteworthy studies (Dewali, 2010; Athick et al., 2015; Kumar et al., 2016).The hazard
map obtained from AHP has been validated with the existing avalanche sites and atlases reported by the Snow Avalanche Study & Establishment
(SASE). From the analysis it has been observed that 38% area is under moderate and maximum hazard zones, which is well correlated with the
registered avalanche sites. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of remote sensing and AHP for avalanche hazard mapping.
Keywords: Snow Avalanches, Terrain Parameters, Meteorological Parameters, Geographical Information System (GIS), Avalanche Hazard Zones (AHZ)
Corresponding Author: erdhiraj.singh@gmail.com
Page No. 253

Inbound Tourism in Uttarakhand, India, Before and After Kedarnath Disaster 2013- Evidence Derived from Social
Networking site using GIS
Stutee Gupta1, Shikha Anand1 and Srishti Gwal1

Abstract
For many developing countries tourism is of major national economic importance. Himalyan region of India is known to attract large number of
tourists for its aesthetic natural splendor and high pilgrimage value. However, the region is also prone to several kinds of natural disasters and
extreme events such as earthquake, landslides and cloudbursts that are believed to have direct impact on the tourism. Kedarnath disaster in
Uttarakhand caused due to the torrential downpour and subsequent flooding in 2013 is one such example. Assessment of causes and impact on the
flora, fauna and socioeconomic aspects has been brought out by various researchers using traditional approaches that demands physical surveys
which often difficult and time consuming especially due to issues related to accessibility. With the recent advancements in the digital technology,
there has been an overwhelming use of social networking sites (SNSs) for collecting and sharing the information using several platforms during
the past few years. These platforms provide interfaces for mining the openly posted status updates and pictures in a time and cost effective way.
The social media data can be spatially and temporally analyzed for drawing useful clues about visitation rates in an event before and after the
disaster. In this pilot study, we assessed the visitation rates in Uttarakhand, India in the wake of Kedarnath disaster based on geo-tagged crowd
sourced photos posted on photo posting site FLICKR. The photo user days, having a direct relationship with the Days i.e. the visitation rate were
derived. It was found that in the year 2012-2013 the value of PUD in Uttarakhand ranged from 2.5-139.5. The post flood value for the year
2013-14 were found to range from 1.5-143. Further, spatial insights revealed that, the PUD remained unchanged for places like Haridwar and
Nainital, whereas there was decrease in value in Dehradun and the Kedarnath shrine. Thus there was an overall decrease in the minimum
visitation rate along with slight increase in the maximum range. Findings of the study thus demonstrates the effectiveness of GIS in spatial-
temporal analysis of inbound tourism using wealth of information available on SNSs.
Keywords: Social Networking Sites, Natural Disaster, inbound torism, GIS, Uttarakhand
Corresponding Author: stutee@iirs.gov.in
Page No. 254

Cloudburst Alert Dissemination and Decision Support System for Disaster Mitigation
Neha Sharma2, Amod Aggarwal2 and Pushpalata B. Shah2

Abstract
Cloudburst is one the major natural calamity which has devastating impact on western Himalayan region due to which many people lose their
lives and lots of property get damaged. Need of the hour is to develop an early cloudburst alert dissemination system to save several lives and
mitigate damage of goods or infrastructure in affected areas. Although it is not possible to prevent this natural disaster but its impact can be
minimized by preparedness and proactive disaster management
A web GIS based SDSS (Spatial Decision Support System) was developed to disseminate nowcast based cloudburst alerts to the administrators
and common people. Open source technologies were used for developing such Web GIS based SDSS at low cost. The principal development
component includes: GeoServer, Java, PostgreSQL, OpenLayers, and GeoExt. Dissemination system includes visualization of centroid and
precise locations of cloudburst over Western Himalayan Region along with related information and other overlay layers like State, District and
Taluka (region) boundaries, District population, Drainage, Roads, Rivers, Railway Tracks, National Highway and Digital Elevation Model as
WMS Layers. Land use/ Land cover map of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh was prepared for the year 2014-2015 using multi season
LANDSAT-8 OLI (Optical land imager) sensor data with overall accuracy of 83%. With every nowcast alert this SDSS provides information
about the probable affected land cover and their area (km2) in the form of pie chart and table. Drainage layer up to order 5 was prepared using
SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission) were incorporated into above application to identify the affected area near activated channels and to
approximate the areas that may get flooded.
This SDSS will be very useful for local administrators, decision makers and common people and will be an effective tool for disaster mitigation.
Presently, the Developed Application can be accessed via MOSDAC through URL i.e. www.mosdac.gov.in.
Keywords: Cloudburst, Web GIS, Spatial decision support system, GeoServer, Open GIS
Corresponding Author: write2neha@live.com
Page No. 255

Remote Sensing Data Analysis for Mapping Active Faults towards Earthquake Hazard Assessment in the Trans-
Yamuna Segment of North-Western Himalaya
S. Ghosh1, G. Philip1, N. Suresh1, S. Kannaujia1 and P.K. Champati Ray1

1IndianInstitute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 2Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun
Abstract
Trans-Yamuna Active Fault (TYAF) system identified (Philip 1995, Philip and Sah, 1999, Oatney et al 2001) in the north-western Doon Valley
has been investigated. The Bharli Active Fault (BAF) explicitly observed on satellite images is part of the TYAF system. BAF, which is
subparallel and cut across the Main Boundary Thrust, is studied in detail for paleoseismic investigation using trench excavation survey and other
geophysical methods. The south side up nature of the BAF shows essentially dip slip component, varying from 30° to 35°N, and has created two
prominent sag ponds in front of the fault scarp, which also suggest dextral motion along the fault plane. The lithology, consists of pre Tertiary
Chandpur Phyllite, exposed on either side of the fault, is highly deformed and sheared with conspicuous folding.
Using high-resolution Cartosat-1, supported with GCPs obtained using DGPS, the DEM was generated which helped delineation of
sub-watersheds and streams in the vicinity of the BAF. Lateral offsets of minor streams observed at few places support strike-slip movement of
the fault. GPR survey was carried out to establish the subsurface structures in the fault zone. The shallow depth survey has shown profiles, which
substantiate deformation within the lithounits that are believed to be due to faulting.
Two trenches, which are perpendicular to BAF, have been excavated to understand the recent tectonic activity along BAF. The trench excavated
very close to one of the sag ponds vividly displays soft sediment deformation, which is believed to be attributed to recent large magnitude
earthquakes. The trench excavated across the BAFs scarp show highly sheared and fractured phyllite filled with secondary quartz veins, which are
offset also confirming the fault activity. The depressions created in the northern side of the fault scarp have been subsequently filled up by fluvial
sediments. Optically Stimulated Luminescence dating of samples taken from the trenches are underway to understand the chronology of the
seismic events taken place in the past.
Mapping of active faults in highly inaccessible Himalayan terrain, using space-borne images was found to be one of the most promising
applications of remote sensing techniques for earthquake hazard assessment.
Keywords: Remote Sensing, Cartosat , Active Fault, Doon Valley, Earthquake Hazard
Corresponding Author: drgphilip@gmail.com
Page No. 256

Flood Plain Design in the Ghaghara River Basin
Mrugen Bhatt1 and Anjana Vyas1

Abstract
The Ganga Plain is one of the most densely populated regions of the world due to its fertile soil and availability of water. Continuously increasing
pressure of population on this plain has led to the intensification of settlement even into the valley of the river. This unplanned expansion has
enhanced the damage due to flooding during high discharge period and lateral erosion during the low-discharge period. Flooding and lateral
erosion are identified as fluvial hazards in the Ghaghara River area. Advances in remote sensing technology and satellite platforms such as ALOS
sensors widened the application of satellite data. One of the many fields that these technologies can be applied is to validate flood inundation
models. For a long time, flood extent from the flood inundation models were validated using the ground truth surveys which were not very much
reliable. In this study flood extent was extracted from satellite images available for one in 5year flood event occurred on August, 2011 in
Ghaghara River, India. Then that was compared with the flood extent derived from the flood extent obtained for the 25-year rainfall using
HEC-RAS. Based on the flood extent, this project is to develop, demonstrate and validate an information system for flood forecasting, planning
and management using remote sensing data with the help of Flood Hazard Maps for different return periods (5, 10, 20 and 25 years). Assess the
population vulnerability and physical vulnerability of the lowest administrative division subjected to floods, and using above results conduct a
flood risk analysis of the study area. The present project deals with the fluvial hazards in the Ghaghara River area.
Keywords: Flood, Disaster, Risk management, Risk Analysis, Remotesensing

Corresponding Author: bhatt.mrugen92@gmail.com
Page No. 257

L- Band SCANSAR Interferometry for Crustal Deformation Study in Western Himalaya
Somalin Nath1, R.S. Chatterjee1 and S. Mohanty2

Abstract
The ongoing northward movement of Indian plate makes the Himalayan region geodynamically active. The seismic activity concentrated along
the major thrusts is characterized with relatively large magnitudes of earthquakes occurring with longer return periods. However the spatial
relationships between horizontal and vertical deformations in the Himalaya are poorly constrained. It is well known that D-InSAR has become a
very effective method to map the deformation. ScanSAR radar images are more practical for the large scale deformation study. As the penetration
of L band microwave is better than that of C band, the ALOS L band acquisitions are at an advantage. Though DInSAR technique looks
promising to monitor deformation, several researchers have highlighted a few limitations due to the atmospheric variability and the temporal
decorrelation. However, in India, the use of DInSAR for surface displacement studies is still in its infancy.
Keywords: Crustal Deformation, ScanSAR Interferometry, Himalayan Region, ,

Corresponding Author: somalinnath@gmail.com
Page No. 258

Urban Flood Vulnerability and Risk Mapping Using RS-GIS Based MCDM and Spatial AHP: A Case Study of
Guwahati City, India
Santosh Kaur1, Srikanta Sannigrahi1 and Somnath Sen1

Abstract
Urbanization has a drastic impact on the natural process of storm water runoff; increasing both the peak flow and the volume of runoff, reducing
infiltration, resulting in degrading waste water quality. Urban Storm Water Management is a compendium of all matters necessary for the design
of efficient drainage and storm water management systems. In this study, urban flood vulnerability of Guwahati Metropolitan Corporation (GMC)
region has been assessed through Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System based Multi Criteria Decision Modelling (MCDM) and
Spatial Analytical Hierarchy Process (SAHP). The city receives substantial rainfall during the monsoon, and faced severe inundation because of
the absence of a planned drainage system. The existing natural drainage channels, which have played a major role in the discharging of storm
water in the past have been made ineffective today by adopting unscientific development process and subsequent encroachments of outlet
channels during non-monsoon period. The study help to draw a vulnerable map output which is represented with graduated scale indicating the
flood vulnerable index (FVI) range 1 - 8.8. There is no clear-cut boundary for classifying the vulnerability index hence the classification is based
on the histogram of the generated vulnerable map. The map shows that the regions with very high to high FVI has highest population density,
these are the areas affected through the process of avulsion which have taken up the path of Paleochannel. The region that includes the Moderate
FVI range have lesser population density with most of the area associated with agricultural land which has been converted to moist area due to
water seepage from the river channel. River road intersection points are mostly located in these areas which has increased the vulnerability of the
area. Some of the areas having low to very low FVI index as the population density is least, there is least river road intersection which lead to the
minimum water congestion.
Keywords: Urbanization, Vulnerability, Storm water, MCDM, AHP

Page No. 259

Optimization of Weightage Assignment for Causative Factors in Landslide Susceptibility Zonation
Sharad Kumar Gupta1 and Dericks P. Shukla1

1IndianInstitute of Technology, Mandi
Abstract
Landslide is the most common natural hazard in the mountain regions and can result in enormous casualties and huge economic losses every year.
Many landslides in mountainous terrain are induced by heavy rainfall on slopes. Slope failure usually occurs as soil resistance deteriorates in the
presence of the acting stress developed due to a number of reasons such as presence of tectonically active thrusts, high slopes, increased soil
moisture content, change in land use etc. Various methods have been developed for landslide susceptibility zonation such as certainty factor,
frequency ratio, ANN, AHP, SVM etc. These different approaches apply different rating and weights to the causative factors which are area
dependent. Many studies incorporate a manual selection of the weights for causative factors by a geomorphologists based on the expertise of the
person which is very subjective. Indeed, so far there is no general criteria or guidelines available on how to decide the weightages for all the
layers. Hence, these weights and ratings play a vital role in the preparation of susceptibility maps using any of the approach. In this research
investigation, a total of seven thematic layers (factors) viz. aspect, elevation, geology, slope, soil, distance from stream, thrusts and distance from
thrusts have been considered as causative factors for landslide occurrences. The study is carried out in Mandakini river basin of Garhwal
Himalaya, Uttarakhand. Weightage analysis of these factors were performed in MATLAB. The weights or rating of a particular class in a thematic
layer were calculated using information value (InfoVal) method. Summation of these thematic layers was then multiplied by the corresponding
weights to yield the landslide susceptibility index. For reducing the subjectivity in the assignment of weights to all seven thematic layers, total of
7! = 5040 permutations (weights) are possible. Hence a total of 5040 LSZ maps were prepared using all the layers. Correlation analysis was
performed for finding the relationship between the landslide causative factors and landslide occurrence. The area under curve (AUC) & confusion
matrix have been used to validate the performance of the work. Factors with high correlation were considered for final LSZ maps.
Keywords: Landslide Susceptibility Zonation (LSZ), InfoVal, Optimization, Garhwal Himalaya, Area Under Curve (AUC)
Corresponding Author: sharadgupta27@gmail.com
Page No. 260

Landslide Hazard Zonation in the Mountains of Tamil Nadu
Balasundareshwaran A.1, Abdul Rahaman S.1, Siva Kumar P.1, Venkatesan M.1, Balasubramani K.1 and Kumaraswamy K.1
1BharathidasanUniversity, Tiruchirappalli
Abstract
Landslide hazard zone should indicate the possibility of landslides occurring throughout a given area. An ideal landslide hazard zones would
show, not only the chances that a landslide may form at a particular place, but also the chance that it may travel downslope in a given distance of a
region. The recent decades has a prolonged history of disastrous landslides in South India, especially the mountains (viz. The Nilgiris,
Kodaikanal, Valparai, and Sahyadri hills) of Tamil Nadu. In the recent times, the increasing population, changing climatic conditions and human
intervention has accelerated the frequency of casualties and damage due to landslides. The aim of the study is to demarcate the vast stretch of
Landslide Hazard Zones (LHZ) in Tamil Nadu. Further, to understand landslide causes, the Relative Effect Method (REM), has been adopted for
studying the hazard. Among various methods, this statistical method has been developed within the framework of the Geographic Information
System (GIS) to map LHZ in a mountainous ecosystem. This method uses logarithmic function, and further determines the Relative Effect (RE)
of each unit influencing landslides, such as data layers of geology, land use/land cover, geomorphology, relief, slope, lineament density, drainage
density, road buffer, and soil; which are analysed by calculating the ratio of the unit portion in coverage and landslide. The advantage of using
logarithmic function is that the positive effect and negative effect are quantitatively equal. The result obtained through REs were summed and
classified into three zones viz., low, moderate, and high landslide hazard zones, after computing the magnitude of factors influencing each grid
unit. The present study would be useful for preparing an effective regional disaster management strategy, which can be used to reduce damages
associated with landslides; and also to consider the land use/land cover for better management of evolving strategies in the mountainous
ecosystem of Tamil Nadu.
Keywords: Hazard, Relative Effect Method, Mountain Ecosystem, Regional Disaster Management, The Nilgiris
Corresponding Author: balasundareshwaran@bdu.ac.in
Page No. 261

Drought Mitigation : SDSS for Drinking Water Allocation
Rajaram Desai1, Dr. Milind Sohoni1, Jitendra Shah2, Nitu Ojha1, Bhakti Thorat1 and Mahendra Nakil3
1CTARA, 2GISE, 3MERI
Abstract
Maharashtra sought help in building a spatial decision support system for local authority which is required to allocate and distribute water during
critically dry periods. The decision makers include those from administrative and water resources department at taluka and district levels.
Typically, currently the decisions are based on relevant data that are fragmented in several departments and data are rarely in gis-friendly formats.
This paper shows a pilot project that gives a data and visual support for decision making. Pilot covers two tahsils, one in well-endowed area
(Sangamner) and other in water scarce area (Osmanabad). Typical scarcity management involves monitoring, on supply side, of water levels in
storages which keeps changing due to evaporation, availability from distant sources, arranging logistics (tankers, diesel for it, drivers, and at times
even security). On the demand side, it involves re-evaluation of priorities and options like curtailing less critical usage, controlling use and
sometimes misuse of water, criticality of drinking water and cattle needs as also establishment of cattle camps, etc. All of this requires online
access to the spatial dynamic information, for decision maker to make judicious allocation as per standing rules. This paper shows how an
integrated database could be developed, integrating the data from several disparate departments. The decision support includes a website, a
database, a python implementation of an algorithm for proposed rule-based allocation only to be over-ridden or confirmed by the decision maker,
a mobile app to obtain current data from all over taluka, and a dashboard for decision maker to take action. The interface has been developed to
make non-tech-savvy officials visualise the current situation on daily and dynamic basis, to help make data driven decisions to allocate and
transport water to most critical area. The system is also proposed to include a versioning system of the spatial data is for code. The system is
proposed to be an open source so that the same can be replicated and tweaked across the state and other geographies.
Keywords: SDSS, Drought, Drinking water, Disaster, GIS

Corresponding Author: rajdesai01@yahoo.com
Page No. 262

A Preliminary Investigation Report on Tsunami Detection: Remote Sensing Approach
Sudhir Kumar Chaturvedi1, Pankaj Kumar Srivastava1 and Ugur Guven1

1UPES, Dehradun
Abstract
This paper summarizes the brief review of the progress of tsunamis and earthquake research. It also provides the international support and
cooperation’s implemented for early-warning systems by various countries. The worst tsunami disaster happened in year 2004 near to the coast of
Indonesia and effects were also measured at the south-eastern coast of India. A similar magnitude tsunami also occurred in Pacific Ocean
generated by the 1960 Chilean earthquake. The International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG), established in 1960, have been holding
the biannual International Tsunami Symposium (ITS). Brief review has been carried out by from 1960s to till today in the era of internet
technologies. Tsunami arrival and its early warning prediction is a tedious task using the remote sensing technique. Till date the post tsunami
researches have been incorporated globally for the execution, of further plan, for the search and rescue operations, but not many have succeeded
in investigating the detection of tsunami arrival. The advancement in the field of technologies of remote sensing commonly referred to as tsunami
damage detection, has made it easier to report, about the risks and danger degrees, to the authorities and notification to public, helping in the
making of the apt decisions required to save numerous lives. In various countries, radars of High frequency (HF), for coastal networks are on a
regular basis observing surface currents. Generally, the application can be characterized into various stages. Here in this paper, we are proposing a
basic report on the detection and tsunami early warning prediction based on the various researches around the globe. In order to design and
automated system for the tsunami disaster detection and monitoring, lots of effort and programming skills are required to extend the results up to
the certain specified result with good estimate of accuracy.
Keywords: Remote sensing, Epicente, Tsunami damage detection, ,

Page No. 263

Theme- Energy in RS & GIS Applications Abstract Id: 234
Generation of Combined Area Map of Wind Resources Assessment study Area and Wind Farm Capacity
Allotment Areas in Anantapur District, Andhra Pradesh Using Geographical Information System Techniques
G. Arun Kumar1
Abstract
Wind Energy is an indirect form of solar energy. About 1% of the total solar radiation that reaches Earth is converted into energy of wind. Wind
results from differential heating of the Earth and its atmosphere by Sun. As the Sun heats different parts of the Earth, air circulates from cold to
warm areas producing winds. The application of wind energy has several advantages like no raw-material cost, non-polluting etc. Wind energy
facilities convert energy from the motion of wind into electricity and electric transmission system. The development in this sector was accelerated
after the formation of Department of MNRE, Govt. of India. Based on the studies, it is found that the Districts like Anantapur, Kadapa, Kurnool
and Chittoor have relatively better potential sites to set up wind power projects. The estimated gross potential in four Districts is 8,968 MW in
A.P. New and Renewable Energy Development Corporation of Andhra Pradesh Ltd. (NREDCAP) is the single window clearance agency to
sanction projects up to 20 MW capacity in the State and so far 5,493.40 MW capacity of projects by various private developers was sanctioned in
Anantapur District. The analysis made by C-Wet, the list of potential sites for the wind power projects in A.P having more than 200 watts per
sq/m wind density at 50 m level are 22. In the current study, combined area map consisting of wind resources assessment and wind farm capacity
allotment areas was generated on 1:50,000 scale for Anantapur, District of A.P. The assessment shows the potential and constraint sites - the most
and least suitable areas for locating wind energy facilities. Suitable gap areas for new wind mast and wind resource assessment and capacity
allotment areas were identified using geospatial tools.
Keywords: Wind Energy, NREDCAP, Combined Area Map, SOI Toposheet, GIS
Corresponding Author: arunkumar_geo@yahoo.co.in
Page No. 264

Multipurpose PEM Fuel Cell Power System
Shaneeth M.1, Samrat Deb Choudhury1, Vinay Mohan Bhardwaj1, Nandikesan P.1, Surajeet Mohanty1, Saboo T.1, Shyam Sundar Kundu1 and Praveen K. Thakur1
1IndianInstitute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 2North Eastern Space Applications Centre, Shillong , 3Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram
Abstract
This paper describes application of Fuel Cell power system for various requirements. The system can be used in portable form for powering field
instruments & charging mobile/satellite phones, under grid/solar independent conditions and in remote areas for prolonged duration. This system
can also be used for powering remote installations such as Automatic Weather stations /flux towers/ field monitoring systems in fully autonomous
standalone mode. The system has the capability to operate under harsh environmental conditions viz., low temperature (3 degree C) and low
pressure (600 mbar) silently. The system consists of a Proton exchange membrane based fuel cell stack, and ancillary devices like valves, fans,
Modem and Micro PLC based control unit and offers several advantages over the conventional battery based power systems on one hand and the
diesel gen sets on the other. Hydrogen, stored in commercial cylinders/canisters, is fed as fuel to the system and it takes oxygen from ambient air
to produce electricity. The system has built-in capability of online health monitoring, can send emergency alerts, and can be remotely controlled.
The system can charge/power external loads. It can be coupled with solar power to economize operations further by minimizing fuel consumption
and maintenance costs and to ease the operations by extending the refill time for fuel, in case of remote installations. The system has been
successfully demonstrated in different applications, such as powering Automatic Weather Stations in grid independent as well as solar coupled
mode, powering DGPS instruments during Glacier survey etc. The paper presents salient aspects of the demonstration carried out and the
performance data generated during the same. Paper also outlines the new possibilities arising out of application of this new class of power
Keywords: Fuel cell stack, Power system, Hydrogen, Standalone mode, Glacier survey
Corresponding Author: sam_cb4u@yahoo.com
Page No. 265

Monitoring Electricity Access Using Night Time Light Satellite Imagery and Spatially Explicit Population Datasets
: A Case Study of India
Tarun Sharma1 and T.V. Ramachandra1

1IndianInstitute of Science, Bengaluru
Abstract
There is a broad set of stakeholders associated with and impacted by production and consumption of electricity. Out of 1.3 billion people
worldwide who do not have access to electricity, roughly 300 million are in India.Several policy programmatic interventions have been
undertaken by government, non-government agencies to alleviate people out of non access. Measurement and monitoring of the status of
electricity access levels is crucial to determine the outcomes of such initiatives. We focus on measurement and monitoring of electricity access in
this work.There is an inherent geographic component to this task of making measurements and monitoring within the entire national boundary
with population density ranging from very low values in remote locations to high values in urban areas. We review the relevant literature and
explore the question: Can night light satellite imaging data be used to measure and monitor electricity access levels in India. We have used 7
representative administrative districts for our investigation.7 individual district vector boundary layers were converted into raster maps which
followed by raster map multiplication of night image of India- which was separately clipped from the world image- to obtain the district night
image. Appropriate colour was assigned to the single band before visually rendering the map with appropriate legend and text. Subsequently
histograms and statistics on distribution of digital numbers, pixels and the corresponding area fractions were generated. Household density, extent
of electrification and fraction of lit pixels across the 7 districts was rendered graphically for visual inspection. This was followed by drawing
scatter plot of product of household density and electrification vs fraction of lit pixels. We find that product of household density and
electrification is correlated to the relative number of lit pixels within the administrative boundaries. We observe stark variation in the quality of
light as indicated by digital number. In conclusion night light images can be used to infer the electrification access levels. Hence night light
images and the subsequent analysis can serve to measure and monitor electricity access.
Keywords: Electricity access, Night time light , Case of India, ,

Corresponding Author: taruniisc@mgmt.iisc.ernet.in
Page No. 266

GIS based Approach for Solar Energy Potential Analysis: A Case Study of Haryana
Sumandeep1
1Kurukshetra University,Kurukshetra
Abstract
Energy is a golden thread which is vital for human development. At present time, energy sector especially in developing world are facing major
three challenges such as secure energy, affordable energy, and environment sustainable energy. World Energy Council defines these challenges as
???Energy Trilemma. In Energy Trilemma Index, India ranked at 107th position in 2015 which is far behind in compare to other countries. In this
case, renewable energy is the main solution which can address the energy trilemma challenges. Solar energy is abundantly available in India.
Spatial variation of solar energy is essential for the estimation of the regional potential and selection of construction location. This research work
presents solar energy potential of Haryana. Spatial variation in Global Solar Radiation is measured with help of solar energy tool of ArcMap 10.1.
Cartosat Digital Elevation Modal (DEM) is suitable for this assessment with a resolution of 30m. Land use and land cover (LULC) of studied area
is identified by using LISS-III data as input. These outputs were ultimately combined in a GIS-based analysis to identify the most appropriate sites
on a regional scale. This analysis made use of Multi-criteria Evaluation (MCE) Technique. The solar energy potential of study are provides useful
information to decision makers for selecting suitable sites for commencing solar projects; harnessing the benefits of solar energy; and fulfil the
goals of international negotiations - COP 21, Paris .
Keywords: Energy trilemma, Global solar radiation, solar projects and Conference of parities (COP) 21, Digital Elevation Mo,
Corresponding Author: sumandeepsandhu49@gmail.com
Page No. 267

Estimating Solar Energy Potential in an Urban Area Using Open Source Platform
Shiva Bhadouria1, Asfa Siddiqui1 and Ishan Dhiman3

1Banasthali
University, Vanasthali , 2Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 3National Institute of Technology, Hamirpur
Abstract
The tremendous increase in demand of electricity and rapid depletion of fossil fuels has called for energy generation and in order to harness the
potential of renewable resources, there is a need to access the availability of resources spatially.The annual amount of solar energy incident on
surface of India is 20,000 times the current amount which is consumed. Thus the adoption of solar technologies is growing quickly, therefore
identifying suitable high potential surfaces in urban or rural areas play an important role for the generation of renewable energy. This paper
discusses the application of a GIS based model denoted as r.sun in an Open Source Platform called GRASS GIS to map solar potential of
Gandhinagar(Gujarat,India), a planned city. The Digital Surface Model (DSM) was generated at 1.5m resolution in the ERDAS LPS and eATE
(enhanced Automatic Terrain Extraction) using Worldwide-2 stereo-pair data. The annual and monthly raster maps were generated for global,
beam, diffuse and reflected components. The output yearly solar map calculated 61.1% beam component, 38.2% diffused component and 0.64%
reflected component. The daily average solar irradiation is highest for building rooftops with 6.41 kWh/sq.m, lowest for shadow regions and 5.75
kWh/sq.m for ground surface. The global solar irradiation for the DSM ranges from 488.945 kWh/sq.m to 2340.96 kWh/sq.m for clear sky
conditions. The output raster maps provide the irradiation values for every cell in the DSM. GRASS's r.sun model can therefore be treated as a
flexible and efficient tool providing detailed spatial and temporal patterns of incoming solar radiation for studies.
Keywords: solar energy, GRASS GIS, DSM, solar irradiation, raster maps
Corresponding Author: bhadouriashiva7@gmail.com
Page No. 268

Assessment of Roof-top Solar Energy Potential in Proposed Smart Cities of India
Shashikant Sharma2, Gaurav Jain2 and Shweta Mishra2

Abstract
Solar energy is one of the most sustainable form of renewable energy, both environmentally as well as economically, particularly so for
developing countries. India, which has a cumulative installed capacity of 8.062 GW of grid-connected solar power as on July 31, 2016, has set an
ambitious target of attaining 100 GW of solar capacity by 2022, which includes 40 GW of grid-connected roof-top solar installations as well. In
order to mitigate the ever increasing challenges of resource constrained urbanization in India, 98 cities have been identified under Smart Cities
Mission to further their infrastructure development goals with the aid of information and communication technology. 'Smart Energy' is considered
one of the pillars of Smart Cities, wherein solar energy can contribute significantly towards reducing dependence on nonrenewable energy.
However, it remains obscure that how much of the solar energy resource potential exists over these cities, which can be tapped for meeting their
corresponding energy demand. This study, therefore, attempts to estimate the roof-top photovoltaic potential of these 98 proposed smart cities.
The built-up area of these study cities is obtained from various spatial databases from earlier projects as well as LISS-3 images acquired by Indian
Remote Sensing Satellites. The global (total) horizontal insolation, combining direct as well diffuse component of incident solar energy, is
obtained from KALPANA-1 VHRR data for past years. The monthly as well as annual solar insolation over each study city was computed and
total roof-top solar photovoltaic potential was thus estimated. The results of the study were further published on a web-portal for wider
dissemination and usage.
Keywords: Solar Energy, Solar Insolation, Smart Cities, Smart Energy, Roof-top Photovoltaic
Page No. 269

Theme- Forestry & Environment in RS & GIS Applications Abstract Id: 49
Effect of Temporal Changes on PolInSAR Inversion Parameters
Unmesh Khati1, Gulab Singh1 and Mohamed Musthafa1

1Indian
Institute of Technology, Bombay
Abstract
Polarimetric SAR Interferometry (PolInSAR) has been extensively utilized for forest bio-physical parameter estimation and has been validated on
different forest types. Over Indian forests, very few studies have been reported due to non-availability of space-borne data in suitable baselines.
With TerraSAR-X/TanDEM-X, multiple acquisitions over Indian tropical forests have been acquired and analyzed for forest height and structure
estimation. An interesting aspect of Indian tropical forests is the leaf-fall observed in some species, which is complete for a short duration in
summers depending on the species type. This temporal and seasonal change can be observed using polarimetric signatures of the forest using
PolSAR measurements. However, the effect of leaf-fall on PolInSAR inversion performance has not been studied in detail. This research work
analyses PolInSAR observations during leaf-on and leaf-fall cycle. Using inversion techniques, PolInSAR analysis is carried out to measure the
inversion performance during these two seasons. Species showing different stages of leaf-fall such as Tectona grandis and Poplus sp., as well as
species which do not exhibit leaf-fall such as Eucalyptus sp. are analyzed. It is observed that for X-band SAR data overall inversion performance
becomes noisy during leaf-fall stage with the correlation coefficient for leaf-on period at 0.86 and RMSE of 2m, while for leaf-fall stage, the
correlation coefficient measured at 0.71 and RMSE of 2.8m. This effect has been further analyzed for different species and conclusions drawn
regarding the causes for the observed changes. This research presents one of the first species-wise analysis of PolInSAR inversion performance
carried over Indian forests using TanDEM-X data.
Keywords: PolInSAR, TanDEM-X, temporal, forest, biophysical

Corresponding Author: khatyunmesh@gmail.com
Page No. 270

Estimating Terrestrial Ecosystem Productivity Using Remote Sensing Light Use Efficiency Model in the Sunderban
Biosphere Region, India
Srikanta Sannigrahi1, Somnath Sen 1 and Saikat Kumar Paul1

Abstract
Remote sensing based light use efficiency (LUE) models can be used to accurately estimate the terrestrial net primary production (NPP). Using
LUE models NPP has been calculated for the last two decades for the Sunderban Biosphere region. Results from seven LUE models: Carnegie-
Ames-Stanford Approach (CASA), Global Production Efficiency Model (GLO-PEM), Vegetation Photosynthesis Model (VPM), Eddy
Covariance-Light Use Efficiency (EC-LUE), MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MOD17), Temperature and Greenness (TG),
Greenness and Radiation (GR) models, have been compared to ascertain model consistency for NPP estimation during this study period (2000
- 2013). In this study, an accurate parameterization and systematic multi-method assessment for model structural optimization function was
designed to optimize, the model structural biases and to identify the best pair model. Three distinct groups of parameter: bioclimatic Parameters
(BCP), biophysical parameters (BPP) and environmental stress parameters (ESP) have been set up to assess the impact of these variables on NPP.
Amongst all models, EC-LUE, CASA, GLOPEM and VPM could explain largest variances (> 60 %) in the datasets, compared to that of MOD 17,
TG and GR model (> 35 %). Results reveals that GLOPEM and VPM are the best pair model having minimum unexplained variances (R2 = 0.94,
RMSE = 68 gC m-2 year-1). Likewise, a significant declining trend of NPP (R2 = 0.34) has been found during this survey period. As regards
spatial distribution of NPP, it was found to be highest in the south-eastern part of mangrove forested region (> 800 gC m-2 year-1). Research result
has also indicates that the BPP explained the maximum model variances (> 45%) followed by BCP (> 31%) and ESP (> 24%). Scaled Water
stress scalar (Ws), Land Surface Temperature (LST), Vapour Pressure Deficit (VPD) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)
performed better in a minimum environmental stress conditions. TG and GR model, exhibited larger unexplained variances as less range of
climatic controls have been used for restraining factors. An inverse and modified scaling factors for Water stress scalar is required in the VPM
model to improve the overall model performance.
Keywords: LUE, NPP, MODIS, Biophysical, Mangrove

Page No. 271

Ecotourism in an Indian Sundarban Island and its Socio-economic Impact on This Unique Mangrove Environment
Soumik Sarkar1, Suchandra Bardhan1 and Pranabes Sanyal1

1JadavpurUniversity, Kolkata
Abstract
Eco tourism is a type of responsible travel. Present study area is Jharkhali Island of Indian Sundarban, an attractive tourist hub due to its well road
connectivity. It is surrounded by two rivers, Matla on western side and Bidya on eastern side. River Choto Herobhanga being a connector of these
two big rivers, marks the southern boundary of Jharkhali Island. This Island covered almost 163 km2 in 1986 but in 2014 covering area measured
as 162 km2 by using satellite images and field verification. This study will determine wheather it is ecotourism or not. Parameters like rate of
tourist visit, nature of tourist, changing bio-diversity, bio-diversity loss, effect on local livelihood, tourism carrying capacity, tourism type,
regulation and inter-dependency with nature may play the important role to fulfill this study. Data are statistically analysed through SPSS.
Supporting data for this study are landuse landcover changes map, census report. On 1983 to 2012 number of hotels were 3 but during 2013
- 2014 rapid growth of hotels took place, when the number of hotels became 9 at tourist hub area. Jharkhali Island holds a Mangrove Eco Park,
where 55 species of Sundarban mangroves are represented, a Tiger rescue center, a Butterfly garden, one watch tower and variety of crabs. If this
area is subjected to non sustainable tourism it will become more vulnerable to destruction of important tourist attractions.
Keywords: Ecotourism, GIS, Bio-diversity, Sundarban

Corresponding Author: sarkar.soumik2009@gmail.com
Page No. 272

Comparison of Terrestrial Ecosystem Productivity of Five Ecosystem Models and Its Relationship with Climatic
Variables in the Sunderban Biosphere Reserve Area, India
Srikanta Sannigrahi1, Somnath Sen1 and Saikat Kumar Paul1

Abstract
Accurate quantification of global and regional net primary production (NPP) of a mangrove based ecosystem is very essential to correctly
estimate the terrestrial carbon pools and fluxes and to understand its sensitivity to changes in climatic constituents and causative anthropogenic
drivers. The present study incorporates five light use efficiency (LUE) models: Carnegie- Ames- Stanford-Approach (CASA), Eddy
Covariance-Light Use Efficiency (EC-LUE), Vegetation Photosynthesis Model (VPM), Global Production Efficiency Model (GLO-PEM) and
Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) 17 (MOD17) model to estimate the NPP from 2000 to 2013 in the Sunderban
Biodiversity Region (SBR), India. A significant declining trend of NPP was observed by the LUE models for different Land Use Land Cover
classes (LULC) (Mangrove: R2 = 0.27, followed by mixed forest: R2 = 0.16 and cropland R2 = 0.05 respectively). Amongst all climatic
determinants, precipitation has been found to have an insignificant control on NPP (R2 = 0.0001), whereas a high positive correlation was
observed between annual solar radiation and NPP (R2 = 0.67), followed by average temperature (R2 = 0.53) and optimum temperature (R2 = 0.51)
with NPP. All the selected LUE models perform better in the areas occupied by cropland ecosystem (CASA & GLO-PEM: R2 = 0.80, CASA &
VPM: R2 = 0.79 and CASA & MOD17: R2 = 0.66), whereas comparatively higher unexplained variances (> 20%) and uncertainty was detected in
areas occupied by mangrove and mixed forest ecosystem. The biophysical parameters studied in this research includes - Normalized Difference
Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) and Fraction of Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fPAR). These biophysical
parameters found maximum in the post monsoon season and minimum in the summer and rainy season. Unexplained variances in the model's
predicted NPP can be attributed to the varied structural construction and climatic and environmental stress components used to drive the model. A
maximum uniform LUE determined for all biomes might have been responsible for the over/underestimation of predicted NPP by the selected
models. An improved surface moisture dynamics (especially using VPM approach), and the model structural formulation is required to enhance
the performances of the chosen models in the Sunderban
Keywords: Net Primary Production, Light Use Efficiency , Terrestrial ecosystem, VPM, EC-LUE
Page No. 273

Automatic Tree Identification and Diameter Estimation Using Single Scan Terrestrial Laser Scanner Data in
Central Indian Forests
R. Suraj Reddy1, C.S. Jha1 and K.S. Rajan1

1Indian Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad , 2National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad
Abstract
Forest inventory parameters, primarily tree diameter and height, are required for several management and planning activities. Currently,
Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) is a promising technology in automated measurements of tree parameters using dense 3D point clouds. In
consideration with conventional manual field inventory methods, TLS systems offer detailed measurements and increased measurement
frequency. The current study uses single scan TLS data to (1) develop an automatic method for tree stem identification and diameter estimation
using random sample consensus (RANSAC) based circle fitting algorithm, (2) validate using field based measurements to derive accuracy
estimates and (3) assess the influence of distance to scanner on detection and measurement accuracies. Tree detection and diameter measurements
were validated for 5 single scans over a field plot of 1 ha in dry deciduous forests in Betul, Madhya Pradesh. The study are is majorly dominated
by Tectona grandis, Madhuca indica and Terminalia alata. Tree detection accuracy of about 85% was observed over different scans in the study
area. Also, estimated stem diameter using TLS was found to be in agreement with the field measured diameter (R2 > 0.8). The tree detection
accuracies decreased with increased distance to the scanner due to the decrease in visible area.
Keywords: Terrestrial laser scanner, forest inventory, tree detection, tree diameter,
Corresponding Author: surajreddy_r@nrsc.gov.in
Page No. 274

Application of Remote Sensing & GIS for Assessment of Ecological Restoration Sites Over a Degraded Coalfield:
Case Study of Vegetation Change Detection In Jharia Coalfield
D. Gangopadhyay1, E.V.R. Raju1, M. Kumar1, Amartanshu Srivastava1 and Shivesh Kishore Karan2
1BharatCoking Coal Ltd., Dhanbad , 2Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad
Abstract
The present study deciphers the success of Ecological Restoration (Three tier Plantation Technique) in Reclamation of degraded mined out land
and inactive/dead OB Dumps in precarious conditions like Mine fires and Subsidence prone areas of Jharia Coalfield by Remote Sensing & GIS.
In present study Core Zone & Buffer Zone of Block-II Area of BCCL in Jharia Coalfield are monitored using Multi-temporal Landsat-TM
datasets for the year 2000 & 2015. Satellite images were Pan sharpened and classified by Support Vector Machine Classification. Various image
processing techniques generating vegetation indices like Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normalized Difference Water Index
(NDWI), Simple Ratio (SR) & Reduced Simple Ratio (RSR) are applied and analyzed over the period to determine the changes in vegetation
cover. Ecological Restoration shows encouraging results with increase in vegetation, ranging in moderate & dense vegetation class. NDVI and
NDWI are highly correlated and together forecast more robust results in Vegetation prediction. However, all the four indices show a good
agreement of results for vegetation cover. The area of vegetation cover has increased to 19.98 % from 13.73 % in moderate & dense vegetation
class, for Block-II's core & buffer zone during the span of the years from 2000 to 2015 along with substantial improvement in vegetation health
over the reclaimed OB dumps. Ground validation carried out supplemented the results and indicated biodiversity rejuvenation. The techniques
employed are quick and effective for Land reclamation monitoring.
Keywords: Ecological Restoration, Vegetation indices, Core & Buffer Zone, Mine Fire, Pan Sharpened
Corresponding Author: amar.21dec@gmail.com
Page No. 275

The Post-Fire Scenario Damage Assessment of Uttarakhand Forest Fire Episode 2016 Using Geospatial Technology
Stutee Gupta1, Arijit Roy1, Dhruval Bhavsar1, Rajkanti Kala1, Sarnam Singh1 and A. Senthil Kumar 1
Abstract
The hilly regions of Uttarakhand witness forest fire every year during the summer season and number of these fire events is reported to have
increased due to increased anthropogenic disturbances as well as changes in climatic regimes as believed by many. These fires cause significant
loss to the natural resources that can be mapped and monitored using satellite images, by virtue of its synoptic coverage of the landscape and
revisit capabilities in near real time. This study presents post-fire scenario damage assessment caused due to the fire episode of 2016 in the state
using digital classification of satellite images in terms of burnt area mapping. It also gives an account of cumulative progression of forest fire in
Uttarakhand using continuous satellite imageries over the region for three dates viz. 23rd, 27th May and 2nd June, 2016. Results are analyzed in at
districts administrative levels as well as the forest divisions using overlay analysis. Separate area statistics were given for the protected areas,
forests types and biological richness hosted in the state. The post-fire scenario damage assessment thus presented may be useful in mitigation
planning to prevent drastic ecological impacts of the fires on the landscape by monitoring these intangible resources on regular basis.
Keywords: Forest Fire, Uttarakhand, Remote Sensing, GIS, Damage Asessment

Corresponding Author: stutee@iirs.gov.in
Page No. 276

Mapping of Slash-And-Burn Cultivation in Kamjong Sub-Divsion of Ukhrul District, Manipur, India: A Remote
Sensing Approach
Kuimi T. Vashum 1 and S. Jayakumar1

1PondicherryUniversity, Puducherry
Abstract
Slash-and-burn cultivation is a traditional cultivation system commonly practiced by the tribal communities in Ukhrul district of Manipur,since
time immemorial. It is the most dominant land use system especially in the southern and eastern part of the district. The present study aimed to
outline and map the area under slash-and-burn cultivation in Kamjong sub-division of Ukhrul district during five different periods spanning over
five decades and to analyse the changes in the extent and distribution of slash-and-burn cultivation in the region using remote sensing data. The
satellite imagery of LANDSAT sensors - MSS, TM and OLI, were used to identify the slash-and-burn cultivation area. The satellite images were
interpreted manually for the areas under slash-and-burn and permanent cultivation by on-screen visual interpretation. It is observed that the area
under slash-and-burn cultivation covers 2.24% in 1977, 2.09% in 1989, 1.98% in 1999, 2.01% in 2010 and 1.55% in 2015 of the total area of the
sub-division (1128 km2).While the permanent cultivation covers an area of about only 0.24 - 0.27% during 1989-2015 of the whole
sub-division.Visual interpretation of the satellite data showed a gradual decline in the slash-and-burn cultivation areas in the sub-division from
1977 to 2015 with a slight increase of 17.5 ha in 2010. In the year 2015, there was about 30% reduction in the area under slash-and-burn
cultivation since the year 1977. The use of remote sensing and Geographical Information System application in the present study was found to be
the appropriate tool for mapping and estimating the dynamics of slash-and-burn cultivation in the study area. The multi-temporal nature of remote
sensing data enabled us to monitor the dynamic nature of slash-and-burn cultivation and also quantify the rate of change over the years.
Keywords: Slash-and-burn cultivation, remote sensing, Ukhrul, LANDSAT, visual interpretation

Corresponding Author: kuikuivashum@gmail.com
Page No. 277

Landscape Ecological Zonation and Planning In Mountainous Terrain of Kallar Watershed, Tamil Nadu, Through
Multi Criteria Evaluation Approach and Geospatial Technolgy
S. Abdul Rahaman1
1BharathidasanUniversity, Tiruchirappalli
Abstract
Landscape ecology is the study of spatial variation in landscapes at a variety of scales. It includes the biophysical, societal causes, and the
consequences of landscape heterogeneity. Kallar watershed is situated in the eastern part of the Western Ghats stretching from east to west; 50%
of the areas are covered with mountain terrain, out of which 33% of the areas are covered with forest and diversified flora and fauna. Last few
years this area is affected by several natural and man-made calamities i.e., landslides, drought, climate change and human interventions, which
affects the entire ecosystem and biodiversity of the study area. In this situation, the study of Landscape Ecological Stress Zone (LESZ) and
planning are much need in mountain of Kallar watershed. In this study, integrated geo-bio-ecological parameters viz. geomorphology, slope, land
use/ land cover, climate, soil and groundwater have been used to prepare thematic layers of LESZ. For evaluating the factors and subfactors;
Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) approach combined with geospatial technology has been adopted. The LESZ map is classified into five zones
viz., very high, high, moderate, low, and very low ecological stress zones. Landscape modelling based on decision rules offers new perspectives in
scenario building for both research and discussion with stockholders and land management; to protect the natural resources, biodiversity for
sustainable geo-environment.
Keywords: Ecology, Ecosystem, Biodiversity, Geo-Bio-Ecology, Multi-Criteria Evaluation

Corresponding Author: abdulrahaman@bdu.ac.in
Page No. 278

Mapping of Forest Fire and its trend in Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu, India
M. Sathya1, S. Jayakumar1, Ajeet Kumar Singh1 and Satyam Verma1

1Pondicherry University, Puducherry
Abstract
Monitoring of forest fires is very important in tropical countries like India. About 55 percent of the total forest cover is prone to fire annually
causing adverse ecological, economic and social impacts. This study aims to analyze the spatial extent and distribution of forest fire in different
forest types of Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, one of the largest and recently added tiger reserves of India. There are six vegetation types, that
are classified using Landsat TM image for the period of February 2011 i.e. semi evergreen forest, deciduous forest, savannah, thorn forest,
grassland and riparian forest. Landsat TM, ETM+ and L8 imageries were used for mapping the fire burned areas between 1999 and 2015. The
result showed that the spatial extent of the burned area varied every year, and high frequencies of fires have been observed in the deciduous
forests (59 %) and savannah (16%). Analysis of the burned area ranged between 99.5 km2. and 3.1 km2. A declining trend in burned area and
numbers of forest fires was noted in the last three years that indicates an effective fire preventing management that exists in the tiger reserve.
Keywords: Forest fire, Remote sensing, Sathyamangalam , Tiger Reserve,

Corresponding Author: sathyaphd777@gmail.com
Page No. 279

Assessing Himalayan Pit Viper (Gloydius himalayanus) as Possible Climate Change Indicator.
Naitik Patel2 and Abhijit Das2

1Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun
Abstract
Aim of this study to assess Himalayan pit viper (Gloydius himalayanus) as possible climate change indicator. Being physiologically constrained
by temperature and humidity coupled with limited vagility, herpetofauna are potential indicator for forecasting climate change scenarios.
Ecological impacts of recent climate change, from polar terrestrial to tropical marine environments are well known. Global warming has caused
changes in species distribution and abundance, However the extent of the effects is poorly described. The geological history, species composition
and diversity at latitudinal and longitudinal gradient of Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) provide us excellent opportunity to investigate climate
change phenomenon. Himalayan Pit Viper is high altitude specialist species. There is a chance of change in distribution pattern of Himalayan Pit
Viper (Gloydius himalayanus) with increase in temperature. For this study we are mapping potential distribution of Himalayan Pit Viper in
Uttarakand, Himalayas. Field Survey was carried out from 2015 June to 2016 August in Uttarakhand State. Total 26 Georeferenced observation of
Himalayan Pit Viper were recorded. These field data observation were utilized to develop potential distribution model of Himalayan pit viper with
high suitable area. 10 bioclim variables were taken up for Climate Envelop Modelling(CEM). CEM was done using Maxent and ARC GIS.
Distribution of Himalayan Pit Viper was mapped for Uttarakhand Himalayas with 0.94 AUC. Temperature seems to be most important governing
factor in predicting Himalayan Pit Viper(Gloydius himalayanus) Distribution. Ground truthing of predicted suitable occurrence point for
Himalayan Pit Viper (Gloydius himalayanus) will develop further understanding in species distribution. However, More geotagged location will
help in building more robust distribution model for identifying conservation important area and climate change prediction.
Keywords: Himalayan Pit Viper, Distribution, Climate Change, Climate envelope modelling, Himalayas
Corresponding Author: naitik@wii.gov.in
Page No. 280

Modelling of above ground biomass through integration of ALOS PALSAR and Landsat 8 OLI data
Suresh Middinti1, Kiranchand Thumaty1, C. S. Jha1 and T. Byragireddy1

Abstract
The quantification of forest above-ground biomass (AGB) is important for carbon (C) stock change assessment and scientific applications, such as
carbon cycle modelling. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and optical remote sensing data have large uncertainty and saturation limits in AGB
estimation. The preliminary cause for saturation and uncertainty in AGB are forest complexity in species composition and forest structure in
tropics. SAR and optical data interact differently and thus represent forest stand structures, canopy textures. In this study we applied SAR
textures, Vegetation indices of Optical data, fusion images and statistical regression algorithms to improve accuracy of AGB estimation in tropical
Indian forests (Odisha state). Study area was covered with 147 (0.1 ha) AGB sample plots. We used 106 sample plots for training and 39 plots for
model validation. Statistical algorithms, based on Stepwise multiple linear regression (SMLR), Stochastic gradient boosting (SGB), and Random
forest (RF) regression were used to select best model variables. Based on forest AGB, as a function of ALOS PALSAR backscatter derived grey
level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) textures, Landsat 8 OLI surface reflectance bands, vegetation indices (VIs) and fusion images were
prioritized. The results show that (1) overall PALSAR and Landsat data derived textures, spectral, Principal component analysis (PCA), and
fusion images have mixed response for AGB with complex model structure in SMLR, (2) Fusion, Principal component analysis (PCA) bands of
PALSAR textures and Landsat spectral bands are significant in AGB estimation, especially for forests with complex stand structures such as
mixed forest types, (3) Vegetation indices had least importance in the AGB modelling except Green normalized difference vegetation index
(GNDVI) (4) comparatively, Random forest and support vector machine regression models gave better accuracy (>80%) than SGB and SMLR in
AGB modelling. The SGB, RF and SVM fitted models were used to generate the spatial forest AGB map for entire state of Odisha. The total
AGB in the study area is estimated to be between 153 Mt and 321 Mt.
Keywords: AGB modelling, Machine learning techniques, ALOS PALSAR, Landsat 8 OLI,
Corresponding Author: suresh202020m@gmail.com
Page No. 281

Spatio-temporal Variation of Leaf Area Index of Northwestern Himalayan Forests
Ritika Srinet1, Subrata Nandy1 and Surajit Ghosh1

Abstract
Leaf area index (LAI) gives the amount of leaf material in an ecosystem. The monitoring of the seasonal changes in LAI is important for the
assessment of growth and response of vegetation to the changing environmental conditions. It is a key parameter in land surface and climate
modeling. Northwestern Himalaya (NWH), spread over Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, is one of the richest
ecosystems. The study aims to analyze the spatio-temporal variations of LAI in the tropical moist deciduous forest and subtropical pine forest of
NWH using MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) 8-day composites global LAI product (MOD15A2) for a period from
2001 to 2014 at 1 km spatial resolution. The mean monthly LAI was computed for both the forest types. The range of estimated LAI varied from
0.66 to 2.67 in a subtropical pine forest and from 2.51 to 5.23 in the tropical moist deciduous forest. The peak LAI values were observed during
the months of September, in contrast to minimum LAI during January in the subtropical pine forest where as in July in the tropical moist
deciduous forest. The mean LAI in the tropical moist deciduous forest was found to be ~4 and in Sub tropical pine forest was ~1.6. The LAI
values in the former tend to mean in the month of May whereas in latter, it's in April. The overall values of LAI in the tropical moist deciduous
forest are higher than subtropical pine forest, which is in agreement with the phenological differences in both the forest types. The spatio-temporal
pattern of LAI resulted from this study will be useful to study the phenological sequence in different forest types and their responses to the
environmental changes.
Keywords: Leaf area index (LAI), Forest, MODIS

Page No. 282

Assessment of Landuse/ Land-cover Changes and its Impact on the Mountain Ecosystem of a Part of Alaknanda
Valley in Garhwal Himalaya
Harshita Asthana1, Neha Singh1, Chandrashekhar Azad Vishwakarm1, Ratan Sen1, Priyadarshni Singh1, Vikas Rena1 and Saumitra Mukherjee1
1Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi , 2Maharaja Sayajirao University, Vadodara
Abstract
The term land cover refers to the area covered by natural features on the surface of the earth and the term land use describes how land is being
utilized by humans i.e. the ways in which the land and its resources are employed by humans. Remote sensing techniques provide various types of
satellite data coverage consisting of different bands which are very useful for delineation of various land use/land cover classes that has been
recognized as an important attribute to assess the temporal and spatial environmental changes. The study area falls in a part of Alaknanda valley
within Garhwal region lying in the lesser and higher Himalayan zones. This region is extremely vulnerable as it is ecologically fragile,
geologically unstable and tectonically and seismically very active. The hazards are thus very intensive and extremely frequent within this region.
The satellite images of three different years have been preprocessed using image correction and enhancement techniques and then classified and
analyzed using ERDAS Imagine 2014 software for landuse landcover mapping. Unsupervised classification was used to examine the unknown
pixels in the image and aggregate them into number of classes based on their signatures. The clustering was done using K-means approach which
uses an algorithm called ISODATA (Iterative Self-Organizing Data Analysis Techniques A2). By using this technique the area was classified into
forest land, agricultural land, built-up area, scrubland or barren land and snow covered region. LULC mapping of images from different years
show that the natural resources of the area are depleting due to increasing anthropogenic activities. Most of the landcover classes were
transformed into other classes showing remarkable change in the region. The changes in the landuse pattern have resulted in the slope instability
which further results in landslides. The accuracy assessment of classified images has been done by using the kappa statistics.
Keywords: Landuse/ landcover change, unsupervised classification, Alaknanda valley, slope instability,
Corresponding Author: harshitaasthana@gmail.com
Page No. 283

Environmentally Sensitive Areas Mapping in Mithri Watershed, Western Rajasthan (India) Based on Spatio-
temporal Land Cover Dynamics and MEDALUS Approach
Sayema Jamal1
1AligarhMuslim University, Aligarh
Abstract
The present study has been carried out to monitor and assess Environmentally Sensitive Areas in Mithri watershed, Western Rajasthan based on
climate data analysis, spatio-temporal land use/land cover analysis, and physiographic aspects such as slope, soil and vegetation. About 40% of
area (South-West) is rugged mountain terrain composed of igneous crystalline and metamorphic rocks with shallow overlying soil and a minor
amount of unconsolidated sediments. Rest of Watershed is represented by alluvial plain and aeolian sands. Average annual rainfall shows a
declining trend of 60 mm for 1969 - 2011 period. Out of 42 years, 25 years were drought of various intensities. Land use/land cover mapping and
change detection using multi-temporal IRS data of 1990, 1998 and 2010 reveals drastic changes at watershed level. Major land use/land cover
changes during 1990 - 2010, include decrease in area of dense forest, cultivated land, and water body, whereas there is an increase in area under
open forest over the hilly terrain, open scrub, uncultivated land, wasteland, and built up land. Present study utilises one of the widely used
assessing and mapping method i.e. Mediterranean land use (MEDALUS) approach for Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESAs) index. The model
provides a procedure of weighted layers with GIS application where three quality indices i.e. soil quality index, vegetation quality Index and
climatic quality index were computed. These indices were used to identify environmentally sensitive areas (ESAs) which revealed that 131.74
km2 (42.04%) area of the watershed is highly sensitive representing Bant, Nadol, and Virampura soil series. About 29.79 km2 (9.51%) area
representing Betia soil series falls under moderate sensitive areas, whereas 151.81km2 (48.45%) area, belonging to Delwara and Rajela soil series
belongs to low sensitive areas.
Keywords: MEDALUS, Environmentally Sensitive Areas, watershed, Land use/land cover,

Corresponding Author: sayema.alig@gmail.com
Page No. 284

Investigation of Forest Fire using Landsat based Land Surface Temperature
S. Dash1, T.S. Rawat1, L.K. Sinha1 and M.R. Bhutiyani1

1DRDO-Defence Terrain Research Lab., Delhi
Abstract
Thermal band remote sensing data contains important information about surface energy fluxes and temperatures, which has potential application
for investigating the land surface processes and the associated disaster such as forest fire. Land surface temperature (LST) plays a critical role in
fields, such as climate change, hydrological processes, geo/biophysical processes, and urban land use/ land cover heating to predict phenomena
and changes that occur within a given terrain. In the present study, an approach made for analyzing the changes in LST that can be used to
associate with the forest fire occurrence. LST is estimated by using split window algorithm for Landsat 8 remote sensing satellite data over six
forest fire affected districts of Uttarakhand. With the prior knowledge that the incident of forest fire is mainly in the pre-monsoon season, a
temporal change analysis is carried out based on LST. In this study, three temporal images (of path-row 145-39, 146-39 and 145-40) pertaining to
before, during and after forest fire events are used. The temperature estimation model is implemented in spatial modeler tool in ERDAS COTS
software. Temperature analysis shows that there is sudden rise of temperature (more than 2000 ºC) in Apr 2016 and that is validated with the
published data. The spatial distribution of the fire movement has been found out after analyzing all eighteen scenes pertaining from January to
June Month. Here the two thermal infrared and four operational land imager bands are used for the computation. Gradual changes in land surface
temperature along with topographical and meteorological parameters will lead to identify the probable potential forest fire incidence regions.
Keywords: Thermal band Remote sensing, Landsat, Land Surface Temperature, Forest fire,
Corresponding Author: dash_dtrl@rediffmail.com
Page No. 285

Red Edge Indices as Indicator of Vegetation Health using Hyperspectral Remote Sensing data
Dhruval Bhavsar1, Debmita Bandyopadhyay1, Stutee Gupta1, Arijit Roy1 and Kamal Pandey1
1IndianInstitute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 2Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay
Abstract
Nitrogen is a major element constituting chlorophyll and thylakoid protein in plants. Amount of foliar nitrogen thus reflects the health of
vegetation as it affects photosynthesis process and interaction of electromagnetic radiation with the canopies. Non-destructive approach using
space borne hyperspectral remote sensing has shown potential in estimating the nitrogen mass in leaves. We used hyperspectral image from
Hyperion sensor for estimating nitrogen in Shorea robusta (Sal) in Doon Valley. Identification of nine sampling site with respect to health classes
was done in a patch of Sal forest area (270 ha) using crown closure information based on visual assessment using very high resolution satellite
data (IRS-LISS IV). Leaf sample as well as spectra using spectroradiometer were collected from each sample site. Different red edge indices
derived from Hyperion data were correlated against laboratory analyzed leaf nitrogen mass. Among these indices, combined Normalized
Difference Red Edge (NDRE) index showed highest correlation coefficient (r) with nitrogen mass having a value of 0.89. For generating spatial
nitrogen mass map regression equation was developed based on combined NDRE. Predicting potential of satellite based combined NDRE was
validated from field based spectra, as combined NDRE again showed highest r value of 0.91. Spatial nitrogen information, thus generated using
hyperspectral satellite image processing has potential to be used in predicting carbon sequestration potential and disturbances caused due to
pest-insect infestation, lopping and site degradation.
Keywords: Hyperspectral, Foliar Nitrogen, Red edge Index, Sal Forest, Vegetation Health Mapping
Corresponding Author: bhavsardhruval@gmail.com
Page No. 286

Modis EVI Based Study on Phenology of Mountain Ecosystem in the Nilgiris Region of Tamil Nadu State
Tabassum Ishrath Fathima1, R.K. Somashekar1, Mohammed Ahamed J.1, Ved and DK3
1BangaloreUniversity, Bengaluru , 2National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad , 3School of Conservation of Natural Resources, Trans-Diciplinary University, Bangaluru
Abstract
Montane forests (Shola forest) are more vulnerable to climate change owing to their restricted climatic requirement and their narrow and
fragmented distribution. Satellite based temporal spectral response of different vegetation types is essential in identifying the various phenological
stages of vegetation in the region for climate studies. The current study was taken up in the mountain ecosystem of the nilgiris region in Tamil
Nadu state. EVI (Enhanced Vegetation Index) does not saturate in vegetation with higher leaf area, hence temporal MODIS EVI data product at
fortnightly interval covering 15 years was analyzed. Here spectral reflectance of Shola forest found in the higher elevation and the surrounding
landuse and land cover classes in the region like ever green forest, teak dominant deciduous forest, coffee plantation, bamboo dominant forest, tea
plantations, eucalyptus dominant regions and crop lands were analysed for their phenology. It was found that shola forests had EVI values ranging
from 0.38 to 0.46 throughout the year with the minimum observed in the month of January and peak EVI during the July. Crop lands showed
bimodal sigmoid curve indicating crop lands to be double cropped. Teak plantation showed minimum EVI values during February (EVI = 0.23)
indicating leaf fall and peak during May month (EVI = 0.65) corresponding to fully grown new leaves. Coffee plantations with lesser shade
showed a minimum EVI of 0.38 during 1st fortnight of February indicating flowering/fruiting period followed by maximum EVI of 0.64 during
July month indicating peak vegetative growth.
Keywords: Shola, Montane, EVI

Corresponding Author: tabassum.ishrath@gmail.com
Page No. 287

Multifrequency and Multibaseline PolInSAR Based Approach for Forest Height Retrieval
Richa Prajapati1, Shashi Kumar1 and Shefali Agrawal1

Abstract
Polarimetric Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PolInSAR) integrates the advantages of both Polarimetry and Interferometry. It is
observed as the most promising technique to extract forest parameters. Forest ecosystem plays a major role for balancing the global carbon stock
and holds greater importance for biomass estimation. This study focuses on retrieval of forest tree height using PolInSAR inversion modeling
approaches for multifrequency dataset. The vertical wavenumber which scales interferometric phase to height is the focal point of the study. The
test site used was Barkot forest range located in Doon valley of Uttarakhand state. Fully polarized interferometric pair of RADARSAT-2 C-band
data and TanDEM-X/ TerraSAR-X data was used for the analysis. The temporal resolution varied for both the dataset and hence variable baselines
with corresponding vertical wavenumber has been processed to obtain appropriate tree height for the study site. Coherence Amplitude Inversion
(CAI) and Three Stage Inversion (TSI) algorithms were used for forest stand height estimation. It was observed that for C-Band data, CAI and
TSI gave almost 80% accuracy for simulated baseline of 568.129m with standard deviation of 2.59m and 3.63m respectively. The root mean
square error (RMSE) was 5.27m and 5.52m which were found to be similar. The accuracy was found to be around 79% & 81% respectively for
466.80m. For the X- band dataset the original baseline of 136.20m showed highest accuracy of 91% as compared to simulated one for CAI based
approach while for TSI 89% accuracy was observed for simulated baseline of 124.35m. On comparison of the C-band & X-band dataset it can be
noted that short baseline issue can be handled using appropriate vertical wavenumber and it differs with baseline for both frequencies. C-band
having the penetration capability of few meters inside the canopy and X-band high resolution survey of land cover proved advantageous for tree
height estimation. With same range of simulated vertical wavenumber, the height values obtained for C-band data were in close proximity with
reference heights when obtained from CAI and TSI approaches. While for X-band data due to absence of temporal decorrelation, good proximity
in height values was observed for TSI.
Keywords: PolInSAR, vertical wavenumber, multifrequency, Coherence Amplitude Inversion, Three Stage Inversion
Corresponding Author: richaprajapati13@gmail.com
Page No. 288

Post Flowering Mapping and Biomass Estimation of Melocanna baccifera (Muli bamboo) Bearing Areas in
Tripura, India Using Remote Sensing and GIS
Dhruba J. Das2 and Pawan K. Kaushik1

1Centrefor Forest Based Livelihood and Extension, Agartala , 2Rain Forest Research Institute, Jorhat
Abstract
Melocanna baccifera (Roxb.) Kurz is the dominant among all the twenty one species of bamboos found in Tripura. Gregarious flowering of
Melocanna baccifera (locally known as 'Muli' bamboo) in Tripura during the year 2004-10 and its sporadic extension even up to 2014-15 has
resulted substantial decline of total growing stock in the state. The present work is aimed at post flowering assessment and mapping of the area
under M. baccifera in the state along with estimation of growing stock in terms of biomass using remote sensing (RS) and GIS. A hybrid approach
was followed for classification of LISS 4 and 3 satellite images and land cover/forest type map was generated for Tripura (2015). Indices
developed by previous workers for delineation of bamboo bearing areas were tried along with other standard indices like Normalized Difference
Vegetation Index (NDVI), Ratio-Vegetation-Index (RVI), Transformed Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (TNDVI) and Soil-adjusted
Vegetation Index (SAVI). More than 250 ground truth points and 101 sampling points of 5mX5m dimension were collected from all over the
states covering all altitudinal zones. It was found that integration of the result of all indices rather than an individual index provides the best result.
For biomass of M. baccifera, age wise diameter to biomass regression model was developed and used for biomass estimation. The average and
total Muli bamboo dry weight biomass was estimated 59.2 tonne ha-1 and 4520.8 thousand tonne, respectively. It was found that the area under
Muli bamboo has decreased by 30-40% in the state and as a result total Muli bamboo turnover in the state has substantially decreased over the
years, which is of great concern for overall economy of the state. The possible reasons for the decline of Muli bamboo production in the state were
poorer regeneration in the lower altitude areas along with conversion of Muli to other land uses, grazing etc.
Keywords: Melocanna baccifera, Muli Bamboo, Tripura, Biomass, Remote sensing

Corresponding Author: dhrubajyoti.india@gmail.com
Page No. 289

Assessment of Forest Stock and Encroachment Area on Forest land Using Remote Sensing, GIS & GPS Techniques
P. Kunwar2 and Paridhi Nagiyan2

1Remote Sensing Application Centre, Lucknow
Abstract
In the state of Uttar Pradesh tribals are inhabited on forest land since decades. Govt. of Uttar Pradesh desired to implement the provisions under
"Scheduled Tribes & Other Traditional Forest Dwellers Act, 2006" for inhabitants on forest land. For this purpose it was proposed to undertake
survey to prepare baseline information on the habitations and cultivated area existing currently on the forest land. The study area covers
Sonbhadra Forest Division in Sonbhadra District of Uttar Pradesh. The Present study is deals with use of high resolution R2 LISS-IV data of two
seasons March-April, 2012 & October, 2011 for detailed forest mapping and encroachment area in forest land. IRS P6 LISS IV and Cartosat-1 of
January-February, 2010 merge data were used for mapping of habitations in forest land. Erdas Imagine14 used for classification of different forest
types and other landuse classes. Arc GIS 10.2 used for visual interpretation for mapping of forest density classes, habitations and base layers. The
Forest/ Vegetation of the study area comprises Sal Dominated, Tendu Dominated, Sidh Dominated, Arjun Dominated, Cassia Dominated, Salai
Dominated, Mahua Dominated, Mahua, Miscellaneous, Bamboo Plantation, Plantation, Shrub, Forest Blank, Agriculture, Grassland, Rocky/
Barren, Water Body which are occupied area 1319.29 ha, 678.80 ha, 369.03 ha, 97.86 ha, 40.04 ha 16.65 ha, 23.19 ha, 29607.98 ha, 452.89 ha,
1124.54 ha, 3694.06 ha, 10497.72 ha, 5163.28 ha, 399.22 ha, 1127.63 ha, 307.03 ha respectively. Different forest types/ species with forest density
classes viz. >70%, 40-70%, 10-40% & <10% were mapped and occupied area is 5768.69 ha, 7972.65 ha, 8336.62 ha, 10075.90 ha respectively.
The timber volume is 838526.66 m3 estimated in the forest division which is based on the enumeration data provided by forest department. In
Sonbhadra Forest Division, habitations were identified and categorized into three categories viz. grouped, scattered and single hamlet which are in
number of 38, 106 and 71 respectively. The encroachment on forest land is estimated 5163.28 ha as agriculture land and 20.39 ha as grouped
habitation. The study could be used as baseline for forest management planning and further monitoring any encroachment in future on forest land.
Keywords: Resolution, GIS, Forest Types , Crown Density, Volume

Corresponding Author: paridhinagiyan@yahoo.com
Page No. 290

Predicting Bird Species Richness in an Urban Environment
Aimon Bushra1 and Hitendra Padalia1

1Indian
Abstract
Urbanization is causing disappearance of natural vegetation world over. This trend has been more conspicuous in developing nations where urban
sprawl is unorganized, leading to clearing of naturalness without offsetting the loss to biodiversity. Urban green spaces such as parks, orchards,
drainage etc. represent the remnants of greeneries, providing potential habitats for biodiversity. Birds are often used to model biodiversity because
they are good ecological indicators and they are easily observable. Bird richness or diversity are important indicator of the quality of urban
environment. There is evidence that bird richness response to landscape structure. However, the landscape structure that could best explain the
patterns of bird richness in urban environment is still not yet well studied. Ground surveys of bird richness are difficult to carry over larger areas
in timely and cost effective manner. Remote sensing based predictive modelling can be used in assessing the spatial patterns of species richness.
Using bird species richness data from 20 random circular sample plots (each of 10m radius within an area of 3.33km2 in part of Dehradun city),
we tested the relationship between bird species richness and fragstats derived landscape metrics using stepwise multiple linear regression. Among
various landscape metrics, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Largest Patch Index (LPI), Landscape Shape Index (LSI),
Aggregation Index (AI) and Cohesion Index (Cohesion) stood out as best predictors of bird richness (R = 0.63). Lowest AIC (Akaike Information
Criterion) value (47.06 at 95% confidence limit) came for Richness v/s NDVI, LPI and Cohesion. Thus it was considered as the best model to
predict the effect of landscape metrics on bird richness in the present study. It can be concluded that urban green spaces favor bird species and
may prove as potential habitats for native birds. Urban parks and natural vegetation patches should be managed so as to conserve the native bird
communities of cities.
Keywords: Bird richness, Landscape metrics, Predictive modelling, Stepwise multiple linear regression, Urban areas
Corresponding Author: aimonbushra16@gmail.com
Page No. 291

Forest Biophysical Estimation and Mapping from Satellite Imagery and GIS in Hazaribagh Wildlife Sanctuary,
India
Saurabh Kumar Gupta1 and Arvindchandra Pandey1

Abstract
Satellite derived images and processing combined to field work, is a suitable tool to estimate biophysical properties of flora in forest or
Agriculture. The radiative transfer models have been developed to retrieve or estimate these properties. Many of the satellite imagery providing
the suitable bands having specific wavelengths which coincide with the some of the model. The estimation of LAI (leaf area index) and
Chlorophyll contents are very useful for monitoring forest vegetation dynamics. The present study based on the principle of radiative transfer
model to retrieve these properties of forest and then correlated with important vegetation indices to find relationship among them. A forest type
map was also developed using NDVI (normalized difference vegetation indices as an indicator to find the influences of the estimated biophysical
properties of plants along with village wise distribution of forest. The distribution of vegetation indices with forest types reflects the relationship
between the biophysical characteristics.
Keywords: Forest, radiative transfer model, LAI, chlorophyll , NDVI

Corresponding Author: srbkr72@gmail.com
Page No. 292

On Mapping of Vegetation in the Antarctic Environment Using WorldView-2 Imagery
Shridhar D. Jawak2, Udhayaraj A. D.2 and Alvarinho J. Luis2

1National Centre for Antartica and Ocean Research, Goa , 2University of Madras, Chennai
Abstract
Monitoring of the changes in the distribution of cryospheric vegetation requires accurate and high-resolution baseline maps. Mapping such
changes at the landscape scale is often problematic, particularly in remote areas, such as Antarctica. Frequent imaging with high spatial resolution
satellite sensors enable more detailed analyses of vegetation change frequently. This study utilizes WorldView-2 (WV-2) imagery to classify
vegetation communities on Antarctic oases and to provide semi-automated methodology to map vegetation as an imperative indicator for
environmental change. A range of supervised classification methods have been executed using pansharpened WV-2 data. This study
comparatively and statistically evaluates vegetation mapping results using pixel-based and object-based classification methods to extract
vegetation in Larsemann Hills and Schirmacher oasis, east Antarctica. We also focused on the use of supervised pixel-based classifiers and
textural measures, in addition to standard multispectral information, to improve the classification of Antarctic vegetation communities.
Classification results were validated with independent reference datasets. The present research indicate that the overall accuracy of mapping
vegetation using WV-2 imagery and semiautomated target extraction methods ranged from 90% to 92%.
Keywords: Vegetation, WorldView-2, Imageprocessing, High-resolution, Cryospheric-environment

Corresponding Author: ad.udhayar@gmail.com
Page No. 293

Terrain Species Distribution Model
Amuthan P.1 and Ajay R.1

1AnnaUniversity, Chennai
Abstract
In this current environment, terrain is undergoing several changes due to climatic and human activities. There are several serious problems which
must be addressed . The most important of those is the reliability of data and map values . There arises a dilemma whether or not to completely
discard the previous data or just make changes to them. In this paper we have used the previously existing modelling techniques to model Species
Distribution Models (SDM). These models take into account the flora and fauna in the region and also their variation in respect to the habitat and
occurrence. SDM's generated are of the forest regions surrounding the Western Ghats in southern India . It can be stated that species distribution
mostly depends on 2 major factors, the factors being the environment and adaptability of the species to it . Since these data are acquired only
based on the aforementioned factors the complexity reduces drastically. Although all these data can be predicted with the previously existing data
and maps , it cannot guarantee complete success . So it is preferred to use modelling methods to again acquire these data .These acquired data can
be used for a long period of time until further changes start to occur. In this paper the method of Ecological response modelling and spatial
prediction modelling were used to find the general pattern of occurrence of the flora and fauna and to optimize their fit in the overall ecological
response. And these data can also be transferred to another platform for more detailed views and enhancements . Free software was used to
generate maps . GIS ( Geographic information system ) implementations are also discussed .
Keywords: Changes in terrain, Species Distribution Modelling , Flora and Fauna , Prediction, Data and map values
Corresponding Author: amuthan.blue@gmail.com
Page No. 294

Geospatial Characterisation of Forest Fire Regimes Over Indian Himalayas (2004-2016)
Jyoti Singh1, C. Sudhakar Reddy1, Kiran Chand Thumaty1, Jayant Singhal1, G. Rajashekar1, C.S. Jha1, I.C. Das1 and E. Ammineedu1
1Andhra University, Visakhapatnam , 2National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad
Abstract
The Himalaya is one of the global biodiversity hotspot and home to the world's highest mountains. Forest fires are recognized as major driver of
the global change in terrestrial ecosystems. In this context, there is a need to study and prepare fire history database for better formulation of fire
control measures and to understand ecological damage to the forest resources. Remotely sensed data can contribute to a cost effective and efficient
method of specifying the location of fire, intensity of fire events and the extent of the burned area. The present work of analyzing fire incidences
in forests has been taken up for Indian Himalayas to assess the fire regimes, length of fire period and hotspots based on MODIS data for the last
13 years. The analysis has been carried out with grid size of 5 x 5 km resolution using set of established metrics from MODIS active fire data. The
statistics have been prepared for fire frequency and spatial and temporal distribution of fire for all the years and months from 2004 to 2016.
Highest number of forest fires have been recorded for the year 2009, 2012 and 2016 having more than 4000 fire locations. High frequencies of
fires have been observed in Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh. Based on the analysis, the Himalayan range in Uttarakhand
and Arunachal Pradesh are more vulnerable and prone to fires with more than 1000 incidences. The maximum number of fire was observed
mainly during February to June month with more than 1500 fire per month. The year 2012 was found to be having the highest number of fire
locations with 4765 counts in past 13 years. The range of fire frequency is between 1 to 13 years in which frequency of fire greater than 6 years
per grid cell was observed in 610 grids. This study is attempted to produce a decadal scale regional spatial database on distribution of fires in all
vegetation types of Himalayas in order to prioritize the management efforts for ecological conservation.
Keywords: Forest fires, Himalayas, MODIS, Remote Sensing, GIS

Corresponding Author: jyoti.singh8808@gmail.com
Page No. 295

Earth Observation for Habitat Monitoring in Protected Areas of India
C. Sudhakar Reddy1, K.R.L. Saranya1, C.S. Jha1, V. Bhanumurthy1 and Y.V.N. Krishna Murthy1
Abstract
Increasing global concern about the impacts of anthropogenic pressures on biodiversity have led to rising in the number and extent of protected
areas. Evaluating the conservation effectiveness of protected areas is difficult due to the paucity of data on long-term changes in land cover,
ecological and social conditions. In order to understand the impact and efficacy of area being brought under protected area, it is highly desirable to
monitor the habitat for assessing the threat and conservation status. Earth observation data is useful to monitor the changing extent of habitats and
threats over time. The present work has considered the forest cover change and fragmentation (1930-1975-1985-1995-2005-2013) and decadal fire
incidences (2006 to 2015) as the potential measures to evaluate the conservation effectiveness for 175 protected areas of India. After the
declaration, 88 protected areas have shown signs of deforestation. Spatial pattern processes of fragmentation analysed within the current study
were core forest loss through attrition, shrinkage, perforation, the breaking-apart of the large core forest patch into smaller core patches and
increase of forest edges. Historically, 51 protected areas have lost more than 10% of core forest in last eight decades. Analysis of fire occurrences
over a 10 year period with MODIS data has found fires in 160 protected areas of India. Analysis of AWiFS data for 2014 indicates that forest
burnt area of 4392 km2 in 137 protected areas. This study reveals that protected areas are effective in controlling deforestation and fragmentation,
but a well-established mechanism is required for fire management to check the spread of invasive alien species, conserve native biodiversity and
contribute to carbon mitigation.
Keywords: Conservation, Deforestation, Fragmentation, Fire, Remote sensing

Corresponding Author: drsudhakarreddy@gmail.com
Page No. 296

Variogram Analysis for Forest Canopy Density Using Lansat-8 and Sentinel-2 Data
T. Mayamanikandan1, C.S. Jha1, G.Rajashekar 1, Rakesh Fararoda1, K.V. Sathish1 and K.R.L. Saranya1
1National
Abstract
Forest Canopy density is a major factor in evaluation of forest status and it is an important indicator of possible management interventions. Forest
canopy density, also known as canopy coverage or crown cover is defined as the proportion of the forest floor covered by the vertical projection of
the tree crowns. Estimation of forest canopy density has recently become an important part of forest inventories. Due to advancement in Remote
sensing technology and availability of many sources of imagery and various digital classification techniques, assessing forest canopy density is
readily accessible. Understanding the capability and limitations of various types of imagery, classification methods are essential to interpreting
canopy density. In this present study, forest canopy density from two different spatial resolutions i.e., Landsat-8 (30m) and Sentinel-2 (10m) for
central Indian deciduous forest of Betul, Madhya Pradesh has been delineated. The Forest canopy density map was prepared by image
classification techniques using ERDAS Imagine software. Canopy density map was cross checked with the forest cover map. The accuracy of the
final maps were performed by integrating ground samples. Dense and open forests are occupying 57.6% and 42.3% respectively. Forest canopy
density was classified into three classes viz., high, medium and low canopy density. The classified maps were compared with variogram analysis.
Variogram is a graphical representation of the spatial variability in a given set of data. Transect and matrix variogram methods were used for this
study. Variogram accomplishes the spatial information inherent from the satellite data of canopy density. Variograms based on 10 m and 30 m
pixels contained significantly less useful information. The ranges of the 10 m matrix variograms revealed only whether the tree canopy sizes were
less than 10 m or between 10 m and 20 m.
Keywords: Canopy density, Image classification, Lansat-8, Sentinel-2, Variogram

Corresponding Author: tmayaceg@gmail.com
Page No. 297

Mapping of Mangrove Forest Using Multi-Angular Hyperspectral (Chris/Proba 2) Data: Case Study of
Bhitarkanika National Park, India
Dhiroj Kumar Behera1, Gnanappazham L.1, Rajiv Kumar1 and Ravi Shankar1
1IndianInstitute of Space Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram , 2National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad
Abstract
Mangrove ecosystems support a wide range of human-environment interactions thataffects directly or indirectly the global climate and
environmental parameters. An integrated study of socioeconomic forces and quantitative tools that relate the degradation, assessment and
monitoring of mangrove ecosystem is required. The objective of the present study is to unveil the potential of some of the unexplored multi-
angular hyperspectral remote sensing techniques for mangrove studies. This study is to delineate the mangrove species of Bhitarkanika National
Park, Odisha using multi-angular hyperspectral remote sensing images. We have used four Fly Zenith Angle (FZA) data (+55º, +36º, 0º and -36º)
from space-borne multi angular hyperspectral sensor, CHRIS imagery is acquired in five different modes of which Mode 3 is used in this study
which is having 18 spectral bands with spatial resolution of 17 m having a bandwidth of 5 to 15 nm. Two sets of composites were created by using
combination of FZAs (nadir, +36º and -36º) and (+55º) angular images. A total of five major mangrove species classes as A.officinals, H.fomes,
E.aggolocha (mixed), Grassland, mixed mangroves, E.aggolocha and H.fomes (mixed) were identified. E.aggolocha(mixed), H.fomes are the
dominant species observed in all three classifiers for the common mangrove area.The outputs of individual angular images are also validated by
taking 15 sample points and observing the class in individual classification for the corresponding classification method, which are having good
correlations. The angular data gives reflectance from canopy arranged in different angles in the same sample plots .The angular information
enhances the accuracy by providing the canopy structural variation among species.The composite data sets were again classified using the same
classification methods and accuracy assessment was done which indicates that after including angular data the overall accuracy increased by 4-6
% in all methods. Amongst the three full-pixel classifiers (ML,SAM and SVM) tested in the investigation, ML produced the best results in terms
of training pixel accuracy with overall accuracy of (>94 %) in all four FZA and a maximum of 97.41% for FZA of 55 degrees followed by SVM
and SAM.
Keywords: CHRIS, Multi-angular images, Maximum Likelihood(ML), Spectral Angular Mapper(SAM), Support Vector Machine(SVM)
Corresponding Author: dhirojkubehera@gmail.com
Page No. 298

Multilinear Regression Analysis for Forest Above-ground Biomass Modelling in Dehradun District Using RISAT-1
Data.
Yogesh Kumar1, Sarnam Singh1, Rajesh Kumar1 and Kamaljeet Singh1

1ForestSurvey of India, Dehradun , 2Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun
Abstract
The accurate estimation and reporting of above ground biomass (AGB) and carbon of forest is an immediate requirement of international
conventions (e.g. the Unites Nations (UN) framework convention on climate change (UNFCCC); Reducing emissions from Deforestation and
forest Degradation (REDD, REDD +) which considers mitigation and conservation plans along with sustainable forest management and carbon
stock enhancement. The capability of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) sensors over optical data have attracted greater interest for forest AGB and
Carbon estimation. Dehradun district of Uttarakhand has been chosen to understand the relationship between mean backscattering coefficients of
RISAT-1 dual polarization data and above ground biomass (AGB). Ground inventory data (diameter at breast height, height of the selected trees,
bark thickness, crown diameter etc.) were collected from 50 plots and were converted to volume using volume equations developed by Forest
Survey of India (FSI). Finally, the biomass was estimated by multiplying with species wise specific gravity developed by Forest Research Institute
(FRI), Dehradun. The backscatter coefficient of 50 sample plots from RISAT-1 were correlated with the ground based AGB to train the model.
The field inventory above ground biomass data (27 plots) collected by Forest Survey of India were used for the validation of model. Multiple
Linear Regression (MLR) analysis has been performed, and were compared with simple regression models for the estimation of biomass.
Different models (linear, polynomial, logarithmic & exponential) were analyzed and then concluded that logarithmic relationship between square
root of HH+HV and AGB is more significant (R2=0.561) as compared to HH (R2=0.449), HV (R2=0.472), HH+HV/HH-HV (R2= 0.31) alone.
There was a significant improvement (R2=0.83) by using multivariate linear regression using HH & HV. There were uncertainties and constraints
(Layover, Foreshortening & shadow) which were taken into consideration while modelling.
Keywords: Forest, RISAT-1, Backscatter Coefficients, Multilinear Regression, Biomass modelling

Corresponding Author: yogesh.iirs@gmail.com
Page No. 299

Cadastral Demarcation of Forest Lands in Sohna Range of Gurgaon District, Haryana (India) Using Geospatial
Techniques
K.E. Mothi Kumar1, Priti Attri1, Rupesh Kumar1, Sarika1, Partibha1, Kaptan Singh1, R.S. Hooda1 and Vinod Kumar1
1Government of Haryana , 2Haryana Space Applications Centre, Hisar
Abstract
A forest is an area on land forming an ecosystem. It is a precious resource given by nature and influence the environment of the area. Cadastral
mapping of forest lands as mentioned in revenue records incorporates the demarcation of forest boundary with associated attributes for sustainable
use and management. The present study deals with generation of cadastral geospatial database and demarcation of forestlands in Sohna Range of
Gurgaon District, Haryana using ortho-rectified High Resolution Satellite Image (HRSI) and Global Positioning System (GPS). The Gurgaon
District, a part of Southern Haryana Plain, comprises irregular and diverse nature of topography. It has forest area covered under Section 4/5,
Aravalli Plantation, Reserved Forest, and Protected Forest, Section-38 and Unclassed Forest category (UCF). The village-wise planimetric
cadastral vector database was generated by digitization of scanned mussavies using ArcGIS software. This spatial database was integrated with
Records of Right (ROR) data followed by accuracy assessment and geo-referencing with ortho-rectified WorldView-2 image with WGS 84 /
UTM Zone 43 N coordinate system. Accuracy assessment of geo-referenced cadastral data was done by comparison of randomly selected tie lines
measurements from image with that of actual field measurements. The notified forest grids based on land parcel details in forest notifications and
sajra provided by Haryana Forest Department (HFD) were identified on ortho-image and forest boundaries were extracted from geo - referenced
cadastral data. Forest area of geo-referenced cadastral layer was compared with RoR area. The forest area computed from vector layer (26,966.62
acres) was compared with HFD notification details (26,725.11 acres) data and it was found that total area of forest land of Sohna Range of
Gurgaon District has 0.90 % of difference with notified area The methodology adopted in this study play useful role to update the cadastral forest
maps. The cadastral geospatial database and cadastral Forest Maps may serve as a data foundation towards decision making and sustainable
management of forest. The study introduces the use of ortho-rectified WorldView-2 image to develop large-scale forest maps with detailed forest
land information at Cadastral level.
Keywords: Cadastral Data, Mussavies, Record of Rights (RoR), Forest boundary , Geospatial Techniques
Corresponding Author: pritiattri8@gmail.com
Page No. 300

Monitoring the Forest Health Using Multi-temporal MODIS and Landsat Data
Sachin Prakash K.1 and Gnanappazham L.1

1IndianInstitute of Space Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram
Abstract
Remote sensing provides a platform for efficient vegetation health monitoring. Present study assesses the forest cover health of southern India on
a regional scale and Krishna Delta on a local scale for the year 2015 by analysing Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and
Landsat images respectively. An attempt has also been made to compare the results of MODIS and Landsat data of Krishna Delta using an 8-year
period data starting from 2007. Vegetation Condition Index (VCI), Temperature Condition Index (TCI) and Vegetation Health Index (VHI) maps
were prepared for 2015 using monthly Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Land Surface Temperature (LST) MODIS data for
the southern part of India extending upto 20º N latitude and from the NDVI and LST images derived from the bands of 2015 seasonal Landsat
data for the Krishna Delta region. Then the VHI maps derived from MODIS and Landsat data pertaining to same month of 8 years were
compared. Results of regional analysis show that, in 2015, more than 70% of the total forest cover of 206,604 km2 in the southern India were
found to be healthy except for February and December in which around 40% were healthy. Large area (195,920 km2) of forest was found to be
very healthy for the month of January. Latitudinal analysis of the maps revealed that the percentage of healthy forest cover was higher for lower
latitudes during the year except for the southwest monsoon months July, August and September. It could be seen from the Krishna Delta maps that
81 km2 of forest remained healthy in the monsoon month of 2015 but only a mere 3.3 km2 in the summer month. The VHI maps derived out of
MODIS and Landsat were in fact comparable. Eventhough the MODIS map gives a slight overestimate of the areas, the fractions of forest cover
falling into different health conditions seemed to be similar. The study was however limited by varied spatial and temporal resolutions of the
images and overcoming that would improve the results significantly.
Keywords: NDVI, MODIS, Landsat, VHI, Krishna Delta

Corresponding Author: sachinprakashk@gmail.com
Page No. 301

Geo-Ecological Change of Border Areas between Khasi Hills and Southern Plains of Assam: A Case Study with
Geomatics Approach
Bhaswati Das1, Saswata Saharia1 and Pradip Sharma1

1CottonCollege, Guwahati , 2Gauhati University, Guwahati
Abstract
The Assam-Khasi hills border area with its ironic natural endowments and resource luxuriance craft a hot spot for GIS application in forest
resource assessment. Increasing population and transforming land use pattern in the regions is moulding an intricate inconsistent man environment
relationship with perpetual enigma between wildlife conservation and livelihood necessities of people. Change matrix is constructed by using
Change Detection and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) for comparison of temporal shift in land cover along with the wetlands as
well as swamps, contiguous to piedmont areas of Khasi hills using the LANDSAT 7 and LISS III imageries. In this melting pot of nature,
encroachment of forest and developmental activities adjacent to ecologically opulent wetlands cause man and wild animal conflict as well as
jeopardy of environmental degradation. With the help of Remote Sensing and GIS, special emphasis on geo-ecological change like impact of
urbanisation, depletion of wild habitat, man animal conflict and relationship between surface runoff and land cover changes have been done.
Keywords: Khasi Assam Border, Wildlife conservation, Geo-ecological change, NDVI, GIS and Remote Sensing
Corresponding Author: saswata.saharia@hotmail.com
Page No. 302

Spectral Based Indices Calculation, A Hyperspectral Approach to Study the Vegetation
Mehtab Singh1 and Yogender Kumar2

1Deprtamentof Geography, M.D. University, Rohtak, 2Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak
Abstract
Hyperspectral narrow-band spectral data are fast emerging as practical solutions in modelling and mapping vegetation. Recent research has
demonstrated the advances in and merit of hyperspectral data in a range of applications including quantifying agricultural crops, modelling forest
canopy biochemical properties, detecting crop stress and disease, mapping leaf chlorophyll content as it influences crop production, identifying
plants affected by contaminants such as arsenic, demonstrating sensitivity to plant nitrogen content, classifying vegetation species and type,
characterizing wetlands, and mapping invasive species. This study aims at Hyperspectral approach to study the vegetation for the available strip of
Hyperion data in the region of Uttrakhand, India. This strip faced a high variability of the elevation ranging from 250m to 4450m. The main
objective of this research is to find out stress on vegetation using vegetation indices like Normalised Difference Nitrogen Index (NDNI),
Carotenoids Reflectance Index (CRI), Plant Senescence Reflectance Index (PSRI), Modified Chlorophyll Absorption Ratio Index (MACRI),
Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). GIS and RS software were used in this study to; 1) Calibratin satellite data, 2) Calculation of
different indices, 3) Generate tghematic layers representing spatial distribution of different indices and vegetation stress. The results show
different conditions of vegetation as landforms variations in the area. Furthermore, it was concluded that the combination of various indices offer
better understanding and better monitoring of vegetation health/stress.
Keywords: Hyperspectral remote sensing, Vegetation stress/health, Modified Chlorophyll Absorption Ratio Index (MACRI, Normalised Difference Nitrogen
Index (NDNI), Plant Senescence Reflectance Index (PSRI)
Corresponding Author: duhan4857@gmail.com
Page No. 303

Spectral Based Indices Calculation, A Hyperspectral Approach to Study the Vegetation
Mehtab Singh1 and Yogender Kumar2

1Deprtamentof Geography, M.D. University, Rohtak, 2Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak
Abstract
Hyperspectral narrow-band spectral data are fast emerging as practical solutions in modelling and mapping vegetation. Recent research has
demonstrated the advances in and merit of hyperspectral data in a range of applications including quantifying agricultural crops, modelling forest
canopy biochemical properties, detecting crop stress and disease, mapping leaf chlorophyll content as it influences crop production, identifying
plants affected by contaminants such as arsenic, demonstrating sensitivity to plant nitrogen content, classifying vegetation species and type,
characterizing wetlands, and mapping invasive species. This study aims at Hyperspectral approach to study the vegetation for the available strip of
Hyperion data in the region of Uttrakhand, India. This strip faced a high variability of the elevation ranging from 250m to 4450m. The main
objective of this research is to find out stress on vegetation using vegetation indices like Normalised Difference Nitrogen Index (NDNI),
Carotenoids Reflectance Index (CRI), Plant Senescence Reflectance Index (PSRI), Modified Chlorophyll Absorption Ratio Index (MACRI),
Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). GIS and RS software were used in this study to; 1) Calibratin satellite data, 2) Calculation of
different indices, 3) Generate tghematic layers representing spatial distribution of different indices and vegetation stress. The results show
different conditions of vegetation as landforms variations in the area. Furthermore, it was concluded that the combination of various indices offer
better understanding and better monitoring of vegetation health/stress.
Keywords: Hyperspectral remote sensing, Vegetation stress/health, Modified Chlorophyll Absorption Ratio Index (MACRI, Normalised Difference Nitrogen
Index (NDNI), Plant Senescence Reflectance Index (PSRI)
Corresponding Author: duhan4857@gmail.com
Page No. 304

Extraction of Shifting Cultivation Areas using Multi-temporal Satellite Data
Kimeera Tummala1 and Kandrika Sreenivas1

Abstract
Shifting cultivation is a practice where plots of land are cleared of vegetation and brought under cultivation for a few years. The plots are
abandoned when the soil starts showing loss in fertility, and the farmers move to new plots of forest land. In India, it is practiced in the hilly,
forest-covered regions of the North-eastern states, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. Mapping of areas under shifting cultivation using remote sensing
techniques facilitates the monitoring, management and assessment of the environmental impacts of this practice. Temporal analysis of satellite
data is the basis for extraction of shifting cultivation, as the unique cropping cycle makes it possible to differentiate it from forest and agricultural
area. North-eastern states of India, where densely forested lower Himalayan ranges have patches of shifting cultivation, were chosen for the study.
Shifting cultivation cycle involves clearing of forest patches by burning and cultivation thereafter. This creates a unique pattern in the temporal
NDVI values, which was used to separate the shifting cultivation patches. In this work, we have compared supervised classification, intuitive
rule-based classification using multi-temporal Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and a combination of the above two approaches
for extraction of shifting cultivation areas. Multispectral satellite data of Advanced Wide Field Sensor (AWiFS) acquired at 5-day interval was
used for computing composited monthly NDVI. Besides, the Land Use Land Cover (LULC) map generated under AWiFS LULC project was also
used. The supervised classification approach with a combination of two time data has resulted in lower accuracy mainly due to spectral mix-up
with barren / scrub lands, while intuitive rules using temporal NDVI gave better results than supervised classification. However, the best results
were obtained by using intuitive rules framed on temporal NDVI, LULC map and supervised classification (hybrid approach). The difficulty faced
due to spectral similarities between shifting cultivation and degraded forest areas was also overcome in this rule-based approach. The results were
validated with ground truth points collected from field along with high resolution data sets. Shifting cultivation areas obtained through hybrid
approach were found to be in agreement with the actual ground scenario.
Keywords: Shifting cultivation, rule-based classification, supervised classification, multi-temporal satellite data, hybrid classification
Corresponding Author: kimeera@gmail.com
Page No. 305

Monitoring Deforestation and Forest Degradation Using Biophysical Modeling Approach in Sonitpur district of
Assam, Northeast India
Jitumoni Deka1, Subrata Nandy 1 and Surajit Ghosh1

Abstract
Tropical forests are a huge reservoir of carbon and therefore its proper monitoring and assessment is necessary to manage carbon budget both at
the global and regional scale. The forest health is a function of canopy density and therefore different density classes can indicate various degrees
of forest degradation. Satellite remote sensing can quickly and repetitively monitor forests in a very cost effective manner. Satellite based remote
sensing requires "a priori" ground information to train the data and therefore it is time consuming and also suffers from accuracy of the results
obtained. Forest canopy density (FCD) model, a biophysical model, can be used to monitor and assess forest health. FCD model calculates canopy
density by utilizing data derived from four indices: Advanced vegetation index (AVI), Bare soil index (BI), Scaled shadow index (SSI) and
Thermal index (TI). Northeast India is experiencing rapid deforestation and forest degradation mainly due to the rising anthropogenic pressure.
The aim of this study is to monitor deforestation and forest degradation in Sonitpur district of Assam by using biophysical modeling approach of
FCD mapper. Landsat satellite images of 1988, 1998 and 2015 were used by the FCD mapper to generate forest canopy density maps of the
respective years. The canopy density classes were then analyzed to quantify forest cover loss and forest cover change rate. The result of the study
showed widespread deforestation in Sonitpur district between 1988-2015 amounting to a loss of 127.39 km2 forest cover, out of which 54.40 km2
and 72.99 km2 were lost during 1988-1998 and 1998-2015 respectively. The annual forest cover change rate during 1988-2015 was found to be
0.48% through 1988-1998 and 1998-2015 where annual change rate was found to be 0.54% and 0.78% respectively. It was observed that the
canopy density classes (81-90)% and (91-100)% suffered a loss of 196.57 km2 and 116.79 km2 respectively in the last three decades (1988-2015)
whereas there is an increment in the lower density classes. This is an evidence of gradual forest degradation and large-scale deforestation in
Sonitpur district of Assam.
Keywords: Forest canopy density, Deforestation, Degradation, Biophysical modelling, Northeast India
Page No. 306

Forest Biomass Assessment Integrating Field Inventory and Remote Sensing Data in Northeastern Uttar Pradesh
Sanjay Kumar Pandey2, Surajit Ghosh1 and Subrata Nandy1

1IndianInstitute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 2S.M.P. Government Degree College, Meerut
Abstract
The forest belt adjacent to foot-hills of central Himalayas falls under terai region which are geographically a part of the great belt of sal (Shorea
robusta) forests. Biomass production is an important parameter for understanding the functioning of forest ecosystem. The quantification of
biomass is an important indicator for carbon accumulation which provides valuable information for forest management and scientific
planning.The field-based study has been found to be insufficient for biomass estimation and carbon mapping over large area.Hence, the present
study aims at integrating field-inventory with remote sensing data to generate spatial distribution of biomassin Gorakhpur Forest Division of Uttar
Pradesh. To get the spatial distribution of biomass,regression models were developed between field-measured biomass as dependent variable and
different remotely sensed vegetation indices as independent variables. The R2 values for normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI),
transformed-normalized difference vegetation index (TNDVI), Soil adjusted vegetation index (SAVI), square root of infrared and red (SQRT),
ratio vegetation index (RVI) and mid infrared index (MIDIR) were ranged from 0.59 to 0.63. The multiple regression model developed using
these variables was significant and yield high coefficient of determination with combined R2 value of 0.83.Therefore, a combination of these
indices can perform better than single one. The biomass was multiplied by conversion factor (0.47) to get the carbon stock. Carbon stock of this
region was found to be ~90 to 150 MgCha-1. The result showed an increasing trend of biomass from near human habitation forest stand to those
away from it. The study demonstrated that sal forests of the region have strong potential for carbon sequestration and the human activities have a
great impact on biomass/carbon distribution. Furthermore, field inventory and remote sensing based such study would provide better
understanding of forest management and forest- policy makers.
Keywords: Forest biomass, carbon, sal, vegetation indices, multi-linear regression

Corresponding Author: drskp27@gmail.com
Page No. 307

Plant Functional Types (PFTs) Identification Using Spatial Data for Different Agro-ecological Zones of India
Mounika Manne1 and Rajitha K.1

1Birla
Institute of Technology, Pilani
Abstract
The current scientific interest in land use and land cover change draws its attention because of its high magnitude towards global change. The
Earth's land areas changes are dominated by human interventions. The uncertainties associated with global climate change and the related
biogeochemical process make the land cover change data more important for solving challenges of problems related to earth and climate. Land
cover change data have become especially important given the pace and extent of land cover change across the globe and world-wide concern for
issues such as global climate change. The aim of this study is to obtain plant functional types corresponding to land use and land cover for each
agro-ecological zones of India. Plant functional types (PFTs) are functionally similar plant types which can be used in global ecological modeling.
A need for global sets of such PFTs was standardized by the International Geosphere - Biosphere Program, especially its core program on Global
Change and Terrestrial Ecosystems, in order to make feasible the construction of new generation Dynamic Global Vegetation Models (DGVMs)
for use with global atmospheric models. New global land cover products at 300 m resolution from the European Space Agency (ESA) Climate
Change Initiative Land Cover (CCI LC) project for 5 year epochs centered about 2000 (1998-2002), 2005 (2003-2007) and 2010 (2008-2012)
were analyzed to examine forest area change and land cover transitions in India. Plant functional types fractions were derived from these land
cover products according to a conversion table. The plant functional type information derived from this study can be used as inputs for
understanding different land- atmosphere coupling process.
Keywords: Plant functional types, agro-ecological zones, ESA-CCI, land-use and land-cover, Dynamic Global Vegetation Models
Corresponding Author: p2015405@hyderabad.bits-pilani.ac.in
Page No. 308

Assessment of Forest Cover Changes Using Decision Tree in the Upper Beas Basin, Western Himalayas
Seema Rani1 and S. Sreekesh1

1Jawaharlal
Nehru University, New Delhi
Abstract
Monitoring the changing pattern of forest cover is very essential for forest management of an area. Remote Sensing and GIS provides a significant
scope for analyzing the spatial extent and temporal changes of forest cover in regional planning. The paper aims to understand the nature, extent
and spatial pattern of the forest cover of the Upper Beas basin in the Western Himalayas during 1972-2015. Post monsoon season Landsat images
of 1972, 1980, 1990, 2001, 2010 and 2015 were used because snow cover extent is minimum during this season and has limited effect on other
land cover classes. SRTM 30m data was also acquired for obtaining the topographical details of the area to develop a decision tree. A decision tree
classification method was developed for preparing the land use/land cover maps of the area. Band Ratios most suitable for identification of
different land use/land cover types were identified in conjunction with the field knowledge. Results show that significant changes have occurred
in low altitude forest area of the basin due to expansion of apple orchards. The land cover transitions are mainly forest to cultivation, from
cultivated land to built-up. It is also to be noted that cultivated areas are marginally engrossed to higher altitudes. Significant land use/land cover
changes have occurred in and around the main Kullu valley of River Beas and lower reaches of other valleys. These may have serious
implications on the ecological system of the basin.
Keywords: Forest cover, Land use/Land cover, Decision tree, Band ratio, Ecological system
Corresponding Author: seemarani.dse@gmail.com
Page No. 309

Assessment of Temporal Pattern of Forest Disturbance and Regrowth in Shifting Cultivation Areas Using
Trajectory-based Approach
Jitumoni Deka1, Subrata Nandy1 and Surajit Ghosh1

Abstract
The forests of northeast India are experiencing rapid loss and degradation due to shifting cultivation, locally known as jhum. The aim of this study
is to find out the temporal pattern of forest disturbance and regrowth in Dima Hasao district of Assam, northeast India in order to capture the
dynamic changes of the landscape due to the prevailing shifting cultivation practices. Landsat satellite imagery (84 images) of 1998-2015 were
used to generate three indices, viz. NBR (Normalized burnt ratio), NDVI (Normalized difference vegetation index) and NDMI (Normalized
difference moisture index) of the time series images. These indices were used to assess the temporal pattern of disturbance and regrowth using
trajectory-based approach. The temporal trend were studied, using TimeSyncR, in two scenarios. One scenario was an area where shifting
cultivation was practised in 1998 and the other represents the area where it was practised in 2014. In first case, 1998 image was taken as reference
and the temporal pattern of disturbance and regrowth was studied till 2015. In the latter case, 2014 image was the reference image to study the
temporal pattern during the studied period. For the first scenario, between 1998 and 2004 the values of both NDVI and NBR for the dry months
(Jan-Mar) ranged from 0.2 to 0.5, thus indicating a vegetation recovery period. But values around 0.2-0.3 for both NDVI and NBR during March
2004 to 2007 is an indication of a second disturbance event where vegetation recovery started again as evident from the increasing values in
subsequent years. In the second scenario, during the dry months (Jan-Mar) had a stable forest between 1998 and 2011 as evident from the
moderate to high values of NDVI and NBR ranging between 0.3-0.7. NBR with value of -0.1 and subsequent low values for both NBR and NDVI
ranging between 0.1-0.4 in 2014 indicates a disturbance event which recovered to 0.6-0.7 in March 2015 may be due to crop cultivation. NDMI
also showed the same trend in both the cases. The study reasonably explained the pattern of shifting cultivation from 1998-2015 in the study area
using the trajectory-based approach.
Keywords: Shifting cultivation, Disturbance-Regrowth, Northeast India, Trajectory-based approach, Time-series satellite data
Page No. 310

Estimation of Forest Canopy Density of Western Ghats and its Correlation with Rainfall
Piyush Kumar Gaurav2, Vivek Kumar Gautam2, Palani Murugan2 and Mylswamy Annadurai2
1ISRO Satellite Centre, Bengaluru
Abstract
Satellite Remote Sensing has brought a remarkable improvement in natural resource monitoring and change detection. It provides a simplified and
effective approach to perform qualitative and quantitative assessment of environmental parameters. Forests stands as one of the pivotal
environmental element which drives climate control, socio economic development, ground water stability etc. Hence precise temporal assessment
of Forest resources is a necessity. Such study should primarily account not only the extent but also the density changes in the forests. Various
methods have been developed to assess the canopy density. In this paper the method of Forest Canopy Density (FCD) is implemented in the
regions of Western Ghats mountain ranges of India to detect the spatio-temporal density changes. The study involves data from Landsat 7 (ETM+)
and Landsat 8 (OLI) to highlight the decadal variation. FCD considers the four parameters namely soil, shadow, thermal and vegetation for the
estimation of canopy density. The rainfall data is also utilised to correlate and enhance the results of FCD. The paper brings out the effectiveness
of FCD to estimate the extent of deforestation and can act as an important tool for Forest Management.
Keywords: Remote Sensing, Forest, Multispectral, Canopy, Density

Corresponding Author: piyush@isac.gov.in
Page No. 311

Analysing Soil Respiration Variation in Pine and Deodar Forest Eco-systems of Garhwal Himalaya using Remote
Sensing Data
Arnab Khanda1, Suresh Kumar1 and Sreenivas K.1

1IndianInstitute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 2National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad
Abstract
Soil respiration (CO2 efflux) is a key driver of C cycle in terrestrial ecosystems. Global soil respiration is estimated to be 68-100 pg C yr-1
representing the second largest flux in terrestrial ecosystems surpassed only by gross productivity. The present study was aimed to estimate and
compare seasonal variation of soil respiration in natural Pine and Deodar forests of Tehri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand. Soil respiration
measurements were carried out in these forest ecosystems using closed chamber method (Vaisala Carbocop CO2 sensor) at 2 hrs interval for 12
hrs in a day (6:00 AM to 6:00 PM) at surface (0-50 cm) during post monsoon (October - November), winter (December - February) and summer
(April - June) seasons. Soil respiration from these forest ecosystems were analysed for their relationship with soil moisture and soil temperature,
the two main soil respiration controlling factors. The results indicated a positive impact of soil temperature on soil respiration rates, in both the
forest ecosystems. Soil respiration rates under both the forest ecosystems were found to be higher (Pine: 5.77 to 5.81 micromoleCO2m-2Sec-1,
Deodar: 2.2 to 2.18 micromoleCO2m-2Sec-1) in post monsoon season due to the higher rate of soil organic matter decomposition. Higher Q10 in
Deodar forest ecosystem (2.83) showed its higher temperature sensitivity than the pine forest ecosystem (1.64). The study revealed that soil
temperature had profound influence soil respiration rates under both forest ecosystems. Landsat 8 remote sensing data was used to derive
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Land Surface Temperature (LST) of the dates of CO2 efflux measurements. Relationship
between CO2 efflux under both forest ecosystems and NDVI were analysed. NDVI had higher relationship under Deodar forest ecosystem (R2 =
0.59) followed by Pine forest ecosystem (R2 = 0.57). Correlation coefficient between CO2 efflux and LST showed fairly well correlation with
pine (R2 = 0.32) and deodar (R2 = 0.39) forest ecosystems.
Keywords: Soil respiration, Forest ecosystems, Soil temperature and moisture, ,

Corresponding Author: arnabkhanda@gmail.com
Page No. 312

Integrated Monitoring of Landscape Dynamics: An Informal Tool to Assess Environmental Health of the Gulf of
Kachchh Region, western India
Ankit R. Trivedi1, Sujay Dutta2 and M.G. Thakkar2

1GUIDE, Bhuj , 2Kachchh University, Bhuj , 3Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad
Abstract
Gulf of Kachchh (GoK) with the dimension of 170 km long (from Okha to inner Gulf) and 75 km wide at its mouth with a water spread area of
around 7300 km2 and a volume of ~220,000 million m3 is one of the few coastal zones in the world having enormous bio-diversity along the
western extreme of India. The gulf grants prodigious diversity of natural ecosystems, of which the major systems are salt pans, intertidal zones,
sea grass, marine algae, sand dunes, coral reefs, mangroves, creeks and Open Ocean. Cyclonic storms periodically strike this part of Gujarat,
particularly the Kachchh and Saurashtra provinces causing enormous damage to coastal/ near shore structures. The coastal landscape is controlled
by the prevailing dynamics of this gulf and also bears signatures of its past nature. The marine environment of GoK is in severe stress in the recent
years due to rapid development of commercial activities viz. ports and harbours, oil importing bases, industrial cooling and waste disposal, salt
production, etc., along its coast. Destruction of any of the above components of the fragile ecology will disrupt the whole ecosystem. Therefore
why use the ecologically delicate and traditional livelihood supporting region for Industrial Development when substitute sites can be presented
nearby. Even though many studies in GoK are carried out by number of institutions and individuals about biodiversity and its economic valuation,
coastal habitats and threats by Land use-Land cover (LULC) change, Environment Impact Assessment (EIA), environmental monitoring under the
recent Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Project, these are site and issue specific, studies integrating these all are very few. Land
cover monitoring does not always detect subtle changes within the landscape, e.g. changes in landscape elements and change in land management
practices. Habitats themselves ensue as a mosaic of interconnected units thus the mosaic of habitats, the landscape and its dynamics must be
considered. This investigation work efforts on multidisciplinary research in environmental science that illuminates how innovative data
integration, analytical remote sensing methods and techniques, and perspectives from geography, ecology can help stand-in with integrated
monitoring of landscape dynamics for sustainable development.
Keywords: GoK, Remote sensing, Environment Impact Assessment (EIA), Land use-Land cover (LULC), Sustainable Industrial Development
Corresponding Author: atriv89@gmail.com
Page No. 313

Assessing drivers of deforestation and forest degradation in Pir Panjal region of Kashmir Himalayas using
geospatial approach
Akhlaq Amin Wani3, Yasir Amin3, P.K. Joshi1, Rajesh Kumar1, Asif A. Gattoo3 and M.A. Islam3
1ForestSurvey of India, Dehradun , 2Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi , 3Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Kashmir
Abstract
Global deforestation continues to be a major contributor of CO2 emissions despite registering a slowdown in the past decade. Regional forest
cover change has become a cause of concern owing to ever increasing anthropogenic pressure on forests. Socio-economic behavior of people
having a key role in the revival and conservation of forests, focus on assessing socio-economic drivers of forest cover change has become
inevitable. The present study in Pir Panjal region of Himalayas is an endeavor to identify drivers of forest cover change (2003-2013) using
geospatial approach. Landsat ETM+ data was delineated into different categories of forest namely closed forest, open forest, forest scrub,
grassland and non-forest using visual interpretation. Extensive ground truthing was carried out for validation. Change map and change matrix
(2003-2013) were generated using intersection method. Deforestation rates were also estimated using standard method. Drivers of change were
assessed through a detailed semi-structured interview schedule. From analysis, a gross annual deforestation of -0.46% and a net annual
deforestation of -0.45% was observed for the region. Analytical results of drivers in key change areas indicated illicit felling as the top negative
driver followed by poverty/lack of employment while as plantation/afforestation was found to be top positive driver for the area. There is need to
prioritize actions for restoration and conservation of area based on identified drivers to reverse the process of deforestation and forest degradation.
The geospatial locations indicating negative change can be strategized under REDD+ mechanism for reclamation of forests and social benefits.
Keywords: Drivers of change, Deforestation, Forest degradation, Pir Panjal, Socio-economic

Corresponding Author: akhlaqwani@yahoo.co.in
Page No. 314

Impact of Kashmir Flood 2014 on the India's Largest Fresh Water Lake (Wular lake), Kashmir Valley (J&K),
India
Tauseef Ahmad1
Abstract
The lakes across the world found in many mountain regions have appeared due to receding of glaciers and global warming. Wular Lake is one of
the largest fresh water lake in Asia and largest in India located in Jammu and Kashmir and about 32 km away from the Srinagar city with an
elevation of 1580 m (a.m.s.l) and lies between 34º 16'-34º 0' N latitudes and 74º 33'-74º44' E longitudes. The streams like Madhumati, Sukh Nag,
Dudganga, Erin Nala and Kausar Nag flow into the lake where Jhelum river is the main feeding river and seeks the passage into Wular Lake. In
the present study, the impact of flood in context of pre-flood, during flood and post flood situation has been carried out over the Wular Lake for
293 km2 area by using satellite images and employing supervised classification. The classified images of 25 August 2014 and 13 September 2015
was analyzed and depicted increase of agriculture (0.08%), settlement (24.15%) and others (8.09%) classes. The comparison resulted decrease in
terrestrial vegetation (4.51%), aquatic vegetation (7.08%). Water bodies decreased by 10.54% as more than the half area under water bodies was
converted into sand deposits. This clarify the abnormal increase in siltation rate. Two classes (land & water) created from 10 September 2014
satellite image and overlaid on both classified image of 25 August 2014 and 13 September 2015 resulted the impact of flood before and after. The
total area effected by flood was calculated 89 sq. km. In the pre-flood situation, total area (0.63 km2) of terrestrial vegetation, aquatic vegetation
(31.62 km2), agriculture (1.76 km2), settlement (15.83 km2), wasteland (0.33 km2) and others (35.72 km2) were affected by flood. The analysis on
post flood data depicted the changes on the different classes with decrease in terrestrial vegetation (0.17%), aquatic vegetation (3.11%), settlement
(10.83%), wasteland (19.57%) with a minor decrease (0.01%) in agriculture class, water bodies increased by 10.41% with fast siltation process
and creation of sand deposition 23.18%. These changes and post flood situation clarifies the effect on the biodiversity of Wular Lake.
Keywords: Biodiversity, Wular Lake, Flood Vulnerability, Satellite images, GIS

Corresponding Author: tauseef@live.in
Page No. 315

Understanding Godavari Mangrove and it’s Temporal Changes Using Geo Spatial Techniques
Sarita Swain2 and Saswata Saharia1

1Cotton College, Guwahati , 2Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi
Abstract
Mangroves are most productive tropical formations between land and ocean; contain evergreen forest which protects the coastal soil from erosion
and from tidal waves. Godavari mangrove forest is the second largest mangrove forest in India declared as a Wildlife Sanctuary after 1972. These
forests have undergone serious alteration due to human activities. The objective of the study is to identify and analyze the temporal changes and
impact of human encroachment on the mangroves. Landsat images have been used for landscape mapping and analyzing the temporal changes in
the land use and land cover changes. The LANDSAT 8 satellite images have been analyzed to identify the recent changes. The results indicate that
there are marked increased in aqua farms, agricultural land and settlement around the forest. Settlement growth is more prominent in the north,
western and southern section of the mangrove forest. Godavari mangrove forest has been continued to be destroyed at an alarming rate due to
human interference in these areas despite our understanding of the importance of the forest. The result of this study conclude that integrating
remote sensing and GIS techniques are efficient to assess the vegetation losses of the coastal area and its adverse impact on human and entire
ecosystem.
Keywords: Godavari Mangroves, Forest, Encroachment, GIS and Remote Sensing,

Corresponding Author: saritaswain00@gmail.com
Page No. 316

A Spatial Clustering Approach for Kambalakonda Reserved Forest Fires, Visakhapatnam, India
Gudikandhula Narasimha Rao1, P. Jagadeeswara Rao1, Rajesh Duvvuru1 and Sridhar Bendalam1
1AndhraUniversity, Visakhapatnam
Abstract
Wild fire classifications can be demonstrated as a stochastic opinion process wherever actions remain considered by their spatial positions and
incidence in interval. Cluster examination permits the recognition of the planetary/period decoration circulation of forest fires. These investigates
are valuable to assist fire-managers in classifying hazard zones, applying precautionary actions and steering policies for an effectual dissemination
of the fire fighting possessions. This paper aims to classify hot spots in forest fire structures by means of the Space-time Image Statistics Change
(SISC) model and a Geographical Information System (GIS) for statistics and consequences visualization. The image statistical methodology uses
a perusing window, which transfers through space and time, identifying native extremes of actions in exact zones over a certain period of time.
Lastly, the geometric consequence of every cluster is assessed through hypothesis testing. The case study of forest fires registered by the Forest
Service in Kambalakonda Reserved Forest, Visakhapatnam (India) from 2000 to 2016. This dataset consists of geo referenced solitary actions
including the position of the burst points and other facts. The statistics were combined into three sub-periods (considering important preventive
legal dispositions) and two main ignition-causes (lightning and anthropogenic causes). Results exposed that forest fire events in Visakhapatnam
are primarily clustered in the southern area where maximum of the population is established. This study mainly focused on uncovered local hot
spots arising from extemporaneous burning events. Consequences concerning the naturally-caused fires (lightning fires) revealed more clusters
detected in the northern hilly part. SISC is computationally rigorous, taking up to several days or weeks. The calculating period depends on an
extensive change of variables such as the size of the input dataset, the number of phase intervals and the selected logical options. Compared with
other cluster approaches, SISC has the advantage to discover both cluster's location and frame period, while also testing their geometric
significance. Whenever grasping the information from fire regions then GIS will be analysed those regions and send alert to local peoples of forest
regions and NDRF team.
Keywords: Forest fires, GIS, Cluster exploration, Point patterns, Space-time Image Statistics Change model
Corresponding Author: narasimha.geo@cea.auvsp.edu.in
Page No. 317

Predicting the Distribution Pattern and Suitable Habitats for Reintroduction of Rhododendron leptocarpum: A
Critically Endangered Plant of the Sikkim Himalaya
Osin Rai1, Devendra Kumar1, K.K. Singh1 and Mithilesh Singh1

1G.B. Pant National Institute
Abstract
In this study, the maximum entropy based (Maxent) Ecological Niche Modelling (ENM) technique was used to predict the potential suitable
habitat for Rhododendron leptocarpum, a critically endangered plant species of the Sikkim Himalaya. The Maxent model performed better than
random with an average test AUC value 0.931(+/-) 0.042 under the predicted current climatic condition. The most of the suitable area was
predicted in different protected areas (Barsey Rhododendron Sanctuary and Maenam Wildlife Sanctuary) of the Sikkim Himalaya which
contribute 4.2 % of total suitable habitat. Under the future climatic change scenario, the Maxent model predicted complete habitat loss in North
and South districts of Sikkim Himalayan. For sustaining the population of this climate sensitive species in Himalayan region, large scale
reintroduction in suitable habitats is highly required. To achieve this, an efficient in vitro propagation technique was developed using nodal
segments that were obtained from six weeks old in vitro aseptic seedlings. Among different media combinations, AM medium supplemented with
2-ip (2-isopentenyladenine) and BAP (N6-Benzyalaminopurine) was found to be the best medium for axillary shoot multiplication. In vitro grown
individual shoot were separated from the shoots of the primary culture and placed in AM-liquid medium containing different type and
concentrations of auxins. Regenerated shoots were rooted spontaneously with 100% frequency in AM-liquid medium supplemented with IBA
(Indole-3-Butyric Acid). Full plantlets were acclimatized successfully with 87% survivability. ENM and ex situ conservation technique developed
in this study provide suitable habitat and large number of sapling for conservation of this important species. The outcome of this study would be
useful for conservationist and researcher to develop conservation based management plan for reintroduction of threatened plant taxa in the
Himalayan region.
Keywords: Himalaya, ENM, Maxent, Sikkim , Rhododendron

Corresponding Author: singmithilesh@gmail.com
Page No. 318

Quantitative Assessment of the Effects of Forest Fires on Terrestrial Ecosystem Productivity and Biodiversity in the
Himalayan region: A Case Study of Uttarakhand Forest Fire, India
Srikanta Sannigrahi1, Shahid Rahmat1, Sandeep Bhat1 and Virendra Rana1

Abstract
Remote sensing-based forest fire estimation in a diverse ecosystem is very much essential for mitigating the biodiversity and productivity losses
due to the forest fire. Satellite-based Land Surface Temperature (LST) has been calculated for the pre-fire and fire years to identify the burn
severity hotspot across all eco-regions in the Lower Himalaya region. Several burn severity indices: Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR), Burnt Area
Index (BAI), Normalized Multiband Drought Index (NMDI), Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI), Global Environmental Monitoring Index
(GEMI), Enhance Vegetation Index (EVI) have been used in this study to quantify the spatial and temporal changes (delta) of the selected indices.
Two Light Use Efficiency (LUE) models: Carnegie- Ames-Stanford-Approach (CASA) and Vegetation Photosynthesis Model (VPM) have been
used to quantify the terrestrial Net Primary Productivity (NPP) in the pre-fire and fire years across all biomes of the region. A novel approach has
been preceded in this field to demonstrate the correlation between forest fire density (FFD) and NPP. A strong positive correlation was found
between burn severity indices and predicted NPP: BAI and NPP (r = 0.49), NBR and NPP: (r = 0.58), EVI and NPP: (r = 0.72), SAVI and NPP: (r
= 0.67), whereas, a negative association has noted between the NMDI and NPP: (r = -0.36) during the both studied years. Results have shown that
the NPP is highly correlated with the forest fires density (R2 = 0.75, RMSE = 5.03 gC m-2 month-1). This new approach having the potentiality
of quantifying the losses of ecosystem productivity due to forest fires and could be used in broader aspects if more accurate field based
observation can be obtained in the near future.
Keywords: Land Surface Temperature (LST), Forest Fire Density (FFD), Net Primary Productivity (NPP), Ecosystem, Burn Severity Indices
Corresponding Author: shahidrahmat82@arp.iitkgp.ernet.in
Page No. 319

Intercomparison, Interpretation, and Retrieval of Tree Phenology from Remote Sensing Data
Mudaliar Ashwini N.2, G. Sandhya Kiran1 and Bimal Bhattacharya2

1Maharaja Sayajirao University, Vadodara , 2Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad
Abstract
To accurately predict the future response of vegetation to climate variation, a thorough understanding of vegetation phenological cycles is
imperative. In the present paper, temporal profile using different vegetation Indices from the LISS-III and RISAT Data has been used to capture
the plant phenology of dominant tree species of Dediapada forest. These datasets provided a critical and reliable perspective on phenological
patterns for Tectona grandis Linn. f., and Butea monosperma (Lam.) Taub. In this study, it was seen that RISAT derived backscatter was found to
be more responsive to even minor changes in the phenological events. In future studies, these derived vegetation indices can be applied to
determine the growing season of similar plant communities at other sites, which lack surface phenological data.
Keywords: Phenology, , NDVI, Backscatter, LISS-III

Corresponding Author: ashwini144@gmail.com
Page No. 320

Alpine Treeline Ecotone Dynamics and Phenology in Sikkim Himalaya using Remote Sensing Techniques
C.P. Singh2, Jakesh Mohapatra2, Himanshu A. Pandya1, Bandan Gajmer2, Narpati Sharma2 and D.G. Shrestha2
1Gujarat University, Ahmedabad , 2Sikkim State Council of Science and Technology, Gangtok , 3Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad
Abstract
Satellite imagery analysis of alpine treeline ecotone in Sikkim Himalaya for about three and half a decade reveals an upward shift in the alpine
treeline ecotone with changes in the phenology. In this study, satellite derived NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) data from
Landsat-2 (MSS), Resourcesat-2 (LISS-III) and NOAA-AVHRR is used to investigate the effect of climate change in the treeline ecotone. It is
observed that the treeline has shifted 256 m (SD 66 m) upward in 37 years. The vertical rate of treeline shift is found to be around 70m/decade.
Phenology has changed significantly from year 1982 to 2013 (32 years). The time series data of GIMMS-NDVI from NOAA-AVHRR confirms
the increase in the length of season at the treeline in Sikkim. The average start of the growing season (SOS), length of growing season (LOS) and
end of the growing season (EOS) have advanced in the past treeline ecotone of 1977. The average SOS dates from 1982 to 1986 is 270 days (27th
September), whereas from 2007 to 2013, it is 260 days (17th September). From 1982 to 1986, EOS is 31 days (31st January) and from 2007 to
2013, it is 58 days (27th February). Early SOS (-10 days) and late EOS (+27days) in comparison to first block of five years have caused overall
lengthening of the season by 50 days. Position of peak value (POP) has almost remains the same of 340 days (about 6th December). We used
mean monthly surface air temperature and precipitation to correlate with the phenological trends. The average annual mean air temperature during
37 years has increased by 0.438 degree Celsius depicting the favourable scenario for vegetation growth in this temperature limited ecosystem.
Upward shift of treeline ecotone and extension in the LOS is expected in such warming scenarios. This study confirms that there is an upward
shift of alpine treeline ecotone in Himalaya and changes in the phenology in 37 years.
Keywords: Himalaya, Alpine Treeline Ecotone, Elevation, Phenology, Climate Change

Corresponding Author: mohapatrajakesh@gmail.com
Page No. 321

Predicting Species Occurrence in a Mountainous Landscape Using Species Distribution Modelling
Ankita Bhattacharya2, Bilal Habib2, Indranil Mondal2 and Shivam Shrotriya2

1WildlifeInstitute of India, Dehradun
Abstract
An important objective for conservation management is to know about the status of wildlife in a landscape. In mountainous regions, ecological
assessment of wildlife is a challenge because of inaccessibility and logistics issues as well as low densities and detection of species. Thus, for
attaining a substantial information, Species Distribution Modeling (SDM) can be used to explore how species occurrence is related to the
environment and produce predictive maps of where species are likely to occur and not to occur. The Trans Himalayan and Greater Himalayan
regions of India hold a large number of unique fauna associated with the rareness of habitat features. In 2015, a landscape scale approach was
taken to estimate the status of mammals in the Trans Himalayan and parts of the Greater Himalayan regions of Uttarakhand. 16 valleys belonging
to 7 forest divisions were selected for this survey covering an area of ~8981.23 sq. km. The area was divided into 10x10 km grids with due
consideration given to species of interest, logistic feasibility and availability of resources. Vantage point scan sampling and carnivore sign survey
was conducted in these grids. Geospatial analysis was done for 4 species - Blue sheep/Bharal, Himalayan tahr, Red fox and Snow leopard using
ArcGIS 9.3. Species presence points were used for the analysis from both point count and transect methods and both direct and indirect evidences
were accounted for. The raster layers used for SDM were Digital elevation Model (DEM), Slope, Aspect, Landuse landcover (LULC),
Ruggedness, Bioclim layers, and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). SDM was done with uncorrelated variables by maximum
entropy model using software MaxEnt ver. 3.3.3k. 75% of the locations were used to train the model and rest 25% locations were used to test the
accuracy level. We used Jackknife test to evaluate importance of each predictor in MaxEnt model. Potential distribution maps of the above
mentioned species were generated with reliable statistical estimations of accuracy for the models. SDM can help find new locations where a rare
species might be found, prioritize biodiversity rich areas or understand the potential threats to a species of conservation importance.
Keywords: Uttarakhand, Himalaya, Species Distribution Model, Mammal, MaxEnt

Corresponding Author: ankita.bhattac@gmail.com
Page No. 322

Theme- Geosciences & Mineral Exploration in RS & GIS Applications Abstract Id: 602
Modified Gaussian Model (MGM) Based Spectral Deconvolution of Rock Spectra of Alkaline Plutons, Southern
Granulite Terrain
Chaitanya S.1, Asim Debbarma1, K.N. Kusuma1, Ram Prasath L.1 and Bhadra S.1
Abstract
Spectral mixing is common problem encountered while recovering quantitative information about an object or phenomenon due to inherent
mixing of natural material or due to the sensor characteristics. The spectral mixing may be linear or non-linear; most of the natural material are
observed to follow non-linear mixing. Rock is an aggregate of mineral and hence the rock spectra are example of non-linear mixed mineral
spectra. Deriving abundances of individual minerals requires de-convolution of the mixed spectra. Modified Gaussian Model (MGM) proposed by
Sunshine et al (1990) helps in non-linear de-convolution of rock spectra. This technique delineates the components within the rock spectra using a
fit file with input parameters such as, wavelength, band width, strength, slope and offset superimposed onto the lab generated spectra. In this
study, an attempt has been made to de-convolute the mineral spectra of rocks that occur in the Samalpatti and Sevattur alkaline complexes
emplaced in Southern Granulite Terrain, using MGM code running in MATLAB. Major rock types observed in the study area are Syenite,
Pyroxenite, dunite and carbonatite. The lab spectra of the rocks in 0.3 to 2.5 µm region were collected using ASD Spectroradiometer at Indian
Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Trivandrum. MGM results provide the central wavelength of absorption, band width and band
depth which are characteristics of chemical composition of mineral. Spectra of pyroxenite were modelled with 5 absorption features centred at
675 nm, 1052 nm, 1122 nm, 2300 nm and 2320 nm, indicating presence of augite and diopside. Carbonatites spectra were modelled with three
absorption features centred around 1876 nm, 1995 nm, 2339 nm, which are of calcite. Some carbonatite spectra could be modelled with additional
two absorption feature that correspond to pyroxene. Syenites being framework silicates will not show any absorption features in VNIR region.
However some melano-syenites are showing absorption features within VNIR region correspond to both ortho- and clino- pyroxenes. The results
when matched with XRD analyses conducted at Pondicherry University show that the MGM based deconvolution can be applied effectively for
quantitative mineralogy.
Keywords: Modified Gaussian Model, Non-linear Unmixing, Alkaline rocks, Southern Granulite Terrain,
Corresponding Author: chaitanyabvc@gmail.com
Page No. 323

ASTER Based Lithological Discrimination and Alteration Zone Mapping in and around Hutti-Maski Region,
Karnataka
Aravind Bharathvaj S.1, Kusuma K.N.1, Swethambigai M.1, Lakshmi Ram Prasath H.1 and Chaitanya S.1
Abstract
Disseminated ore bodies and rare mineral exploration needs a detailed ground work to narrow down the probable zones. Remote Sensing data can
reduce the amount of ground work needed for exploration. The present work deals with application of remote sensing technique for mineral
exploration and lithological discrimination in and around Hutti-Maski greenstone belt, which is a major gold mineralized zone in India. It is
located in the high angle NNW-SSE trending shear zone system. Gold bearing laminated quartz veins have intruded the amphibolite host rocks
which show hydrothermal alteration haloes with a typical mineralogical zonation. 14 band Advanced Space borne Thermal Emission and
Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) data has been processed in ENVI image processing software. Mineral indices such as hydroxyl index (OHI),
kaolinite index (KLI), alunite index (ALI) and calcic index (CLI) were applied to the ASTER shortwave infra-red (SWIR). Principal Component
Analysis (PCA) transformation was applied over the resulting “mineral indices” image to identify the hydrothermal alteration zone. For
lithological discrimination, both SWIR and TIR bands were used. Minimum Noise Fraction (MNF) transformation was applied over six SWIR
bands and colour composites were studied. The raw ‘At Sensor Radiance’ of the Thermal bands are rationed for identifying Silicate, Mafic, and
Calcic indices. Result of the mineral indices and PCA transformation were able to demarcate the zone of alteration around the shear zone. The
results of the MNF transformation and TIR indices were matched with the published geological map of the study area. The major rock types in the
study area such as amphibolites, metabasalt, closepet pink granite, and dolerite dykes could be effectively discriminated using remote sensing
data.
Keywords: ASTER, PCA, Mineral Indices, Hydrothermal Alteration, Hutti-Maski

Corresponding Author: aravi13@gmail.com
Page No. 324

Characterization of Iron Ore Resources and Alteration Mapping by Visible and Infrared Images of Landsat Data:
Mapping of Altered Mineralized Zones in Noamundi
Surajit Panda2, Manish Kumar Jain 2 and K. Banerjee2

Abstract
Iron is the main industrial backbone metal for any developing country. Jharkhand is known as the largest Iron depositional zone in India.
Noamundi of Jharkhand portrays the depositional zone, which associated with Shale, Keolinite like ore formations. Landsat Enhanced Thematic
Mapper plus (ETM+) data have the capability to discriminate mineral alteration zones and depositional characteristics. This study elaborates the
procedure of mapping the areas with iron oxide and hydroxyl bearing minerals and identifying potential areas for Hematite mineralization in
Noamundi. During the early days of Landsat Multispectral scanner and Thematic Mapper plus, geologists developed band ratio techniques and
three dimensional colour combination to produce iron oxide and hydroxyl images that could be related to hydrothermal alteration. The band ratio
techniques provide unique information, spectral reflectance and colour difference for different surface materials. This method uses six Landsat
ETM plus bands for mapping iron (bands 1, 2 and 3) and alteration zones (bands 1, 3, 5 and 7) readily available in TM imagery. The red, green,
blue colour combination images and specialized band ratios were prepared from ETM plus bands. Band ratios derived from image spectra (RGB:
3/1, 4/2, 7/5 and RGB: 5/7, 3/1, 5) allow identification of altered rocks, lithological units and vegetation at regional scale. This study with an
example of band ratio techniques on ETM plus data is not only effective in iron oxide deposit alterations mapping but also provide a basis to infer
the areas of potential iron resources. It can be concluded that Landsat ETM plus bands, especially 1 and 3 in the visible and NIR, 5 and 7 in the
shortwave infrared, containing the useful information for iron ore exploration.
Keywords: ETM+, Iron alteration zones, Band correlation, Band ratio, 3-band colour combination
Corresponding Author: surajit.rsgis@gmail.com
Page No. 325

Extracting Surface and Subsurface Lineaments from Satellite Images, Gravity & Magnetic Data for Demarcation
of Hydrocarbon Potential Areas in Parts of Masila Basin, Yemen
Mohammed S. Alshayef1
1Akram J.
Abstract
Masila basin is considered a promising region for hydrocarbon resources and is the second richest petroliferous basin in Yemen. The basin is
associated with several faults and lineaments which are due to the rifting in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea, directed towards north-west and
south-east. Lineaments are manifestations for oil and gas exploration, since they control the pathways of hydrocarbon migration and show weaker
zones of basement that can cross hydrocarbon bearing sediments. In this study, surface lineaments have been successfully extracted from ASTER
LIB image, geological fault map whereas subsurface lineaments are extracted from magnetic anomaly, Bouguer gravity anomaly maps by utilizing
various methods such as image processing techniques (Sobel filter, Laplacian filter, digitization and 3D visualization). These methods are used for
removing the noise, sharping the linear features and enhancing the images besides interpretation of high and low value of anomaly. Three
geospatial analyses have been applied for assessing the extracted lineaments such as density, intersection density and orientation analysis. The
result shows that the lineaments (surface and subsurface) are concentrated in the NE and SE of the study area where as the lineament azimuth
mostly in NE-NW and E-W. The density and intersection density concentrate largely at NE and SE of the study area. The integrated surface and
subsurface lineaments are correlated mostly in NE and SE of the study area. The result of this study will help for hydrocarbon resource planning
and management as well as the promising area where lineaments are correlated can be undertaken in future after the detailed investigation for
hydrocarbon exploration potential.
Keywords: Lineaments extraction, Geospatial analysis, Integrated analysis, Correlation, Masila basin
Corresponding Author: alshayef2014@gmail.com
Page No. 326

Aid of ASTER and ETM+ Data Processing on Precambrian Rocks and Mineral Detection around
Chikkanayakanahalli Schist Belt, Dharwar Craton, South India
Jeevan L.2, Basavarajappa H.T.2 and Rajendran S.1

1SultanQaboos University, Muscat , 2University of Mysore, Mysuru
Abstract
This study examines the use of Remote Sensing (RS) technology in geological studies around Chikkanayakanahalli area. Landsat Enhanced
Thematic Mapper plus (ETM+) and Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) images were used to (i)
classify the various geological units found in Chikkanayakanahalli area located in the southern extension of Chitradurga schist belt, (ii)
discriminate the lithology and structure of this area, and (iii) delineate the associated zones of hydrothermal alteration. A wide variety of digital
image processing techniques were applied such as the Principal Components (PC) analysis and ratioing. The color composite of Principal
Components (1, 2, and 3), the ratio images (3/1, 4/3, and 5/7) and the IHS (1, 3, 5) of ETM+ data and for the ASTER data the color composite of
PCA (4,6 and 8), the ratio images ( 5/3, 5/1, 7/5 and 13/14) enabled us to determine the different types of rocks (limestone deposits and banded
magnetite quartzite (BMQ), greywackes, Mn and Fe rich phyllitic chert, metabasalt and basement granitic gneisses, granitoids and migmatites) in
the study area. Finally, the hyperspectral technique was used for detecting the different minerals in the study area by the aid of Fieldspec
spectroradiometer (manufactured by Analytical System Device Inc.) by collecting the spectral profiles under controlled laboratory environment.
Spectroradiometer is effectively operative in the wavelength domain of 350 - 2500 nm and this spectral signatures are matched with standard
USGS spectral library of minerals. The study demonstrates the capability of advanced satellite images, potentiality of image processing methods
in the field of geological mineral mapping.
Keywords: ASTER, ETM+, Principal Component Analysis, Band Ratioing, Chikkanayakanahalli

Corresponding Author: jeevannarayan8885@gmail.com
Page No. 327

Application of Imaging Spectroscopy and GIS in Mapping of Heavy Minerals in Beach Sands: A Case Study from
Parts of Tirunelveli and Tuticorin Coast, Tamil Nadu
Zeba Bulkhiz A.1, Kusuma K.N.1, Ramprasath L.1 and Chaitanya S.1
Abstract
Mapping of the mineral deposit is essential for sustainable and eco-friendly exploitation of natural resources. This work deals with application of
the state of the art imaging spectroscopic technique to map the heavy minerals in the beach sands of south Tamil Nadu coast of India. The
methodology includes processing of satellite imagery, ground verification including sample selection and laboratory analysis. Landsat 8 OLI
multispectral satellite image was processed using Environment for Visualizing Images (ENVI) 4.8 software. The processing steps involved
atmospheric correction using FLAASH module, and application of spectral hourglass process. The spectral hour glass is a step-by-step routine
involving application of Minimum Noise Fraction (MNF), Pixel Purity Index (PPI), N-D Visualizer and end member selection. The selected
endmember spectra were identified by comparing the spectral signatures with spectral plots of United States Geological Survey (USGS) spectral
library that were spectrally resampled to the bandpass of OLI bands. Finally, mineral mapping was carried out using Spectral Angle Mapper
(SAM) algorithm. The SAM based mapping could delineate beach sands with garnet, illmenite, monazite, zircon, rutile and siliminite. Field work
was carried out to verify the results that include collection of the surface samples along with GPS coordinates. The samples were analyzed in
laboratory for identifying the heavy minerals. The process includes isodynamic separation of heavy minerals using bromoform, study under
reflected microscope and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) studies. The lab based heavy minerals identified from beach sand include Garnet (28.63%),
Ilmenite (34.57%), Zircon (17.3%), Monazite (33.25%), Rutile (2.34%), Silliminite (2.16%), Leucoxene (2.8%), Magnetite (0.86%) and others
(11.4%). The GPS points with dominant heavy minerals was compared with the SAM classified image, which showed good agreement with the
obtained results. The study illustrates the high potential of multispectral satellite data for exploration and mapping of mineral resources.
Keywords: Heavy mineral mapping , Imaging Spectroscopy, Landsat 8, Spectral Hourglass , Spectral Angle Mapper
Corresponding Author: zeba.bulkhiz@gmail.com
Page No. 328

Diamond Exploration through Remote Sensing Based Geospatial Modelling
G. Sreenivasan1, A.K. Joshi1 and Y.V.N. Krishna Murthy1

Abstract
High resolution satellite remote sensing is an important tool for interpretation of spectral and micro-morphological mineralization anomalies,
which can be input to geospatial modeling for identification of potential mineralized zones. This study is carried out for Diamond Exploration in
Madhya Pradesh with the aim of identifying the potential areas of kimberlite emplacement through remote sensing studies and geo-spatial
modelling. Satellite remote sensing substantiated with other collateral data and field checks are the tools & techniques used in this study. The
methodology involves the preparation of the satellite data, digital enhancements of the satellite data, interpretation of the mineralization controls
and the anomalies and geo-spatial modelling for identification of potential zones for kimberlite occurrence. IRS-P6 (RESOURCESAT-1) LISS-IV
is used in this study for detailed mapping of the geology, structures, interpretation of the mineralization controls and micro mineralization
anomalies. Geo-referenced satellite data is processed using various digital image-processing algorithms for enhancement of these parameters. A
geo-spatial model is developed in GIS environment for identifying the probable regions for occurrence of Kimberlite pipes. Knowledge driven
hierarchical weighted rank overlay geo-spatial model is applied by using the required input parameters such as litho-stratigraphy, structural
anomalies, circular anomalies, geomorphology, ultramafic dykes, etc. The study has identified the potential zones for kimberlite occurrence in the
study area. These zones are prioritized into three categories - high, moderate and low probability zones. The high probability zones have the
greatest chance of encountering a kimberlite pipe, as these zones have favourable geological environment for emplacement of kimberlite. The
high probability zones are recommended for detailed ground exploration through geo-chemical sampling and geophysical surveys and other
detailed ground exploration methods for establishing the existence of kimberlite pipes and their diamond grades.
Keywords: Diamond Exploration, Kimberlite, Geospatial Modelling, High-Resolution Remote Sensing, Mineralization Anomalies
Corresponding Author: sreenivasan_g@nrsc.gov.in
Page No. 329

Geodynamics of Indian Plate using GNSS Technology and The Effect of Reference Frames on Plate Velocity
Sravanthi Gunti1, J. Narendran 1 and S. Muralikrishnan1

Abstract
This study has been taken up to compute the velocity of the Indian plate in the light of various earthquakes of different magnitudes that has
occurred in the Indian sub-continent in the last two decades. The Indian plate velocity has been re-estimated for six Indian IGS stations by
processing the GNSS datasets using recent version of long baseline GNSS scientific software Bernese 5.2 for the period from August, 2014 to
2016 in International Terrestrial Reference Frame 2008. Out of the six IGS stations, two stations namely IISC in Bengaluru and HYDE in
Hyderabad are located on the Deccan plateau, two stations LCK3 & LCK4 in Lucknow are located in the Indo-Gangetic plain area, the remaining
two stations namely PBR1, PBR2 are located in Port Blair area of Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Totally 13 IGS sites data have been used in this
study, 06 sites are in Indian plate and the remaining 07 sites are in the adjacent plates (Eurasian plate, Arabian plate, and Australian plate) to
Indian plate and have been used as reference stations. The results of the study indicate that Indian plate is moving with a velocity of 51 to 60
mm/year at Hyderabad, 54 to 55 mm/year at Bengaluru, 48 to 52 mm/year at Lucknow and 19 to 23 mm/year at Port Blair. The results confirm
that South to Central part of India is moving as a rigid plate at velocity of 50-60 mm/year in North East direction and the Andaman & Nicobar
area at a velocity of 20 mm/year. The estimated velocities have been compared with reference to the different plate models and the results have
been tabulated. The sensitivity of the results with reference to different ITRFs have been analysed.
Keywords: Geodynamics, Plate velocity, GNSS technology, Bernese, Indian region

Corresponding Author: sravsgeophysics@gmail.com
Page No. 330

Implementation of Cloud Computing in Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System Application
R. Aishwarya1
1RenaultNissan Technology India
Abstract
Cloud computing has the advantage of high scalability and reliability, which can provide firm technical support. Integration of cloud computing
and geographic information system application offers great profitability such as cost savings, reliability, manageability, huge storage capacity,
secured flexibility, openness, etc. Geographic information system has huge data and the same is increasing day-to-day. Cloud computing provides
a solution to create, store, retrieve and analyse data. Mineral exploration is an intensive, organized and professional form of mineral prospecting
and, though it frequently uses the services of prospecting, the process of mineral exploration on the whole is much more involved. The cloud
based software applications in GIS domain are becoming one of the important tools for data creation and collection. These software applications
are also allowing user’s participation in geospatial data creation and analysis. This paper proposes a highly scalable website which is constructed
based on cloud computing. Cloud based platform will be used for designing and development of web based real time data collection and in the
process of ores to mine. This application briefly describes the system architecture of the Geospatial Data Cloud. It is represented by a framework
that includes the data cloud portal, application layer, the cloud computing environment, resource layer and cloud based data management
platform.
Keywords: Cloud computing, Mineral exploration data, web based application, Database application,
Corresponding Author: r.aishwarya5@gmail.com
Page No. 331

Study of Geomorphic Evolution of Shastri River Basin of Northern Coastal Tract of Ratnagiri, Maharashtra Using
Remote Sensing and GIS
S.B. Joshi1 and D.D. Kulkarni1

1Solapur University, Solapur
Abstract
The present paper deals with detailed with geomorphic aspects of Shastri river basin. It is one of the largest river basin of Konkan coast of
Maharashtra, originating near Prachitgad, on the crest line of the Western Ghats (170 27' N & 730 42' E) at an elevation of 836 ASL. The river
flows from NE to SW direction following the major trends of lineaments. The studies carried out with the help of topographic sheets, FCC (RGB
432) and DEM followed by intensive fieldwork, indicated the presence of various geomorphic features of fluvial and marine origin. The fluvial
processes play dominant role in the geomorphic evolution of the area. There is a general decrease in the elevation from Escarpment to West Coast
and from north to south direction. The study of topographic profiles, altitude analysis followed by field observations shows the presence of five
planar surfaces in the area. The most prominent planar surface lies at 200-220 m. The depth of incision towards southern and also towards western
part of the basin reaching up to sea level, suggests the most promising tectonic activity among the coastal region. The flat-topped hill ranges are
found to be oriented in NNW-SSE, NE-SW and E-W directions and show that there is a decrease in the altitude towards west. The hill ranges
represent lineaments and correspond to the zone of structural weakness. River valleys are narrow and steep in the upper reaches, extended up to
5-6 km. in length and become broad and graded near the mouth of the river. The fluvial depositional features like alluvial plains, fluvio-colluvial
deposits have been observed at different places in the study area. The alluvial plains show their formation at the interface of marine and fluvial
environments, whereas the fluvio-colluvial deposits are developed along the hill slopes. Various geomorphic features of active incision are viz.
waterfalls, cascads, potholes, natural ponds etc. have also been developed in eastern part of the area. Marine erosional geomorphic features viz.
creeks, head-land, cliffs and the depositional features viz. tidal flats, beaches, sand bars are observed mainly in the western part of the area. The
presence of the constructional and pro-gradational features like alluvial plains, river terraces, recent beach, fluvio-colluvial deposits, tombolo etc.
towards western part suggest emergence of the land whereas the presence of degradational features like hills and escarpment, valleys, creeks,
planar surfaces etc. towards eastern side of the basin depict the submergence activities in the area. These geomorphic features along with morpho-
tectonic analysis, lineament studies indicate the imprint of neo-tectonic activity, which reflects the geomorphic evolution of the study area.
Keywords: Marine , Fluvio-colluvial , Emergence, Submergence, Degradational

Corresponding Author: dhavaldk@rediffmail.com
Page No. 332

Spectroscopy, Landsat 8 Derived Spectral Map to Delineate Rock Types of Sitampundi Layered Complex,
Tamilnadu, India
Subhendu Mondal2, Arindam Guha1, Sanjit Pal2, Biswajit Ghosh3 and K. Vinod Kumar1
1Indian
School of Mines, Dhanbad , 2National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad , 3University of Calcutta, Kolkata
Abstract
Reflectance spectra of main rocks of Sitampundi Layered Complex and associated granite-granodiorite gneiss have been analyzed using
reflectance spectra of these rocks within the spectral domain of 0.4- 2.5 micrometer. Diagnostic spectral features of these rocks were analyzed
using the spectra of constituent minerals. Relative abundance of the constituents was confirmed using quantitative petrography. Further,
Constrained linear spectral unmixing method was applied to process the Landsat 8 data using the Landsat- resampled laboratory spectra of rocks
as reference to delineate the major litho- components of the layered complex (metagabbro, anorthosite, Chromite rich ultramafites etc.)
Further ground magnetic data collected for the area were analyzed with reference to spectral anomaly. It was observed that the spectral anomaly
matches well with the residual magnetic anomaly map and could extract mafic litho components of layered complex well. Therefore, integrated
use of ground magnetic data and spectral anomaly map can be used to delineate chromitite rich and PGE mafic rocks in the layered complex.
Keywords: Constrained linear unmixing , Landsat 8, Layered complex , Magnetic data, Chromite rich ultramafite
Corresponding Author: subhendu.agp@gmail.com
Page No. 333

Multispectral Remote Sensing Mapping for Hydrocarbon Seepage-Induced Lithologic Anomalies in the Rajpardi
Lignite Mine, SE Gujarat
Saloni Sapru2, Neeraj Nainwal2, Yateesh Ketholia1, Richa Upadhyay 1 and Shovan Lal Chattoraj1
1Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 2University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun
Abstract
Hydrocarbons seepages are the effective indicators of the presence of hydrocarbons beneath the surface. They are responsible for altering the
chemistry of minerals by reacting with them and changing their compositions and pH value. And hence, detecting the altered minerals caused by
these seepages using remote sensing techniques proves out to be an indicator for the presence of Hydrocarbons. In this study, advanced space
borne thermal emission and reflection radiometer (ASTER) data is used to detect the surface anomalies produced by these seepages in the lignite
mine at Rajpardi, Bharuch district of Gujarat, which is rich in Kerogen type-1, an effective indicator of presence of Hydrocarbon.
In this research, ASTER data consisting of Visible Near Infra-Red (VNIR) and Short Wave Infra-Red (SWIR) bands was taken and after
atmospherically correcting it, spectral signatures were analyzed from the JPL and USGS library to determine the possible constitutional altered
minerals such as Epidote, Albite and Jarosite. This way the end members were obtained. The characteristics of selected end members was
analyzed based on their composition, occurrence, reaction and alteration and then they were classified using spectral angle mapper (SAM) and
represented as false colour composite (FCC). Lastly, band ratios were applied to differentiate unaltered and altered zones and validated by
matching mineral occurrence by band ratio composites with the produced classified map.
Keywords: Hydrocarbon seepage alterations, ASTER, Rajpardi mines, Kerogen type-1 , Band ratio composites
Corresponding Author: neerajnainwal199@gmail.com
Page No. 334

Analysis of Mixed Pixels Using Spectral Matching Algorithms for EO-1 Hyperion Data Set
Ajay Kumar Patel1 and Jayanta Kumar Ghosh1

Abstract
Hyperspectral imaging has obtained successful results in information extraction for discrimination and mapping of earth materials. The large
amount of spectral data produced by hyperspectral remote sensing constrain the development of automated mapping algorithms that interpret
mixed pixels imagery accurately. Mixed pixels spectral mapping techniques may be studied like multi-step object detection and one of the most
applied strategy for pure pixel identification is the use of some spectral similarity measures with the reference spectra for various applications.
Spectral similarity measures are effective in endmember extraction because they can reduce illumination-change effects. Many spectral matching
algorithms, ranging from the conventional methods to the recent automated matching algorithms, have evolved. In this study, we analyzed various
conventional spectral matching algorithms to classify mixed pixels spectra. These similarity measures algorithms are the euclidian distance (ED),
the spectral angle mapper (SAM), the Pearson spectral correlation angle (SCA), the spectral similarity value (SSV) and the spectral information
divergence (SID). In along with, we have implemented a constrained energy minimizing (CEM) technique, for finding the most similar pixels on
our hyperspectral data set. These techniques are applied a data set which were taken with the Earth Observing-1 Hyperion sensor over the
Jamda-Koira valley of Kendujhar district, Orissa (India) including iron ore site bounded by latitude 210 45' to 220 00' N and longitude 850 15' to
850 30' E occupying an area of approximately 770 Km2. The analysis of the conventional spectral similarity measures and the advanced
automated spectral matching algorithms indicates that, for better performance of pure signature spectra detection, there is a need for combining
two or more spectral matching algorithms. Well-built spectral library improves accuracy in vegetation species identification and health
monitoring, mineral and soil mapping. Each method has own merits and demerits, a combined technique is used to benefit from all the strong
points and ignores the weak points of the methods. Results show that combination approach may enhance the discrimination capability of mixed
spectra; however, the conventional algorithms are important and are useful for pure pixel targets.
Keywords: Hyperspectral Remote Sensing, Satellite Image Analysis, Mixed Pixels, Spectral Response Curve, Data Fusion
Corresponding Author: ajaypatel.iitb@gmail.com
Page No. 335

Structural and Geomorphological Mapping in Mahakoshal Group of Rocks in Central India using Satellite Image
Saurabh Shiva1, Tapas R. Matha1 and D.K. Umak1

1M. P. Council of Science & Technology, Bhopal , 2National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad
Abstract
Palaeoproterozoic rocks exposed in the eastern margin of the Central India forms a part of the Mahakoshal Group of rocks in the Son valley area
and have witnessed multiple phases deformation. Mahakoshal Group represents deposition in a stable shelf with violent extrusive activity and
later an intrusive phase towards close of sedimentation and is a potential area for gold mineralisation. Due to folding and faulting, the quartzites
and other metasediments have resulted in ridge and valley topography. The present work tries to focus on the integrated use of remote sensing and
GIS techniques for geomorphological and structural mapping within Mahakoshal Group of rocks. Indian remote sensing satellite (IRS) P-6 LISS
III and LISS IV multispectral images in conjunction with digital elevation model (DEM) were used for geomorphology and structural mapping
alongwith district resource map published by GSI. The high resolution LISS-IV image was found to be useful in identifying minor intrusive
bodies such as veins and lineaments such as joints, fold axis, faults and ridge lines. We used the Orientation Analysis Tool (OTA) for plotting rose
diagram of lineaments of different classes such as joint/fracture, fault etc. for the analysis of orientation, structural pattern and deformation history
of Mahakoshal area. From the analysis of rose diagram and geomorphology it has been observed that the main orientation of the ridges and the
structural hills and fold belts are E-W to ENE-WSW trending along the Son Narmada lineament zone in the Central Indian Tectonic Zone. The
rocks show strong diastrophic elements as cleavages, crenulations, three phases of folding, joints slips, faults and shears mainly along ENE-WSW
and roughly north-south.
Keywords: Mahakoshal, OAT, DEM, Satellite data ,

Corresponding Author: umakdineshkumar@gmail.com
Page No. 336

Confluence Dynamics and Morphometric Analyses of Gomti River, India
S. Singh1, K. Prakash1, U.K. Shukla1, K. Chaubey1 and T. Mohanty1

1Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi
Abstract
Gomti river draining through the interfluve areas of the Ganga plain go through many stages of degradation and aggradations influenced by
natural, tectonic (neo) activity, base-level changes and climatic variability over time and space. The Gomti river basin covers an area of about
30,843 km2 of the Ganga plain. Confluence dynamics of the Gomti river with the Ganga river has been studied through systematic mapping of
Gomti river using temporal remote sensing images (Landsat) and topographic sheets. The study has been supplemented with a detailed analysis of
the morphometric characteristics of the Gomti River. Our study indicates that two discreet channel shifts have been noticed in Landsat images.
First shift is 32.86 km and the second shift is 2.08 km that the confluence points have moved upstream of the Ganga river. Present confluence of
Gomti river is formed in 1980.
The quantitative approach of watershed development of the Gomti river and its four 5th order sub watershed (SB1- SB4), was carried out by the
morphometric parameters. The drainage network was extracted from SRTM data. The basin morphometric parameters such as linear, aerial
aspects and relief aspect of the river basin were determined and computed. Drainage pattern is mainly in sub dendritic to dendritic type.
It indicates that Gomti river follows the slope of the terrain. It is observed that the drainage density values of sub-watersheds are low (0.39-0.4)
which indicates that the basin has highly permeable subsoil and thick vegetative cover. The circularity ratio value (0.18-0.33) reveals that the
basin is elongated and formed of permeable homogenous materials. This study would help to utilize the water resources and also extended for
sustainable development of the Gomti basin area.
Keywords: Gomti river, Ganga plain, Confluence dynamics, Morphometric,

Corresponding Author: geosaurabh@gmail.com
Page No. 337

Application of Remote Sensing Data in Delineation of Hydrothermally Altered Mineral Zones in Parts of Rajasthan
and its Implications in Mineral Exploration
Vivek K. Sengar1, Gokul P.1, Richa U. Sharma1, Shovan L. Chattoraj1, P.K. Champati Ray1 and A.S. Venkatesh2
Abstract
Remote sensing and GIS technology have been playing important role in deciphering, delineating, and prospecting of mineralized zones in many
part of the world. In this context, the present study showcases an integrated approach to assess the hydrothermally altered zones and mineral
prospect mapping using Earth observation (EO) data. Mainstay of the work takes cues from Landsat 8 OLI (Operational Land Imager), ASTER,
EO-1 Hyperion, and satellite gravity data. Rajasthan contains significant amounts of metallic and non-metallic deposits in Proterozoic host rocks
of Aravalli-Delhi Fold belt (AFB). Besides ongoing mining practices, new mineral prospects have also been explained by Geological Survey of
India (GSI) and many other stake holders. In this study, Landsat 08 and ASTER (VNIR & SWIR) have been processed to generate different band
ratios to highlight different type of mineral alteration zones and thereby throwing light on ore formation system and structural controls of ore
localization. Both Hyperion and ASTER data have been proven suitable for detection of many minerals present on the surface of the Earth, using
spectral intricacies. Well established and robust, Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM) algorithm was largely applied to classify these images leading to
delineation of zones of altered minerals and associated characteristic ores. Satellite gravity data, additionally acquired from International
Gravimetric Bureau (BGI), was used to generate gravity anomaly map for the study area which substantially assisted in detecting presence of
concealed ore bodies. Thus, gravity data provide crucial subsurface information about the target, which can compensate for the surficial
limitations of optical remote sensing data. Hydrothermally altered zones as mapped from remote sensing media coincided with the high gravity
anomaly values over the mineralized zones, further delineated prospective zones. The interpretation was also supported by analysis of lineaments
and local geochemical data used. X-ray diffraction analysis of representative field collected rocks/minerals was also used to support geochemical
validation of image processing results. It is, thus, observed that remote sensing when integrated with other ancillary data in a GIS platform can
further aid in delineating potential zones of ore-mineralization.
Keywords: ASTER mineral indices, Hyperion image processing , Spaceborne gravity analysis, Hydrothermal alteration mapping, Mineral identification
Corresponding Author: viveksengar@iirs.gov.in
Page No. 338

Glacial-Geomorphological Investigations in The Pir Panjal Flanks of Kashmir Himalaya using Remote Sensing and
GIS
Omar Jaan1, Reyaz Ahmad Dar1 and Shakil Ahmad Romshoo1

1Universityof Kashmir, Srinagar
Abstract
Glacial-geomorphic studies provide vital information to infer the effect of glacial advance and retreat on the local geomorphology of an area. The
Pir Panjal flank is the least documented region of the Kashmir Himalayas, where no research work has been carried out on any aspect of past
glaciation. Although a few studies have been carried on the geomorphology of the Kashmir Valley but these researchers have not sufficiently
documented the presence of the glaciers in the Pir Panjal range. Keeping in view the paucity of the data on the glaciers on this flank of the valley,
an attempt has been made to study glacial-geomorphology using remote sensing and GIS technology aided by extensive field work. The mapping
of the glacial-geomorphic features is the preliminary step in studying the general geomorphic evolution of the Pir Panjal range. The presence of
the typical glacio-geomorphic features like lateral moraines, end moraines, cirques and associated landforms on the Pir Panjal range of the
Kashmir Himalayas is a credible evidence of the presence of the alpine glaciers in the area. Results suggest that tectonic uplift, erosion due to
meltwater streams and glacial and interglacial climatic conditions might have played an important role in sculpturing the geomorphic landforms of
the region.
Keywords: Remote Sensing, GIS, Geomorphology, Pir Panjal Range, Tectonic uplift
Corresponding Author: geopaul65@gmail.com
Page No. 339

Hyperspectral Signatures on Corundum Bearing Litho-units in Varuna Area, Mysuru District, Karnataka, India
MARUTHI N E1, JEEVAN L1, MANJUNATHA M C1 and BASAVARAJAPPA H T2

1Research
Student, 2Senior Professor
Abstract
Varuna area of Mysuru District Karnataka located in Dharwar Craton is composed of dynamic geological setting is prospects of nearly four kinds
of rock units with economically viable minerals including variety of gemstones particularly in contact zones of ultramafics, amphibolite schist
with gneiss and granitoids of Dharwar Craton, Karnataka. The study carried out by using advent techniques of Spectro-radiometer, ViewSpec Pro
and GIS software. By Ground Truth Check (GTC) collected nearly four types rock units like gneiss, granitoids, ultramafics and corundum bearing
amphibolite schist along with quartzite ridge. The spectral signatures of the collected samples were derived in a closed laboratory environment to
achieve better accuracy. The spectral signatures of particular rock type of the study area which hosted the valuable gem variety stones in the study
area. Finally the results enhance the recent techniques in identification of rock units. Hyperspectral (400-2500 nm) signatures are developed as the
advent high-tech tool in mapping of precious gemstones in between lithological contacts and mineralized zones. Spectro-radiometer instrument
provides a high spectral resolution data to bring out diagnostic features on lithological contacts for better discrimination of gemstones bearing
litho-units. The present study aims to apply the advent techniques of hyperspectral signature in mapping, exploration of corundum bearing
litho-units in Varuna area Mysuru on Precambrian basement rocks of Karnataka State.
Keywords: Hyperspectral signature, Corundum bearing , Amphibolite schist , Varuna,

Corresponding Author: mcmanju1@gmail.com
Page No. 340

Monitoring Land Degradation Changes in North-Eastern Region of India using Geospatial Techniques
Manish Parmar1, Koyel Sur1, K.L.N. Sastry1 and A.S. Rajawat1

1SAC, ISRO
Abstract
Land Degradation is reduction or loss of biological or economic productivity and complexity of land resulting from climatic variations and human
activities. The North- Eastern region of India is mostly hilly terrain covered with forest and Agriculture land. The majority of population is
completely dependent on local natural resources (for agriculture, biofuel, water, etc.) and their demands leads to utilisation of these resources and
sometimes exploitation. Therefore, monitoring land degradation in this hilly and rugged topography terrain is crucial. In this study, land
degradation changes in the seven sister’s states of North-Eastern region of India have been brought out during 2003-05 and 2011-13 time frame
using remote sensing and GIS technology. The classification system adopted for this study comprises of three elements, viz., Land Use, Process of
Degradation and Severity Level. A three level alpha-numeric code is used for codification of the land degradation maps (Forest, vegetation
degradation, Low-Fv1) in the current study. Multi-temporal digital IRS AWiFS data along with ancillary information is analysed to prepare land
degradation maps at 1:500,000 scale in GIS environment. Further, geo-statistical analysis is carried out to understand the pattern and processes of
land degradation. The analysis reveals that 3.37 mha area of the North-Eastern region is undergoing process of land degradation i.e., 13.25% of
the Total Geographic Area (TGA) during 2011-13, while during 2003-05 the area undergoing process of land degradation is 2.84 mha (11.16% of
the TGA). There is a cumulative increase of 0.53 mha undergoing process of Land Degradation in the North-Eastern region (constituting 2.09% of
the TGA of the country). The most significant process of land degradation is vegetation degradation (10.92% in 2011-13 and 8.88% in 2003-05)
followed by water erosion (1.13% in 2011-13 and 1.14% in 2003-05). The analysis also shows that Nagaland state is most effected by land
degradation in North-Eastern region (47.45% in 2011-13 and 38.74% in 2003-05). Whereas, Arunachal Pradesh is the least effected state (1.84%
in 2011-13 and 1.63% in 2003-05). The outcome of this study can be very useful for policy makers to make actions plans to control land
degradation and bring awareness.
Keywords: Land degradation, Remote sensing, GIS, IRS, AWiFS

Corresponding Author: manish.parmar@sac.isro.gov.in
Page No. 341

Mineral Identification using Hyperspectral Remote Sensing in a part of Ratnagiri District, Maharashtra.
Ratan Sen1, C. A. Vishwakarma1, Neha Singh2, Vikas Kamal1 and Saumitra Mukherjee1
1Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 2The M.S University of Baroda
Abstract
Remote sensing with its spectral, spatial and temporal data availability offers a great assistance in covering areas at large scale and also in
exploring, evaluating and managing vital resources. The study is done in a part of Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra with the help of Hyperion data
of the Earth-Observing 1 (EO-1) satellite of NASA. The Hyperion data with its more than 200 contiguous spectral bands over a narrow spectral
range of 0.4 to 2.4 microns throughout the electromagnetic spectrum enables to distinguish between surface features which have a unique spectral
signature. The Hyperion data available has many overlapping and uncalibrated bands so they were removed from the processing. The data was
atmospherically corrected by Fast Line-of-sight Atmospheric Analysis of Hyper-cubes (FLAASH) software of ENVI and the radiance value of the
data was converted into reflectance value. The reflectance image was then used to extract the spectral endmembers. The spectral angle mapper
(SAM) tool of ENVI was used for the classification of the spectra and to compare the spectra of the study area to the existing spectra from the
USGS, JPL and JHU spectral library to identify the minerals in the study area.
Keywords: Hyperspectral, Mineral identification, Hyperion, Spectral library, ENVI

Corresponding Author: RATANSN@gmail.com
Page No. 342

Remote Sensing and Petrographic Analysis of Low-Grade Iron Ore Deposits of Tirthamalai Area, Dharmapuri
District, Tamilnadu, India
A. Thirunavukkarasu1, R. Suresh1, C. Ramachandran1, C. Kasilingam1, C. Sakthivel1 and M. Sankar1

1PeriyarUniversity, Salem
Abstract
In recent times, the remote sensing segment has widely elaborated its techniques for identification of mineral deposits of surface and subsurface
reservoirs. In this method the usage of Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) has a six broad spectral bands between 0.45 and 2.35 ??m to thermal
infrared channel 10.4-12.5 ??m and it was used for exploring low-grade iron ores for mapping the high-grade granulite region of the Tirthamalai
area. By applying various image processing techniques, band ratio, principal component analysis, decorrelation stretching and edge enhancement
was prepared for enhancing iron ore detection in this study. The FTIR technique is used for obtaining data (0.4-4.0 ??m) from powdered iron ore
samples and available spectral reflectance data to support as guides in selecting TM band ratios which is possible for the discrimination of iron
ores on the basis of their respective mineralogical composition. The combined Landsat TM data (shows the strong absorption at 0.9-1 ??m
wavelength spectral region) with field and petrographic interpretation which exhibit iron ores and iron-silicate minerals. The traverse, field
verification, enhanced to map the associated rock types, namely charnockite and gneisses. Thus, this image processing technique is very much
suitable for discriminating the iron ores in different types of rocks of granulite region and the detailed petrographical study resembles the better
view of predictable mineral assemblages shows the major iron ore and iron-silicate minerals. The results have recommended the proposed method
of the greatest conceivable for mapping iron ores and associated lithology through remote sensing and petrographical analysis of the study area
with similar rock units of Precambrian terrain. Moreover, the work, validates the ability of Landsat TM to provide information on iron ores which
is valuable for mineral prospecting and exploration activities in the study area.
Keywords: Remote Sensing, Petrogarphy, Iron Ore, Tirthamalai

Corresponding Author: thirugeo_au@yahoo.co.in
Page No. 343

An Information System for Retrieval of Groundwater Recharge and Surface Infiltration Capacity in NW India
using Android Mobile App
Pranshu Pranjal1, Dheeraj Kumar2, R. S. Chatterjee1 and Priyanka1

Abstract
Groundwater recharge takes place as rain water permeates through soil and reaches groundwater column by natural or artificial method. Due to
heavy withdrawal of groundwater, different parts of India have been suffering from groundwater depletion at different degrees. The North-
Western part of India comprising five major drainage basins such as Upper Ganga, Yamuna, Chambal, Luni & Ghaggar, and Narmada, has been
reported to be worst affected by groundwater depletion. In the present study, an attempt has been made to evaluate groundwater recharge scenario
of North-Western India for the period of 2005-2012 by groundwater level fluctuation method. For this purpose, pre- and post-monsoon
groundwater level (GWL) data available from Central Ground Water Board was used. Comparing monsoonal groundwater recharge with spatial
rainfall pattern, the infiltration capacity of surface materials at different parts of NW India was assessed. To share the information with high
portability, mobile technology is implemented for location based retrieval of groundwater potential and surface material infiltration capacity. With
the advancement of Mobile Computing, android mobile application is developed using Apache Cordova platform. For visualization purpose, a
local geo-database is built as offline storage used by the mobile application for displaying location-based information.
Keywords: Groundwater recharge, Surface infiltration capacity, NW India, Android Mobile App, Geo-database
Corresponding Author: pranshu.pranjal12@gmail.com
Page No. 344

ASTER, Ground Magnetic, Self Potential Data Analysis for Geological Mapping: A Case Study in Parts of
Banswara, Rajasthan, India
Komal Rani1, Arindam Guha1, Sanjit Kumar Pal2 and K. Vinod Kumar1
1Indian
School of Mines, Dhanbad , 2National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad
Abstract
The present study is aimed to integrate the remote sensing and ground geophysical data for geological mapping. The study area is located in the
Banswara district of Rajasthan. The major rock types present in the study are dolomite, phyllite, quartzite, gneiss, basalt and chlorite- schist.
Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) thermal infrared bands data have been used to derive emissivity
products for geological mapping. ASTER emissivity is derived using emissivity normalization algorithm. Emissivity products are derived by
analyzing the spectral features of rock types present in the study area. Emissivity products include inverse minimum noise fraction, false colour
composite (FCC) image, band ratio image and relative band depth images. Emissivity products have potential use to delineate silica rich and silica
poor rocks and magnetic products have potential use to get gossan exposures. Magnetic susceptibility is the property; which was used to identify
different rock types. Magnetic data is corrected for diurnal variations to derive magnetic anomaly map. The results of emissivity products are
useful to delineate dolomite, quartzite and basalt. Dolomite and quartzite were host for gold mineralization. Within these rocks, gossan were
identified in the field and these have created high magnetic anomaly in the area. Self-potential anomaly also indicated sulphide enrichment below
gossans. It has been observed that ASTER derived emissivity products and ground derived magnetic products, self potential data contribute
significantly in delinetaing sulphide hosted gold deposit.
Keywords: ASTER, Emissivity, Gossan, Magnetic anomaly, Self Potential anomaly

Corresponding Author: pasrichakomal@gmail.com
Page No. 345

Comprehensive Model using Petrography, Geochemistry and Hyperspectral Signatures in Central Part of
Chitradurga District, Karnataka, India
Basavarajappa H.T.2, Manjunatha M.C.2 and Rajendran S.1

1SultanQaboos University, Muscat , 2University of Mysore, Mysuru
Abstract
Comprehensive model is a theoretically constructed design to seek more information. Spectral signatures of a mineral/ rock/ ore have opened a
new vista in their scientific exploration and systematic mapping. In the present work, 10 random samples of iron, manganese, limestone,
komatiite, gneiss, fuchsite quartzite, Talya conglomerate, biotite granite, metagabbro and copper ore from central part of the Chitradurga district
were studied in the laboratory using thin sections under microscope, ICP (Inductively Coupled Plasma Spectrometer) analysis and ASD Spectro-
radiometer and constructed a model to map such resources successfully. This study synthesized the relationship of spectral absorption features of
the rock samples with the major and minor mineral constituents and compositions. Based on, a standard comprehensive model had generated to
construct a spectral library for the selected samples of Chitradurga district, Karnataka, along with their modified geological succession. This
model also refers to the spectral signatures of minerals and rocks available in the USGS, JPL and JHU spectral library, in the vision to develop a
spectral library of minerals of India.
Keywords: Petrography, Geochemistry, Spectral signatures, Comprehensive model, Chitradurga

Corresponding Author: mcmanju1@gmail.com
Page No. 346

Remote Sensing and GIS Based Morphometric Analysis to Study the Neotectonic Activity: A Case Study from
Indravati River Basin, India
Shruti Anna Samuel1 and K.N. Kusuma1

Abstract
Drainage basins are the first reflectors of the neotectonic activity and quantitative morphometric parameters of the drainage basin have been
widely accepted measures to decipher the neotectonic and active tectonics in a region. Remote sensing derived satellite imagery and DEM models
along with GIS techniques enable demarcation of lineaments, derivation of the basin morphometric parameters with ease and accuracy. The
present study aims to understand the signatures of neotectonic activity in the Indravati river basin, a tributary of Godavari River using the above
technique. The data used in this study include Landsat 8 OLI (Operational Land Imager) satellite data, SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography
Mission) digital elevation model (DEM) data, 1:250000 scale toposheets of the region and published geological map. The satellite images were
processed in ENVI software. The drainage basin and drainage network has been delineated from the SRTM DEM using the Spatial Analyst tools
in the ArcGIS software. To validate that the drainage is controlled by the tectonic disturbances in the basin, tectonic geomorphic indices like
Hypsometric Integral (HI), Stream Length to Gradient Index (SL), Basin Elongation Ratio (Re), Basin Asymmetry Factor (AF), Basin Circulatory
Ratio (Rc), Bifurcation Ratio (Bf), and Drainage Density (Dd), Sinuosity Index (SI), Valley Floor Width to Valley Height Ratio (Vf) were
calculated using DEM in ArcMap. Further, lineaments were also digitized that reflect the relation between lineament pattern and drainages. The
geomorphic indices along with the lineaments contribute as evidences of neotectonic activity in the basin. Lineaments have a strong structural
control over the drainage patterns and they are reflections of fault planes and intrusive dykes. They trend in the NW- SE, N-S directions in the
southern and western parts of the basin, E-W trending in the middle part of the basin and, NE-SW trending in the northern and eastern part of the
basin. The primary supporting indices for neotectonism are Re, Vf Ratio, Bf Ratio, AF, HI , and SL Index. At the lower reaches of the river
especially, where the channel is controlled by regional lineament, has a lower Vf value, indicating stronger tectonic influences.
Keywords: Neotectonism, DEM, geomorphic indices, Indravati Basin

Corresponding Author: annasam13@gmail.com
Page No. 347

Theme- Health GIS Abstract Id: 104
Modelling of functional Air Quality Index integrated with Health- GIS with the application of Bayesian Neural
Network
M. Rahaman Laskar1, A. Das1, S. Chatterjee1 and S. Hazra1

1Jadavpur
University, Kolkata
Abstract
Air pollution is a major problem, conscious both for health and surroundings. This is a novel approach for the design & development of a system
for the monitoring of different air pollutants especially at remote places where it is difficult to install any conventional air quality monitoring
stations as well as for the cities. The model is integrated with different types of sensors to measure the level of different air pollutants or air
quality parameters such as Suspended particulate matters, Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM / PM10), Carbon monoxide,
Hydrocarbons, Carbon di oxide, Sulphur di oxide, Nitrogen di oxide etc. to implement a new functional Air Quality Index (fAQI). This index has
been designed using Bayesian neural network to provide the random real time data about a location through wireless communication. Each
location in Map (GPS) can be updated automatically with fAQI to the user through mobile computing and satellite commutation. The user gets
information about the neighbourhood location with health related information such as- whether a particular location is sensitive to allergy,
respiratory diseases such as Bronchitis, asthma, COPD etc. due to suspended allergen/pollutants in the ambient air. This novel approach is
designed with its own prototype and an application of Inter of Things (IOT) in Health GIS for the benefit of humanity.
Keywords: Ambient air quality Monitoring, Data Acquisition, Bayes Network, Wireless Communication, Health GIS
Corresponding Author: m.rahaman93@gmail.com
Page No. 348

Spatial Data Mining on IDSP Data: Opportunities and Challenges
Shiva Reddy Koti1, Sameer Saran1 and Kamal Jain1

Abstract
Integrated Disease Surveillance Program (IDSP) project started with a mission to strengthen the disease surveillance system for epidemic prone
diseases in India since 2004. Under this project weekly data is collected from surveillance units distributed across country in standard formats.
Spatial Data Mining (SDM) is a process of discovering the interesting and previously unknown patterns from the spatial datasets. The four
important output patterns SDM are spatial cluster, spatial co-location rules, spatial outlier and the predictive models. In this article we present
brief overview of the data collected in IDSP and opportunities for applying SDM. We start with exploratory study of the IDSP data taking
Dehradun district as case study. This include representation of the data organisation, entity relationship in terms of ER and data flow diagrams. We
present the selected spatial data mining techniques which can be used to discover interesting patterns from the IDSP data. Then we discuss
advantages and drawbacks of current IDSP data in SDM perspective. We model few of the drawbacks as constraint and present SDM solutions
which can work in these constraints. Finally, we conclude with the future possibilities of automated and semi-automated SDM techniques for early
warning of epidemics and health emergencies.
Keywords: , , , ,
Corresponding Author: kotishiva@gmail.com
Page No. 349

Identification of Disease Hotspots in Urban Agglomeration using Remote Sensing and GIS
Ravali Bharadwaj1, Satya Sahithi V.1, Divya Viyayan V.1, Manoj Raj Saxena1 and Ravishankar G.1
Abstract
Urbanization has always neglected the basic and prime needs of the human population which in turn adversely affects the human health. A proper
environment management plan along with the disease eradication programme is necessary to completely eliminate the disease from the society. In
order to properly plan, manage and monitor any public health programme, it is important to have an update and relevant information and for this
purpose remote sensing and geographic information system can be used as an excellent tool. In this view, a study is taken to identify the hotspot
areas for communicable disease spread and the cause for the diseases prevalent in different seasons in Hyderabad. A detailed mapping of the
physical / natural features of the site using satellite data (Cartosat 1 panchromatic imagery along with Resourcesat 2 LISS 4) is done and
integrated with meteorological data (rainfall, temperature and humidity) along with socio economic data. Water quality index was studied at the
various sanitary and waste disposable sites to identify the spread of water /vector borne diseases. Information on primary health centers in the site
is studied to know its facilities in preventing and controlling the spread of disease. It is observed that in waterlogged areas with low water quality
index during high humid season and densely populated sites, the disease spread is high. There is an imbalance in the location of the primary health
centres and the disease hotspot which in turn aggravated rapid spread of the disease. The study proposes the requirement of more primary health
centres around hotspot sites.
Keywords: urban health, water quality index, vector borne disease, primary health centres, remote sensing
Corresponding Author: ravalibharadwaj2088@gmail.com
Page No. 350

An Exploratory Analysis of Effect of Environmental Factors on Cancer Incidence in India
Alok Sharma1, Prasun Kumar Gupta1 and Shruti Gupta1

1Amity University, Noida , 2Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun
Abstract
Remote sensing helps in capturing information on various environmental factors from satellites over large area for long periods of time. Although
the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in public health is still nascent, it is finding increased use in geospatial modeling of diseases,
analyzing impact of socio-economic and environmental variables on diseases, assessing disease spread and its severity over large areas, in
monitoring and surveillance of diseases and helping in making informative choices in health policies. Cancer registry programs help in systematic
and detailed collection of cancer data. Effects of environmental factors on carcinogenesis are not well known. Analyzing effects of environmental
factors may provide new insights into cancer causes. In this study exploratory analysis of effect of Temperature and Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD)
on Cancer Incidences was performed across India, district-wise for data from the year 2001 and 2002. The Python programming language was
used for collecting, processing, analysing and modeling geo-spatial data. The processed datasets for cancer incidences and environment variables
were geo-referenced to district wise vector map of India and inverse distance weighting interpolation, re-projection and resampling was performed
afterwards with QGIS, an open source GIS software. The temporal analysis indicates an inverse trend between temperature and cancer incidence,
indicating higher correlation in colder months and lower in warmer months. A poor fit between AOD and Cancer Incidence was observed with
average coefficient of regression ranging from 0.032 to 59.0 for a countrywide average of 5.245 for year 2001 and between 0.001 and 27.87, for a
countrywide average of 11.264 for the year 2002. Since a correlation does not indicate causation and definite proof of relation, the results need to
be verified with larger, more recent datasets and datasets for different regions, with different mathematical models to analyze relationship for both
Normalized Mean Temperature and Cancer Incidence. The study can be extended to include more environmental variables such as radiation and
elevation. This model can also be applied to other diseases and other socio-economic, environmental and demographic variables.
Keywords: Cancer, Diseases, Health GIS, Environmental Factors, Carcinogen

Corresponding Author: aloks1701@gmail.com
Page No. 351

Vehicle Tracking System in Mobile Medical Units in Jharkhand
Ravish Kumar1
1JharkhandSpace Applications Centre, Ranchi
Abstract
The vehicle tracking system was developed to the Mobile Medical Units of Department of Health and Family Welfare. Vehicle Tracking System
uses and integrates the power of various technologies to efficiently track and monitor any moving asset. Vehicle tracking devices has been
installed in 99 Mobile Medical Units under Jharkhand Rural Health Mission Society (JRHMS). The technology behind this are Global Positioning
System (GPS), General Packet Radio System (GPRS), Geographic Information System (Maps) and Internet. The major outcomes includes (i) The
facilities like Zoom In, Zoom Out, panning, measure distances show layers, symbols, linked database and display positions of the vehicles, (ii) To
query and seek information on the position of any vehicle using SMS. On line plotting on a digital map, (iii) To send SMS when MMU reaches at
the destination to Civil Surgeon/Chief Medical Officer, Deputy Collector of the respective districts and Control Room in the JRHMS, (iv)
Generating Reports, Data and Analysis of the movement of MMU's. The system is running successfully and the payment of the partner agencies
running the ambulance is now linked with this system. The system may be replicate in all the government departments for live tracking of the
vehicles including Police Control Room vehicles and school buses for better service of the citizens.
Keywords: GPS, LIVE TRACKING, GPRS, WEB GIS, HEALTH

Corresponding Author: ravish_sahai@rediffmail.com
Page No. 352

Disparities in Rural Healthcare Infrastructure in India: A Critical Analysis using GIS
Mohd Taqi2 and Mohd Mazhar Ali Khan2

1JamiaMillia Islamia University, New Delhi
Abstract
Healthcare infrastructure, be it physical or human resources forms a critical part of health service delivery in a whole healthcare system. Efficient
and effective delivery of healthcare services depends on the availability and accessibility of health infrastructure for the people. Unfortunately
health care system in rural India has remained inefficient and sub optimal even after decades of planned development. About 68% of population in
India still lives in rural areas, yet healthcare infrastructures in these areas are in pathetic condition. There are very few government health centers
and even those are devoid of most of the medical facilities and health personnels. Although the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), launched
in 2005 has made significant progress in the health infrastructure (mainly in physical infrastructure) in rural areas and has impacted the lives of
rural masses to some extent but it has simultaneously failed to bring desired results because of lack of proper implementation of healthcare
provisions. Also there is a wide regional disparity in the rural health infrastructure across the states. So the accessibility and availability of health
facilities as well as delivery of quality services in the rural areas deserve considerable attention from planners, researchers and healthcare workers.
In this context, the present paper critically examines and evaluates the disparities in availability as well as accessibility of health infrastructure in
rural areas of India.
Keywords: Disparities, Rural, Healthcare infrastructure, Availability, Accessibility

Corresponding Author: taqizaik@gmail.com
Page No. 353

GIS based Health Care Information System
Abhishek Singh1 and Sachin Bhardwaj1

1Gurukula Kangri Vishwavidyalaya, Haridwar
Abstract
This study focuses on the development of web based GIS for Public Health-care System. The development of this system is motivated to provide
opportunities for common people to gain access to different information about nearby hospitals and major clinics. In this study we are currently
designing a system which would be able to show all nearby hospitals,available departments there, there distance from user's current location,time
duration to reach a particular hospital/clinic and the shortest route to reach there. This system explores the use of open source software ; web
server is Apache Tomcat extended with support for PHP, MYSql database at back-end.
Keywords: Web based GIS, Public Health care, , ,

Corresponding Author: abhihwr1994@gmail.com
Page No. 354

Use of Geo-spatial Technologies for Prediction and Prevention of spread of Dengue
Heema Patel1 and Anjana Vyas1

1Centre
for Environmental Planning and Technology University, Ahmedabad
Abstract
In recent times, havoc is created by vector borne infectious disease spread between people by mosquitoes, DENGUE, also known as 'break-bone'
fever. In 1990, 1.5 billion people (almost 30% of the world population), lived in regions where there was estimated risk of dengue. Currently there
are no vaccines or drugs available for the treatment. The modeling, assessment and spatial analysis of dengue will facilitate us to understand the
extent of spread of the disease. On the basis of these climatic changes, preventive measures can be taken in the area of study. The climatic factors
majorly affecting the spread of dengue which are considered in spatial analysis are temperature, humidity, precipitation and wind speed.
Interpolation techniques were employed on the listed factors which gave us the desired raster outputs. To validate the above raster outputs,
statistical data of number of cases registered in the entire state of Gujarat in the considered time period were interpolated. Number of aspects of
preventive measures were addressed using MCA (Multi Criteria Analysis) Techniques in GIS platform. This paper describes the methodology to
check and predict the areas likely to fall prey to dengue and take preventive measures accordingly. It tends to know the organization of
information, location, situation, spread and accessibility in a GIS platform.
Keywords: Dengue, temperature, , humidity, precipitation

Corresponding Author: patelheema22@gmail.com
Page No. 355

A study to Analyse the Spatial Pattern of Dengue Fever using spatial statistics tools and Web GIS.
Rahul Onkar Gawai1

1University
of Pune, Pune
Abstract
Dengue fever is one of the most widespread viral diseases transmitted by Aedesaegypti mosquitoes. India has experienced increasing incidence of
dengue over the last couple of years. Pune was one of the cities that saw an outbreak during the last year.We sought to investigate the spatial
characteristics of the outbreak in a 2,00,000 population of the city. We identified areas of clustering, incidence rates of dengue fever, direction of
spread of dengue fever cases, relationship between rainfall and dengue cases and to create and display dynamic and interactive web map with the
help of GIS and Web GIS technology. We also determined the main health facilities reporting cases of dengue fever and service area. Data was
obtained through two surveillance systems operating in the study area. Spatial Statistic Techniques for the Dengue analysis were Average Nearest
Neighbor (ANN) Directional Distribution, used to determine of the Geographical distribution pattern of the disease, incidence rate is use for
measure of the idea of risk of dengue fever and the Web GIS used for display dynamic and interactive web map and sharing to other. Dengue
fever showed the highest incidence in ward number 59 and 60. Statistically significant clustering of cases is seen in the Sutardara slum area. The
relationship between rainfall and cases of dengue fever showed the typical rise in cases immediately following heavier rains followed by drier
spells. The laboratories reported the major proportion of cases and covered a major proportion, with the exception of ward 61. With help of Web
GIS we able to show the dynamics web map. We found specific areas of clustering of cases as well as identified the monthly and directional
distribution of disease. Therewere temporal and spatial correlation between post rain fall season and DF disease outbreak in wards and it has
closely association between rainfall and DF transformation. This study provided useful information about the health facilities available in the
study area for the setting up of a disease surveillance system and the Web Map is available for the understanding the trends and the pattern of DF.
Keywords: GIS, Webgis, ANN, Aedesaegypti, DF

Corresponding Author: rahul.unipunegis@gmail.com
Page No. 356

The Role of Social and Environmental Determinants of Acute Diarrheal Disease Among Young Children in a
Peri-urban Area of Tamil Nadu, India
Dr.V.Lavanya1
1JerusalemCollege of Engineering
Abstract
Acute diarrheal disease is environmental mediated health risk, so it is important to understand the environmental pathways through which the risk
can move. This study considers environmental determinants which are closely related to social determinants, because environmental set up of a
household decides the socioeconomic condition. Hence, the focus must be on identifying the risk pathways between the potential source of
contamination drinking water source and its implication on health. This paper aims to assess the risk of ADD due to unprotected water supply and
inadequate sanitation in a peri-urban area of Chennai. 290 individuals were interviewed, and water samples were collected from 190 household
and analysed for E. coli. High contamination was observed in community water source and the rate of occurrence of diarrhea was also high in the
same. This study analysed the complex relationship exist between socioeconomic condition E coli and Diarrrheal prevalence.
Keywords: Diarrhea, Coliform;, Socioeconomic condition, Sanitation, Peri-urban

Corresponding Author: lavsdev@gmail.com
Page No. 357

Theme- Infrastructure & Developmental Planning in RS & GIS Applications Abstract Id: 30
Riverside Tourism Development Using Geospatial and Engineering Techniques in the Part of Central Himalaya
Divya Uniyal1, Pravesh Saklani 1 and Saurabh Purohit1

1IndianInstitute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 2Uttarakhand Space Application Centre, Dehradun
Abstract
Uttarakhand is bestowed with natural opulence with picturesque locations, snowcapped mountains, lush green valleys, perennial rivers and
pleasant climate. Uttarakhand is fortunate to be able to call itself a water rich state and possesses a number of rivers with great potential for
recreation. Major rivers like Ganga and Yamuna have its origin here which had always fascinated tourists and researchers. Much of its land has
already been explored for new tourist spots but new tourist avenues like riverside tourism/waterfronts are still needed to be explored. A developed
tourism/waterfront trail would provide local residents access to new recreation opportunities and an expanded awareness of the natural aspects of
river life as well as potential tourist spot. Thus a holistic approach for the identification, planning and mapping using Remote Sensing,
Geographical Information System (GIS) and mathematical modeling techniques for the prospective new tourist spots along riverside/Waterfront is
needed to be carried out. In present study above mentioned techniques and considering the hydraulically efficient factors had been used to develop
the tourism map for the river Khoe of District Pauri Garhwal.
Keywords: Waterfronts, Remote sensing, GIS, Mathematical modeling, Hydraulically efficient factors
Page No. 358

Monitoring and Tourism Potential Evaluation of Six Nationally Important Heritage Sites in Uttarakhand
Parul Bukadia1, Sudha Ravindranath1, Vidya A.1 and Uday Raj1

1Kumaun University, Nainital , 2National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad
Abstract
India is culturally rich with diverse geography and historically important archaeological heritage sites and monuments which are of national
importance. Generally, these monuments / heritage sites face increasing risk from urbanization, unplanned tourism, natural and man-made
disasters, etc. which calls for monitoring at regular intervals. In this study, GIS and satellite remote sensing techniques have been used for
monitoring six nationally important monuments / heritage sites of Uttarakhand which are located in diverse geographical setting as well as in
different economic conditions belonging to diverse religious backgrounds. Multi temporal high resolution satellite images viz., Landsat ETM+
(2000-2001), Cartosat-1 & LISS IV (2009-10) and other ancillary data have been used to monitor the development/expansion around the heritage
sites within a specific buffer area encompassing its management zones viz., prohibited and regulated boundary. Landuse / Landcover (LU/LC)
change analysis indicated significant changes in vegetation and built-up area categories, especially in the sites located within a city/town viz.,
Dehradun and Kashipur as compared to others located in remote areas, providing an important information for the ASI authorities for effective
management of their sites. An effort has also been made to evaluate the tourism potential of these sites to suggest planning strategies for its
improvement there by impacting the area???s economic development. The tourism potential of the sites have been evaluated based on physical,
social, and environmental parameters using weighted ranking method, a popular multi-criteria decision making tool. Based on the total tourist
potential scores, the sites have been classified into four major categories, out of which, Lakshmi Narayan temple situated in Garur has medium
tourist potential which needs to be enhanced by improving transportation and accommodation facility near the monument. The methodology
adopted in the study for monitoring can be extended to other nationally important monuments in Uttarakhand region for efficient management and
conservation. The weighted ranking approach can be used to prepare a tourism developmental plan for improving the tourist inflows for selected
nationally important monuments.
Keywords: CARTOSAT-1, LISS-IV, Landuse /Landcover, Weighted Ranking Method, Heritage Site
Corresponding Author: ravisud4@gmail.com
Page No. 359

Cellular automata based spatial predictive modelling of land use/ land cover dynamics of Uttarakhand state
Aarti Singh1, Sandeep Maithani1 and Pramod Kumar1

Abstract
The study aims to investigate the process of land cover / land use change dynamics in Uttarakhand state, using time series geospatial data. The
geospatial data for three different time periods i.e., 2006, 2010 and 2015 was downloaded from Bhuvan geoportal. A transition matrix depicting
the probability of each land cover / land use class to transit to other classes, was generated using the above mentioned temporal data sets. Based
on the matrix, the land cover / land use classes were further classified into active (i.e., built up, agriculture) and passive classes (forests, waster
lands etc.). A cellular automata based spatial predictive model was then used for modelling the land cover / land use dynamics. The model was
calibrated by varying the number of model iterations and spatial neighbourhood size. The calibrated model was then executed for simulating the
future land cover / land use patterns in response to various development policy measures.
Keywords: Cellular automata, Bhuvan, Transition matrix

Corresponding Author: maithanis99@gmail.com
Page No. 360

Selection of Solid Waste Disposal Site for Hilly and Undulating Terrain: A Case Study of Greater Shillong Planning
Area, Meghalaya, India using Fuzzy Overlay Method
Manindar Pandiri1, I.C. Das1, Vinod Kumar K.1, C.S. Jha1 and P.V.V. Prasada Rao1
1AndhraUniversity, Visakhapatnam , 2National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad
Abstract
Managing of solid waste by urban authorities has become a very serious problem in recent time due to rapid urbanization. Unscientific dumping
of municipal solid waste (MSW) in open places shows an adverse effect on human health and the environment. Finding solid waste disposal site
in hilly areas is very difficult. The Shillong city situated at an average altitude of 1400 meters above mean sea level on Shillong Plateau and
surrounded by hills. The Greater Shillong Planning Area (GSPA) having 78% of the total urban population of Meghalaya state. In GSPA per day,
159 metric tons of solid waste is getting generated with a rate of 400 grams per day per capita. Because of the high amount of solid waste getting
generated from GSPA present landfill site will not serve for next 30-40 years. The main objective of the present study is to find a suitable site for
solid waste disposal using Geographic Information system (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) for GSPA, Meghalaya, India. GIS and RS is an
effective tool to study about environmental, urban planning and development issues. In this study, multiple sets of response factors like lithology,
land cover and land use, settlements, slope, overburden thickness, permeability, geological structures, roads, water bodies and depth to water table
have been combined in a knowledge guided framework to identify the suitable site using GIS. In the present study, GIS-based fuzzy overlay
analysis has been carried out for suitable site identification for solid waste disposal based on the ratings & weights has been assigned with expert
& field knowledge. The final suitability map has been represented in four classes such as very low, low, moderate and high suitable. High suitable
areas have been observed towards the northeast of Shillong city. These sites are away from settlements and water bodies and easily accessible by
roads.
Keywords: Solid Waste Management, Site Suitability, Waste disposal site, Fuzzy Overlay, Greater Shillong Planning Area
Corresponding Author: manindar.pandiri@gmail.com
Page No. 361

Copyright Protection of Remote Sensing Data under Indian Jurisdiction
Biswanath Gupta1 and Raju K.D.1

1Indian
Institute of Technology, Kharagpur
Abstract
Application of outer space science and technologies are considered one of the sophisticated areas of research. Interestingly many private
companies in US and elsewhere are investing for the development of space science and technology. It is obvious that, every private entity will
look for property right protection for their investments. And one form of security of property right is protection of their intellectual property.
Copyright is one of those forms for protections of intellectual property rights. Most of the space advance countries such as the US, France and
Russia have extended the protection of copyright in space technology. One of the most important areas of copyright protection of space
application is satellite image or remote sensing data. Due to various application of remote sensing data (produced by state or private companies),
the protection for copyright of significant data become necessary. Therefore the article argues for the copyright protection of remote sensing data
generated by in India, as it is moving for venturing into commercialization of outer space activities. However, it is important to note that,
copyright can only be granted to any expression but not on any idea. One of the famous doctrines of Copyright is sweat of the brow. According to
this doctrine though there is no creative originality, if simple diligence is there while creation of that work, copyright can be granted. Remote
sensing data can be of two types. One is raw remote sensing data and another is processed remote sensing data. In case of second type of data,
there is no doubt that copyright can be granted automatically on processed data. The processed data is analogous to that of photographs. But the
jurists are divided whether raw data can be granted copyright or not? It is evident that, any form of remote sensing data is a form of expression
and raw remote sensing data are produced after certain technological process. Therefore, the argument for not granting copyright to raw remote
sensing data has less foundation. The article analyzes different theories of copyright and develops the justification for granting copyright to
remote sensing data under the Indian
Keywords: copyrights, remote sensing data, commercial outer space activities, raw data and processed data, space law
Corresponding Author: biswanathgupta1988@gmail.com
Page No. 362

Tourism Carrying Capacity Assessment of Lidder Valley, Kashmir using Geo-Spatial Modelling
Waheed Shah1 and Shakil Ahmad Romshoo1

1University
of Kashmir, Srinagar
Abstract
Expansion of tourism provides incentives for economic development especially in the mountainous and picturesque state of Jammu & Kashmir.
However, tourism activities can generate both positive and negative effects on the environment, if the influx is promoted beyond the capacity of
the region. It is therefore of vital importance to plan the growth of tourism along sustainable lines in order to secure long-term economic benefit
from tourism. The study was conducted in Lidder valley in Kashmir were the tourism has been promoted exponentially during the last few
decades in an unplanned manner, transforming, even destroying natural, cultural and social resources. The purpose of this study was to suggest
and test a model for assessing the carrying capacity of tourism destinations, as a tool to evaluate whether the current situation is sustainable or not
and to determine if a rise in visitor numbers could affect the quality of the environment. DPSIR model was used based on classification of
identified impact factors and variables, as well as selected classification algorithms that were used to assess ecological sensitivity of the areas and
facilities with the objective of determining the tourism carrying capacity in sensitive areas that are facing the risk of being subjected to ecological
degradation. For the assessment, all environmental, socio-economic and other important factors related to the tourism activity in the region. It was
found that tourist flow to Pahalgam is below the carrying capacity for most part of the year. However, it exceeds the threshold limit during peak
season by the large number which is a matter of concern. The lowest carrying capacity was found in the park areas having the tourist load of
411300 people per year, whereas the threshold carrying capacity is only 84840 people per year .The areas which have exceeded the carrying
capacity are the forest and park areas which are spread over an area of 748461 m2 .The overall results show that the unplanned tourism growth in
the region has led to environmental problems related to land and water resources degradation, noise, air and water pollution.
Keywords: Tourism Carrying Capacity, DPSIR Model, GIS Modelling

Corresponding Author: xwaheed111@gmail.com
Page No. 363

Use of High Resolution Remote Sensing Data, GIS and GPS Techniques for Monitoring Urban Growth, Landuse
Changes, Future Population and Land Consumption Projections of Varanasi City, Uttar Pradesh, Ind
Virendra Kumar2, Arvind Kumar Gautam2 and V. Rajamani2

Abstract
Use of high resolution satellite imageries and Geographical Information System (GIS) provide us information on present and past status of
extensions and landuse change in outskirts of urban centres. The present study is an attempt to analyze the temporal urban growth and landuse
change of Varanasi city using Survey of India Topographical Map surveyed in 1973 and IKONOS satellite data of various time periods from 2004,
2009 and 2014. The result shows that in 1973 the urban built-up land of the city based on SOI Topographical Map was 5145.7914 hectare whereas
based on interpretation of IKONOS satellite imagery of 2004, 2009 and 2014, the urban built-up area of the city is 8345.9769 hectare in 2004,
9931.5102 hectare in 2009 and 11164.2529 hectare in 2014 respectively. This has increased to 3200.1855 hectare in a period of 31 years from
1973 to 2004 and in the period from 2004 to 2009 and 2009 to 2014 it has increased by 1585.5333 hectare and 1232.7427 hectare respectively. It
has been observed that there is a significant increase in the built-up urban area, whereas during the period from 2004 to 2009, agricultural land,
orchard/plantation and water bodies have been decreased to-26.112 hectare, -94.4253 hectare and -17.572 hectare respectively and trend change of
agricultural land is -1.64%, orchard/plantation-5.95% and river/waterbodie-0.11%. Similarly, between the period from 2009 to 2014, the change
occurred in agricultural land -91.64979 hectare (-7.43%), orchard/plantation-78.1826 hectare (-6.34%) and waterbody-32.1337 hectare (-2.60%).
Land consumption rate and land absorption co-efficient between the period 1973to2004, it is 0.0070639 hectare and 0.006785hectare, 2004 to
2009 (0.0069409 hectare and 0.006815 hectare), 2009 to 2014(0.0069204 hectare and 0.003783 hectare) respectively. Land consumption rate and
land absorption co-efficient between the periods from 2014 to 2021 based on projected population has been estimated as 0.0062138 and 0.002967
hectare respectively. The prime arable land, orchard/plantation and water body has been converted to built-up (urban land). This digital database
created for urban growth and landuse change of Varanasi city, Uttar Pradesh, India using multi-date data in Arc-GIS software would be very
useful for urban development agencies/ planners and decision makers for better landuse planning and management for proposed landuse
programmes.
Keywords: Urban Growth, IKONOS Satellite High Resolution Image, Landuse Change, Land Consumption,
Corresponding Author: vk15868@gmail.com
Page No. 364

Urban Spatial Growth Modelling using Artificial Neural Network: A Case Study of Rudrapur City
Praveen Kumar Sonkar1, Sandeep Maithani1, Virendra Kumar2 and Abhishek Singh Yadav1
1A.P.J.
Abdul Kalam Technical University, Lucknow , 2Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 3Remote Sensing Application Centre, Lucknow
Abstract
Urbanisation is a phenomenon which results in increase in population within the urban space. Urbanisation, if left unmonitored and no
preplanning is done, it leads to many social, economic, demographic and environmental problems. Urban Growth has brought significant losses to
water bodies, vegetation and agriculture land. Therefore precise and periodic monitoring of Land use/ land cover and predicting future growth of
an area in advance becomes extremely important for better planning and management of resources. This study emphasis on the development of
integrated system between Remote Sensing Technique, Geographical Information System, Artificial Neural Network and Computational
environment. This integrated system will help in modelling the urban growth and forecasting the future land development. The urban growth
model has been designed and developed to simulate the growth pattern of Rudrapur city. The Artificial Neural Network is deployed to learn the
patterns of development in the study area, while GIS is deployed to develop the spatial and future growth driving factors and perform spatial
analysis on the results. Remote sensing data provides the calibration data for the model in the form of temporal datasets that allow land use/land
cover mapping and change detection. Land use/Land cover has been classified into five classes but the sole objective of the study is to classify
land use/Land cover into two classes i.e. Built-up and Non-builtup as the main aim is on predicting urban built-up growth. The urban growth
model is designed based only on the physical parameters affecting urban growth, like distance variables because of non-availability of socio-
economic-political variables. The factors and model that performed well on simulation has been used to forecast the future urban growth. The
study also demonstrates the practical approach to develop the Multi-layer Perceptron Neural Network in Land Change Modeler of IDRISI TerrSet
environment. Land Change Modeler simplifies the complexities of change analysis. Land Change Modeler allows to rapidly analysis land cover
change, conceptually model relationship between driving variables and growth pattern, validation of the model and simulation of future land
development scenarios.
Keywords: Urbanisation, Urban Growth, Artificial Neural Network, Multi-layer Perceptron Neural Network, Land Change Modeler
Corresponding Author: snkrpraveen@gmail.com
Page No. 365

PROSPECTS OF ROOFTOP WATER HARVESTING FOR URBAN WATER SECURITY: A STUDY USING
GEOSPATIAL TECHNOLOGY
Sadhana Jain1, Santanu Sahoo1 and Pramod Kumar1

1IndianInstitute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 2National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad
Abstract
Rapid urbanization and adversely increasing man-land ratio is the issue of concern for water security of urban areas and the city of Dehradun is no
exception. The term rainwater harvesting refers to direct collection of precipitation falling on the roof or on the ground to increase the water
storage for domestic purpose by storing rainwater locally, through roof top water harvesting, refilling of wells, recharging of water tank, etc. The
changes in urban land cover from natural to man-made in urban drainage system including the peri-urban zones assume a key part in the resilience
of water-ecological systems. The present study is aimed towards estimation of surface runoff from changing land use/ land cover types as well as
to estimate the potential of rooftop rainwater harvesting using very high resolution satellite (VHRS) data. The study area is in the fringe of
Dehradun, besides the Haridwar bypass road and at 2 km distance from the Inter State Bus Terminus (ISBT). The area is dominated by
agricultural land use but gradually transforming into built-up area. Soil Conservation Service (SCS) hydrological model based on runoff curve
number (CN) has been used in the present study. The hydrologic soil-cover complex and daily rainfall data from 2001 to 2005 has been used to
estimate the surface runoff emanating from the catchment. The rooftop area was estimated as 77 ha (8.4% of study area), with 7478 number of
houses using VHRS GeoEye data of the year 2013. The annual average rainwater volume based on rainfall data of five years i.e. 2001 to 2005 was
estimated as 1.16 Thousand Million Cubic Feet per Year (TMC/yr). This water may either be utilized for household purpose or adds to
sub-surface water storage. The study reveals that water conservation at micro-level through rooftop water harvesting has an imperative role to
play in sustainable water management as well for urban flood control.
Keywords: Roof-top Water Harvesting, Urban Water , Geospatial Technology, ,

Corresponding Author: sadhanajain3@gmail.com
Page No. 366

Planning of Transport Network of Nadiad City using Geo-Informatics
Rutu Doshi1, Jayesh Juremalani2 and Indra Prakash1

1Bhaskaracharya Institute For Space Applications and Geo-Informatics, Gandhinagar , 2Parul University, Vadodara
Abstract
Road network system is important for any city as it provides the means for people movement transportation of goods and other emergency
services like ambulances. Inefficient road network system will disrupt the transportation movement, environment and affect human movement and
quality of life. A good road network system can generate economic growth, physical transformation and improved system of strategic
connections. Nadiad is a recently form district of Gujarat state requiring detailed network analysis for the development of communication system
including roads connecting within the district and with other area adjacent to the Nadiad city with industries, hospitals, Education centres, airport,
railway station and bus terminal et.. The area is generally flat occupied by mainly three types of soil alluvial, well-drained calcareous and coarse
loam. Network analysis is being carried out to solve the problems pertaining to spatial networks including the most efficient travel route,
generating travel directions, locating the closest facility, and defining service areas based on travel time and distance covered using
geo-informatics technology.
Keywords: GIS, Network analysis, Road network

Corresponding Author: rutudoshi9094@gmail.com
Page No. 367

Calculating CO2 Emissions in Dehradun using Geospatial Techniques
Monica Ahalawat1, Kshama Puntambekar2, Dhwani Shah5, Venkata Jogarao Bulusu3, Kshama Gupta1, Harishankar1 and Pramod Kumar1
1Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad , 2Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 3M.V.G.R College of Engineering, Vizianagaram , 4School
of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi , 5School of Planning Bhaikaka, Anand
Abstract
In India the pollution records are generally available at city level and their spatial distribution is not available at intra-city level. Hence, it doesn't
give the intensity as to which area in the city is more polluted than the others. This study tries to estimate CO2 emissions at ward level due to
vehicular traffic by applying Geographic Information System (GIS). For this purpose, household (HH) survey data was used to estimate
ward-wise and mode-wise passenger movement considering each ward as a TAZ (Traffic Analysis Zone). Desire Line Diagram in GIS was
generated and the vehicular movement was assigned to the road network by the shortest path. The total trips from one ward to the other were
found. The trip length passing through each ward was extracted (in km). It was found that number of trip originating from each ward are higher
for the wards near the city boundary and comparatively less for the wards at the city centre. However, central ward of the Dehradun city are
subjected to highest CO2 emissions in excess of 500 kg per day in 2011 and 900 kg per day in 2015 from the personal vehicles alone (two
wheelers and cars). It is due to the urban form of Dehradun which is linear and all the traffic going from one end to another has to pass through the
central wards. The city as a whole produced approximately CO2 emission of 14 Tonnes in 2011 and 24 Tonnes in 2015 from personal vehicles.
Hence, different wards experience varied pollution levels due to the land use/ activities performed in those areas, which can't be estimated from
the city level data and geospatial techniques can be applied effectively to analyse and estimate the spatial distribution at intra city level.
Keywords: Co2 Emissions, Dehradun, Geospatial

Corresponding Author: kshama@iirs.gov.in
Page No. 368

Geo-spatial Assessment of Tourism Impact on Land Environment of Dehradun, Uttarakhand
Vikash Gupta1, Jaydip Dey1, Saurabh Sakhre1, Ritesh Vijay1, Rajesh Biniwale1 and Rakesh Kumar1
Abstract
Tourism is the world's largest service sector industry in terms of international trade. Dehradun is one of the most attracted tourist place of India
located in the Uttarakhand state. During past few decades, it is reported that there has been increased number of tourist activities in Dehradun. The
increase in tourism has led to various kinds of construction like roads, buildings, hotels etc. which affects topography of the mountainous region.
In this study, with the use of Remote Sensing and GIS techniques, Land Use/ Land cover (LULC) and slope of the region were assessed to find
out the impact of tourism on the land environment of Dehradun. Satellite Images of 1995-2015 were analyzed for LULC using object based image
analysis (OBIA) and ASTER-DEM (Digital Elevation Model) was used to determine topography of the Dehradun. Land use and Land cover of
Dehradun was classified in different classes such as built up, vegetation, forest and water body etc. Slope of the region was categorized as gentle,
moderate, strong, extreme, steep, and very steep. Built-up class of LULC was overlaid on various classes of slopes to assess the sprawl of built-up
on high terrain land. The overlay analysis reveals that due to increase in tourism the land use in the form of built up area was extended from gentle
slope to very steep slope. The haphazard construction on the extreme, steep and very steep slope is prone to land slide and other natural disasters.
This study suggests that the development of the city should be done in a planned way following the principles of optimum use of land and
sustainable development.
Keywords: GIS, Land use/ land cover, DEM, OBIA

Corresponding Author: vs_gupta@neeri.res.in
Page No. 369

IIntegrated Geospatial Database and Web Based Tools for Land Management and Administrative Planning
(ILMAP) for Imphal East and Thoubal Districts, Manipur State, India
V. Raghu1 and K. Mruthyunjaya Reddy1

1Andhra Pradesh Space Applications Centre, Hyderabad , 2National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad
Abstract
The northeastern India known as the land of rising Sun is uniquely endowed with nature's bounty. This is a region of mega-biodiversity but
steeped in poverty. In the midst of bounty of nature and lack of economic plan of development, it has built up strains and intense conflicts in the
region. It needs a paradigm shift in our policies to rid the region of the bane of poverty as well as economic isolation. Manipur is one of the States
in that region reeling under poverty. As part of the initiative by the Govt. of India for the development of the area, an Integrated Land
Management and Administrative Planning (ILMAP) was taken up in Manipur State with the state of the art technology. The objective of the study
is to generate GIS database on drainage, water bodies, administrative boundaries, and other utility maps. Land use/ land cover maps are prepared
using Quick Bird (QB) satellite data. Soil maps are generated using existing available soil maps generated by AISLUS, Govt. of India. Maps on
Point of Interest (POI) are generated along with their geographical coordinates. Using all this database a customized GIS based web application is
developed for e-governance. The methodology involves georeferencing of QB data with the help of DGPS survey. Drainage and surface water
bodies, base map and land use/land cover maps are generated with the help of QB data. Point of Interest is mapped in all urban areas covering
important landmarks such as Govt. offices, post offices, banks, religious places, and places of tourist interest etc along with photographs. Using
the soil maps generated by AISLUS and NBSS&LUP as a base, soil maps are prepared. All these maps are georeferenced to QB satellite data. A
customized GIS application is developed for e-governance using this database which can be accessed by authorized beneficiaries through State
Wide Area Network (SWAN). The application was deployed and training was provided to all the department officials.
Keywords: Land use/land cover, Manipur, e-governance, Point of Interest, High resolution satellite data
Corresponding Author: raghuvangeepuram@rediffmail.com
Page No. 370

Land Use Change and Its Impact on the Variation of Urban Heat Island Intensity in Raipur City, India
Subhanil Guha1, Himanshu Govil1 and Sandip Mukherjee2

1NationalInstitute of Technology, Raipur , 2TERI University, New Delhi
Abstract
The present study examines the spatial and temporal changes of the urban heat island (UHI) intensity in the Raipur city of India and its
relationship with land use land cover (LULC) changes between 2001 and 2016. The primary objective is to identify the specific regions of Raipur
that have experienced the most significant changes of UHI intensity from 2001 to 2016 using Landsat imagery. The relationship between LULC
changes and land surface temperature (LST) variations has also been studied using classified LULC maps. Simple mono-window algorithm has
been applied to retrieve the land surface temperature. Result indicates that the outer parts of Raipur city having the major variations in LST (>
40 Celsius) during the entire time period. A close observation reveals significant statistical variations between high surface temperatures for built
up areas (> 300 Celsius) and low surface temperatures for green areas and water bodies (< 230 Celsius). The conversion into urban and
impervious surfaces from other LULC types may be considered as the most important reason for the UHI effect in Raipur. Presence of vegetal
cover is significantly responsible for low LST due to its strong cooling effect and generates a negative relationship with LST. In the near future,
urban planners may also formulate new policies regarding the inclusion of park or green belt in the newly developed built up portion of the Raipur
city.
Keywords: Land use land cover change, Urban heat island, Landsat, Land surface temperature, Mono-window algorithm
Corresponding Author: subhanilguha@gmail.com
Page No. 371

Remotely Sensed Data Driven Modeling for the Spatio-temporal Change Pattern Analysis of Urban Functional
Nodes
Sk. Mafizul Haque3

1University of Calcutta, Kolkata
Abstract
An urban area has mosaic nature of heterogeneity land utilization with the long experience of its temporal variation. The spontaneous process of
urbanization in the leading regional primate urban centre magnifies the dimensions of land use changes. The zone of extreme land utilization in
the metropolitan centre is characterized by the agglomeration of intensive urban functions and changing scape of skyline structures. Mostly, the
uncontrolled aerial expansion of the urban built-up environment is a cause of concern as well as a challenge for planners in developing economies.
Leading metropolis in the developing countries has been generally experiencing the multi-zonations of functional activities. Since the last three
decades multi-spectral data of LANDSAT satellite has been used for the analysis of change detection. A composite index comprising
superimposition of NDVI, TIR, MIR and DN values of LANDSAT data is used here to detect the spatial and temporal shifts in the intense built-up
areas of Kolkata. The delineation of the urban functional nodes is attempted here using the remotely sensed data through overlaying the output of
image analysis. The combined output of NDVI, single band clustering and DN variation are used for the formulation of spatial model using the
basic principles of mathematical morphology and directional granulometry. This work traces the spatio-temporal dynamics operative in the
location, expansion and dissemination of the functional nodes in Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) area with the changing scenario of its
structural patterns. The complex nature of landscape variation in this metropolitan environment has been investigated from a techno-centric
perspective. Dilation nature of functional space in KMC is more noticeable with the spatial expansion and spatial merge patterns from 1990 to
2010. The analysis finds that spatial dynamics of unplanned emerging nodes are likely to pose more imminent planning challenges than the
historic traditional core.
Keywords: Functional nodes, remotely sensed data, LANDSAT, mathematical morphology, directional granulometry
Corresponding Author: mafi_haque@yahoo.co.in
Page No. 372

Estimation of Urban Growth in Bangalore using Multispectral Satellite Imagery and Performance Evaluation of
Urban Extraction Indices
Vivek Kumar Gautam2, Palani Murugan2 and Mylswamy Annadurai2

1ISRO Satellite Centre, Bengaluru
Abstract
The erstwhile garden city Bangalore has transformed into the Silicon Valley of India and is one of the fastest growing cities in Asia. Rapid
urbanisation and modernization of the city has led to substantial change in landuse / landcover pattern. Estimation of the urban built-up areas is an
essential indicator of urban development and environmental quality. Remote Sensing satellite imagery can play a significant role in this
investigation, dynamic monitoring and planning of fast growing urbanization. The Landsat series imagery has suitable features such as high
spatial, temporal and multispectral resolution and hence provides systematic, reliable and accurate data to detect change in extent of urbanisation.
In this paper, a study has been conducted to detect the growth in urban and built-up area extent during the period of 2002-2016 using several
methods, namely Normalised Difference Built-up Index (NDBI), Index based Built-up index (IBI), Enhanced Built-up and Bareness Index
(EBBI), Urban Index (UI), Normalised Difference Bareness Index (NDBaI), New Built-up index (NBI), Normalised Difference Impervious
Surface Index (NDISI) and Supervised Classification. The study was done over the level 2 Landsat-7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM+) image
of April 2002 and Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) images of April 2013 and April 2016. In order to avoid seasonal and cloud effects,
the month of April was chosen specifically. The study area was limited to urban Bangalore using Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP)
administrative boundary as a reference. Subsequently, each of the mentioned urban and bareness indices was applied to detect temporal variations
in terms of built-up area. Performance of these indices was also evaluated based on consistency with the field observed data and Google Earth
historical imagery. The results highlight the spatial distribution and intensity of urban expansion and indicate a significant escalation in
urbanization of the city over a relatively small span of 14 years.
Keywords: Urbanisation, Remote Sensing, Multispectral, Landsat 8, Indices

Corresponding Author: vivekg@isac.gov.in
Page No. 373

Hyper Spectral Studies for Urban Land Use and Land Cover Mapping Hyderabad, Telangana, India
B. Charan Teja3 and J. Satish Kumar3

Abstract
Urban agglomerations are areas of continuous urban development within a metropolitan area and are the physical form of that constitutes the
essence a city. Land use and land cover classification has highly demanding in planning, administration and scientific studies. The remote sensing
techniques can be effectively used for the classification of urban land use and land cover classification in different resolutions. Hyperspectral data
such as Hyperion has been collected for the Urban study, Hyperion is a sensor onboard on EO-1 satellite contains of 242 bands from (visible to
shortwave infrared region).This paper examines potential of Hyperspectral remote sensing in urban Land use and Land cover mapping.
Radiometric correction is done and is converted into reflection from radiance. Atmospheric correction using FLAASH is done on the satellite
data. The spectral signatures of various urban features are generated using Hyperspectral data and compared with USGS spectral library. MNF
transform is performed to reduce the dimensionality of the data. Supervised Classification such as Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM), Support Vector
Machine (SVM) and Maximum Likelihood. However, the result showing more number of vegetation classes could be classified in SAM. There is
a misinterpretation of built up and fallow classes in SAM, when compared to Maximum Likelihood classification, Spectral Angle Mapper,
Support Vector Machine shows the higher accuracy. Overall results showing Support Vector Machine have higher accuracy compared to Spectral
Angle Mapper and Maximum Likelihood and the results showing the ability of both techniques, when combined with Hyperion imagery to haul
out urban land use land cover for the case of a densely populated city like Hyderabad with complicated urban features. Such information is crucial
for successful infrastructure development, urban landscape planning, and enhancement of urban environment. More broadly, this study also
contributes substantially toward an objective aim of Hyperion urban land use land cover mapping. This shows that applications of Hyperspectral
images tool for urban land use and land cover mapping.
Keywords: URBAN, Hyperion, Support Vector Machine, Spectral Angle Mapper, Maximum Likelihood classification
Corresponding Author: charantezy@gmail.com
Page No. 374

Carbon Sequestration Potential of Trees in Kochi Corporation under the Changing Environmental Scenario
Seethalakshmi V.3, John C. Mathew1 and Ratish Menon2

1M.G. University, Nalgonda , 2SCMS School of Engineering and Technology, Palissery , 3SSET Karukutty, Palissery
Abstract
Global warming and climate change issues are the greatest threat to this planet. Natural ecosystem has degraded very much now due to the
industrial and technological developments. Consequent to this increase in carbon emission has also got increased. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the
most significant contributor to the issue of global warming. One of the possible ways to mitigate the CO2 concentration in atmosphere is by
terrestrial ecosystem. Urban forest tree cover plays a fundamental role in storing CO2 thereby improving the environmental quality and regulating
the climatic hazards. In this circumstance, this study examines the change in the carbon sequestration potential of trees in the Kochi Corporation
area, in the period between 2013 and 2015. Major infrastructure developments in Kochi like Smart city, the International Container Transshipment
Terminal (ICTT), LNG terminal, Vyttila mobility hub, and KMRL project, have degraded the natural ecosystem to a greater extent in the last few
years. A number of trees have been cut down for these construction activities. The study area extends to an area of about 94.88km2 of Kochi
Corporation. High resolution Resourcesat image with LISS IV sensor having 5.8m resolution is used for the study. Vectorisation of basic layers
like vegetation, buildings and road were done in ArcGIS. NDVI layers were generated for the years 2013 and 2015 and carbon sequestration
potential was calculated based on this data. A loss of 1457377 metre2 urban tree cover was found during the period of study. As a result of the
reduction in tree cover, carbon storage potential also got minimized. A reduction of 9716 tones of C was estimated through the study. Distance
zone classification from road and building layers of the study area was also done. It was reclassified into 12 zones and carbon storage in these
zones was also estimated. This study reveals the necessity of conserving trees in urban areas for maintaining a balance in the carbon storage
potential along with the developmental activities.
Keywords: Carbon Sequestration, Urban tree cover, Global Warming, Kochi Corporation, Developmental Activities
Corresponding Author: itsmineseetha@gmail.com
Page No. 375

Web-GIS based Campus Information System for National Institute of Technology, Warangal
Pavan Kumar Guduru2 and Venkata Reddy Keesara2

1National
Institute of Technology, Warangal
Abstract
Campus Information System (CIS) enables the users an access to a collection of available information resources of a university campus. Using
Geographic Information Systems, the spatial and non-spatial data of a campus can be collected and stored in a spatial database which can be
accessed and updated whenever required. Integration of Web-based GIS (Web-GIS) to the CIS facilitates an open flow of up to date information
thereby making it more accessible to the users. While GIS based Campus Information Systems are common and are widely used, Web-GIS is not
yet adopted as much. The focus of this paper is to present the development of a Web-GIS based Campus Information System for National Institute
of Technology, Warangal. Spatial data such as existing buildings, road, drainage and electric networks, trees, Wi-Fi hotspots etc. are collected
from existing CAD maps and field survey. Non-spatial attributes such as the number of floors in a building, their capacities and purpose, types of
roads, etc. are appended to the spatial data and databases are created. Using these databases an interactive platform for sharing spatial information
with better visualization and communication capabilities is developed. This system provides an ease of access to the campus information which
can be accessed through a wide range of devices compared to the existing campus maps which are available only at particular locations and offer
limited information.
Keywords: Geographical Information System, Web GIS, Campus Information System, Information mangement,
Corresponding Author: pavankguduru@hotmail.com
Page No. 376

Animal Husbandry Information System Using Geoinformatics
Randhir Singh2, Sagar Taneja2, Himanshu Kumar 2 and Raj Setia2

1Punjab Remote Sensing Centre, Ludhiana
Abstract
Livestock plays an important role in the rural economy of the State. The mapping of veterinary hospitals, polyclinics and dispensary has become
very important, since domestic animals have become hosts for diseases which have potential threat to humans (like bird flu etc) and these require
immediate treatment of animals. The Animal Husbandry Information System was prepared by taking into account the spatial data (location of
each hospital, polyclinic and dispensary) and non-spatial data (like infrastructure/assets and facilities at each hospitals, polyclinic and dispensary
in Punjab). The open source and free technology OpenGeo suite was used to develop the Web GIS application. OpenGeo suite is a free and open
source geospatial technology for building the Web GIS applications. It also includes all the required software like GeoServer and PostgreSQL in a
single package. The base layers (like road, rail, canal, drainage, settlements, village, block and district boundaries) were added to the database.
This application has various tools (like Pan, Zoom, Search and Identify etc.) which a user can browse and search the data. The application also
provides a comprehensive view about the spatial and non spatial data and can act as a decision support system for department, decision makers,
planners for monitoring and mobilization of resources, and the common people to locate the animal health care centre's.
Keywords: Animal Husbandry, Geoinformatics, OpenGeosuite, ,

Corresponding Author: randhirsingh33@gmail.com
Page No. 377

Object Oriented Approach for Building Extraction from Fused Airborne Lidar and Digital Orthophotos Data
Shikha Rawat1, Anil Kumar1 and Aniruddha Uniyal2

1A.P.J.Abdul Kalam Technical University, Lucknow , 2Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 3Remote Sensing Application Centre, Lucknow
Abstract
An object oriented approach is proposed for the extraction of the complex urban 3D features efficiently. For this purpose both the LiDAR data and
the aerial images were pre-processed and matched to same co-ordinate system. Then the LiDAR data fused with reflected intensity and spectrum
attribute of photographic images is used to extract features, such as buildings using Imagine Objective tool of ERDAS 14. nDSM was generated
from LiDAR point cloud and included as "pseudo" band and combined with the three spectral bands of the orthophotos. The image so generated is
further used for building extraction. The approach segments the pixel into objects considering the color/tone, texture etc. of the image and
classifies by treating each object as a whole. Utilizing characteristics information like shape, size, orientation, shadow etc. of an object in addition
to using spectral information; object oriented becomes a powerful image analysis approach. The method for automatic building extraction from
the fused data follows: Firstly, Single feature probability is used to perform pixel based classification. The buildings that are to be extracted are
selected by the user as training samples and based on the pixel values of the training samples, the probability values are assigned .Then split and
merge and edge detection operators is applied and then the segmented image is filtered by applying morphological filters. Thereafter the output
raster image is converted into vector image. Finally the buildings are extracted on the basis of area and shape from the vector image. At last, the
cleanup methods are applied to increase the accuracy of the results. To find the accuracy of building extracted the output was overlaid on and
visually extracted from the dataset and built area is also calculated.
Keywords: LiDAR, Orthophotos, Fusion, IMAGINE Objective, Building Extraction

Corresponding Author: str82shikha@gmail.com
Page No. 378

Innovations and integration of GIS in mega Schemes for developing countries, Case Study: Central Scheme of
India
Kaushal Jangid2 and Krishnakali Ghosh1

1IndianInstitute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 2IPE Global Delhi
Abstract
The unfortunate state of basic services in Indian cities and towns is a matter of growing concern as urbanization gains pace in the context of
structural transformation of the Indian economy. Information and communication technology (ICT) has a major role to play in improving
efficiency in delivering public services and making the process of delivery transparent and to solve the above mentioned issue. Geographic
Information System (GIS) has emerged as an important instrument in improving operational efficiency in planning and management of urban
infrastructure and services in India. Digital Maps & spatial data can be used for visualizing, analyzing and taking decision based on the analysis,
and if integrated, incorporated with ongoing mega schemes for developing countries; it can lead to the better performance and overall
development of the areas. The major aspects for innovation and integration of GIS involve: transportation, utility, environment and social
situations which are currently being reflected in various schemes like Smart City, Swacch Bharat Mission. The role of GIS in these scheme is
required across the full spectrum of components. The paper attempts to first define prevailing issues in urban areas along with their prioritization
& component categorization techniques. Leading to the need assessment for inclusion of spatial tools and inventorization of available best GIS
solutions for predominant aspects in urban & peri-urban areas. And presents an overview of GIS-led technological innovations that are underway
in improving the delivery of some basic services. The paper ultimately aims to identify processes, stages for the inclusion of GIS tools & solutions
in developing countries for development and propose specific recommendations through the case study of ongoing central level schemes in India.
And focuses on need for administrative and legislative reforms as key enabling factors for acquiring the gains of technology in the system of
service delivery. A concrete list of inclusion of GIS tools, method and solutions in planning and management for cities will help Governments and
Urban Local Bodies to better plan and strategize their development and in turn will lead to better quality of life.
Keywords: urbanization, government schemes, GIS-led innovations, planning,

Corresponding Author: kaushaljangid01@gmail.com
Page No. 379

Climate Comfort Zonation Map of India using Open Source Climate data and GIS Techniques
Uzma Mohamed Gani1, Kshama Gupta1, Aniruddha Deshmukh1 and Pramod Kumar1
1Indian
Abstract
Urbanization is significant to India's economic growth and leveraging prosperity. Climate is considered as one of the most important aspect that
lures the people to settle at a particular place and also calls for appropriate design responses to regional and local climate conditions. Urban
climate; has an important role in visualizing the growth of Indian cities as the thermal environment is inflexible mostly in hot and humid climate.
However, very less emphasis is given on climate oriented planning for sustainable building practices in India. Although climatic knowledge is
available, but its use in climate oriented planning have been lacking and relatively unexplored. Many methods such as the bioclimatic chart,
psychrometric chart and Mahoney table are available for climate classification and building design strategies for a long time. In the present study,
the methodology followed by Mahoney table has been implemented in GIS environment for the generation of Climate Comfort Zonation Map for
India. The Mahoney table proposes a climate analysis sequence that starts with the basic and freely available climatic data of temperature,
humidity and rainfall. WorldClim data of temperature and rainfall of 1 km spatial resolution has been used in the analysis. Relative humidity has
been calculated by using European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) data of temperature and dew point with a spatial
resolution of 13 km and has been re-sampled to 1 km to distinctly portray the variety of climate experienced in India. The methodology outlined
by Mahoney table was followed for the computation of climatic indicators which has been used in selecting suitable climate responsive building
strategies and these strategies are then superimposed for the generation of a climatic comfort zonation map which describes planning and design
guidelines for each zone. The outcomes of the study are useful to draw planning recommendations and to improve the quality of life for urban
dwellers.
Keywords: Urban Climate, Comfort Zonation Map, Thermal Comfort, Geographical Information System, Mahoney Table
Corresponding Author: uzmagani61@gmail.com
Page No. 380

LIDAR Data for Road Alignment and Geometric Design
D. Praveen3, B. Sadasiva Rao1, P. Sravana3 and Mohd Shahebaz Uddin3

1JawaharlalNehru Technological University, Hyderabad , 2National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad
Abstract
Highway engineering, which is a subset of transportation engineering basically deals with planning, designing and construction of various types of
new roads and expansion of existing roads. To realize the road on ground requires lot of manpower, efforts and time in all phases of planning,
designing and construction. Especially carrying of tasks in realizing the roads such as finalization of alignments and preparation of detailed
designs for large and inaccessible areas (forests, hilly, across water bodies, marshy areas) involves more cost and time as it difficult to collect
topographic data for generating contours, preparing detailed base maps. In recent past advances and availability of remote sensing technologies
enables to address the above issues and realize the needs in short and cost effective manner. Especially, LiDAR to be proven a more efficient in
acquiring the topographic information for larger areas precisely i.e., with sub meter accuracy in quick time with high density of elevation.
Moreover complementing digital camera data with LiDAR data to fulfil the most of the needs of road surveys. In this project it is planned to use
the LiDAR and digital camera data to understand the potential of LiDAR technology in realizing the needs of highway engineering works like
final alignment of roads, geometric design, cut-fills of earth work and visualization of planned design. To meet the objects set in the project, a
plane area having some undulations and covered with agriculture land located at Daulatpur town, West Bengal state, India was chosen as study
area. During project executions processes such as classifying ground under tree cover, undulating areas, generating stream network and making
mosaic seamless orthoimages were carried out to prepare a inputs(DTM, 1m contours, orthomosaic of study area) required to carry out geometric
design and alignment using LiDAR processing, photogrammetry and hydrology tools. Used professional software such as Terrascan, Erdas Image
LPS and ArcGIS were used during project execution. These processes made to understand the technology and challenges involved in realizing the
high resolution DTMs and ortho images. Carried forward to make the final alignment using IRC code specifications and conditions alternative
routes were generated.
Keywords: LIDAR, ALTERNATIVE ROUTES, EARTH WORKS, CONTOURS, MX ROAD

Corresponding Author: praveendasari91@gmail.com
Page No. 381

Studying the Potential of Airborne LIDAR Data and Digital Camera Data for Road Alignment and Geometric
Design
Mohd Shahebaz Uddin1, B. Sadasiva Rao1, P. Sravana3 and D. Praveen1

1Jawaharlal
Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad , 2National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the potential of airborne LIDAR data and digital camera data for road alignment and geometric
design. LiDAR is a remote sensing technology that measures distance by illuminating a target with a laser and analyzing the reflected light.
LiDAR uses ultraviolet, visible, or near infrared light to image objects. LiDAR has been used extensively for atmospheric research and
meteorology. LiDAR instruments fitted to aircraft and satellites carry out surveying and mapping. An attempt was made in understanding the
utilization of LiDAR data for studying transportation engineering tasks such as alignment of roads in inaccessible area, geometric design and
volume computation. Alignment of road was planned as per the Indian Roads Congress (IRC) guidelines with ease using close contour data.
Integration of the technologies like LiDAR, Photogrammetry with professional software such as Terrascan, Erdas Image LPS, MX Road and
ArcGIS were successfully demonstrated and this paved the way for successful completion of the project.
Keywords: Road design, LiDAR, Elevation data, Earthworks, MX Road

Corresponding Author: shahebaz23@gmail.com
Page No. 382

Geospatial Approach for Identification of Suitable Sites for Solar Panel Installation
A.T. Jeyaseelan1, Kuldeep1, Swati Uniyal1, Sapana B. Chavan1, Ravi Prakash Singh1, Vijaya Banu1, Madhu Babu K.1, Virat Arora1 and V. Raghu Venkataraman1
Abstract
Solar energy has been proved as one of the significant replacement of the conventional non renewable energy. One of the challenges is how to
assess the suitability of the places of solar panel installation to significantly improve the solar panel performance. The space based inputs have
shown its promising potential to solve such types of problems in a cost effective manner. The purpose of this study is automatic identification of
suitable site for solar panel installation by using a Multi Criteria Evaluation (MCE) technique, Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) in Geospatial
Environment. For Criteria evaluation factors such as annual average Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI), Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI), DEM
and various thematic datasets (Wasteland, Road, Water body, Slope, Aspect, etc.) generated under SIS-DP project has been used. Suitable Sites
have been identified using weighted integration of all the criteria parameters. Using the procedure developed automatic identification of suitable
sites for solar panel installation for Chikmaglur district of Karnataka state has been carried out. The result of the study highlighted the use of Site
elevation, Aspect, Slope for optimum receipt of incoming solar radiation and other landuse / land cover data. Further the study provides scope for
extending to other areas from the satellite derived DEM and other data.
Keywords: Solar Energy, Geospatial Techniques, Remote Sensing, AHP,

Corresponding Author: uniyal.swati@gmail.com
Page No. 383

Geospatial Analysis for Tourism Potential: A Case Study for Nainital, Uttarakhand State
Bharath B.D.1, Taanyawit Jitpakdee1 and Pramod Kumar1

1Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency Thailand , 2Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun
Abstract
Tourism being a popular leisure activity, plays an important role in maintaining social harmony, recreation and helps in enhancing excellence in
community skills. Nainital town is a popular tourist destination of Uttarakhand state, is no exception to the growing traffic due to high turnout of
tourists and has resulted to inadequate accommodation, infrastructure facilities. The peak season for tourist,s to Nainital starts from mid May and
continues till mid July every year. The actual population of Nainital city is 41,377 as per census data of 2011. The tourist's influx during the peak
season to Nainital is nearly six to nine times of the local population. This tourist influx, especially within the municipal limits exceeds the carrying
capacity of tourist facilities/ infrastructure in Nainital town leading to problems such as transportation (traffic congestion), lack of adequate
parking areas, water supply, lack of accommodation facilities, insufficient electric supply etc. for tourists in peak season. In the present study,
remote sensing data along with ancillary information have been used to assess the tourism carrying capacity of Nainital town. Land use/ land
cover map, topographical map, ward map, Cartosat DEM of 30 m resolution, Nainital Guide map and Bhuvan / Google-earth high resolution
satellite imagery was used in the present study. Network analysis was carried out to find routing to tourist destinations such as Heritage sites,
Lakes, adventure tour path in and around Nainital town. Tourism carrying capacity assessment has been done based on number of domestic and
foreign tourist in peak season, residential population, area of Nainital municipal boundary, average number of days of tourist's stay in Nainital
town, number of days in peak season, URDPFI guidelines and Normalizing Density. The methodology proposed can be used by planners for the
timely tourism planning, upgradation of infrastructure facilities for sustainable tourism development.
Keywords: Geospatial Analysis, Tourism Carrying Capacity, Network Analysis, URDPFI Guidelines, Normalizing Density
Corresponding Author: bharath@iirs.gov.in
Page No. 384

Site Specific Development Regulations in Hill Towns Through Multi-Criteria Analysis and Application of GIS
Rita Minhas1 and Sanghamitra Basu1

1Design Group Consultancy, Bengaluru , 2Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur
Abstract
While India gears up for rapid growth, population residing in urban areas is expected to increase to 50% by 2050.Hill towns are no exception. As
concrete jungles replace beautiful forested slope giving into pressure of development, limited land area for physical expansion result in
undesirable developments. Very high level of building activities are going on in these hill towns. Analysis of existing scenario in some of the hill
towns in India ,revealed that people intend to have high built up area irrespective of the slopes so as to achieve maximum allowable FAR .Existing
FAR and height regulations in hill towns studied are found to be uniform for all plot sizes thereby leading to similar kind of development all over
the town irrespective of the slope, aspect or connectivity leading to subsequent depletion of tree cover, increase in pollution, climate change, soil
erosion, pollution of aquifers and blockage of natural drains . This brings out how contextually inappropriate the building regulations in hill towns
are.Changing the present form of prescriptive regulations to either form based regulations or performance based or site specific regulations are
required to yield contextually as well as aesthetically pleasant buildings.With an aim to formulate appropriate development control regulations (
DCR) for hill towns, this article describes studies covering wide ranging relevant issues such as slope stability, climate responsive
approach,vernacular practices in hill towns, safety of retaining structures and existing regulations in Indian hill towns for environmental
safety.Various aspects have been systematically analysed based on available tools and techniques like comparison of existing built form and slopes
by hypothetical model, correlation analysis of sample survey data for satisfaction and existing built form , ward wise slope analysis in a GIS
format with respect to existing land use. With an aim to introduce variable FAR in the context of a hill town, the study illustrates a methodology
for identification of developable area in a hill town by sieve mapping method with the help of GIS finally leading to FAR prioritization plan
through multi-criteria analysis.
Keywords: Form Based Regulations, Hill Town Built Form, FAR Prioritization, GIS Application , Sieve Mapping
Corresponding Author: minhas.rs95@gmail.com
Page No. 385

Identification and Mapping of Flash floods in Urban areas using Geospatial Technologies
B. Aneesha Satya2 and M. Shashi2

1NationalInstitute of Technology, Warangal
Abstract
Flash floods occur because of the rapid accumulation and release of runoff waters from upstream to downstream, or the accumulation of water by
drainage over areas that are not normally submerged. Especially in densely populated urban areas, discharges are more destructive because of
their unpredictable nature causing major destruction to infrastructure and the local people. Changes in the urban area resulting in congestion and
increase in rain intensity, produce higher flows that exceed the capacity of small culverts designed for an estimated urban population. Although
adequate when designed, their capacity may turn out to be inadequate, thereby cause overflows onto the roads creating new water paths and flood
the built up areas. Warangal, the chosen study area is one such city with heavy urbanization. Inadequate maintenance of the drainage channels, the
disposal of debris and solid waste into such drainage systems turned the city situation even worse. This study focused on the analysis of Digital
Terrain Model to derive the parameters such as height, slope, and aspect. Satellite imagery is used to study urban areas. To achieve this,
Object-based Image classification method is adopted after image segmentation. Results are then used to identify and map the vulnerable areas of
flash floods.
Keywords: Digital Terrain Model (DTM), Urban areas, Remote Sensing, GIS
Corresponding Author: aneeshasatya@gmail.com
Page No. 386

Conceptualizing Smart Cities in India with Multiple Dimensions
Pruthvin C. Shetty1 and Dwarakish G.S.1

1National Institute of Technology, Surathkal
Abstract
India's urban population is currently around 31% of the total population, It contributes over 60% of India's GDP. It is projected that urban India
will contribute nearly 75% of national GDP by 2030. The strategic response from government to challenge & develop smarter ways to manage
complexities to improve quality of life, increase efficiency & make city smarter. To modernize & accelerate the process of urbanization the idea is
to develop satellite towns of larger cities & modernize existing midsized cities in smarter way. The achievement of smart city objective can be
reached through the support of various information and communications technologies. These can be integrated in a solution considering continues
supply of the electricity, the water, public safety, wastes management and mobility as per Indian condition. Smart city is the one of the most
buzzed word in recent past in India. Presently Government supporting and developing multiple smart cities within few years ahead. From
literature Smart City definitions depending on the meanings of the word "smart " as intelligent city, knowledge city, sustainable city, digital city,
etc. Many smart city definitions exist but no one has been universally acknowledged. Smart city is an emerging & multidisciplinary domain.
Smart city involves of development of infrastructure with information technology. There are multiple smart cities in the world. Each city has
applied different type of model in planning and executing the smart city. The prime factors considered while designing the models are technology,
management and organization, policy context, governance, people and communities, economy, infrastructure, and environment. There are
multiple benchmarking methods have been developed to evaluate their impact. A set of major 6 smart city indicators are Smart Economy, Smart
Mobility, Smart Environment, Smart People, Smart Living & Smart Governance. This paper deals with operational definitions, concepts,
dimensions, technologies & comparative analysis between different models which can be implemented in India with reference to the standards
described by the government. Concept and components required for Creation of smart cities in India and upgrading to the international standard.
Keywords: smart city, smart city modeling, smart governance, ,

Corresponding Author: pruthvinshetty@gmail.com
Page No. 387

Modelling of Sewerage Network
P.V.S. Sylesh2, M. Shashi2 and B. Aneesha Satya2

1National Institute of Technology, Warangal
Abstract
Indian history has witnessed splendid gifts given by the Warangal city that has been considered as one of the smart cities with a rapid growing
urban population. As the city being sustained by the number of centuries, there are a plenty of major issues which were being faced by a common
man. One such issue is with the existing sewerage system is eventually failing to accommodate both the storm water and sewage water for the
increased population. The effective management of the existing sewage network can be a solution for this problem. Since management of the
designed sewerage network for a whole city is again a challenge, Modelling of sewerage network using Geo-spatial technologies offer a full range
of possibilities to obtain the characteristics of the pipe network in longitudinal and transverse cross sections. This paper focus on the modelling of
the sewerage network using GIS. Initial data was provided by city municipality, comprised of parameters related to water supply, population
distribution, source of sewage. ASTER DEM is processed to obtain the slope and altitude map. Utilizing these data, analysis was performed to
simulate hydraulic conditions of sewers like pressure, velocity of pipes and peak flow etc in a spatial extent.
Keywords: Sewerage network, Modelling, Geo-spatial technologies, GIS, DEM

Corresponding Author: pvs.sylesh@gmail.com
Page No. 388

Developing Decision Support System for MPALD Scheme
Simranjeet Singh2, Sagar Taneja2, Shaveta Lamba2, Karam Mohinder Singh1, Raj Setia2, Harvinder Singh1, M.L. Sharma1 and Dikesh Chander Loshali2
1Economic & Statistical Organisation Punjab, Chandigarh , 2Punjab Remote Sensing Centre, Ludhiana
Abstract
The Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) was introduced in December 1993. The objective is to enable the
Members of Parliament (MP) to suggest and get executed developmental works of capital nature based on locally felt needs with emphasis on
creation of durable assets. Punjab is among the top ranking states in India in the utilization of MPLADs funds. The non-spatial data about
development works along with the expenditure details were provided by Economic & Statistical Organization, Government of Punjab and the data
was interpreted to develop the decision support system (DSS) using fee and open source software tools. The various categories of development
works (like construction/repair of drains, dharamshala, sewerage etc.) in a particular year for a village were linked with the village boundary of
Punjab in GIS. This was followed by developing DSS in Microsoft.Net environment using free and open source dot spatial technology. The tools
like identity, query and selection of DSS help in tracking of year wise and area wise distribution of funds and identifying of areas neglected in
funding under the MPLAD Scheme.
Keywords: DSS, GIS, MPLAD

Corresponding Author: sagart06@gmail.com
Page No. 389

Smart Cities: The Strategic Role of Green Space
Ramesh Anguluri1, Priya Narayanan1 and Krishna Udnoor1

1Central
University of Karnataka, Kalaburagi
Abstract
The fabrication of urban planetary causing pressure on environment in city centres it is experiencing the whole world, thereby affecting the quality
of life of city dwellers. The growing trends need to have an efficient reporting system for urban environmental planning and management. Though
the urban area has the dominance of commercial, industrial and administrative activities. To achieve a healthy living condition in urban regions it
is necessary to make the overall sustainable environment for cities. Planners are paying more attention to develop the resources like physical
infrastructure, social infrastructure, and economic infrastructure they are least bothering about the environmental planning especially green space.
It is also an essential requisite is to provide suitable ecological conditions for city dwellers to achieve the sustainable environment. The primary
objective of this research has brought out the intra-urban variation of green biotopes its sensitivity to the surface temperature and also focused
more the level of impact on ecological surveillances with relation of its total area of green spaces in terms of population and built up area.
Therefore this research envisaged the important of green biotopes or green spaces and its role to reduce the vulnerability of urban environment
Keywords: Green Index, UHI, UPHI, Population, Public Parks

Corresponding Author: rameshnrsc@gmail.com
Page No. 390

Urbanization Studies and its Impact on Resources of Coastal Watershed - A Geospatial Approach for Planning and
Management
Usha U.3 and R. Sivakumar3

Abstract
Over past few decades, land development, complexity of out spreading urban sprawl and consumption of resources has been out of control and
expanding rapidly. Coastal watersheds are rapidly changing due to population growth and attendant increases in residential development, industry
and tourism. Remote sensing images are useful for monitoring the spatial distribution and growth of urban built-up areas because they can provide
timely and synoptic views of urban land cover and the drastic change in the coastal watershed. This study gives the dynamic change of Urban
sprawl, Urbanization impact on Resources and optimum Resource planning on micro-watershed level. Also spatial and temporal characteristics is
analyzed for an urbanized watershed in Cuddalore district, Tamilnadu. To achieve the goal various image process techniques mainly Supervised,
Unsupervised image classification and Normalized Difference Built-Up Index (NDBI) on Landsat and IRS imageries for years 1990, 1995, 2000,
2005, 2010, 2015 and 2016 were applied. The normalized difference built-up index (NDBI) is useful to map detailed urban built-up areas. It takes
advantage of the unique spectral response of built-up areas and other land cover. Built-up areas are effectively mapped through arithmetic
manipulation of re-coded Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and NDBI images derived from TM imagery. Compared with the other
classification method, the NDBI is able to serve as a worthwhile alternative for quickly and objectively mapping built-up areas. Urban Land-use
changes prompted by urban sprawl can therefore be linked to marked changes in water resources. Collectively the relationship is built between the
urbanization and coastal watershed. These spatial model analyses leads the result of urbanization impact on spatial changes in natural resources
specifically in coastal zones.
Keywords: Urbanization, Resources, Spatial, NDBI, Image Classification

Corresponding Author: usha.u64@gmail.com
Page No. 391

Ambient Air Quality Assessment in an urban area: Dehradun
Rohit Juneja2, Asfa Siddiqui1, Yogesh Kant1 and Anushka Goel1

1Banasthali University, Vanasthali , 2Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 3IPE Global Delhi
Abstract
With increasing concerns towards health hazards as an outcome of air pollution due to growing agglomerations and in migration to cities,
emphasis should be laid towards towards its assessment in real time. The deteriorating air quality is considered the most dangerous form of
pollution and its estimation is the demand of the time. This research aims at assessing the air quality of Dehradun city, Uttarakhand at eight
busiest road junctions spread in the municipal limit. Graywolf Advanced Sense-Pro-Environmental-Meter and Casella Dust Detective were used
to measure pollutants such as Carbon Monoxide (CO), Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Ozone (O3), Particulate Matter (PM 2.5)
and Hydrogen Sulphide (H2S). Clock Tower, Ballupur Chowk, ISBT Chowk, Saharanpur Chowk, Dilaram Chowk, Dharampur Chowk, Kargi
Chowk and New Mussoorie Road Chowk were the sample sites where Traffic Volume, Speed of the vehicle, meteorological data and Air
Pollution Measurements were collected for peak hours and were later compared. Spatial interpolation (Spline showed best results) was performed
and later Overall Air Quality Index Map was generated. All readings were compared with National Ambient Air Quality Standards and were
exceeding the prescribed standards in general. Results revealed that the maximum Carbon Monoxide concentration was observed at Saharanpur
Chowk (13.2 mg/m3) and minimum at New Mussoorie Road (1.71 mg/m3). Central West part of the city is most polluted followed by North and
East part of the city. Later the findings were also tested with an Open Street Air Pollution Model (OSPM) and showed that the model showed
underestimation of the readings by 20-30%.
Keywords: Air pollution, interpolation, OSPM, traffic volume

Corresponding Author: asfa@iirs.gov.in
Page No. 392

Urbanization Effects on Runoff Potential using Hydrological Modeling and Geospatial tools
Sutapa Bhattacharjee1, Pramod Kumar1 and Praveen K. Thakur1

Abstract
Urbanization is inevitable from the perspectives of development, but has some definite impact on the surrounding environment, which takes a toll
on the associated natural and anthropogenic processes persisting around. Therefore, monitoring the urbanization processes and estimating its
influence on runoff generation potential is essential. In the present study, relationship between the level of urbanization of a small watershed
within Dehradun city and the runoff generated during the month of July, for two different time periods, viz. 2000 and 2012 using very high
resolution satellite data has been done. The object based land use/ land cover (LULC) classification has been performed based on classification
scheme of TR-55 Manual of NRCS-USDA for urban areas. The major LULC classes considered are built-up, impervious surfaces, pervious
without vegetation and green spaces. The Soil Conservation Service (SCS) Runoff Curve Number (RCN) method has been used in the present
study with inputs namely, Hydrological Soil Group (HSG), LULC, slope and rainfall data. The CartoDEM (30 m) has been used to generate the
slope map and rainfall data has been acquired from India Meteorological Department (IMD). The weighted CN for Antecedent Moisture
Condition-II (AMC-II) generated after model simulation has been obtained as 77 and 79 for the years 2000 and 2012, respectively. The runoff
values for 2000 ranges from 13.19 mm to 73.12 mm and that for 2012 ranges from 33.82 mm to 111.17 mm which shows that the runoff amount
has increased during above period. However, since the amount of rainfall varies during above two time periods, the analysis has been again
performed under constant rainfall conditions for both the time periods. It has been seen that maximum amount of runoff is generated from the
areas under dense built-up surfaces, open spaces with fair to good amount of vegetation and also from the areas where the terrain slope abruptly
recedes.
Keywords: Urbanization, Runoff Potential, SCS Runoff Curve Number Method, Hydrological Soil Group, Object based classification
Corresponding Author: sutapabhattacharjee22@gmail.com
Page No. 393

A GIS Based Tool for Computation of Sky View Factor for understanding Urban Temperatures
Alok Jhaldiyal2, Kshama Gupta1, Prasun Kumar Gupta1 and Pramod Kumar1
1IndianInstitute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 2University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun
Abstract
The population density of India has gone up to 382 persons per km2. (Census of India, 2011) and the percentage of closed, tall and packed urban
structures is increasing due to rising land values. The quality of living vastly depends on the urban microclimate. Urban canyon temperatures are
souring and cities are warmer than the neighboring downtown areas. The geometry and spatial distribution of built-up structures is critical in
determining the micro climatic conditions of urban area. Sky View Factor (SVF) is a widely used parameter in urban climate studies. Estimation
of SVF requires understanding of the surrounding geometry and once computed, it can be used to draw a concord between urban morphology and
urban ambient temperature. SVF, that is, the ratio of the radiation received (or emitted) by the ground surface to the radiation emitted (or received)
by the entire hemispheric environment. Estimation of SVF is a complex and challenging task as it involves consideration of whole 3 dimensional
surrounding environments. Various methods have been used to compute SVF for an urban area: Manual and automatic estimation using fish eye
photographs, evaluation of GPS signals and using 3D urban database to compute SVF. The current study discusses a newly developed tool for
SVF calculation, using a 3D GIS urban database. A computer program is developed to perform calculations at specific locations that are user
supplied. The algorithm is validated by comparing values computed by a similar application Gap Light Analyzer (GLA), software used to extract
urban canopy. GLA uses fish eye photographs for SVF estimation, so for a similar location SVF was computed using GLA and later using the
developed algorithm. The error percentage between the computed SVF by GLA and new algorithm lies well within the 2% - 4%.
Keywords: GIS, Sky View Factor, Remote Sensing , Urban Climate, Python
Corresponding Author: alok.jhaldiyal@gmail.com
Page No. 394

A Stochastic Approach to Estimate Distribution of Built-Up Land Area in Regions with Thick Tree Cover
Bimal Puthuvayi1 and P.P. Anilkumar1

1NationalInstitute of Technology, Calicut
Abstract
Buildings and other human-made constructions have been accepted as an indicator of human habitation and is identified as built-up land area.
Identification of built-up land area in a region and its subsequent measurement is a key step in many fields of studies like urban planning,
environmental studies, and population demography. Remote sensing techniques utilising medium resolution images (e.g. LANDSAT) are
extensively used for the extraction of built-up land area as high-resolution images are expensive, and its processing is difficult. Extraction of built
land use from medium resolution images poses a challenge in regions like Western-Ghats and north-east regions due to the thick evergreen tree
cover. The spectral signature of individual houses with a small footprint are easily overpowered by the overlapping tree canopy in a medium
resolution image, when the buildings are not clustered. Kerala is a typical case for this scenario. The research presented here proposes a
stochastic-dasymetric process to aid in the built-up area recognition process by taking Kerala as a case study. The method utilises a set of ancillary
information to derive a probability surface. The ancillary information used here includes distance from road junctions, distance from road
network, population density, built space visible in the LANDSAT image, the population of the region, and the household size. The methodology
employs logistic regression in the first stage and Monte Carlo simulation in the second stage. The algorithm estimates the built-up area expected
in the region and distributes the estimated built area among pixels according to the probability estimated from the ancillary information. The
output of the algorithm has two components. The first component is a probability surface, where the value of each pixel denotes the probability of
that pixel to have significant built-up area within it. The second component is an example scenario of the built-up area distribution. In the process
the methodology also identifies a most significant set of parameters that govern the distribution of built-up area. The algorithm is validated for
regions in Kerala and found to be significant and gives an accuracy of 78%. The algorithm is implemented using Python and ArcGIS.
Keywords: Built-up Area Dustribution, Logistic regression, Dasymetric model, Monte Carlo simulation, Population density distribution
Corresponding Author: bimalp@nitc.ac.in
Page No. 395

A Review on Natural Gas Pipeline Route Alignment System
Sawant Suraj Tanaji1 and Jayanta Kumar Ghosh1

Abstract
Human beings are natural exertion curtailers, notably when it involves moving around. When given the scope, human will always try to choose
the optimum path to go from one place to another. Transportation, as a financial activity, portrays this process of optimization, notably by trying to
minimize the distance between locations. Concise time and lower costs are focused by individuals as well as by multinational corporations. For
singleton, it is often only a matter of convenience, but for an organization it is of tactical significance as a direct monetary cost is involved. Under
such context, it is not astonishing that plentiful methods have been developed to deal with the often complex issue of route alignment. Linear
Engineering Structures such as roads, natural gas-oil pipelines, irrigation-drying channels, power lines and railways cover larger areas than other
technical infrastructure facilities. Route Alignment is defined as process of generating a route between two points for the purpose of transferring
Vehicle (Highway alignment and Railway alignment), Water(Canal alignment), Power (Transmission line alignment) and petroleum products
(Pipeline alignment). Escalating energy demands in the current and coming century are mainspring for use of more petroleum products. These
demands till date are met by using pipes to transport required energy products over long run within countries and crosswise borders, from their
sources to respective destinations. Increase in global population has propelled an increase in requirements for essential products such as natural
gas, crude oil, finished petroleum products, etc. Thus, it is the need of time to develop new pipeline route alignment systems in-order to augment
existing ageing ones. Proper pipeline route alignment is a strategic component of an organization's pipe siting undertakings when laying new
pipelines or expanding the existing pipeline network. The pipeline route alignment process focuses on achieving the optimal route for a pipeline.
This paper deals with the literature review of state-of-the-art techniques of pipeline route alignment system.
Keywords: Pipeline Route Alignment, Multi Criteria Decision Making, Optimization, Remote Sensing, Geographic Information System
Corresponding Author: suraj.t.sawant@gmail.com
Page No. 396

Forecasting Growth of Ahmedabad City using SLEUTH Urban Growth Model Under Planned and Unplanned
Growth Conditions
Gaurav Jain1 and Shashikant Sharma1

1SpaceApplications Centre
Abstract
Urban growth models attempt to simulate the growth of cities and forecast their future expansion, so as to enable optimal allocation of resources
and mitigate the challenges of urbanisation effectively. These models not only provide an effective way to forecast the growth of city on the basis
of past trends, but also provide an opportunity to analyse the possible implication on growth under different scenarios and planning decisions.
SLEUTH urban growth model is one of the most widely used models applied on several cities worldwide. While most of the studies have utilised
coarse resolution data for calibration of SLEUTH, this study utilizes the multi-date medium resolution data (5.8 meter or better), which is
particularly suitable for taking into account the dispersion growth of the city. The paper attempts to simulate the growth of Ahmedabad city using
SLEUTH urban growth forecast model. The multi-date data acquired by Indian Remote Sensing satellites was used to map the extent of urban
growth and transportation network at 1:25,000 scale during years 2001, 2006 and 2013. Landsat-TM data was used to map urban sprawl for the
year 1992. The model was calibrated to forecast the growth of city under unplanned and planned growth scenarios. The first scenario comprised
the growth constrained by the natural features only such as water bodies and steep slopes, whereas the second scenario considered the constraints
to the development as imposed by the Development Plan of the city. The results of calibration show effectiveness of the model in accounting for
various growth processes prevalent in the city. The results are further evaluated to assess the type of development in the city as forecasted with
respect to the actual growth.
Keywords: Urban growth model, SLEUTH, Ahmedabad, Development Plan, Sprawl

Page No. 397

Geospatial Data Modelling for Creation of Web-GIS Portal for Odisha Land Bank and Industrial Landuse Services
Dr.Debajit Mishra2, Dr.Srikant Das2, Dr.S.D.Sahu2, Sri M.K.Sanabada2 and Dr.S.Tripathi1

1ChiefExecutive, ORSAC, 2Scientist, ORSAC
Abstract
Availability of land and its associated attributes is one of the most important factors for policy makers to devise smart growth strategies and
development framework. Odisha Industrial Policy Resolution 2015 focuses on providing quality industrial infrastructure through creation of a
large land bank for development of industrial infrastructure. The present paper highlights the use of Geo-ICT, space technology inputs and
geospatial data modelling to create the GIS based web-portal ‘Govt. of Odisha Industrial Portal for Land use and Services’ (GOiPLUS). High
resolution ortho-images, geo-referenced digital revenue cadastral datasets, NIC, Bhu-lekh RoR data, satellite derived spatial datasets and attribute
datasets of industry department are used to create the geo-spatial datasets. Multisource data are used to generate data on landuse, power supply
transmission, electric substations, transportation corridors, rail-road-port-air connectivity; social Infrastructure (schools, colleges, hotels, medical
facilities, technical Institutions, police stations, fire stations and bank/ATM, etc); physical themes (forests (RF/PF), habitations, surface water
along with administrative zones and industrial activities). This is used to provide the utilities and developed infrastructure availability with respect
to identified land bank clusters. GIS Software, ArcGIS Desktop 10.3, ArcGIS Server 10.3, ArcSDE 10.3, ArcGIS Javascript API Ver3.13 and
Oracle 11.0.2 is used to develop the database. Software development is made using HTML 5, Java Script (DOJO) and Asp.net using Visual Studio
2012 development Environment in Internet Information Services Compatible with ArcGIS Server version. The software development is made to
prioritise industrial land utilization and provide a strategic direction to industrial and economic development in the state. The system provides
detailed information with regards to availability of industrial plots based on location specific attributes in terms of connectivity, rail and road
linkages and other physical, health and educational infrastructure available in the vicinity of the selected industrial land. It provides a spatial
relationship between industrial clusters and infrastructure and other amenities through an overlay of attributes that measures the suitability of
industrial development. It also provides information on zoning of the industrial land in terms of environmental categories i.e. Green, Orange and
Red to enable an investor decide on suitable location for investment based on the proposed business activities.
Keywords: GOiPLUS, Land bank, Ortho-images, Geo-sptial data, Geocodded data

Corresponding Author: djmishra@yahoo.com
Page No. 398

Theme- Planetary Exploration Abstract Id: 421
Studies on Some Aspects of Space Weather Effect on Communication Systems by Remote Sensing through Space
Probes and Satellites
Abhijit Banerjee1, Bipasa Raha1 and Asit B. Bhattacharya1

1Techno India University, Kolkata
Abstract
Like the weather on Earth, the Sun is responsible for disturbances in our space environment. With the emission of continuous stream of plasma
called the solar wind, the sun periodically discharges billions of tons of matter known as coronal mass ejections along with the interplanetary
magnetic field carried by the solar wind plasma. These huge clouds of material, when injected towards Earth’s atmosphere, can create large
magnetic storms, substroms, energization of the Van Allen radiation belts, ionospheric disturbances and scintillation of satellite-to-ground radio
signals and long-range radar signals, aurora and geomagnetically induced currents at Earth's surface. Coronal mass ejections and their associated
shock waves are very important drivers of space weather as they can compress the magnetosphere and instigate geomagnetic storms. Solar
energetic particles accelerated by coronal mass ejections or solar flares, are also an important driver of space weather. The study and observation
from various sources reveals how certain disturbances in space weather disturb radio signal communication. Degree of distortion of the radio
wave (scintillation) by the ionosphere depends mainly on the signal frequency. Radio signals in the VHF and UHF band can be distorted beyond
identification by the ionosphere. Radio wave in the shortwave HF band (3 to 30 MHz) is reflected by the ionosphere. The space weather events
largely generate irregularities in the ionosphere owing to those scattered HF signals in spite of reflecting them, hindering the HF communications.
At the mid-latitude regions, HF communications are obstructed by solar radio bursts, by X-rays from solar flares (which enhance and disturb the
ionospheric D-layer) as well as by enhancements of total electron content and major geomagnetic storms irregularities. In order to overcome or
minimize damage to the communication systems during such adverse space weather events, it is necessary to characterize them through the
remote sensing of earth to space. We have made such remote sensing studies by system of satellites and the ground based receivers supplemented
by the space probes. The paper includes a detailed study of remote sensing based space weather prediction and its interference with the
communication systems on different possible aspects.
Keywords: Space environment, Radiation belts, Radiation belts, Radio wave, Remote sensing
Corresponding Author: banerjee1984abhi028@gmail.com
Page No. 399

Lunar Surface Generation using LLRI Data
Karun Reuel Dayal1, S. Raghavendra1, Hina Pande1, Poonam S. Tiwari1, A. Senthil Kumar1 and D.A. Daniel2
1IndianInstitute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 2ISRO Satellite Centre, Bengaluru
Abstract
India's first Moon mission Chandrayaan-1 carried eleven scientific instruments for the purpose of expanding scientific knowledge about the
Moon. Lunar Laser Ranging Instrument (LLRI) was one of the eleven scientific instruments carried by Chandrayaan-1. It was a pulsed laser-
ranging instrument designed to measure the time of flight of the laser pulse and aimed at enhanced study of the Lunar topography. The
measurements coupled with the spacecraft altitude and attitude provides the 3D coordinates of the footprint. LLRI measurements were obtained
from both the dark and sunlit portion of the Moon, thereby significantly increasing the useful observational coverage. The point data can be used
for generating surface models for the moon surface. The Lunar poles are of great interest for both scientific and operational reasons. The
permanently shadowed regions inside craters close to the poles are prime candidates for locations of deposits of water ice. Similarly, regions that
receive near-constant solar illumination are possible sites for future Lunar bases. This study involves the analysis of this point cloud in order to
extract meaningful information beneficial for future Lunar missions. An attempt has been made to utilize LLRI data for Lunar South Pole,
extending from 90o S to 85o S to create a surface model by interpolating the first return of laser. The methodology involved generating a refined
terrain representation. To assess the data quality, a comparative analysis with Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) data was carried out on three
aspects: point density, terrain elevation values on the surfaces generated (around crater, flat and moderately varying area) and slope values were
compared for sample crater (along the rim, along the crater wall and at the crater floor). It was observed that the valleys and undulations in deep
areas of craters were mapped with LLRI data which cannot be mapped effectively with high resolution optical stereo images. LLRI elevations
have high correlation with LOLA elevations over flat areas with a differences ranging from 1.25 m to 133 m. The large differences were observed
in areas with less point density. For improving the data density multi-channel data acquisition may be planned in future missions.
Keywords: Lunar, topography, LiDAR, CHANDRAYAN-1, LLRI

Corresponding Author: karunrdayal@gmail.com
Page No. 400

Surface Characteristics and Age Dating of the Lunar Surface using Mini-SAR Data
Kedovikho Yhosh1 and P.K. Champati Ray1

1R.S. Chatterjee, 2Nagaland University, Nagaland
Abstract
Impact craters formed from impact cratering by meteorites consist one of the major structural features on the moon surface. Cratering on the lunar
surface was mainly concentrated during the Late Heavy Bombardment (LHB) period. The absence of atmosphere and minimum plate tectonics on
lunar surface helps in keeping intact the selenology of the moon. The moon surface is covered in permanent shadow region particularly the Polar
Regions where optical sensors are not effective. Miniature synthetic aperture radar (Mini-SAR), a hybrid polarimetric radar overcomes this
limitation and helps in mapping the lunar polar regions. Mini-SAR uses a single frequency S band which helps in determining the Stokes
parameter. The study area is located at lunar coordinates 83.6 latitude and longitude -45.2 longitude near Sylvester N Crater. To study the surface
characteristic of the craters three crater regions were selected- crater floor, crater periphery and back ground. The methodology was based on the
generation of the Stokes vector to derive the daughter products. The surface characteristics was studied based on the Left horizontal (LH)
backscatter, Left vertical (LV) back scatter, circular polarization ratio (CPR), degree of polarizations. For the age dating, various filter and image
transformation algorithms was applied to extract the best crater boundary detection. The age determination was based on crater size frequency
distribution (CSFD) which runs on production function and chronology function. For the precise determination of surface age, only primary
craters were considered in the study area devoid of all secondary craters. Secondary craters are detected based on its shape and surface
characteristics from the polarimetric data. The secondary crater was removed basing on same sense (SC) and CPR image. The age of the study
area after removing the anomalies was 3.99 Gyr. The derived age was validated by comparing with the USGS based stratigraphy age map of the
lunar surface.
Keywords: Mini-SAR, lunar, polar region, age dating

Corresponding Author: kedovikho@gmail.com
Page No. 401

Forecasting Meteor Shower using Geospatial Technologies
Zalak Bhavsar1, Arun Rathod1 and Anjana Vyas1

Abstract
Meteoroid is so interesting term for all of us. But in space, it constitutes hazard in many ways. It causes degradation of critical surfaces, spacecraft
collision/penetration etc. On our planet, it has been experienced that meteor bursts communication systems and causes high frequency (HF) radar
interference/jamming. So spacecraft designers, satellite and spacecraft operators, HF radar operators etc. needs meteoroid flux information. Thus
forecasting of meteor plays an important role in it. International meteor organization uses various techniques to forecast meteor showers and
publishes the calendar of every year and forthcoming year with the information of tentative dates of meteor showers of that year. Geospatial
technology facilitates us to prepare location maps for the possible meteor observations. In this paper, we have predicted the locations of
forthcoming meteor showers, where it would be observable in its active duration and prepared the location map for the same. The future goal is to
predict the same for the other planet like Mars. Today our scientists are focusing more towards Mars as our future planet. So, meteor shower at
Mars should be a topic of concern for them and thus forecasting for the same. For meteor shower forecasting on the other planets of the Solar
System, we have to identify a list of periodic comets having close enough encounters with planetary orbits to produce regular showers. The study
about future goal has also been discussed in this paper and tried to accomplish it.
Keywords: Meteor, Forecast, Meteoroid, Geospatial, Location

Corresponding Author: zalakb14@gmail.com
Page No. 402

Geology of Schiaparelli Basin, Mars
Samarpita Sarkar1, Rishitosh K Sinha1, Vijayan S.1 and Debabrata Banerjee1

1PhysicalResearch Laboratory, Ahmedabad
Abstract
Impact basins and craters on the surface of Mars have preserved historical evidences of their complex infilling and erosion that played key role in
their modification. To understand these phenomena, we studied the Schiaparelli Basin (centred at 2.7° S, 16.7° E; ~460 km in diameter) situated in
the boundary of Arabia Terra. This huge basin, estimated to be of Noachian age in this study, is an excellent proxy to chronologically evaluate the
role of large-scale regional processes that modified it till the recent past. We present complete and unprecedented photo geological mapping of the
Schiaparelli Basin using CRISM images for mineralogy (18 m/pixel), HiRISE (25 cm/pixel) and CTX (6 m/pixel) images for morphology, MOLA
DTM (463 m/pixel) for topography and THEMIS infrared (100 m/pixel; both daytime and night time) data to characterize the thermal properties.
The basin topography suggests that it experienced complete closure to the rim and later got partially denuded over time to expose the present day
undulating younger resurfaced floor. THEMIS observations indicate that majority of the exposed units of the basin floor, including the wrinkle
ridges are composed of basalt though the effect of dust mantling is pervasive. These ridges of variable orientations scar the basin floor and acts as
excellent palaeo-stress indicators of the basin. We detected pockets of polyhydrated sulphates from CRISM analyses at the north-western part of
the basin inferring acidic and oxidizing geochemical environment prevailing during the past. The intricate and distinctive layers of these bright
deposits along with the associated polygonal cracks suggest evaporites formation. Numerous channels evident along the basin rim likely
contributed sediments during the basin infilling. Upon systematically approaching these varied spatial and temporal features we conclude that the
basin was primarily in-filled by periodic lava emplacement from the conduit ridges. The varied orientation of the ridges was governed by the
basin floor fracture pattern and magma propagation. Subsequent aeolian activities lasting to present day and palaeo-channels draining into the
basin partially eroded and exposed the lower lying units. The sulphates which formed in drier climate under quiescent conditions are part of a
thicker and more extensive deposit.
Keywords: Mars, Schiaparelli Basin, Craters, Sulfates, Infilling

Corresponding Author: samar1207@gmail.com
Page No. 403

Utilization of Centripetal and Centrifugal Points for Interplanetary Trajectory Exploration
S. Saravanan1, S. Gowtham1 and N. Sreenivasaraja1

Abstract
Utilization of centrifugal and centripetal force for interplanetary trajectory an interplanetary spacecraft spends most of its flight time moves under
influenced by the gravitational attraction of another object. This concept can be replaced by new theoretical concept known as utilization of Cp
and Cf points. Where to provide extremely high speed transportation in space, at same time it uses low fuel consumption. This may be new future
space transportation technology. Still it is a theoretical concept, this concept can be proved in mathematical determination so the future trajectory
system can be replaced.
Keywords: , , , ,
Corresponding Author: isro.saravana@gmail.com
Page No. 404

Mineralogy of East Candor Chasma, Valles Marineris, Mars
Mahima Singh1 and Rajesh V J1

1Indian
Institute of Space Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram
Abstract
Candor Chasma is one of the largest morphological features in Vallis Marineris on Mars. This region is geographically separated into East Candor
Chasma and West Candor Chasma. Several genetic models were proposed for these canyon features on Mars. Spectral reflectance data of East
Candor Chasma have been studied using MRO-CRISM (Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter-Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars)
datasets to understand the mineralogy. The major mineral groups identified include phyllosilicates, carbonates, silicates and oxides. Important
hydrous group of minerals have been detected on three different spatial locations, these are plateau, wall (layered deposits) and floor regions,
which provide significant inputs in depicting the hydrous processes on the planet. Absorption bands at 1.4 ??m, 1.9 ??m, 2.2 ??m, 2.3 ??m and 2.4
??m confirm the presence of vermiculite in this region. Carbonates identified in this region include calcite and hydromagnesite. Identified
carbonate group of minerals mainly on plateau surface include calcite and hydromagnesite with peculiar absorption bands in 1.2-2.6 ??m and
3.2-3.9 ??m. They could be the alteration products of high calcium or magnesium minerals of igneous origin in the presence of water. Wall region
or interior layers deposits are found to be rich in sulphate and phyllosilicate group of minerals such as kieserite which could be one of the
important clues in understanding the weathering pattern on or within the surface. Floor region of East Candor Chasma is found to be rich in
pyroxenes and iron bearing minerals, which might be preserving unaltered/pristine and/or partially weathered host rock primarily rich in mafic
minerals. Other minerals identified in this region include pyroxene, plagioclase and palagonite. Palagonite is usually formed as an alteration
product by interaction of water with volcanic glasses of basaltic composition. The mineralogical diversity in East Candor Chasma region makes it
a potential site to understand the aqueous alteration process on Mars. The presence of carbonates and phyllosilicates strongly support alkaline
environment for their formation. The comprehensive mineralogical investigation in combination with morphological features of the East Candor
Chasma will be significant to understand the geological evolution history of this region.
Keywords: phyllosilicates, hydromagnesite, MRO-CRISM, East Candor Chasma, Mars

Corresponding Author: rajeshvj2000@gmail.com
Page No. 405

Origin of Debris-Flow Gullies on Mars: Insights from Gullies in Ladakh, India
Rishitosh K. Sinha1, Vijayan S.1 and Anil D. Shukla1

1Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad
Abstract
Present-day monitoring of Martian debris-flow gullies revealed that the gas released during the CO2-ice condensation-sublimation process likely
triggered flow of debris. This implicated that water was not involved in gully formation. In this scenario, it is important to elucidate that the
present-day debris-flow activity in the gullies is not necessarily responsible for how they formed initially.
In the present study, we have conducted geomorphic and topographic analysis of selected debris-flow gullies within mid-latitudes using HiRISE
images (~25 cm/pixel) and DTM products (~1-2 m/pixel). From our analysis, we noticed (1) individual lobate debris-flow deposits; (2) gully-
channel through these deposits with clearly defined levée deposits; (3) fresh gully-channel systems that flow individually and/or merge with the
pre-existing gullies; and (4) lobate deposits within the pre-existing gully. In addition, we found that these gullies mostly formed on slopes >20˚.
We compared the observational evidence from Martian gullies with the debris-flow gullies formed in Ladakh, India. Since Ladakh is situated in
the rain shadow zone of the Great Himalaya, it is characterized by cold-arid desert landscape having rainfall <100 mm and temperatures below
freezing point during winters. Therefore, it emerges as a potential Martian analogue.
The debris-flow gullies and channels carved on the glacial/paraglacial sediments in Ladakh were initially analysed using Orbview-3 images (~1
m/pixel) and Cartosat-DEM (1 arc-sec). Next, from field investigation of selected debris-flow gullies, we interpreted the mechanism of formation.
From our co-ordinated analysis, we could decipher that gullies in Ladakh formed in a sequence wherein, water-rich debris-flow lobe initially
extended downslope for a longer distance. Subsequently, the debris-flow lobe was carved by the episodic flow of water along the same slope,
which formed levée deposits. In the long term, repetition of this process deeply carved the debris-flow lobe and resulted in a typical debris-flow
gully.
Our observations indicate that the debris-flow process in Ladakh can well demonstrate formation of Martian gullies. Under this scenario, we
suggest that in past water was involved in formation of Martian gullies, and with Ladakh emerging as a potential analog in decoding gully
formation on Mars; this terrestrial landscape awaits detailed exploration in this regard.
Present-day monitoring of Martian debris-flow gullies revealed that the gas released during the CO2-ice condensation-sublimation process likely
triggered flow of debris. This implicated that water was not involved in gully formation. In this scenario, it is important to elucidate that the
present-day debris-flow activity in the gullies is not necessarily responsible for how they formed initially.
In the present study, we have conducted geomorphic and topographic analysis of selected debris-flow gullies within mid-latitudes using HiRISE
images (~25 cm/pixel) and DTM products (~1-2 m/pixel). From our analysis, we noticed (1) individual lobate debris-flow deposits; (2) gully-
channel through these deposits with clearly defined levée deposits; (3) fresh gully-channel systems that flow individually and/or merge with the
pre-existing gullies; and (4) lobate deposits within the pre-existing gully. In addition, we found that these gullies mostly formed on slopes >20˚.
We compared the observational evidence from Martian gullies with the debris-flow gullies formed in Ladakh, India. Since Ladakh is situated in
the rain shadow zone of the Great Himalaya, it is characterized by cold-arid desert landscape having rainfall <100 mm and temperatures below
freezing point during winters. Therefore, it emerges as a potential Martian analogue.
The debris-flow gullies and channels carved on the glacial/paraglacial sediments in Ladakh were initially analysed using Orbview-3 images (~1
m/pixel) and Cartosat-DEM (1 arc-sec). Next, from field investigation of selected debris-flow gullies, we interpreted the mechanism of formation.
From our co-ordinated analysis, we could decipher that gullies in Ladakh formed in a sequence wherein, water-rich debris-flow lobe initially
extended downslope for a longer distance. Subsequently, the debris-flow lobe was carved by the episodic flow of water along the same slope,
which formed levée deposits. In the long term, repetition of this process deeply carved the debris-flow lobe and resulted in a typical debris-flow
gully.
Our observations indicate that the debris-flow process in Ladakh can well demonstrate formation of Martian gullies. Under this scenario, we
suggest that in past water was involved in formation of Martian gullies, and with Ladakh emerging as a potential analog in decoding gully
formation on Mars; this terrestrial landscape awaits detailed exploration in this regard.
Keywords: GULLY, MARS, LADAKH, DEBRIS-FLOW, HIMALAYA

Corresponding Author: rishisrmice@gmail.com
Page No. 406

Geomorphological and Thermal Analysis of a Layered Ejecta Crater in the Solis Planum Region of Mars
Ritu Anilkumar1, Vijayan S.1 and Rishitosh K. Sinha1

1IndianInstitute of Space Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram , 2Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad
Abstract
Martian impact craters are classified as single, double and multi layered ejecta craters (SLE, DLE and MLE). The origin of DLE and MLE craters
has often been related to the content of volatiles (ice) residing in the layers of the Martian subsurface. Despite four decades of observations, there
is no consensus on the exact mechanism of emplacement. In the present study, we investigate an unnamed layered ejecta crater in the Solis
Planum region of Mars. The crater has formed over episodic lava flows. Therefore, whether volatile (ice) has played an important role in layered
ejecta emplacement, as postulated in earlier studies, can be re-examined from this layered ejecta crater. Geomorphological and thermal analysis of
the crater are carried out utilizing imagery from Context Camera (~6m/pixel) onboard Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and thermal infrared data
from Thermal Emission Imaging System (~100m/pixel) onboard Mars-Odyssey. Topographic information is derived using individual point tracks
from Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter instrument. Substantial information about the inner and outer ejecta layers and the discontinuous intermediate
ejecta deposits is obtained. The nature of the crater is transitional between DLE and MLE, with a model age of ~3.3 Ga. Features of the ejecta
blanket such as the prominent layering, thick ramparts, and radial striations display traits of volatile involvement in the formation. The
intermediate ramparts between the prominent inner and outer ejecta layers suggest that multiple layers formed during the cratering process, which
have degraded over time. Preliminary decorrelation stretch (gross mineralogy) and thermal inertia analysis revealed that the ejecta layers are of
diversified composition and surface roughness. An analysis of the thickness of the rampart structures and its correlation with velocity of ejection
and surface properties reveals that the wide variation in velocity, topography and surface roughness (thermal inertia) played an intricate part in the
emplacement. This crater displays geologic features that suggest subsurface containing volatiles that enabled layered ejecta emplacement. The
intermediate veneer ejecta emplacement is thus one potential instance for the complex ejecta formation processes. This study primarily
substantiates that impacts over lava layers with possible presence of subsurface volatile can also emplace layered ejecta craters.
Keywords: Mars, Crater, Layered Ejecta, Lava, Thermal Inertia

Corresponding Author: ritu.anilkumar@gmail.com
Page No. 407

Late Amazonian modification of Impact Craters within Newton Basin, Mars: Implications for Recent and Episodic
Glaciation in the Region
Rishitosh K. Sinha1 and Vijayan S.1

1Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad
Abstract
Modification of Martian landscape associated with episodic glaciation has resulted into formation of landforms that differ in scale/extent, pattern
of flow and timing of deposition. One way to decipher this difference is to analyze the geomorphic, topographic and timing characteristics of
landforms that co-exist within a single basin. This has a strong bearing on understanding how exactly a terrain has been modified while Mars was
undergoing episodic shifts in its Late Amazonian climate.
In the present study, we focus our observation to craters emplaced within Newton basin (40.5˚ S, 201.97˚ E; diameter: ~300 km) to primarily
decipher the geomorphic and topographic characteristics of landforms emplaced in their interior. The crater geomorphology is investigated using
Context Camera (CTX; ~6 m/pixel) and High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE; ~25 cm/pixel) images. The topographic and
stratigraphic relationships are inferred from Mars Orbital Laser Altimeter (MOLA) point tracks.
From our survey of basin floor, we could identify 70 craters that have preserved geomorphic evidence for modification due to episodic glaciation.
In their interior, we could notice: (1) downslope flow of debris-covered glaciers from crater pole-facing wall onto the floor as lobate floor fill
(LFF), (2) the surface of LFF exhibit morphological signature of polygons and ring-mold craters, and (3) elongated and arcuate depressions along
the base and gullies and polygons on the surface of the pole-facing wall. The LFF shows a strong preference for pole-facing wall and it appears
that the host crater diameter has played a major role in controlling the overall extent of LFF. The count of craters emplaced on the surface of LFF
reveal their best-fit age as ~10-100 Ma.
Taken together, we infer from our analysis that craters in the interior of Newton basin have preserved stratigraphic relationships among different
scale/extent of glacial features resulting from recent and episodic glacial activities. In this scenario, formation of gully, polygons and arcuate
depressions corresponds to the recent glacial episode and LFF corresponds to another subsequent glacial episode (~10-100 Ma). We interpret the
post-crater modification to be an outcome of these episodic glacial processes in the recent geological history.
Keywords: MARS, LOBATE FLOW, GLACIATION, LATE AMAZONIAN, CRATERS

Page No. 408

Geomorphological Characteristics of Layered Ejecta Crater in Amazonis Planitia, Mars
Vijayan S.1 and Rishitosh K. Sinha1

1PhysicalResearch Laboratory, Ahmedabad
Abstract
Understanding the formation and characteristics of multi-layer ejecta (MLE) craters is one of the key aspects in deciphering the presence of
subsurface volatile (ice) on Mars. Some of the basic questions related to MLE formation, such as (1) role of target medium properties, (2) style of
ejecta emplacement and (3) their subsequent modification need detailed exploration. To address these questions, we studied a layered ejecta crater
in Amazonis Planitia, which lies adjacent to a wind-dominated Medussae Fossae region on Mars.
We examine the geomorphology of the crater using the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter–context camera (0.6 m/pixel) and High Resolution Imaging
Science Experiment (0.25 m/pixel) images. For topographic analysis, we used the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter spot data. The continuous rampart
ejecta extends to ~2-4 crater radii from the rim, it is one of the distinguishable characteristics of this crater. It is preserved after experiencing
strong erosion by volcanic activities. The model crater retention age is ~3.35 +0.14/-0.67. Such a type of continuous ramparts is not widely
observed in other layered ejecta craters present on Mars. Rampart ejecta thickness varies ~50-80 m around the crater, with a nonlinear relationship
with respect to its distance from the crater rim. The presence of continuous rampart with variable thickness at different crater radii highlights the
complex ejecta emplacement and ground hugging process. This crater, in a single location, portrays the ground hugging flow with various rampart
thickness due to the inertia of the flow and local frictional resistance. The other notable characteristics are: 1) emplacement of the inner ejecta
layer is not wide spread and lack radial striations, 2) veneer distinguishable intermediate layers are apparent after volcanic resurfacing, 3)
anomalous presence of pedestal crater over the ejecta blanket correlates to erosional activity around this crater, which is also evident from the
contextual presence of large yardangs. The emplaced pedestal ejecta thickness varies from ~20 to 100 m, which is larger than the host crater
ramparts. The ongoing study reveals a suite of pre- and post- emplacement characteristics, like the support of target surface for their continuous
rampart formation to post emplaced pedestal craters.
Keywords: Crater, Mars, layered ejecta, volatiles, rampart

Corresponding Author: vijayan@prl.res.in
Page No. 409

Theme- Satellite Positioning & Navigation: IRNSS & GAGAN Systems & Applications Abstract Id: 27
IRNSS Data Capturing (IDC) Tool for Handling Real-Time NMEA Data of IRNSS and GPS System
Neeraj Gangwal2, Sayablal Barange2, Anil Kumar1 and A. Senthil Kumar1

1Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore , 2Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun
Abstract
Abstract- Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) is an independent satellite system developed by Indian Space Research
Organization (ISRO). Its purpose is to reduce dependency on Global Positioning System (GPS) and other existing Global Navigation Satellite
System (GNSS). The constellation of IRNSS consists of seven satellites, of which three are in Geo-Stationary and four in Geo-Synchronous orbit.
This system will be used for navigation, surveying, transport, telecommunication, identifying disaster locations and public safety, but its data can
be further used for accuracy measurement, evaluation of data and several type of application. IRNSS provides many types of information in
various format like National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA-0183), binary, Rinex, etc. The NMEA-0183 standard defines an electrical
interface and data protocol for communications between marine instrumentation which is now commonly being used in all GNSS applications.
Presently for developed IRNSS receiver by Space Application Center, Ahmedabad, there is no tool to extract information from IRNSS receiver.
This paper deals with development of a java based desktop tool for handling real time NMEA data from IRNSS and GPS system. This tool
extracts information like Latitude, Longitude, Altitude, UTC Time and Date, Azimuth, SNR, Speed, elevation, PDOP, HDOP, VDOP, number of
satellites in view etc. from the NMEA data and can be displayed on the GUI of this tool for IRNSS and GPS both. NMEA data can also be filtered
according to the Talker IDs and Sentence IDs. Once IDC tool starts receiving NMEA data via USB cable connected to IRNSS receiver, received
data can be saved. The location of the receiver can be displayed on the grid map of GUI with the help of co-ordinate point (latitude and longitude)
values which are stored in a csv file. The tool also have the capability to generate point, line and polygon view of the stored navigational
parameters. Data is also stored in different text files which can be used for post processing. The information extracted from the NMEA data by
this tool can be used in different fields like marine electronics, navigation industry, transportation, railways, aviation sector and other location
based services.
Keywords: IRNSS, GPS, NMEA-0183, GGA, PDOP

Corresponding Author: nrjgangwal1691@gmail.com
Page No. 410

High Resolution DEM Generation with GAGAN Based DGPS GCP
Vikram Kumar1, Kamal Pandey 1 and Sumit Sen1

Abstract
Hydrologic investigation of watersheds using Digital Elevations Models (DEM) is crucial for water resources planning and often important input
for various hydrologic models. DEM data of Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) and Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and
Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) are freely available at a resolution of 90 m and 30 m respectively. The elevation varies with the resolution and
type of DEM. In the present study, we develop high resolution DEM for Aglar watershed in lesser Himalaya using GPS Aided GEO Augmented
Navigation (GAGAN) based DGPS ground control points GCP and evaluates the suitability of DEM derived through it. Accuracy for selected
GCPs from GAGAN are compared with respect to SRTM and ASTER DEM. In addition to this, the present study helps in providing a benchmark
against which the future DEM products can be evaluated.
Keywords: Hydrologic model, ASTER, SRTM, DEM, GAGAN

Corresponding Author: hyvikram@gmail.com
Page No. 411

Implementation of IRNSS L5 on Model Based Design Tool
Virendra Patel1 and Manali Patel1

1B.M. College of Engineering and Technology, Surat
Abstract
In the field of navigation many systems are working like GPS, BEIDOU, GLONASS, GALILEO and regional navigation systems like IRNSS,
JAXA, and BEIDOU etc. In India Indian Regional Navigation Satellite (IRNSS) useful for problem related to navigation. IRNSS performs on L5
frequency band that are operated at 1176.45MHz in L5 and S band frequency operated at 2492.028 MHz .This signal structure implies new
receiver structure for acquisition, tracking and data demodulation. This paper gives the model based structure of IRNSS L5 band for accurate
result of acquisition and tracking with low complexity. Also, paper shows L5 signal generated using Xilinx set blocks and MATLAB with exact
results. This result are very useful to find PRN code and measurement of carrier and code phase of the signal received by receiver . The
comparison of IRNSS L5 and GPS L1 acquisition and tracking implementation of multichannel receiver using Lyrtech SFF-SDR Module is
shown. Further the implementation of multichannel baseband L5 band IRNSS receiver can be implemented using the results obtained.
Keywords: IRNSS, ACQUISITION, MULTICHANNEL, SDR, L5

Corresponding Author: mnali.patel21@gmail.com
Page No. 412

The Study on IRNSS Signal Acquisition Algorithm in Time Domain .
Bhavika N. Patel1
1GujaratUniversity, Ahmedabad
Abstract
Now a days GPS is doing a great in the field of Acquisition and on the other side IRNSS is also quite efficiently serving with locating pin point of
the user using triangulation technique as all the 7 satellites are launched and the full constellation of IRNSS is completed. The goal of the
acquisition is to perform correlation with the incoming real time signals and a PRN code. It is more convinient to make a circular cross correlation
between the real time input and the PRN code without shifted code phase then serial search Acquisition. The three Algorithms used for the
Acquisition with different execution time are Serial search having 87 ms , Parallel frequency Space Search having 10 ms and Parallel Code phase
search having only one ms with most complexity corresponds exactly to the length of one complete C/A Code. It is mainly used in GPS L1 and
IRNSS L5 Acquisition. The time domain representation can be found through inverse Fourier Transform between the real time input and PRN
code, which cuts down the Search Space upto 41 different Carrier Frequencies. In the IRNSS SPS signal generation 10 LFSR are used. This paper
explains faster and efficient IRNSS acquisition.
Keywords: IRNSS, ACQUISITION, FFT, IFFT, SPS

Corresponding Author: bhavika.patel8596@gmail.com
Page No. 413

Mathematical Modelling for Position Estimation by GPS Receiver using RINEX Data
Ashutosh Srivastava1 and Sameer Saran1

Abstract
Present paper deals with mathematical modelling of position estimation by GPS receiver at Dehradun using RINEX data. The more common
RINEX version 2.11 data is taken for the position estimation. The position is estimated using RINEX navigation message file and RINEX
observation data file then all corrections applied for the precise estimation. The estimated position is well compared with the position obtained
from the receiver. Satellite Geometry based analysis is also carried out to observe its effect on position accuracy. For this various types of Dilution
of Precision (DOP) values are estimated to investigate all aspects of the geometry. With the present analysis it can be concluded that using
developed mathematical model, the calculated position are matching very closely with the receiver estimated position. Positions were estimated
for all available RINEX data files of one day and average values are taken for the comparison with the receiver position. The obtained position
difference in terms of ECEF coordinates is around 2 meter and in terms of latitude and longitude it is close up to 5th to 6th decimal places.
Developed mathematical model is giving good results and can be used in geospatial analysis for position estimation.
Keywords: Mathematical Modelling, GPS, RINEX, Position Estimation, DOP

Corresponding Author: asrivastava@iirs.gov.in
Page No. 414

Integration of IRNSS Acquisition and Tracking Methods to GNSS-SDR System
Ajith Peter1 and Soman Kottapadanayil1

Abstract
GNSS-SDR is a collaborative opensource project aimed at developing digital signal processing algorithms for acquisition, tracking and decoding
navigation information from various Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) constellations like GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, Beidou using
Software Defined Radio (SDR) hardware. Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS) is expected to be full operational by September
2016. IRNSS system uses a novel dual frequency approach to minimize ionospheric distortions using frequencies in the L5 band (1176.45 MHz)
and S band (2492.028 MHz). Based on the Signal in Space (SIS) Interface Control Document (ICD) released by the ISRO, this paper provides the
details of implementation of the acquisition and tracking algorithms for the GNSS-SDR project. Further on, this paper also explores the possibility
of augmenting multi-constellation systems supported by GNSS-SDR for improved tracking accuracy.
Keywords: IRNSS , Acquisition Tracking, GNSS-SDR, Opensource, Software Defined Radio

Corresponding Author: ajith.peter@gmail.com
Page No. 415

Acquiring the IRNSS Signals Along with GPS and SBAS System and Comparison of the System in Terms of C/No
for Positioning and Navigation
Virendra Patel1, Paresh Solanki1 and Mayuri Bandre1

1B.M. College of Engineering and Technology, Surat
Abstract
Indian regional navigation satellite system (IRNSS) is satellite based navigation system which provides services for Indian region as well as
surrounding region upto 1500 km. It provides two services SPS for civilian and RS for authorised user. The constellation of IRNSS is of seven
satellites and these seven satellites are tracked and their data are observed along with GPS and SBAS satellite using IRNSS receiver observes at
particular time. The real time data collected at Surat city in India are used to analyze the signal in terms of carrier to noise i.e. C/No ratio and in
terms of geometric dilution of precision (GDOP). IRNSS is the new indigenous system in family of navigation system its signal is used to
compare with GPS as well as with SBAS. This paper will highly concentrate on IRNSS system to study in brief using the real time data acquired
using the IRNSS receiver. This will briefly describe the noise characteristic of IRNSS and the dilution precision used for positioning. The
navigation and positioning system require more accuracy in above terms which helps more deeply to study particular system and its
interoperability with other existing GNSS system. The GDOP and C/No values ratio are observed for few days at one particular location of Surat
in India without the moment of the receiver. This small data are used to observe the performance of the IRNSS constellation.
Keywords: IRNSS, C/NO, GDOP, GNSS, SBAS

Corresponding Author: virendra369@gmail.com
Page No. 416

Kalman Filter Based Position Determination for IRNSS Receiver
Gaurav Tripathi1, Ashutosh Kumar Jha1 and Prasun Kumar Gupta1

Abstract
In these days there are so many navigation systems are available and widely used. From those systems GPS is most widely used navigation
system. A well designed GPS receivers have been achieving horizontal accuracy of 3 meters or better and vertical accuracy of 5 meters or better
95% of the time. There are so many ways to precise the accuracy of GPS data when we combines it with other systems but the main factor
because of that we can not to rely on GPS nav data more is that DoD USA can include Selective Ability error to degrade the autonomous GPS
accuracy for their security reasons and that will lead to the error in the accuracy. Before IRNSS Indian are using Civil GPS signals with accuracy
of 100 meters while military grade signals with accuracy of less than 10 meters is restricted to armed forces of USA, NATO and some other
countries like Japan and South Korea. That's why Indian Scientist planned to develop own navigation system. The Performances expected for the
IRNSS system are: Position accuracy around 20 m over the Indian Ocean Region (1500 km around India) and less than 10 m accuracy over India
and GSO adjacent countries. This project exhibits that we have tried to post process the IRNSS navigation data to get more precised/accurate
positional information in the term of horizontal and vertical accuracy. So for post processing we have used Absolute Positioning technique
(pseudo range based and carrier phase based point positioning) to get the receiver position accurately with using single rover receiver only. In the
raw navigational message we have received the dataset with more than 6 m inaccuracy but after applying Kalman Filter, we got the accuracy
about 2 to 3 meters. This project shows satisfactory results in the term of accuracy for this development phase.
Keywords: GPS:Global Positioning system, IRNSS: Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System, DoD: Department of Defense, GSO: Geosynchronus Orbit,
NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Corresponding Author: gauravtripathi3135gt@gmail.com
Page No. 417

Real Time Ionospheric Delay Calculation of IRNSS
Divyani Bhargava 1, Riya Shah 1, Aditi Aggarwal 1 and Pooja Mittakola 1

1Dr.S. & S. S. Ghandhy Government Engineering College, Surat
Abstract
IRNSS is an independent regional navigation satellite system being developed by INDIA, design to provide accurate position information to users
in INDIA as well as 1500 km from it's boundary. It intended 10 m accuracy through Indian region. IRNSS consist of 3 GSO and 4 IGSO satellites.
IRNSS receiver capable of receiving both L5 and S band frequencies. Basic service offered by IRNSS are SPS (STANDARD POSITION
SERVICES)- an opensource service without encryption and RS (restricted services)- an authorized with encryption. Ionospheric effect in position
measurement is observed while real time analysis. The SPS signal is BPSK modulated on L5 and S band signal. The IRNSS masterframe
comprises of 4 subframes, each subframe has 16 bit sync word followed by 584 bits of interleaved data. The navigation data includes IRNSS
satellite ephemeris , IRNSS time , satellite clock , correction parameter , status messages and other secondary information. To provide good
accuracy to acquisition and tracking of IRNSS IONOSPHERIC GRID MODEL is used. The ionospheric delay correction are broadcasted as
vertical delay estimates at specified ionospheric grid points (IGPS), applicable for single frequency over L5 and S band over the Indian level
mass. This includes 90 IGPS at 350 km over the earth surface. The method used for acquisition and tracking of IRNSS is explained and for SPS
services the L5 band signal is generated in MATLAB Simulink. Ionospheric delay calculation and correction is shown. Delay correction provide
high degree of accuracy; which is needed.
Keywords: IRNSS, Ionospheric delay, Ephemeris parameters, Real time analysis, Delay calculation
Corresponding Author: riyashah0895@gmail.com
Page No. 418

Theme- Soils & Sustainable Land Management in RS & GIS Applications Abstract Id: 75
Soil Feature Extraction Using Spectral Indices and Soil Type Classification from Hyperspectral Data
Amol D. Vibhute1, Karbhari V. Kale1, Rajesh Dhumal1, Ajay Nagne1 and S.C. Mehrotra1
1Dr.
Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad
Abstract
Soils are very complex in nature; hence its classification and mapping is challenging task. Recently, Hyperspectral Remote Sensing (HRS)
technology is extensively used for digital soil type classification and its mapping all over the world. It is essential for agricultural for crop growth
and food production which will be beneficial for farmers for crop management. The present research reports the study regarding soil feature
extraction using various soil indices generated from Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) Hyperion data and its classification based on soil properties. The
investigated study area is located in Phulambri Tehsil of Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, India. Hyperion Hyperspectral satellite data and soil
spectra obtained by non-imaging Analytical Spectral Device (ASD) Field Spec 4 spectroradiometer data were used for feature extraction and
classification. Normalized Difference Soil Index (NDSI), Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI), Normalized Soil Moisture Index (NSMI),
Desertification Soil Index (DSI) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) were selected for the study. These indices were used for
spectral feature extraction and identification of soil areas with its current status. Support Vector Machine (SVM) approach was computed for
mapping of surface soil types by ASD Field Spec 4 data as the reference spectra. Five soil types were identified on the basis of soil physical
properties and its spectral characteristics. The overall accuracy of soil type classification using SVM technique was 87%. The result indicates that,
SVM algorithm is most suitable for soil types classification and its mapping from Hyperspectral images. The classified maps can be efficiently
useful for agricultural planning and management of soils for decision makers.
Keywords: Spectral feature extraction, Soil Index, Hyperspectral data, Support Vector Machine, Soil Classification
Corresponding Author: amolvibhute2011@gmail.com
Page No. 419

GEOSPATIAL APPROACH IN ASSESSING LAND POTENTIAL FOR LAND USE PLANNING - A CASE
STUDY IN A WATERSHED OF MID-HIMALAYA
Yogesh S. Ghotekar 1, Anshu Sharma1, Suresh Kumar 1 and Justin George K.1
Abstract
Land is the most valuable natural resource, which needs to be harnessed according to its capability. Soils of Himalayan region are highly prone to
land degradation due to erosion which necessitates scientific land use planning supported with geospatial techniques. Watershed concept is widely
used in hilly landscapes for land use planning. Land potential is determined in terms of land capability and crop suitability. Land capability is the
inherent physical capacity of the land and is based on landscape features and processes influenced by terrain, soil and climatic attributes and their
interactions. The present study was attempted to assess the capability for agricultural land use in a watershed of mid-Himalayan region located in
Chamba region of Uttarakhand. Resourcesat -1 LISS IV satellite data was used to generate land use/land cover and soil map at 1:25,000 scale.
CartoDEM (30m) was used to characterize terrain parameters of slope and aspect of the watershed. Soil and terrain characteristics were spatially
integrated to assess land capability for identifying suitable area for agriculture with their limitations. Physico-chemical properties of soil such as
pH, EC, texture, organic carbon and nitrogen were analyzed to assess soil fertility. Soils were assessed for its crop suitability following FAO
framework of land evaluation on of maize, paddy and wheat crops. Watershed covers an area of 5248.76 ha, out of which 59 % is covered by
forest, 22 % agricultural land, 17 % by scrub and 1.5% by other classes. The results indicated that 25.69% land is under class III, 4.41 % under
class II, 7 % under class IV and 62.75% land came under class VII. Land capable of supporting agricultural use is only 36.75%. Soil depth and
erosion in the land units are the major limiting factors. Land suitability for wheat, maize and paddy were determined by taking in account land &
soil parameter. 53.63% area is marginally to moderately suitable for wheat crop, 55.05 % area is highly to moderately suitable for maize crop and
42.67 % area is marginally to moderately suitable for paddy crop.
Keywords: Geospatial, Land Evaluation, Land use planning, Watershed, Himalaya

Corresponding Author: ghotekaryogesh@gmail.com
Page No. 420

Data fusion for high resolution landuse / landcover mapping using Sentinel-1 and Landsat-8 imagery
Swati Suman1 and Prashant K. Srivastava1

1BanarasHindu University, Varanasi
Abstract
Predicting the pattern and evolution of land use pattern of a region is an important issue both from scientific and social points of view. Satellite
remote sensing due to their large spatial and periodic temporal coverage has emerged as a promising approach towards formulating and
implementing strategies for natural resources management and monitoring environmental changes. With the recent advancement in remote
sensing, classification of satellite images to obtain meaningful information is promising and now new techniques are evolving for efficient
classification of the satellite images. For land useland cover (LULC) mapping, previously optical satellite imagery are the main source, but
acquisition is not regular due to their inefficiency in cloudy conditions. However, on the other hand, because of all weather capabilities microwave
images could provide solution to the problem. In this regard, this study attempted to produce LULC by using the images from Sentinel-1 and
Landsat-8. Data fusion technique such as Gram-Schmidt (GS) spectral sharpening is used to perform the fusion of the dataset from both the
satellites. The Overall Accuracy (OA) indicates a value of 85.57 % and a Kappa coefficient (Kc) of 0.808 for the fused classified image, which is
notably performing better than both the sets of images when used separately.
Keywords: Land use land cover mapping, optical remote sensing, microwave remote sensing, data fusion, Gram-Schmidt (GS) spectral sharpening
Corresponding Author: swatigarg1708@gmail.com
Page No. 421

Application of Geospatial technology for expansion of sericulture in Meghalaya
P.T. Das1, J. Goswami1, C. Goswami1, B.K. Handique1, G. Borah2 and P.L.N. Raju?1
1North Eastern Space Applications Centre, Shillong , 2North Orissa University, Baripada
Abstract
India is the second largest silk producer in the world. Sericulture is an important cottage based eco friendly industry which provides employment
throughout the year and fetches higher income for rural farm families. Sericulture is practiced in the rural areas of Jaintia hills district of
Meghalaya but there has not been much development in this sector. Hence, the present study is carried out to identify suitable areas for expansion
of mulberry plantation in cultivable wastelands to improve the economy of rural people. Resourcesat-1, LISS-III, geo-coded satellite imagery for
the period of 2015-16 was used for updation of land use land cover map of 2011-2012 by following standard visual interpretation technique. Soil
map and climatic data were used to evaluate soil site suitability for expansion of mulberry plantations in the cultivable wastelands. Soil map at
1:50,000 was used for deriving different thematic maps like soil pH, texture, drainage, depth and stoniness. The Slope map was derived from
CartoDEM. The weather data, collected from the class-I observatories of IMD and the automatic weather stations (AWS) were analyzed and
prepared thematic maps for rainfall, maximum and minimum temperature, humidity, Potential Evaporanspiration (PET) and length of growing
period (LGP) for the silkworm food plants. Suitability analysis for expansion of mulberry sericulture was done based on multi criteria approach
by integrating all the thematic layers in GIS domain. From the study it was observed that tree clad is the most dominant land use of the district
that covers 57.63% area followed by wastelands and forest that covers 25.13% and 8.52% respectively. It was found that 74% area of the
wastelands is suitable for expansion of mulberry sericulture. Highly suitable area covers about 6% (21685 ha) area followed by moderately
suitable which occupies about 28% area and marginally suitable area covers 40% of cultivable wastelands. This information has been made
available to Sericulture department for planning and decision making.
Keywords: Land evaluation, RS & GIS, sericulture, mulberry

Corresponding Author: thakuriapratibha@rediffmail.com
Page No. 422

GEOSPATIAL MODELLING OF SOIL EROSION BASED ON RUSLE AND USPED MODELS IN A

WATERSHED OF MID-HIMALAYAN REGION
Justin George K.1, Pujarini Dutta1, Suresh Kumar1 and Bhaskar R. Nikam1
Abstract
Soil erosion is the most important land degradation process in the complex Himalayan landscape, which are having fragile ecosystems due to
rugged topography and highly differentiated climatic conditions. The study was carried out to quantify and identify spatial patterns of soil erosion
in a mountainous watershed located in Chamba area, Tehri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand, using remote sensing and GIS. The spatial
distribution of soil erosion was quantified by using Revised Universal soil loss Equation (RUSLE) and Unit stream power-based erosion
deposition (USPED) models in GIS environment. Though, RUSLE is a widely used empirical model for assessment of soil erosion on a spatial
scale, it lacks in estimation of transport/deposition of soil particles, which can be achieved using USPED model, with same inputs. The model
input parameters were generated using remote sensing data of IRS-P6 LISS-IV, LANDSAT-8, Cartosat DEM and field survey. The land use land
cover (LULC) of the watershed was prepared based on on-screen digitization technique using high resolution-multispectral IRS-P6-LISS-IV data.
56.59 percent of the watershed is covered by forest followed by agricultural land (25.4%). RUSLE model estimated mean annual soil erosion rate
of 19.61 t/ha/yr, in the watershed with nearly 31.98% of the area falling under category with soil loss of >20 t/ha/yr. Whereas, USPED model
estimated a mean annual soil erosion rate of 13.47 t/ha/yr with nearly 36.22% of area falling under soil loss category of >20 t/ha/yr and 18.83% of
area having soil deposition rates >20 t/ha/yr. USPED model revealed that nearly 32.81% area witness varying degrees of sediment deposition in
the watershed. Average soil erosion rates under various LULC types resulted more or less similar in both RUSLE and USPED, with lower values
of erosion rates recorded by USPED, except in case of settlements. The entire watershed was sub-divided into 45 micro-watersheds and
distributed soil erosion and soil erosion-deposition maps generated by RUSLE and USPED models, respectively, were used for the prioritization
of micro-watersheds and their classification into high, medium, low and very low priority classes based on annual soil loss.
Keywords: Soil erosion, RUSLE, USPED, Watershed Prioritization, Geospatial

Corresponding Author: justin@iirs.gov.in
Page No. 423

Geospatial Modelling for Watershed-scale Assessment of Soil Erosion and Nutrient Loss - A Case Study in a
Watershed of Mid-Himalayan Landscape
Abhisek Kumar Singh1 and Suresh Kumar1

Abstract
Himalayan landscape faces soil erosion by water as most important land degradation processes and resulted in loss of soil nutrients, declining crop
yields and reduction in soil productivity. Watershed models are valuable tools for examining landuse / landcover impact on watershed hydrology
and water quality. The present study was carried out in Maniyar watershed located near to Tehri dam in Tehri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand. The
watershed covering an area of 44.28 sq. km. typically represent mid-Himalayan region. Spatial heterogeneity of soil hydrological characteristics
of infiltration rate, saturated hydraulic conductivity, soil texture, bulk density and aggregate stability in various landscape of the watershed were
characterized. Resourcesat-1 IRS LISS IV data used to analyse land use land cover of forest cover (mainly pine) (4.19%), crop land (59.39%) and
others (scrub) (19.81%) in the watershed. Watershed comprises of very steep (33.34%) and steep sloping land (36.47%) derived using CartoDEM
(10m). Field survey was conducted to establish dominating erosion processes from upslope land scape to valley area in the watershed. ArcAPEX,
an ArcGIS-based user interface of the Agricultural Policy Environmental eXtender (APEX) hydrologic/water quality model was used to simulate
surface runoff and sediment loss on event basis at watershed scale. The interface integrates topographic, land use, and soil spatial datasets and a
built-in APEX-Parameters database that contains model parameter values required to simulate a wide range of plant growth, tillage, fertilizer, and
management over a landscape to watershed scale. Using GIS techniques, the watershed was divided into three landscape units - valley bottom,
hillslope, and upslope area. APEX model was implemented to assess runoff water amount as well as nutrient loss due to sediment yield in a
watershed representing mid-Himalayan landscape. Model was calibrated with the surface runoff data of 2015-16 and predicted with simulation for
year 2010- 2013. Average runoff for rainy season (July-September months), soil erosion, transported nitrogen and phosphorus was predicted as
2.03 m3sec-1, 15.08 t ha-1 yr-1, 3234.12 kg yr-1 and 1132.69 kg yr-1 respectively.
Keywords: Soil Erosion, Nutrient Loss, APEX, Middle Himalaya

Corresponding Author: abhisek@iirs.gov.in
Page No. 424

Development of Algorithm for Automated Identification of Saline Blank on Hyperspectral Imagery of Mangrove
Forests
Somdatta Chakravortty1, Dipanwita Ghosh1 and Pranabes Sanyal2

1Government College of Engineering and Ceramic Technology, Kolkata , 2Government of West Bengal
Abstract
Saline blanks are saline encrusted open areas that exist in between thick blankets of mangrove forests. They remain non-vegetated in terms of
major tree and shrub cover but remain infested by grasses and some saline aquatic species like salt marshes. This paper uses the spectral
information of hyperspectral data to develop a novel approach, a new index for automatic detection of saline blanks in the Sunderban Biosphere
Reserve of West Bengal. This study has identified the bands that are sensitive to presence of minerals comprising saline blanks. The highest
reflectance (894 nm, 1083 nm and 1295 nm) and lowest absorption (932nm, 1114nm, 1971nm and 2002nm) wavelengths representing the
presence of saline blank minerals have been considered for the new index calculation. It is observed that there is high reflectance at wavelength
800nm; hydrate absorption feature at wavelength 980 and 1150 nm and water absorption feature at wavelength 1450 and 1950 nm. These
characteristics indicate the presence of Sodium Chloride, Sulfate and Sulfide. The spectra also shows a hydroxyl absorption feature at wavelength
2200nm, water absorption feature at wavelength 1450 and 1950 nm that indicates the presence of Gypsum as well as Calcium Sulfate. Deep
absorption around the wavelength 2000nm indicates the presence of clay, a physical property of the soil. The spectral profile of saline blank
extracted from ground survey has been considered as the reference spectra. A general index has also been developed without specifying
wavelengths for indexing as because they may vary from one type of saline soil to another. The new saline blank detection index has been
compared with the existing salinity indices and a detailed analysis has been carried out. It is found that the new index outperforms the existing
salinity indices-Normalised Differential Salinity Index and Salinity Index, and accurately detects the Saline Blank areas of Henry Island of the
Sunderbans Delta.
Keywords: saline blank, index, hyperspectral data, mangroves,

Corresponding Author: csomdatta@rediffmail.com
Page No. 425

DIGITAL SOIL MAPPING USING REMOTE SENSING, VIS-NIR SPECTROSCOPY AND TERRAIN
PARAMETERS
Justin George K.1, Arya Raj R.1 and Suresh Kumar1

Abstract
Digital soil mapping (DSM) relies on field observations, laboratory measurements and remote sensing data, integrated with quantitative methods
to map spatial patterns of soil properties. VIS-NIR spectroscopy has been identified and explored as a relatively fast and cost effective analysis
technique for characterizing various soil properties. The study was undertaken in a hilly watershed in the Himalayan region of Mandi district,
Himachal Pradesh for mapping soil nutrients by employing Artificial Neural Network (ANN), a potent data mining technique. Soil samples
collected from the surface layer (0-15cm) of 75 locations in the watershed, through grid sampling approach during the fallow period of November
2015, were preprocessed and analyzed for various soil nutrients like soil organic carbon (SOC), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). Spectral indices
like Colouration Index (CI), Brightness Index (BI), Hue Index (HI), and Redness Index (RI) derived from Landsat 8 satellite data and terrain
parameters such as terrain wetness Index (TWI), stream power index (SPI), and slope using CartoDEM (30m) were used. Spectral and terrain
indices sensitive to different nutrients were identified using correlation analysis and thereafter used for predictive modelling of nutrients using
ANN technique by employing Feed-forward Neural network (FFN) with Backpropagation network architecture and Levenberg-Marquardt
training algorithm. The prediction of SOC was obtained with an R2 of 0.83 and Mean Squared Error (MSE) of 0.05, whereas for available
nitrogen it was achieved with an R2 value of 0.62 and MSE of 0.0006. The prediction accuracy for phosphorus was low, since the phosphorus
content in the area was far below the normal P values of typical Indian soils and thus the R2 value observed was only 0.511. The developed
models were validated using independent datasets and used for mapping the spatial distribution of SOC and N in the watershed. ANN was also
employed for predicting nutrients using the soil spectra generated using visible-near-infrared (VIS-NIR) reflectance spectroscopy. The method
used soil spectra derived nano spectral indices in predicting SOC with an R2 of 0.921. While the attempt to map other nutrients like N, P, and K
was unsuccessful due to their low influence on reflectance spectra.
Keywords: Digital soil mapping, ANN, terrain analysis, spectroscopy, soil nutrients
Corresponding Author: justin@iirs.gov.in
Page No. 426

Accessing land degradation in Ganga river basin by RESTREND analysis with visual evidences of human-induced
contribution
Shafique Matin1, Sujit Madhab Ghosh1 and Mukunda Dev Behera1

Abstract
A persistent loss of ecosystem functions and land productivity indicates land degradation, which may lead to desertification if persist in the
semi-arid region. An accurate estimation of land degradation is complex because of the amalgamated contribution from human and climate
induced factors into the process. In this work, we have attempted to estimate the land degradation (LD) in Indian Ganga River Basin (IGRB) and
to make a differentiation in its contributing factors. We have identified the areas affected by LD in IGRB during 1982 and 2013, using time-series
analysis of normalized index vegetation index (NDVIg3) data provided by the NASA-GSFC, Global Inventory Modeling, and Mapping Studies
(GIMMS) group. We acquired rainfall data from the Climate Research Unit (CRU) and soil moisture data from European Space Agency-Climate
Change Initiative (ESA-CCI) to run a linear regression model with GIMMS-NDVI3g to see the influence of rainfall and soil moisture in NDVI
change over time. We executed Residual trend (RESTREND) analysis on GIMMS-NDVI3g data to assess the land degradation in the basin, where
a negative value indicates human-induced land degradation and a positive value represents a land improvement, if independent of any climate
variability. The linear regression model of NDVI against rainfall and soil moisture resulted in a positive increase of NDVI due to the presence of
soil moisture in semi-arid areas, while less pronounced in the humid areas where soil moisture is not in short supply. The RESTREND analysis
observed many areas with significant vegetation photosynthetic changes, caused by factors other than climate. Negative RESTREND values were
observed scatteredly distributed in many parts of the basin but significantly in Chotanagpur Plateau and Vindhyan regions. We also observed
evidence of land degradation in the proximity of evolving metropolitans like Delhi, Kolkata, and Patna. These observations of land degradation
were supported by the visual evidence using two time period Landsat satellite images. Finally, the Mann-Kendall coefficient was calculated to test
whether the residual trend is monotonic or not? The result shows that the overall trends in the study area are moderately positive but highly
significant (p < 0.001) for all of the RESTREND models.
Keywords: Land degradation, Ganga river basin, RESTREND, NDVI3g, LANDSAT

Corresponding Author: shafiquematin@gmail.com
Page No. 427

Texture Based Spatial Feature Extraction for Soil Type Classification from LISS-IV Multispectral Satellite Data
Amol D. Vibhute1, Karbhari V. Kale1, Rajesh K. Dhumal1, Ajay D. Nagne1 and Suresh C. Mehrotra1
1Dr.
Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad
Abstract
Classification of fine spatial resolution multispectral data using traditional techniques leads low performance to identify mixed land patterns
especially soils. The traditional multispectral classification techniques classify the soils and other classes based on spectral knowledge of the
specific pixels without considering spatial information. In this research, classification of fine spatial resolution multispectral data for soils and
other land patterns extraction from mixed land is investigated in two ways. Firstly, multispectral data is classified based on conventional
techniques. Secondly, a method based on gray level co-occurrence matrix as spatial feature extraction of the multispectral data is proposed. In this
view, various texture parameters of the co-occurrence matrix method were used to highlight and extract the textures in images. The method was
computed on increasing matrix window size starting from original one. The Resourcesat-II Linear Imaging Self-Scanning System IV (LISS-IV)
multispectral data was used for testing the algorithms of the study area Phulambri Tehsil of Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, India. The
proposed approach was used as a preprocessing for maximum likelihood algorithm for classification of soils and other patterns. The experimental
results were evaluated on the basis of classification accuracy of methods. The overall accuracy of classification by maximum likelihood algorithm
after spatial feature extraction was 91.1811% with kappa coefficient 0.90. It was found that, the accuracy of the classification is increased after
considering spatial features based on co-occurrence matrix. The results were promising to extract the mixed features for soil type classification.
Keywords: Multispectral data, Grey Level Co-occurrence Matrix, Spatial Feature Extraction, Soil Type Classification, Maximum Likelihood Algorithm
Corresponding Author: amolvibhute2011@gmail.com
Page No. 428

Geostatistical Analysis of Soil Nutrient Status using GIS technology in Dudihal Sub-watershed of Vijayapura
District, Karnataka
P.L. Patil1, H.C. Ramachandraiah1, Deepa V. Pavadashetti1 and S. Lingaraj1

1University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad
Abstract
The study was undertaken to analyze the soil nutrient status in Dudihal sub-watershed of Vijayapura district of Karnataka. Major and Micro
nutrients were studied by samples collected from the field with grid of 250 meter using global positioning system (GPS) and mapped in GIS
environment. The samples were collected from 417 locations in the study area. These samples were analyzed for physical and chemical properties
of the soils. The total area of the Dudihal sub-watershed extended in 2691.75 ha. The objectives of the study were to analyze the soil nutrient
status of the Dudihal sub-watershed using Geo-statistical method and mapping the different nutrient elements. The values of sampled location
were interpolated to predict the nutrient values of un-sampled location using Geo-statistical ordinary kriging method of GIS techniques. The
content of available Nitrogen was less than 280 kg/ha (Low), available Phosphorus varied from 23 to 56 kg/ha (medium), available Potassium was
greater than 330 kg/ha (High), organic carbon varied from 0 to 0.75 % (low to medium), available Sulphur in 88% of the study area was varied
from 10 to 20 ppm (medium) and remained area was greater than 20 ppm (high), available Copper was less than 0.2 ppm (sufficient), available
Manganese in 6% of the study area was less than 1.0 ppm (deficient) and remained area was greater than 1.0 ppm (sufficient), available Iron was
less than 4.5 ppm (deficient), Electrical conductivity of the soil was less than 0.5 ds/m ( non-saline) and the soil reaction (pH) varied from 6.5 to
9.0 (15% of the area was neutral and remained area varied from slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline). The maps of various nutrient elements
prepared using ArcGIS 10.4 and clearly indicated the specific locations, where deficiency of nutrients constrained crop production. The study
revealed the ability of Geo-statistical method to predict the values of un-sampled location and mapping the available nutrients in Dudihal
sub-watershed using Geo-spatial technology.
Keywords: GIS, Geo-statistical Analysis, Kriging, Nutrient status, Sub-watershed

Corresponding Author: plpatiluasd@gmail.com
Page No. 429

Spatio-temporal variability of soil organic carbon conetent over India based on Ecosystem Model and regional data
bases
R.K. Nayak1, A. Bhuvana Chandra1, M. Swapna 1, N.R. Patel1 and V.K. Dadhwal1
1IndianInstitute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 2Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram , 3National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad
Abstract
Soil organic carbon (SOC) accounts two third of the total global carbon content of the soil and play a decisive role on the exchange of CO2
between the soil and the atmosphere through the vegetation productivity and heterotrophic respiration. SOC is an important indicator of the soil
fertility, productivity and quality. Maintaining and improving its level is essential to ensure soil quality, crop productivity and sustainability of
agriculture and forest ecosystems and more generally the control of CO2 level in the atmosphere. In this study we studied spatio-temporal
variability of SOC over India using the regional data base collected under the National Carbon Project of ISRO geosphere biosphere program in
combining with the terrestrial ecosystem model, namely the Carnegie Ames Stanford Approach (CASA). The CASA is driven by satellite
measured normalized greenness index, climate and soil and land cover attributes maps to simulate soil organic carbon content (SOC) along with
terrestrial net primary productivity (NPP), net ecosystem productivity (NEP), CO2 release by the soil due to heterotrophic respiration over India
during is carried out at monthly scale for the years 2001-2015. The simulated SOC compares with the regional data base of SOC. The range of
simulated SOC varied between 0-32 Kg C/m2 across different soil types over India while the regional data base ranges 0-24 Kg C/m2 with rmse
between the data sets is 2-3 Kg C/m2. The SOC exhibits strong inter-annual variability with increasing trends (linear growth rate) over the region
dominated by cropland and decreasing trends over the Forest regions. The work is under progress to understand the causes of such variability and
the role of natural climatic variability versus the anthropogenic activity.
Keywords: net ecosystem productivity, net primary productivity, soil organic carbon, CASA, India
Corresponding Author: rabindrakumar_nayak@nrsc.gov.in
Page No. 430

Projecting future patterns of landuse / landcover in Yamuna river basin (India) using spatially explicit models
Sarita Bansal1, S.K. Srivastav1 and Aushutosh Kumar Jha1

Abstract
Modelling land-use land-cover (LULC) change as a function of driving forces helps understanding the futuristic spatial changes and gain insight
about the interaction between LULC and environmental and socioeconomic changes. In this study, two spatially explicit models, Dyna-CLUE
(Dynamic Conversion of Land Use and Its Effects) and ILULC-DMP (ISRO Land Use Land Cover Change - Dynamics Modelling platform) have
been used to project the future LULC scenario in Yamuna river basin (India). Both Dyna-CLUE and ILULC-DMP models provide the spatially
explicit description of future LULC scenarios through the quantification of relation between past LULC and driving forces. LULC demand,
conversion elasticities, transition sequences, location suitability and decision rules are also used as inputs for generating the future LULC
scenarios. The ILULC-DMP has some additional features like: statistical analysis between LULC and driver maps, calibration and validation of
model outputs, accuracy assessment, output map generation, and all the analysis can be carried out in raster format without converting datasets
into different formats. The historical LULC maps at decadal intervals (1985, 1995 and 2005) along with drivers (physical, demographic,
socioeconomic and proximity drivers) of LULC change pertaining to Yamuna river basin are used as input to generate the future LULC scenario
for 2025. The results show that both the models provided good prediction accuracy as evident from the comparison of modelled and actual LULC
maps of 2005. ILULC-DMP model yielded 92% overall accuracy, while Dyna-CLUE model yielded 93% overall accuracy. However, it is
observed that ILULC-DMP model has predicted the smaller classes with higher accuracy. The projected LULC scenario (2025) shows increasing
trend in built-up and cropland and decreasing trend in forest, water bodies, grassland and barren land. The results help in identifying the critical
areas of LULC change which can be used as input towards sustainable land management.
Keywords: Land-use land-cover change, Spatially explicit models, ILULC-DMP, Dyna-CLUE, Yamuna basin
Corresponding Author: sari.bansal@gmail.com
Page No. 431

Comparison of Prediction Accuracy of Soil Organic Carbon from Reflectance Spectroscopy
Minu S.1, Abhiya Abbas Mundol1 and Amba Shetty1

1FederalInstitute of Science And Technology, Ernakulam , 2National Institute of Technology, Surathkal
Abstract
Soil organic carbon (SOC) is the most important constituent part of soil, and is an index of soil fertility. Conventional laboratory methods of
determination of SOC content are laborious, and time consuming. Reflectance spectroscopy provides a good alternative that may be used to
replace conventional methods of soil analysis. This study was conducted to develop fundamental relationships between soil organic carbon and
their reflectance spectra and to find the effect of various pre-processing methods on prediction accuracy of soil organic carbon. Soil information
from 71 sample sites of pasture and cotton fields of Narrabri, Australia were used in the analysis. Reflectance spectra of the samples were
measured by ground AgriSpec spectrometer in the range of 350 - 2500 nm with a 1nm increment. Each reflectance spectrum was pretreated with
different smoothing methods such as: moving average, median filtering, gaussian smoothing and savitzky golay smoothing. A comparison
between principal component regression, partial least square regression and artificial neural network models were done to get an optimum model
for organic carbon prediction. The results indicates that Partial least square regression performs better with savitzky golay method as the best
pre-processing method for the study area yielding with correlation coefficient of 0.85. The output from the PLSR algorithm was used to identify
wavelengths that are significant in predicting SOC. Based on the study, it can be said that properly pre-treated reflectance spectra shows
tremendous potential in soil organic carbon prediction.
Keywords: Soil organic carbon, Spectroradiometer, Savitzky golay smoothing, Partial least square regression, Significant wavelengths of prediction
Corresponding Author: minu.s88@gmail.com
Page No. 432

Automatic Extraction of Built-Up area From EO-1 Hyperion Hyperspectral Satellite Image Based on NDBI Index
Ajay D. Nagne1, Amol D. Vibhute1, Rajesh K. Dhumal1, Karbhari V. Kale1 and S.C. Mehrotra1
Abstract
Urban area represents a little portion of Earth's surface area however it brings an unbalanced impact on its surrounding areas. An urban region is a
complex ecosystem and made up by a heterogeneous material. In worldwide an urban expansion is done by occupying a cultivated land which
causes a serious problem on our ecosystem. Now there is a need to identify an urban area and its growing pattern. A recent Hyperspectral Remote
sensing technology can be used to monitor built-up areas and also it can detect the growth and spatial distribution of urban built-up. In this
research, we presented an automatic and quick approach for extraction of Built-Up area from EO-1 Hyperion Hyperspectral image of 20 March
2015 of Aurangabad City (MS), INDIA. The Normalized Differential Built-Up Indexed (NDBI) is based on the new spectral index that can
extract built-up area automatically. The Range of NDBI Indexed is -1 to +1; the identified index value of pure pixels of Built-Up area was 0 to
0.15. Further by using Density slicing approach, it is clearly identify built-Up area, Vegetation, Water body and Barren Land. In the study report
NDBI Index was identify to be an effective technique to map urban built-up area. In the Study report NDBI Index was identify to be an effective
technique to map urban built-up area as compared to SAM classifier. The total overall accuracy of NDBI is 90.26% and 0.86 Kappa coefficient;
whereas SAM classifier has 88.30% overall accuracy with 0.85 Kappa coefficient.
Keywords: Normalized Differential Built-Up Indexed (NDBI), EO-1 Hyperion, Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM), Density Slicing, Urban classification
Corresponding Author: ajay.nagne@gmail.com
Page No. 433

GEO-SPATIAL APPROACH FOR MAPPING OF FIELD MEASUREMENT BOOKS IN ANDHRA PRADESH:

A CASE STUDY
P. Hari Krishna2, A. Venkateswara Rao1, Ch. Tata Babu1, L. Sneha1, M. Hari Krishna1, Ch.L. Narasimha Rao1 and K.V. Ramana1
1Andhra Pradesh Space Applications Centre, Hyderabad , 2North Eastern Space Applications
Abstract
An effective and secure transaction of landed properties is essential for the welfare of any country's economy. Governments at all levels require
accurate, easily retrievable land records for establishing the ownership rights. A Field measurement Book (FMB) provides data about land and
ownership. It is the base for legal aspects like ownership as well as fiscal aspects like taxation of land. The main objective of the study is to
regenerate a spatially accurate, legally supportive and operationally efficient sub divisional cadastral database. The definition and compilation of
an accurate database is based on an analytical reconstruction of sub-division boundaries rather than the conventional field reconstruction process
by using CollabLand software. To attain this, village cadastral maps, Field Measurement Books and Adangal records have been used. This study
mainly elaborates the methods used for producing and updating the FMB map. It investigates the use of High Resolution Satellite Imagery (HRSI)
and Global Positional System (GPS) which are vital elements in timely maintaining many of the cadastral maps in GIS. The abilities of remote
sensing imageries in sub parcel mapping are evaluated using World View-2 satellite data. The study reveals that the sub-parcel wise information
serves the administrative mandates, maintaining up to date database, assigning values for taxation, addressing rural development, management
and services to citizens. The study indicates that the adopted technology can be extended to other areas of the state and updation work can be done
in a limited time.
Keywords: Cadastral Mapping, Adangal, Field Measurement Book, HRSI, CollabLand

Corresponding Author: tatababuapsac@gmail.com
Page No. 434

Study on Soil Spectral Data and its Classification
R. R. Deshmukh 1, Chitra M. Gaikwad1 and Sangeeta N. Kakarwal2

1Government College of Engineering, Aurangabad , 2P.E.S. College of Engineering, Aurangabad
Abstract
Soil is a mixture of air, minerals, organic matter, and organisms. Soil varies in its physical and chemical composition. Soil is important for the
growth of plants. These factors influence the formation of different soil profiles. For effective soil mapping all these factors are necessary. The
upper layer of soil contains information about organic matter, salinity, moisture, runoff, etc which is useful for decision making. Remote sensing
techniques are gaining importance for classifying soils. Satellite imagery provides the visible boundaries of soil types and remote sensing is used
for a shallow penetration of soils. To characterize the soil properties non-destructively, high spectral resolution data in the visible infra red, near
infra red and short wave infra red bands is required. Soil spectral signatures can provide us this data. The use of spectrometer to obtain soil
spectral data has enabled quantification of various attributes of soil. The aim of this paper is to study the association between soil nutrients and
their spectral features and to understand the role of principal component analysis and regression for soil classification. The soil signature data is
collected using ASD Field Spec 4 Spectrometer. The Principal Component Analysis and regression is applied to the data for data reduction, and
data classification.
Keywords: Soil Spectral Reflectance, Soil Nutrients, Principal Component Analysis, Soil Classification, Regression Analysis
Corresponding Author: gaikwadchitra@gmail.com
Page No. 435

Assessment of Farm Scale Soil Health using GIS
Richa Sharma2, Manju Sharma2, Maninder Singh2, Himanshu Kumar2, Mainsh Uniyal2, Randhir Singh2, Ravinder Pal Singh2, Raj Setia2, Ajay Mathur 2 and Brijendra
Pateriya2
1Punjab Remote Sensing Centre, Ludhiana
Abstract
The information on soil health is needed for enhancing crop productivity through balanced nutrient management, promoting judicious use of
costly external inputs of nutrients and enhancing the efficiency of scarce water resources. Geographical information System (GIS) may be used as
a prospective tool to assess the soil health. For this purpose, a total of 220 surface soil (0-15 cm) samples were collected from the Pakhowal block
of Ludhiana district, Punjab using 1x1 km grid. These were analysed for pH, EC, organic carbon, macronutrients (available phosphorus,
potassium and sulphur) and micronutrients (available zinc, copper, iron and manganese) using standard methods. Spatial variability of all these
soil fertility parameters was studied using geostatistics and GIS. In the variogram analysis, spherical model was the best fit on experimental
variograms for all the fertility parmeters. The spatial range of all the parameters was larger than our sampling interval which suggests that data
may be used to prepare the farm scale soil health cards. Using the input parameters derived from the fitted semivariograms, ordinary kriging
interpolation was used to obtain the spatial distribution maps of all the soil fertility parameters across the study area. Cadastral maps of the block
were prepared in GIS and these were overlaid on the interpolated maps of soil parameters which were eventually the soil health card for a
particular farmer. These results suggest that spatial data of soil heath prepared using geostatistcs and GIS along with grid sampling may be used to
prepare the soil health cards at field level for homogeneous cultivated area.
Keywords: Geostatistic, GIS, Soil health, ,

Corresponding Author: richabt27@gmail.com
Page No. 436

Theme- UAV Remote Sensing and Applications Abstract Id: 1113
Multi-Image 3D Reconstruction of Landslides by Application of UAV & Structure from Motion

Abstract
Landslides exhibit complex geomorphologies and hence they are very difficult to measure. Photogrammetric methods are promising tools to
overcome such problems due to 3D reconstruction from overlapping images without disturbing the surface. Airborne and terrestrial image
acquisition platforms are possible data sources for comprehensive digital landslide modelling. This study presents a computer vision application
of the structure from motion (SfM) technique in three dimensional high-resolution landslide monitoring. In this study, we used an Unmanned
Aerial Vehicle (UAV) DJI Phantom 3 Advanced to collect high-resolution images of landslide. A total of 72 photographs were taken on 14 July
2016 (before monsoon) covering the whole landslide. For more key points/feature matching, more than 70% overlapping was kept between two
consecutive images. Based on feature detection technique such as scale invariant feature transform (SIFT), image features can be automatically
detected, described, and matched between photographs. A bundle block adjustment is then performed on the matched features to identify the 3D
position and orientation of the cameras, and the XYZ location of each feature in the photographs resulting in a sparse 3D point cloud.
Densification of sparse points cloud was done using Clustering View for Multi-View Stereo (CMVS) algorithm. Finally, surface reconstruction
was done using Poisson Surface Reconstruction method. For visualization and analysis of final 3D model, open source software, CloudCompare
was used. It was concluded from the study that UAV-based imagery in combination with 3D scene reconstruction algorithms provide flexible and
effective tools to map and monitor landslide.
Keywords: 3D Reconstruction, SfM, UAVs, Poisson Surface Reconstruction, Point Cloud

Page No. 437

Object based Classification in UAV Remote Sensing
Anuj Tiwari1, Abhilasha Dixit2 and Shravi Agrawal3

1IndianInstitute of Technology, Roorkee, 2National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee, 3UCOST Dehradun
Abstract
Rapid proliferation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) bringing a new remote sensing platform which is more flexible, easy to use, high
resolution and low cost. UAV-Remote sensing is a wider platform that has a space for both the newbie and technocrats want to integrate unique
advantages of remote sensing either to have a high resolution photograph or efficient implementation for their certain benefits. Remote sensing in
all aspects (Satellite, Aerial, Lidar, etc) with its unique classification abilities justified itself as an efficient tool to document the dynamic changes
in physical processes and resulting landforms. Current study explores the potential of UAV-Remote sensing and object based classification, two
cutting edge technology for different class of land use land cover. We are using orthophotographs and Digital Surface Model collected using UAV.
To classify a list of objects (Vegetation, building, Car, Road, etc) nearest neighbor and rule based object classification technique are used.
Accuracy is compared for the features sets and classification algorithms.
Keywords: Object based classification, UAV, Remote sensing, Nearest neighbor classification, Rule based classification
Corresponding Author: anujtiwari.iitr@gmail.com
Page No. 438

A Brief Report on Unmanned Aerial Systems for Remote Sensing and Surveillance in India
Sudhir Kumar Chaturvedi1, Saikat Banerjee1, Prateek1 and Shagun Bishnoi1

1UPES, Dehradun
Abstract
The evolution of unmanned aerial vehicle created a new horizon in the modern world of technology. To serve any nation with surveillance,
topographic mapping, Photogrammetry and Remote sensing (PaRS) the unmanned aerial systems, remotely piloted systems, UAV, or simply
DRONEs become a hot topic throughout all the countries. With the integration of all combat technologies, sophisticated computer vision
intelligence system, robotics and geo informatics technologies India also made various types of unmanned aerial vehicles in different platforms
depending upon the usages. Generally security and control, aerial reconnaissance, aerial policeman and crowd monitoring, Oil and Gas
Exploration and Production, Countryside and Agriculture are the major application fields. Depending upon any kind of situations the UAVs are
deployed for any rescue missions, any kind of disaster management missions. The utilization of UAV is become a very vital key point for all the
countries and research and development fields. Ultimately, the main motto throughout the technology is always to fly and make your own sky
beyond limits. In this review paper, we are going to discuss regarding the Indian UAV system specifications, various launching systems, and the
different usages in detail.
Keywords: UAV identification, Remote sensing, Intelligence systems, ,

Page No. 439

Tree Crown Detection, Delineation and Counting in UAV Remote Sensed Images a Neural Network Based Spectral-
Spatial Method
Ramesh Kestur1, Akanksha Angural3, Bazila Bashir3, Priya 3, S.N. Omkar1, Gautham Anand1 and M.B. Meenavathi1
1Bangalore
Institute of Technology, Bengaluru , 2Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru , 3National Institute of Technology, Srinagar
Abstract
Remote sensing from an Umanned Aerial Vehicle ( UAV) is in an embryonic stage as compared to satellite remote sensing. Agriculture and
ecology is one of the important applications of UAV remote sensing. UAV remote sensing is also known as Low Altitude Remote Sensing
(LARS). This work demonstrates the use and potential of LARS in agriculture, particularly small holder open field agriculture. Two UAVs are
used for remote sensing. The first UAV is a fixed wing aircraft with a high spatial resolution visible spectrum camera, also known as RGB camera
as a payload. The second UAV is a quadrotor UAV with an RGB camera interfaced to an onboard Single Board Computer (SBC) as the payload.
LARS was carried out to acquire aerial high spatial resolution RGB images of different farms. Spectral-spatial segmentation of high spatial
resolution RGB images for detection, delineation and counting of tree crowns in the image is presented. Supervised spectral classification is
carried out using ELM, a Single hidden layer feed forward network (SLFN) neural network classifier. ELM was modelled for RGB values as
input feature vectors and binary ( tree and non-tree pixels ) output class. Due to similarities in spectral intensities, some of the non-tree pixels
were classified as tree pixels and in order to remove them, spatial segmentation was performed on the image. Spatial segmentation was carried out
using morphological operation (dilation) and thresholded geometrical property filtering techniques. Threshold values chosen for carrying out
spatial segmentation were analysed to obtain optimal values. Finally in the delineation and counting step, the connected tree crowns were
segmented using watershed algorithm performed on the image after marking individual tree crowns using distance transform. Four representative
UAV images captured at different altitudes with different crowns of banana trees, mango trees and coconut trees were used to demonstrate the
performance of the proposed method. The performance was compared with the traditional K-means unsupervised method of clustering. Results
and comparison of performance parameters of unsupervised and supervised segmentation methods are presented. Results indicate that ELM
performed better than K-means.
Keywords: Extreme Learning Machines, UAV remote sensing, mathematical morphology, Tree crown,
Corresponding Author: rkestur@gmail.com
Page No. 440

An Approach for Geocoding of Airborne Images in Absence of Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU)
Abhishek Patil2, Meenakshi Sarkar2 and Debajyoti Dhar2

Abstract
In this paper, a methodology has been described for geometric correction of large number of high-resolution, multispectral images acquired from
airborne platform, in the absence of Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) which records pose and position of imaging system at very fine time
interval. The position & velocity vector and other ephemeris information recorded by the IMU system are used for the geotagging of images with
latitude, longitude and height. Being an agile platform, airborne imagery is generally affected because of continuous changes in roll, pitch, yaw,
velocity magnitude, vector direction in 3D space and complex imaging paths set by users. This situation imposes enormous problems in
preprocessing for sorties, if IMU information is not available during imaging period. As first step, we estimate roll profile from distortions
observed in acquired images, in across track direction. The correction for estimated roll profile is applied on image, to reduce the internal
distortion. This step also increases the efficiency and accuracy of feature matching process to identify Ground Control Points (GCPs) in image.
After roll correction, a pseudo geocoding of images is performed using major projective matrix, generated using few GCPs marked from reference
images. Further for each scene, hierarchical matching with reference images is used to mark the large number of GCPs at different scale. The
GCPs at lower resolution yields major shifts in image in scan and pixel direction, while GCPs at higher resolution are used for the generation of
projective or non-rigid mapping for scene. Finally, the geocoded images are generated by resampling images at nominal sensor resolution. The
location accuracy estimated for geocoded products are within acceptable limits.
Keywords: Geocoding, IMU , Internal Distortion, GCPs, Airborne Imaging

Corresponding Author: pabhishek@sac.isro.gov.in
Page No. 441

Unsupervised Image Classification of Airborne-NaNo Multispectral Data
Meenakshi Sarkar2, Ankur Garg2 and Debajyoti Dhar2

Abstract
The airborne campaign of the multi-spectral NaNo payload has been carried out in February,2016. The NaNo payload has four spectral bands with
different optics, and 4000 pixels in the across track direction, covering the swath of approximately 3.5 kms. The high resolution multispectral
acquisition capability of the NaNo sensor makes the datasets very advantageous for the strategic and civilian purpose. The acquired datasets have
been corrected for the radiometric and geometric distortion before using it for further applications. Image classification, an important step in the
field of computer vision, associates each pixel of image to a set of predetermined categories. Supervised and unsupervised classifications are two
main branches of the classification technique. The supervised classification technique requires a prior knowledge of the ground truth. Collecting
ground truths has always been a tedious and time consuming task, making it very expensive. To achieve greater knowledge of the NaNo acquired
images, the classification of the images into predefined classes was required. The absence of the ground truth information made this task more
challenging. In this paper, we employ unsupervised learning neural network Self Organizing Map (SOM) based technique for the purpose of
classification of NaNo images. Our first approach is based on spectral signature as feature set for SOM to classify the multispectral data. In this
paper, we have also added the textural components as features along with spectral signature to the classifier. The results show that adding the
textural components along with the spectral signature enhances the classification accuracies. The SOM based unsupervised classifier performs
excellently in classifying the NaNo acquired multispectral images into various classes such as vegetation, city, waterbody etc.
Keywords: Airborne, Unsupervised Learning, Classification, Self Organised Map, Multispectral Data
Corresponding Author: agarg@sac.isro.gov.in
Page No. 442

A Survey of Routing Protocols for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Networks
Priyank Mishra1, Vimlesh Kumar1 and Brajesh Kumar Tiwari1

1Gautam Buddha University, Greater Noida
Abstract
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) has a large number of applications in public and civil domains like emergency communication, remote
sensing, security, weapon, internet, etc. The Multi-UAV systems, having more than two UAVs, are more effective and economic as compared to
single UAV systems. However, there are some challenging issues like high mobility of UAV nodes and low air-ground network resources that
have to be resolved before deploying Unmanned Aerial Vehicle NETworks (UAANETs) to provide reliable and efficient communication. The
work carried out by researchers in the field of Vehicular Ad hoc NETworks (VANETs) and Mobile Ad hoc NETworks (MANETs) does not
address the unique features of UAANETs. The routing protocol designed for MANETs and VANETs are not suitable for UAANETs due to high
mobility, power constraints, changing link quality, dynamic topology and intermittent links. In this article, a survey of UAANETs have been
carried out in which challenges of UAANETs, routing protocols for UAANETs and their applications have been discussed.
Keywords: Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Ad-Hoc Networks, Mobile Ad-Hoc Networks, Vehicular Ad-Hoc Networks, Multi-UAV
Corresponding Author: priyankspd@gmail.com
Page No. 443

Comparison of Shadow Detection Methods using Color Transformations
Vandita Srivastava1 and M. Hanisha1

1Andhra University, Visakhapatnam , 2Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun
Abstract
Shadows have mostly been considered as a noise in remote sensing analysis. However, shadows could also be useful for certain tasks namely
extraction of features and information of interest such as building height extraction. Thus delineation of shadows is an important ask for further
feature and information extraction, including many others. Shadows can be easily identified manually utilizing visual interpretation skills,
however delineating them automatically is still a challenge. Present work attempts to address this challenge. We focus on comparing methods of
detecting shadows in high-resolution satellite images obtained from google images and finding an efficient method for shadow extraction. The
methods selected for study are various color transformation such as HSI, LAB, YCBCR (Luminance, Chroma Blue, Chroma Red), and C1C2C3
color spaces. The outcome of each method was compared with as well as without histogram thresholding for detecting shadows. The results of
extraction were evaluated with manually digitized shadows. Although the results of the methods varied for different images, shadow detection
through HSI color transformation was most accurate for the images selected under study. YCBCR transformation resulted akin to HSI transform.
LAB transform showed misinterpreted data and C1C2C3 transform was not accurate in most cases. The study provides a comparison of methods,
and leads to a way for automatic extraction of shadows using color transform method. The study could be extended to include more color
transforms available in literature for an exhaustive comparison and also for making use of it for further feature extraction using extracted
shadows.
Keywords: Shadows, Shadow Detection, Threshold, Color Spaces , Color Transformations

Corresponding Author: hanishamamidisetti@gmail.com
Page No. 444

Hyperspectral Imaging Sensor for Defence Applications
Vinay Kumar1 and A.K. Sahay1

1DRDO-Instrumentation and Research Development Establishment, Dehradun
Abstract
Defence applications such as reconnaissance, surveillance and camouflaging require imaging payloads with state-of-art sensors in signature
wavebands covering VNIR-SWIR and thermal IR region. This can be achieved by hyperspectral imaging technology which enables the spatial as
well as spectral information of the scene. Though hyperspectral imaging sensors can be designed by using either of variable filter, prism or
grating, but variable filter based configuration are preferred due to ease in design and technical feasibility. With the continuous evolution in
optical coating technology for variable filters, large aspheric optics, high frame rate and sensitive detectors, hyperspectral imaging technology has
fascinated the scientific community for gathering rich information about the man made targets of interest. This paper will present hyperspectral
imaging camera configuration for the VNIR-SWIR range using linear variable filter as a spectral dispersion mechanism. The proposed camera has
advanced features such as long range (~500km), high spatial resolution (12 m @ 500 km) and high spectral resolution (10-20 nm). This can be
deployed from UAV's and Aircrafts providing GSD of the order of 25cm @ 10 km. This paper summarizes the major design consideration
including specifications for front end optics, linear variable filter and SNR analysis of proposed hyperspectral sensor using Silicon & MCT
detector arrays covering VNIR-SWIR waveband region.
Keywords: Hyperspectral, LVF, SNR, ,

Corresponding Author: vksaharavat@gmail.com
Page No. 445

EO-IR Imaging Sensors for UAV
Anand Sahay1 and Vinay Kumar1

1DRDO-Instrumentation and Research Development Establishment, Dehradun
Abstract
EO IR imaging sensors are becoming a necessity for all military weapon platforms for providing day-night surveillance and reconnaissance in
order to achieve target acquisition and engagement capability. IRDE has been working on development of such imaging sensors and systems for
variety of ground, naval and airborne applications. This paper will discuss the technology growth profile of EO IR systems and also presents
design approach for such systems which can provide detection and recognition of military targets up to ranges more than 40-50 kms. The system
is designed around the state of the art IR FPAs providing spatial resolution of the order of 10 micro-radian and thermal sensitivity better than 20
mK. The imaging payload integrated with the gyro stabilised gimbal turret provides stabilisation accuracy better than 5 micro-radian. This paper
will also presents some of the results obtained in the actual field environment.
Keywords: IR, Imaging, Sensor

Corresponding Author: vksaharavat@gmail.com
Page No. 446

Topographic Surveying and Land Analysis by using UAV Remote Sensing
Sudhir Kumar Chaturvedi2 and Saikat Benerjee2

1University
of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun
Abstract
Research and development of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is getting high encouragement nowadays, since the application of UAV can apply to
variety of area. But nowadays In case of modern mapping the topographic mapping process can be use. Basically a topographic map is a type of
map characterized by large-scale detail and quantitative representation of relief, usually using contour lines, but historically using a variety of
methods. Traditional definitions require a topographic map to show both natural and man-made features. A topographic map is typically published
as a map series, made up of two or more map sheets that combine to form the whole map. These maps depict in detail ground relief (landforms
and terrain), drainage (lakes and rivers), forest cover, administrative areas, populated areas, transportation routes and facilities (including roads
and railways), and other man-made features. Topographic maps have multiple uses in the present day: any type of geographic planning or
large-scale architecture; earth sciences and many other geographic disciplines; mining and other earth-based endeavours; civil engineering and
recreational uses such as hiking and reinterring. In this paper we are going to introduce and discuss in detail process of topographic mapping by
using UAV remote sensing.
Keywords: UAV Remote Sensing, Land Analysis, Topographic Survey, ,

Page No. 447

PolSAR Remote Sensing for Oil Spill Characterization
Nirav Kanani1 and Shashi Kumar1

Abstract
Oil spill detection is regarded as one of the major marine application of remote sensing. Microwave SAR data due to its all-weather capability
helps in better characterization of oil spill. Present study demonstrated the potential for full polarimetric air borne UAVSAR data acquire over
North Sea to extract backscatter contribution from the ocean surface. Freeman-Durden, Yamaguchi, Vanzyl and Krograger decomposition based
modelling approach were implemented in this study to express total power as sum of difference scattering mechanism. Also supervised
classification using Wishart and support vector machine (SVM) were applied on to the data set followed by segmentation. Upon analysis it was
observed that surface scattering correspond to the dominant scattering to that area. Moreover Krograger decomposition yielded highest surface
backscatter value in compare to other decomposition technique. SVM based classification showed the best result. In addition, the classified output
tented to be improved by increasing the kernel parameter. Thresholding based segmentation able to retrieve oil spill from sea surface. This study
was found to be relative however further improvement in the classification and segmentation procedure would enhance oil spill detection.
Keywords: PolSAR, Oil spill, Scattering, Decomposition, Support vector machine

Corresponding Author: niravkanani93@gmail.com
Page No. 448

Theme- Water Resources, Snow & Glaciers in RS & GIS Applications Abstract Id: 81
Optimal Selection of SVM Parameters for Glacier Facies Mapping at Sub-pixel Level
Bisma Yousuf1, Aparna Shukla1 and M.K. Arora2

1P.E.C.University of Technology, Chandigarh , 2Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun
Abstract
The current study incorporates the use of radiometrically-well suited IRS-P6 AWiFS data to identify various facies present on the surface of
Gangotri and neighbouring glaciers located in Uttarakhand, India. However, coarse resolution AWiFS data (56m) are dominated by mixed pixels
which introduce errors in areal estimates of glacier facies. Therefore, in order to avoid misclassification, classification needs to be done at
sub-pixel level. In this regard, the Support Vector Machines (SVMs) classification algorithm is known to be superior to other sub-pixel classifiers
and is recently receiving attention from the glaciological community in the context of glacier mapping. However, it is yet to be explored for
sub-pixel classification in the field of glaciology. In this study, we have tested many combinations of the values of SVM parameters to improve
the sub-pixel classification of various facies (dry snow, firn, wet snow, ice, ice-mixed debris (IMD), supraglacial debris (SGD), valley-rock (VR),
vegetation, shadow and water) identified in the area of interest. Further, the SVM parameters need to be well tuned so as to improve classification
by SVMs. The parameters like kernel type, gamma value, penalty parameter and training sample size were used in an iterative way to achieve
better classification results. The reference map derived from ASTER imagery (15m spatial resolution) had been used for the accuracy assessment
of the resultant fraction images of all the facies. The experiments reveal that the accuracy of sub-pixel mapping of these glacier facies enhances
with the fine tuning of SVM parameters.
Keywords: SVM parameters, sub-pixel classification, facies mapping, Gangotri glacier,

Corresponding Author: bismaqazi13@gmail.com
Page No. 449

Topographic Control on Glacier Changes in Central Himalaya using Remote Sensing Techniques
Purushottam Kumar Garg1 and Aparna Shukla1

1Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun
Abstract
The Himalayan glaciers ensure perenniality of the major River systems of India (such as the Ganges) therefore, regular monitoring of their status
is quite important. Glaciers respond to the ongoing climatic variation rapidly, consequently change in glacier parameters occur. Though, the
glacier changes are primarily driven by the climatic factors, local and topographic (non-climatic) factors modify the rate of change of individual
glacier. This study investigates the glacier changes on the selected 15 glaciers of central Himalaya from 1994 to 2015 and assesses the impact of
non-climatic factors on the glacier changes. The glaciers were selected based on multiple criteria such as size, shape, orientation, debris-cover, etc.
Cloud/snow free ablation period satellite images from Landsat TM (1993/94), ETM (2001) and OLI (2014/15) along with SRTM digital elevation
model were used to delineate the various glacier parameters. The three important glacier parameters namely length, area and debris cover were
taken to assess the glacier change while glacier size, slope, compactness ratio, altitudinal range, debris cover and hypsometry in combination with
equilibrium line altitude (ELA) were taken as non-climatic factors. Results show that total glacier area (composite of 15 glaciers) has been
decreased from 365.25 km2 in 1994 to 360.01 km2 in 2015 with a decrease of 1.43%. The average retreat on studied glaciers was 246.4 m with an
average retreat rate of 13.64 m/yr. The total debris cover has also increased from 101.82 km2 to 115.3 km2 during the study period with an
average rate of 0.64 km2/yr. Slope distribution on glaciers seemed to alter the debris cover extent on them. Deglaciation (area decrease) was found
to be negatively correlated with glacier size (R2=0.59) and debris cover (R2=0.48) while it is positively correlated with compactness ratio
(R2=0.64). As the deglaciation has taken place, the debris cover has also increased (R2=0.62). Retreat (length change), however, do not show
direct correlation with glacier size but it is correlated negatively with debris cover (R2=0.44) and positively with compactness ratio (R2=0.69).
Glaciers with higher altitudinal ranges showed more retreat and glaciers having more area similar to that of ELA experienced more regression.
Keywords: glacier change, non-climatic factors, debris cover, central Himalaya,

Corresponding Author: garg.glacio@gmail.com
Page No. 450

GIS and Remote Sensing Application for Delineation of Ground Water Prospect Zones : A Case Study from
Midland Region of Vamanapuram River Basin, Southern Western Ghats, Kerala, India
Vinod P.G.2, Shaleena Elizabeth John2, A.R.R. Menon2, Hema C. Nair1 and Anirudhan S.3
1Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi , 2GeoVin Solutions (P) Ltd. , 3Kerala University, Thiruvananthapuram
Abstract
In a highly rugged terrain, shielded by hard crystalline rocks like that of Kerala, locating prospect zones of ground water is found to be an
unenviable task. Remote sensing and GIS technologies have been attempted widely to delineate the prospect areas in such terrain. In this study
GIS and RS tools has been deplored for delineation of ground water prospect zones in midland physiographic region (30-200m) of Vamanapuram
river basin, Kerala, India. The terrain variables are generated using satellite imageries, SRTM DEM data of 30m resolution and SOI toposheets. In
the present study, the ground water prospect zones is derived from the 14 thematic layers such as - drainage density, lithology, geomorphology,
slope steepness, rainfall distribution, lineament density, land use, topographic wetness index, topographic position index, roughness, curvature,
depth to water level, dissection index and soil using the weighted overlay analysis in GIS platform. The ground water prospects in the study area
were grouped into five classes and their distribution are; 'very high / high' (8.79%), 'moderate' (39.08%), and 'very low / low' (52.01%). The result
of the study has been validated with water level data of dug wells and bore wells of the area. The spatial distribution map of the water level of the
region is overlaid on ground water prospect map and shows a positive correlation i.e., the water level at shallow depth in higher prospect zones
and at deeper depth in poor to very poor zones. The midland zones are important physiographic units of the State of Kerala where the major chunk
of the population finds their livelihood through agriculture and industry, therefore the demand for the water is extremely high here so the ground
water prospect map of midland region of Vamanapuram river basin can be used as base level information which can be further investigated with
geophysical methods to locate potential well sites for the execution of water supply schemes.
Keywords: ground water, potential, weighted overlay, topographic, prospect

Corresponding Author: pgvinod@geovinsolutions.com
Page No. 451

Snyder Unit Hydrograph and GIS for Estimation of Discharge for Ungauged Catchments in Lower Tapi Basin,
India
Sudhakar B. Sharma1, Anupam K. Singh1 and Ajay S. Rajawat2

1J.K.
Lakshmipat University, Mahapura , 2Nirma University, Ahmedabad , 3Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad
Abstract
In the flood prone catchments, it is needful to estimate the discharge, standard lag time, time of peak, and flood response of each watershed in the
basin. The Snyder unit hydrograph (SUH) method offers considerable advantage over others, and thus, has been chosen for estimation of flood
response, contribution of flooding potential, percentage of flood volume for 25 sub-watersheds. The discretion of sub-watershed for estimation of
peak discharge, time of peak, alternate lag time, and width of SUH at 50% and 75% of peak found to offer advantages over other methods. This
paper considers Snyder Unit Hydrograph (SUH) with GIS based spatial database for calculating discharge at Lower Tapi Basin (LTB). The
hydrological parameters of each sub-watershed such as river length, length of centroid, spatial area, land use, lateral slope, and terrain and soil
factors have been extracted from GIS database. The geo-data has been combined with topographical maps to produce a digital elevation model
(DEM) of 50 m cell size. The analysis for all 25 sub-watersheds exhibit that 35.07 m3/s and 4.55 m3/s and 13.23 hours and 4.33 hours have been
highest and lowest peak flow and time of peak respectively. The SUH model has been validated for peak discharge at a gauge site Amli (E 73º 23'
N 21º23') where discharge data were collected during 2010 and 2011 monsoon. A comparison between measured and SUH modelled discharge
shows good fit within a mean variability range of 5-7%. The SUH methods ability to estimate hydrological parameters including peak flow
discharge shows wider replication for ungauged catchments.
Keywords: Hydrological modelling, GIS, Snyder unit hydrograph, Discharge estimation,

Corresponding Author: sudhakar_rsgis@yahoo.co.in
Page No. 452

Glacial Lake Dynamics and Lake Surface Temperature Assessment along the Kanchengayo-Panhauri Massif,
Sikkim Himalaya
Manasi Debnath2, Rajesh Kumar1 and Arindam Chowdhury2

1Jawaharlal
Nehru University, New Delhi , 2North Eastern Hill University, Shillong
Abstract
Glacial lakes in the Sikkim Himalaya played a most significant role regarding probable glacial hazard related risk due to several natural or
anthropogenic factors, such as rapid melting of glacial ice as a result of climatic variability; Landslide or severe earthquake etc. which may cause
Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF). Thus burning issue of GLOF and its devastating impact on society, especially on mushroom like continuous
growing of socio-economic architectures along the valley of upper reaches, necessitate attention on the glacial lake analysis of Kanchengayo
Panhauri Massif, a part of Sikkim Himalaya. As glaciers and glacial lakes are reacting in a different manner with different aspects of mountain,
therefore, a particular massif has been selected for the identification of different types of glacial lakes. The main focus of this research is on lake
area dynamics and on assessment of lake surface temperature (LST) using Landsat TM, ETM+ and OLI-TIRS sensor images of 1988, 1991, 2001
and 2014 that were acquired between late October and early November (post-ablation period). The glacial lakes have been identified and
categorized on the basis of different indices (NDSI and NDWI) that were calculated using top of atmosphere reflectance of Landsat OLI-TIRS
image (2014). Furthermore, impurities (e.g. shadow, frozen ice, etc.) were eliminated using morphometric criterion e.g. slope, aspect, hill shade
maps derived from SRTM DEM (2001) and visual inspection based on PAN Sharpened OLI bands and Google Earth Imageries. The mentioned
indices were also applied on 1988, 1991 and 2001 images for identification of lakes and assessment of changes in lakes area. After radiometric
calibration, thermal bands of OLI-TIRS, ETM+ and TM images have been used for calculating the LST on the basis of emissivity values. In the
study region, proximity of glacier, aspect and altitudinal zones are the main factors that influenced on lake area dynamics as well as on LST.
Keywords: Glacial Lake, Landsat OLI-TIRS, NDWI, NDSI, Lake Surface Temperature
Corresponding Author: manasi.jnu2012@gmail.com
Page No. 453

A Proximity Study of Glaciers to the Human Settlements in Sikkim Himalayas
Vanya Bajpai1, Rolee Kanchan1 and I.M. Bahuguna1

1Maharaja Sayajirao University, Vadodara
Abstract
The Himalayan mountain ranges have always been an important source of freshwater for the population residing in the adjacent lowlands.
Majority of the regional glaciological studies aim towards the management of large frozen water reserves and fluctuations of the glaciers and
snow covered areas. A related aspect which has become a point of concern in the recent years is the spread of habitats towards the unexplored
areas which are in close proximity to the glaciated region. This trend will not only put human lives in danger but also disturb the ecosystem of the
region. Thus, the current study analytically attempts to point towards these dangers.The preliminary requirement of site selection for the present
study was glacier mapping. This was done using multi-date Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRS) data (for the years 2006-08) of the two sensors
Linear Imaging Self Scanning (LISS) III and Advanced Wide Field Sensor (AWiFS) along with Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM)
Digital Elevation Model (DEM) in Geographic Information System (GIS) environment. Thus, on account of their nearness to the glaciers two
villages located in the Northern District of Sikkim, namely Lachen and Lachung with an average elevation of 2750 m and 2900 m respectively
were selected for the present study. Glacial snouts were considered to create buffers of different extents to mark the nearness of the glaciers and
the villages. It was therefore noted that, there were a total of three glaciers which were in close proximity to Lachen Village, i.e. within 3km.
distance, the nearest one being at a distance of 2.54km., followed by 2.64km. and 2.89km. On the other hand two glaciers were identified which
were at a distance of 2.65km. and 3.51km. from the Lachung Village. This nearness of the villages to these glaciers has a two way point of
concern. First, is the danger of earthquake that may trigger the glaciers and the associated lakes (if any) causing flash floods, landslides, etc.
Whereas, the second danger is anthropogenic (from population residing in the Lachen Village and Lachung Village) caused due to the deposition
of carbon soot on glaciers helping
Keywords: Glaciers, Remote sensing, Human settlements, Anthropogenic effects,

Corresponding Author: vanyabajpai@gmail.com
Page No. 454

Groundwater Potential Modeling of Pisangan Watershed using Geospatial Technology
Shiva Tripathi 2, Manoj Kumar Singh Yadav 1, Ashwani Kumar Awasthi2 and Shashikant Tripathi2
1M.D.S. University, Ajmer , 2Mahatma Gandhi Chitrakoot Gramodaya Vishwavidyalaya, Satna
Abstract
Groundwater is one of the most valuable natural resources, which supports human health, economic development and ecological diversity.
Because of its several inherent qualities, it has become an important and dependable source of water supplies in all climatic regions including both
urban and rural areas of developed and developing countries. The groundwater regime is a dynamic system wherein water is absorbed at the
surface of the earth and eventually recycled back to the surface through the geological data. The various elements like relief, slope, ruggedness,
depth and nature of weathering, thickness and nature of deposited material, distribution of surface water bodies, river/stream network,
precipitation, canal command areas, groundwater, irrigated areas etc. also influence the groundwater regime, besides the geologic framework.
Lithology geological structures geomorphology recharge condition the watershed area of Pisangan watershed is 1439.34 km2 and located between
26º 9' 15" N to 26º 37' 27" N latitude and 74º15'0" E to 74º47'25" E longitudes. Geomorphology, lithology, slope map, soil map, drainage density,
lineament map were prepared using the primary and secondary data and overlay them after providing proper weighage (knowledge based) to each
unit in layer and layer themselves, which control the groundwater occurences, and thus craete water potential zone of the Pisangan Watershed
which were validate in the field using the well data. Geographical Information System (GIS) has the advantage of handling attribute data in
conjunction with spatial features, which was totally impossible with manual cartographic analysis. It stores both spatial and non spatial data layer
by layer either in raster or vector format. Remote sensing & GIS play a very important role in deciphering natural resources mapping and
monitoring. The advance remote sensing techniques using satellite imageries and digital image processing have capabilities to delineate
lineaments and other structural features for ground prospecting. GIS techniques are being increasingly and effectively used in water resource
assessment and groundwater potentiality mapping owing to its capabilities of manipulation, analysis, flexibility of experimentation and ability to
extract topological attributes from various thematic maps, and to work as a unique tool for geospatial modeling.
Keywords: Remote sensing, Geospatial technology, Ground water potential, ,

Corresponding Author: mail.shiva007@gmail.com
Page No. 455

Statistical Approach to Define Threshold for Identification of Floodplains using Height Above Nearest Drainage
(HAND) Method in Hilly Areas of Himalaya
Pankaj R. Dhote1, Yogesh Joshi1, Vaibhav Garg1, S.P. Aggarwal1 and Praveen K. Thakur1
Abstract
Floodplains are low lying areas in the vicinity of river which may inundate when river stage rises above its embankments. Conventional
floodplain delineation methods incorporate data extensive hydrodynamic modelling (HD), which requires precise stage and discharge data at a
number of locations along river reaches in the catchment as results of HD modelling relay on rating curves/ stage/discharge data provided in
boundary conditions. Height above nearest drainage (HAND) can be used to delineate floodplain using RS & GIS technique with the help of
Digital Elevation Model (DEM) (Cartosat-1, 30m). Floodplain extent delineated by HAND varies with given uniform depth of stream/drainage
throughout basin as threshold. In this study attempt has been made to define threshold stream depth for HAND method. Flood frequency analysis
on discharge data at outlet of basin was carried out using probability distribution function to find out discharge values for different return periods.
River stage corresponding to discharge values was found out using rating curve. Estimated river stage for different return period was used as
uniform threshold depth of stream to find out floodplain extent using HAND. The study provides an empirical approach to delineate floodplains
with discharge data at a single location only i.e. outlet of basin under consideration. Study area is sub-basin of Beas River, Himachal Pradesh.
Keywords: Floodplain, Digital Elevation Model (DEM), HAND

Corresponding Author: pdh@iirs.gov.in
Page No. 456

Hydrologic Modeling of the Umiam Watershed Using GIS and SWAT Model
Jeffrey Denzil K. Marak1, Ng Romeji Singh1, E. Venkata Rathnam2, Diganta Barman1 and P.L.N. Raju1
1National Institute of Technology, Manipur , 2National Institute of Technology, Warangal , 3North Eastern Space Applications Centre, Shillong
Abstract
Study of hydrological processes of a watershed is essential for proper management and efficient utilization of its resources. Development of GIS
based spatially and physically distributed hydrologic models has enabled easy and detailed analysis of the behaviour of watershed systems.
However, the lack of data has been the greatest hurdle while using these models in North East India. Investigation on relationship between
rainfall, runoff and water availability in Umiam basin is of utmost importance as it contains one of the major reservoirs of Meghalaya. This study
aims to simulate the stream flow and establish the water balance in the Umiam reservoir. In the present study Soil and Water Assessment Tool
(SWAT) was established for Umiam basin. Delineation of the watershed and model preparation was done using the ArcSWAT interface tool in
ArcGIS. The model was calibrated and verified using observed streamflow data. Statistics indicated that SWAT model performed very well in
Umiam Watershed. SWAT simulations showed maximum evapotranspiration during the month of April and minimum in the month of September.
The model showed a good correlation between simulated monthly average flow and the average monthly observed flow. The calibrated model can
be used for studying the effects of climate change and landuse and for water quality analysis. The results of this study revealed that SWAT may be
useful as a planning tool for management of Umiam basin and the findings of this study may be used to compare other hydrological models to be
used in the region.
Keywords: SWAT model, water balance, surface runoff, Umiam reservoir, hydrological modelling
Corresponding Author: mkdjeffrey@gmail.com
Page No. 457

Assessing the Changes in Glaciers in the Upper Alaknanda Basin Using Remote Sensing Techniques
Sandip Tanu Mandal1

1JawaharlalNehru University, New Delhi
Abstract
Glaciers are one of the most important indicators of climate. The Himalaya is the major glacier ice reserve outside the polar region. These alpine
glaciers are sources of many large rivers which also directly affects the life of Indian sub-continent. Alaknanda River, which is a major tributary
of the river, houses many glaciers. These glaciers contribute water to the Ganga river system. Apart from that, these alpine glaciers are a sensitive
indicator of the changing climate in the Himalayas. This study investigates the changes in these glaciers in the last four decades using RS and GIS
(Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System) techniques. The analysis has been done using IRS and Landsat imageries. The Elevation
detail has been taken from SRTM digital elevation model data (DEM). The glaciers have been mapped from the imageries for a different period.
Then, changes have been calculated from the in the last four decades. The determinants of such changes have also been tried to investigate. The
topographic control in such changes is also tried to understand as new research suggest a significant influence of topography, aspect, etc. on the
glacier dynamics.
Keywords: glacier dynamics, topography, remote sensing, Upper Alaknanda, Himalaya

Corresponding Author: sandip65_ssf@jnu.ac.in
Page No. 458

Expansion of Chubda Glacial Lake, Chamkhar Chu Basin, Hindukush Himalaya, Bhutan
Rishitosh K. Sinha1, Sanjay K. Jain3 and Vijayan S.1

1National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee , 2Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad
Abstract
There are at least 2699 glacial lakes in the Bhutan Himalayan range and among them 25 has been referred as hazardous lakes. In the past two
decades, assessment of expansion of these hazardous lakes has become essential considering potentially dangerous source of glacial lake outburst
flood (GLOF).
In the present study, expansion of a glacial lake, Tsho Chubda in Chamkhar Chu Basin, Hindukush Himalaya, Bhutan using multispectral ASTER
and Sentinel-2 images, and Landsat 8 (band 8- panchromatic) images has been assessed. As per the study carried out earlier, expansion of this
glacial lake during 2009-2010, it was observed that the expansion rate has increased by two folds. In this study, expansion of lake has been studied
taking data after 2010 and upto 2016. It was found that the lake is expanding currently at a similar rate. Not only that the lake boundary in the
upstream of Chubda glacier is expanding, it has expanded in middle and downstream portions as well. In order to highlight the portions around the
lake where significant expansion in terms of formation and deformation has been observed, and to provide an update on the status of debris
surrounding the lake, a high-resolution geomorphological map of the Chubda lake region using the Orbview-3 images (1 m/pixel) has been
prepared. Using the ASTER thermal infrared images of 2010 and 2016, the brightness temperature of the lake surface was estimated. This aspect
will also be addressed in the paper.
As per this study, it is observed that the lake is expanding at a rate double than how it was expanding until 2009. Chubda Tsho may not be
currently a threat for a GLOF, however, the rate at which it is currently expanding, it is imperative that a detailed continuous investigation of this
lake should be undertaken in the wake of GLOF risk.
Keywords: GLACIER, LAKE, HIMALAYA, REMOTE SENSING, CHUBDA

Page No. 459

Multiobjective Optimization Technique for Himalayan Glaciers and Water Resources
Lokesh Darne3, Saurabh Pardhi3 and Sayali Pingle3

1Savitribai
Phule Pune University, Pune
Abstract
The Himalayan region harbors plenty of water resources exploited by the populace of mountainous and downstream areas for domestic uses and
other purposes. This region, source of supply to almost 80% of the water resources and major river of North-Indian, has extreme impact on the
climate and environmental front of this region. The Himalayas contain over half the permanent snow and ice-fields outside the Polar Regions. The
hydrological model considers changes in both glacier area and surface elevation. It was calibrated using a multi-objective optimization algorithm
with calibration criteria based on glacier mass balance and daily and inter-annual variations of discharge. The individual contributions to the
overall stream flow trends from changes in glacier geometry, temperature, and precipitation were assessed using simulation experiments with
constant glacier geometry and with detrended temperature and precipitation time series. Glaciers contributed ~15% of water resources at an
annual scale (14% in wet seasons, 27% in dry seasons).The basic aim of this paper is to present views on multi-objective optimization technique
for water resources management including remotely sensed data and digital elevation models and also considering the importance of this 'Water
Tower of India' study of its water resources becomes imperative in context of changing climate. In this paper various aspects related to dynamics
of water resources and climate change including glacier, rainfall, melt runoff and socio-economic dimensions of snow and glacier melt have been
covered and it shows that changes in stream flow were consistent with the changes in temperature and precipitation.
Keywords: Hydrological impacts of climate change , Water resources , Data driven , Multiobjective optimization , Glaciers
Corresponding Author: lokeshdarne@gmail.com
Page No. 460

Estimation of Long Term Near-Surface Air Temperature Lapse Rate for Beas Sub Basin
Snehmani1, Chetna Soni1, Praveen Thakur1, A. Ganju1 and S.P. Aggarwal 1

1DRDO-Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment, Chandigarh , 2Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun
Abstract
Atmospheric Temperature variations above the earth surface with altitude is one of the important analyses, especially in the Himalayan region
where extreme altitude difference is observed. The effect of temperature fluctuation alters the hydrological cycle and the ecosystem. Air
temperature lapse rate are estimated about 6.5 degree per raise in 1 km globally. This lapse rate varies region and season wise accordingly. The
status of meteorological station network are very sparse in the Himalayan region, the temperatures need to be interpolated based on the lapse rate
to bring data in continuous spatial format. Such kind of analysis is useful for spatial interpolation of temperature datasets especially in the rugged
terrain of Himalayan region for snow cover depletion and accumulation status, mass balance studies and temperature index models for discharge
estimation in snow cover catchments. This study has been taken to estimate the distribution of temperature in the Beas sub basin up to Talaut
outlet. Absolute lapse rate on temperatures (Tmin, Tmax and Tavg) has been calculated using daily observations of near-surface air temperatures
over a period of 15 years (2000-2015) from 3 different observatories named Bhang (2192 m), Solang (2480 m) and Dhundi (3050 m). With this
absolute lapse rate missing records have been filled by modifying Nearest Neighbourhood interpolation technique. Tmax and Tmin temperatures
have been interpolated for entire duration. The resulted interpolated temperature has been compared with available observed temperature records.
0.923 and 0.982 regression of coefficient (R2) for Tmax and Tmin have been observed between observed and interpolated temperatures
respectively. Daily lapse rate have been grouped to estimate month and season wise lapse rate. Resulted temperature analysis has been revealed
increase in lapse rates during warm days and lower lapse rate during cold days i.e., high temperature gradient with altitude during summer and
low during winter.
Keywords: Near-surface air temperature, Meteorological station, Lapse rate, Interpolation technique,
Corresponding Author: chetnasoni425@outlook.com
Page No. 461

Integrated Approach for Delineation of Groundwater Potential Zones in Dosalavanka Basin using Geospatial
Techniques
M.V. Subba Reddy1

1SreeVidyanikethan Engineering College, Tirupati
Abstract
Groundwater is becoming scarce as it is evidenced by increasing the demand on water, improper planning, and poor agricultural practices in
efficient utilization, groundwater mining, peculiar characteristics and many more. An integrated approach for delineation of groundwater potential
zones is very much essential for sustainable development. Geospatial techniques are used to prepare various thematic maps using satellite
imagery. The study area is Dosalavanka micro watershed of Swarnamukhi River basin (part of Chittoor district), Andhra Pradesh state of India. It
falls in the Survey of India toposheet 57 O/6 and is entangling from 13º 30' to 13º 34' North latitudes and 79º 15' to 79º 21' Eastern longitudes.
The present study area composed of granitic gneisses. Different geomorphic units are present in the study area consisting of denudational hill,
residual hills, pediments, inselbergs, shallow weathered pediplains and moderately weathered pediplains. Lineament were mapped and analyzed
that lineaments are acting as path for the groundwater movement. Generally the rate of recharge is directly proportional to groundwater potential.
The infiltration studies were conducted at 12 sites considering different land use and land cover categories to check the rate of infiltration and to
assess the recharge conditions in the study area. Slope map is also prepared for integrated analysis in deriving the potential zones of the study
area. Thematic layers were finally integrated with field data in Arc GIS software. Based on integrated studies, three groundwater potential zones
were identified, namely 'good', 'moderate' and 'poor'. Validation studies are conducted in the field with well inventory data. This study will be
certainly useful for the irrigation engineers as it influences the application rate of infiltration. Also it helps the administrators to take the decision
for the implementation of watershed programmes.
Keywords: Geospatial techniques, Groundwater, Infiltration

Corresponding Author: mvinida@yahoo.co.in
Page No. 462

Estimation of Muskingum-Cunge Parameters Based on Channel Physical Characteristics for Flood Routing in
Ungauged Catchments
Amaljit Bharali1, Dipima Sarma2, Diganta Barman1 and P.L.N. Raju1

1Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati , 2North Eastern Space Applications Centre, Shillong
Abstract
A major challenge in discharge and flood prediction in an ungauged catchment is estimating proper parameters for river routing that is necessary
for accurately representing the actual outflow. Conventional models like Muskingum considers certain parameters that need to be calibrated using
real-time stream flow data. Hence use of simpler routing schemes which can give consistent results with properly selected co-efficient is
recommended for ungauged catchments. The Muskingum-Cunge flood routing model coupled with a semi-distributed rainfall-runoff model for
ungauged catchment is presented in this work. The parameters of the Cunge model are physically based and is applicable for drainage networks
with simple and compound cross-sections. Thus extensive channel routing is made possible in ungauged catchments with reasonably acceptable
level of accuracy. Further, the effect of hypothetical channel shape assumptions in model formulation for inaccessible hilly rivers or rivers without
proper bathymetric information on discharge, time of peak and velocity has been discussed. The model is tested in the sub-Himalayan Manas
River catchment that passes through the foothills of Bhutan and flood plains of Assam.
Keywords: Muskingum-Cunge, Ungauged catchments, Parameter estimation, Flood routing, Channel shape
Corresponding Author: amaljit.bharali@gmail.com
Page No. 463

Microwave Remote Sensing Based Water Extraction over Indian Region using a Semi-automatic Approach
P.K. Gupta2, Dharmendra Singh2 and Rohit Pradhan2

Abstract
Wetlands play important role in hydrological and Carbon cycle. Wetlands support rich biodiversity of plants and animal species adapted to
fluctuating water levels. Long term planning, monitoring and conservation of these resources are required to protect it from developmental
activities and population pressure. Optical images have been used in past (2006-07 time frame) to assess the wetland resources in National
Wetland Inventory and Assessment (NWIA) project. Cloud cover creates hindrances in analysis wetland information during cloudy condition.
Radar based imaging data provide important information on wetlands due to unique characteristics of microwave interaction. Radar Imaging
Satellite-1 (RISAT-1) data (both HH and HV polarized) of the post monsoon season (Oct-Nov) of the year 2013 was used for the water extraction
and areal water spread mapping. Two methods (a) rule based classification and (b) unsupervised ISODATA classification were used to extract
areal water spread and compared for their accuracy. Total areal water extent was estimated for the water bodies with area greater than 500 ha and
compared with areal extent of water bodies of the year 2006-2007 as estimated in NWIA Project. ISODATA based algorithm applied on HH
polarized image gave highest (97.22 %) accuracy. Similar comparable accuracy (96.10 %) was obtained with threshold based classification of the
same image. However, ISODATA based algorithm was giving lesser accuracy for HV and combination of HH-HV (77.65 % and 83.26 %) data,
respectively. Area of water spread in the category of water bodies with area greater than 500 ha was estimated 4.536 Mha for the year 2013.
Keywords: RISAT-1, Wetlands, National Wetland Inventory and Assessment, Areal water extent, HH polarization
Corresponding Author: dsbaghel01@gmail.com
Page No. 464

Quantifying the Alpine Glacier Frontal Changes and Mass Balance in Lidder Watershed, Kashmir Himalayas.
Khalid Omar Murtaza1 and Shakil A. Romshoo1

1University
of Kashmir, Srinagar
Abstract
Glaciers are widely recognized as key indicators of climate change, and melt water obtained from them is an important source of fresh water and
for hydropower generation. The climate change has impacted the cryosphere with the consequent impacts on streamflow, food production and
even tourism. Landsat data from 1980-2013 was used in the present study to assess glacier dynamics of nine benchmark glaciers in Lidder
watershed, Kashmir Himalayas. Observed changes were related to climatic and topographic variables in order to comprehend their influence. A
deglaciation of 17% (5.20 km2) in terms of area during 33 years of study was observed. The analysis showed that the smaller glaciers has lost
more ice than bigger glaciers. It was also observed that north-facing glaciers are shrinking less than the south-facing glaciers. Similarly,
equilibrium line altitude (ELA) of all glaciers has shifted upwards and specific mass balance (SMB) shows glacier mass loss of −0.77 to −0.16
m.w.e. Significant increasing trend in annual temperature, and a slight but insignificant decrease in precipitation was also observed during the
period, which might have resulted into the accelerated rate of glacier recessions in the study area. The observed changes in the glacier
fluctuations, if continued, shall have adverse effect on the streamflows, water supplies and other dependent sectors in the region. Out of the nine
benchmark glaciers, Hoksar glacier, was chosen for extensive field studies to carry out the geodetic and glaciological mass balance estimations,
detailed Glacio-geomorphological mapping and paleo-reconstruction of the glacier. From the geodetic and glaciological mass balance, it was
found that there is continuous thinning at the lower elevation and substantial loss in mass and volume. Glacio-geomorphological features in
Hoksar valley were mapped using GPS including erosional terraces, glacio-fluvial terraces, hanging valleys, “U” shaped valleys, proglacial lakes,
outwash plains, lateral moraines, terminal moraines, and debris/talus cones. The field evidences suggest that there has been several glacial and
interglacial epochs in the Hoksar glacier valley, important for paleo-climatic reconstruction.
Keywords: Glacier, Equilibrium line altitude, Mass balance, Glacio-geomorphology, Paleo-reconstruction

Corresponding Author: komurtaza@gmail.com
Page No. 465

A Systematic Approach for Minimizing Flood Damage using Geodesign
Gagandeep Singh2
1UttarakhandTechnical University, Dehradun
Abstract
Floods are global natural disasters which cause mass destruction of life and property, in addition influence social and economic activities.
Occurrence of such catastrophic disasters cannot be avoided but subsequent damage caused surely can be minimized if the architects, planners,
engineers, scientists, law makers, common people join hands and try devising solutions to such problems. Although efforts have been in progress
towards disaster damage mitigation and control, experts have proposed many solutions like optimization operation models for flood control
systems, wetland restoration and various simulation and modelling techniques, it is still not effective on ground as far as implementation is
concerned. Geodesign is an iterative design method that uses stake holder input, geospatial (GIS and Remote Sensing) modelling, impact
simulations, and real-time feedback to facilitate holistic designs and smart decisions. It applies systems thinking to create proposals for a change
and impact simulations in their geographic contexts, usually supported by digital technology. Further, Geodesign provides a design framework and
supporting technology for professionals to utilize maximum benefits from geographical information, stake holder inputs, impact simulators and
real time feedback for designing systems that more closely follow natural systems. This research paper highlights why designing for change in
response to serious societal and environmental issues, cannot be a solitary activity. It is a collaborative endeavour, with participants from various
design professions and geographical sciences, linked by technology from several locations for rapid communication and feedback. Also the role of
people of the place who are the direct participants cannot be neglected. This paper proposes a streamlined approach for flood damage mitigation
using Geodesign approach. It shows how spatial thinking inspired for a creative change along with proper data and planned design can be
instrumental in decision making.
Keywords: Geodesign, Geospatial modelling, Impact simulation, Real-time feedback, Digital technology
Corresponding Author: gagands2310@gmail.com
Page No. 466

An Assessment of Chemical Properties of Surface Water of South Gujarat, India
Rolee Kanchan1, Sukanta Kumar Saha 1 and Somnath Saha 1

1MaharajaSayajirao University, Vadodara
Abstract
Water is an indispensible natural resource that has number of uses. With the increasing population the pressure over this component has increased
to a greater extent in the last few decades. In the countries like India, the uses of water have grown many fold in the recent years where faster rate
of agricultural growth and industrial development has played an important role. In several instances the anthropogenic interventions in the natural
processes create number of issues. Among them the issues related to the quality of water is one of them. Gujarat is one of the leading industrial
state of India where Bharuch and Surat are the two districts showed considerable industrial development in the recent years. More than 800
medium and large scale industries have grown in these regions in a very short time period. As a matter of concern it is necessary to investigate the
condition of the water quality of the region which might have some impact of the industrialisation. In the present study, spatial distribution of
chemical parameters like Calcium (Ca), Potassium (K), Lithium (Li), Sodium (Na) and Zinc (Zn) of surface water were taken into consideration
during the post monsoon period of 2015. 182 samples were collected throughout the region from the different sources like lakes, rivers, ponds etc.
The result showed considerable variations in concentration of different parameters in the entire region. The concentration of calcium was higher in
the central part of the region (> 31 mg/l) but relatively lesser in the southern portion of the region (< 31 mg/ l). The north western segment of the
region had higher concentration of potassium (>20 mg/l.). Lesser concentration of lithium (1.89 mg/l) was found in the entire region with major
concentration in the western portion. The concentration of sodium was higher in the north western portion of the Region (> 130 mg/l). In
maximum water sample the concentration of zinc is in below deficiency level, the maximum concentration of zinc is in the northern part of study
area (0.284 mg/l).
Keywords: surface water, chemical parameter, industrial region

Corresponding Author: sukantakumarsaha@gmail.com
Page No. 467

Glacial Mass Balance Estimation of Dokriani Glacier using Remote Sensing Data
Har Amrit Singh Sandhu2, H.S. Gusain1, Arun Bawa2 and Manoj K. Arora2
Abstract
Glaciers are important indicators of climate change and the glaciology proved to be of vital significance for the study of climate change.
Moreover, glaciers are viewed as significant source of water, especially for the North Indian Rivers. Mass Balance (M.B.) is an important factor to
determine the future changes in the glacier. M.B. study of the glacier provides the total loss or gain in glacier mass at the end of a hydrological
year. It depends on various factors like size, altitude and shape of the glacier as well as climatic conditions. Mostly, M.B. of the glaciers has been
estimated using glaciological method, however, these methods are labour extensive, require presence on the glacier and are dependent on weather
conditions. Due to availability of different types of Remote Sensing (RS) datasets, RS can be used potentially to study glaciers in a continuous
manner. It helps in covering a large area of an inaccessible region. In this study, an attempt has been made to estimate the M.B. of Dokriani
Glacier in Bhagirathi river basin of central Himalaya using Accumulation Area Ratio (AAR) method. Dokriani glacier is located in Bhagirathi
river basin, and is medium size valley type glacier. The length of glacier is about 5km and altitude varies from 3800m to 6000m. RS datasets like
Landsat TM, ETM+ and OLI have been used to estimate AAR for different years from 1994 to 2014. The mathematical relationship has been
developed between AAR and field observed data of M.B. for six years. The regression equation was then used to estimate mass balance of the
glacier for different years from satellite images derived AAR. Estimated mass balance was validated from ground observed mass balance. High
correlation was observed between ground observed and remote sensing estimated mass balance. It has been observed that AAR varies between
0.64 and 0.71 for the Dokriani glacier. Moreover, investigations suggest that specific mass balance during the period 1992-2014 has been varying
from -15.54 to -50.95 cm. This suggests that glacier thickness is reducing continuously. The study also highlights the effect of climate change on
Dokriyani Glacier.
Keywords: Mass balance , AAR, Dokriani Glacier, Remote sensing,

Corresponding Author: haramritsingh.pec@gmail.com
Page No. 468

Catchment Physiography and Design Flood of a Dam Catchment in Purulia: Past Revisited Riding RS-GIS
Platform
Abhijit Saha2
1Government of West Bengal
Abstract
An engineer dealing with planning and designing of river valley development projects has to frequently assess the design flood of an area of the
globe under any form of land-use and land-cover. This demands extensive topographic survey for delineation of basin area and hydrologic
analysis, delineation of command area for irrigation and crop-water requirement, designing of optimal alignment of canal network system, and
finally designing of hydraulic structures like dam, barrages, cross-drainage structures, bridges, and water regulating structures along and across
canal network as demanded by site-topography. Though this task of extensive field surveying can never be dispensed with, yet the present day
technological developments with huge volume of remote-sensing data by high-tech satellites has made the analysis process fast and fine-tuned,
when integrated with 'ground-truth' data. For a realistic prediction of design flood, the prime prerequisite are the physiographic parameters of the
catchment. In the present investigation, open sourced SRTM (both 90m & 30m resolution data) and ASTER data has been analyzed in GIS
platform to extract, compute and quantify all the physiographic parameters of the Dam Catchment of river Patloi (a tributary of river Kangsabati)
under a medium irrigation project conceived in the early seventies by Irrigation & Waterways Department, Government of West Bengal in
Purulia. Incidentally, this district is characterized by tropical climate, undulating land, low agricultural productivity, drought prone and poor socio-
economic condition. The GIS extraction outputs of RS data of the Patloi Dam Catchment when compared with the traditional catchment area as
derived from ground survey data backed by SOI toposheet, done way back in early seventies revealed certain startling facts as regards the
catchment area and standard project flood outputs. It emerged from this in-depth study that the variation in catchment area is about 2% and that of
standard project flood is less than 4%. It is concluded that digital delineation outshines the manual delineation as regards the refined and crisp
boundary details and deciphering of freely available moderate resolution DEM data in GIS platform can create havoc yielding satisfactory results
almost instantaneously saving on time and cost in the preliminary project report stage.
Keywords: catchment, design flood, RS-GIS, DEM, SRTM

Corresponding Author: ovijeet@rediffmail.com
Page No. 469

Estimation of Watershed Sustainability Index using Geo-Spatial Technology and SWAT Model
K. Kaviya1 and M. Ramalingam1

1Jerusalem College of Engineering, Chennai
Abstract
In order to achieve continuous sustainable development in a watershed, it is desirable that natural resources such as water are assessed and utilized
efficiently. Generally, water resources are assessed considering watershed as a unit. Since the water requirements and the availability vary in space
and time, it is desired to manage the water resources so as to satisfy the demand on sustainable basis. Further, in order to achieve sustainability, it
is necessary to consider social, economic and environment aspects of water resources. However, it is difficult to bring all these indicators on a
single platform. In this study, a watershed sustainability index (WSI) which integrates the hydrology, environment, life and policy (HELP) has
been suggested for Vaigai watershed in Tamilnadu state of India. This watershed has an area of about 2245km2 and is part of Vaigai river basin
which is located in Theni district of Tamilnadu. The district has numerous hill ranges with rocky geological formation having steep slope. The
availability of safe and fresh water is quite limited. This study aimed to assess the sustainability of Vaigai watershed for the period of 2007-2012
using HELP (Hydrology, Environment, Life and Policy) indicators. The part of hydrology indicator was obtained using the SWAT model. The
runoff was estimated and the per capita water availability for the hydrology quantity parameter was estimated using the ArcSWAT model. The
model appears to have performed better in predicting surface runoff during validation with r2, NSE, and RSR values of 0.993, 0.933 and 0.144
respectively, values indicating good agreement within the range. Surface runoff was mostly over predicted during validation shown by a negative
PBIA value of -2.15%. This could be due to limited number of rain gauge within the basin, as in the upper reach of the basin there is uncertainty
about the rainfall data. During the validation period of the model performance considering systematic deviations was good because PBIAS was
within the range of ≤10%.
Keywords: Watershed , HELP Index, SWAT Model, Sustainability Index, GIS

Corresponding Author: kaviyaselva@gmail.com
Page No. 470

Groundwater Chemistry for Nagapattinam Districts, Tamilnadu, India using Remote Sensing and GIS
S. Prem Kumar1
1NationalInstitute of Technology, Surathkal
Abstract
This study was carried out with the objective to find the ground water quality for the samples of Nagapattinam. Ground water samples were
collected from 14 wells located in this area and was analyzed for major ion concentration. The spatial variation in the concentration of EC, Mg,
Cl, SO4, Na, K, CO3, HCO3, pH, TH, SAR, & RSC in ground water of this region using GIS. The pH indicates water is alkaline in nature and it is
beyond the permissible limit. The total hardness is within the permissible limit in all the wells except well no. 4 (Tagattur). The nitrate is
exceeding the permissible limit in well no.4 (Tagattur) and may be attributed to the paddy cultivation with high usage of fertilizers. All the other
ions are well within the permissible limit. Water is suitable for drinking purpose in the study area with few exceptions. The values of SAR, RSC &
%NA are indicative of non-suitability of Groundwater for irrigation purpose. The Hill piper and Durov plots indicates the presence of mixture of
both temporary and permanent hardness of water.
Keywords: ion concentration, pH, durov plots, permanent hardness

Corresponding Author: premgeo38@gmail.com
Page No. 471

Net Radiation Flux Estimation using Remote Sensing and Meteorological Data around Wohlthat Mountains
Antarctica
H.S. Gusain1, V.D. Mishra1, M.K. Arora2 and Ashwagosha Ganju1

Abstract
Energy balance of the cryospheric regions has impact on global climate. Radiative energy fluxes are vital component of the energy balance study.
However, these energy fluxes are recorded at very sparse locations using in situ measurements in cryospheric regions. Surface energy fluxes
estimated from sparse in situ observations may therefore not characterize spatial variation of energy fluxes over a large snow/ice covered regions.
To overcome this problem, remote sensing data can be effectively used in conjunction with sparse ground observations via suitably interpolation
or modeling techniques to map energy fluxes at spatial level. In the present paper, incoming shortwave radiation flux, net shortwave radiation
flux, net longwave radiation flux and net radiation flux have been estimated at spatial scale for the ice sheet around Wohlthat Mountains in East
Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. In situ data of the surface energy fluxes and meteorological parameters has been collected using automatic
weather stations (AWS) on ice sheet at two locations near Indian Research Station 'Maitri'. Model estimated surface energy fluxes have been
evaluated using in situ recorded values of energy fluxes. Air temperature and relative humidity maps of the study area have been generated using
AWS data and Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) Digital Elevation Model (DEM). Albedo of the ice sheet has been estimated from
Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data using narrowband to broadband algorithm. Net shortwave radiation flux maps
have been generated from albedo maps and incoming shortwave radiation flux maps. Outgoing longwave radiation flux and incoming longwave
radiation flux have been estimated from surface temperature and air temperature maps respectively. Absolute errors in estimation of net shortwave
radiation flux has been obtained between 2 W m-2 to 129 W m-2 during different days with mean absolute error of 65 W m-2 and RMSE of 75 W
m-2. Mean absolute error of 70 W m-2 and RMSE of 81 W m-2 have been obtained between AWS recorded and model estimated net radiation
flux. Spatial and temporal variation of radiative energy fluxes have also been investigated in the study area.
Keywords: Net radiation, Ice sheet, Remote Sensing, Automatic Weather Station,
Corresponding Author: gusain_hs@yahoo.co.in
Page No. 472

The Wetlands of the Land of the Gods- Their Enthralling Beauty and Potential Geohazard
Sonali Bhandari1
1S.G.T. University, Gurgaon
Abstract
Rapid sea level rise, increase in global temperatures, warming of oceans, shrinking ice sheets, declining Arctic sea ice, extreme events, ocean
acidification, glacial retreat and decreased snow cover are some of the evidences of global climate change. Himalayan glaciers spread over an
area of 3 million hectares or 17% of the mountain area are the largest body of ice outside the polar caps. Situated over eight countries-
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan- the Himalayas are home to approximately 15,000 glaciers, which
support ten mighty perennial river systems - Amu Darya, Brahmaputra, Ganga, Indus, Irrawady, Mekong, Salween, Tarim, Yangtze and Yellow.
These river systems sustain over 1.3 billion people. Himalayan glaciers are retreating faster than glaciers in other parts of the world. The
International Commission for Snow and Ice in its recent study on Asian glaciers warns that at the current pace, chances of them disappearing by
2035 are very high. Global warming in the first half of the twentieth century led to rapid melting of glaciers and formation of a large number of
glacial lakes. Accumulation of water in these lakes due to melting of ice and snow coupled with heavy precipitation results in sudden discharge of
a large volume of water and debris causing floods. Such an event is called Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) and causes damage to life and
property in the downstream area. As glaciers recede, natural disasters such as landslides, avalanches and floods will increase. Glacier ice and
debris act as natural dams containing the excess water. However, if the rate of inflow of water exceeds the outflow, pressure builds up in the lake
causing it to push out excess water and debris. Due to rapid glacial melting, GLOF events have become more frequent in recent times. This paper
discusses temporal and spatial extent of glaciers and glacial lakes in Himachal Pradesh, India using Remote Sensing; GLOF risk assessment; early
warning systems, monitoring and GLOF mitigation; and establishing a relationship between climate change and GLOF events.
Keywords: Climate change, Remote sensing, Himachal, Glacial lake, Glacial lake outburst floods
Corresponding Author: marigold081@gmail.com
Page No. 473

Delineation of River Inundation Area and Assessing the Impact of Changes in Land Use Land Cover of the Flood
Plain Using Satellite Remote Sensing
S.V. Fahimah Shad2 and Ashok K. Keshari2

1Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi
Abstract
Emergence of satellite remote sensing techniques have paved way for wide range of applications in hydrology and its linkages with the human
interventions. Increased availability of multi-temporal satellite data products enhanced studies on monitoring river and flood inundation areas.
This has been used further to study the variation in flood plain boundaries due to natural as well as man-made causes. In the present study, we
accurately delineated the river inundation areas of part of a stretch of river Yamuna, passing through National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi.
The land use land cover (LULC) surrounding the considered river stretch within 3 Km region has been obtained. The Landsat imageries for the
years 1995, 2003 and 2011 along with high resolution images of Google Earth are used for mapping and monitoring the LULC areas as well as for
accuracy assessment. Tasseled cap transform image processing technique is used to map the river inundated regions in the Delhi stretch of
Yamuna river and the widely used Support Vector Machine algorithm is adopted for the classification. Moreover, the Normalized Difference
Vegetation index (NDVI), Normalized Difference Built Index (NDBI) and Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) has been computed for
getting better classification results. A post classification approach of change detection is followed for studying the changes and transformations
occurred in various LULC classes. Finally, an analysis study is conducted to comprehend the effect of these changes on the river inundated
regions. It is found that these regions are increasing with time, and the effect of LULC changes are also becoming prominent in the flood plain.
Keywords: Remote sensing, Land use land cover, Tasseled cap transform, Support Vector Machine,
Corresponding Author: fahimahshad@gmail.com
Page No. 474

Waterbodies Extraction Algorithm for Automated Mapping of Major and Medium Reservoirs in India using
Landsat 8 OLI
P. Samatha1, Aloshree Choudhury1, Aloshree Choudhury1, P. Samatha1, S. Karthik Reddy1, A. V. Suresh Babu1, M.Manju Sarma1 and V. Venkateshwar Rao1
Abstract
Major and medium reservoirs are main source for irrigation projects in India. Dynamic information on reservoir water spread area is important for
efficient water resources planning and management. Spatio-temporal satellite data helps in monitoring the surface water spread of reservoirs
frequently. Since there are large number of reservoirs (around 12,000) distributed across the country, it is covered by many satellite images.
Processing of each of these images for extraction of waterbodies is time consuming and requires trained manpower. Hence, the monitoring should
be supported with development of automated waterbody extraction algorithms and facility for regular processing and dissemination of
information. Currently, automated algorithm is being operationally used to extract waterbodies using Resourcesat-2 AWiFS and LISS III datasets
and is made available in Waterbodies Information System (WBIS) of Bhuvan portal. However, there are limitations in detecting some waterbodies
whenever there is conflicting signatures appear in a scene and also due to moderate resolution, smaller waterbodies are not detected. In addition to
the spectral bands available in AWiFS and LISS 3 (Green, Red, NIR and SWIR), Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) has additional bands
(Coastal Blue, Blue SWIR2), which will improve the better detection of waterbodies. In addition to this, better repetivity will increase the
probability of getting cloud free images during monsoon. In this study, an improved automated water extraction algorithm was developed by
analysing spectral response pattern of homogenous water pixels using several indices like NDVI, NDWI, MNDWI-1, MNDWI-2, AWEI, NDMI
and WRI and as well as individual bands. Spectral response from conflicting features like mixed water pixels of land - water boundaries, shallow
water pixels and water pixels which contain aquatic vegetations are also analysed to improve the automated extraction of water pixels. The
spectral patterns of water pixels appear similar to noise feature pixels like off-shore pixels, clouds and cloud-shadows. This was also analyzed and
necessary modifications were incorporated in the threshold values. This algorithm was tested, evaluated and fine-tuned for all the major and
medium reservoirs in the country and the final algorithm was used to generate waterbodies information operationally.
Keywords: Water bodies, Automated waterbody extraction, Landsat OLI, Reservoir sedimentation., Indices
Corresponding Author: aloshree.choudhury@gmail.com
Page No. 475

Spatial Data Analysis for Ground Water Quality Assessment with Special Reference To Iron - A Case Study of
Barna Watershed, Raisen District, Madhya Pradesh, India
D.K. Umak1, V.L. Punwatkar3 and V.K. Parasher 1

1HolkarScience College, Indore , 2M. P. Council of Science & Technology, Bhopal , 3Motilal Vigyan Mahavidyalaya College, Bhopal
Abstract
Barna watershed is a catchment of Barna River and its tributaries, lies in the Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh. The total area of Barna Watershed
is approximately 1129 km2. The aim of the study was to analyze the observed ground water quality parameters and to create spatial map for
drinking water purpose for Barna Watershed. For the above study ground water quality data were collected from the field and some data were
collected from PHED, M.P and National Rural Development Water Programme website under Ministry of Drinking water & Sanitation. The
GWQ layers were generated separately for each element for Both Pre-Monsoon and Post-Monsoon Season, from the well point layers with the
help of Inverse Distance weighted Method (IDW) interpolation technique using ArcGIS 9.3 software. Each element wise layer has been
categorized into three categories (1) potable water in Desirable limits (2) Potable water in permissible limits (3) Non-potable ground water, as per
BIS standard 2012. Integrating layers of pre-monsoon; pre-monsoon Ground Water Quality map has been prepared and integrating layers of
post-monsoon; post-monsoon Ground Water Quality map has been prepared. Integrating the pre & post monsoon Ground water quality class map,
final ground water quality class map has been prepared. The Final Ground Water Quality class map has been divided into 9 classes as the standard
given by the NRSC, ISRO; Ground Water Quality, manual of RGNDWM-PH IV. The Final Ground Water Quality Class map of Barna Watershed
shows, out of 75.04% Non-Potable area 73.12% area is Non- Potable due to excess of Iron and out 65.51% Habitations which is falling in
Non-Potable class, 56.89% habitation are severely affected by excess of Iron.
Keywords: Ground water quality, Remote sensing, GIS, Interpolation

Corresponding Author: umakdineshkumar@gmail.com
Page No. 476

Geo-spatial Modeling for Microzonation of Suitable Groundwater Recharge Sites in Bagepalli Block, Karnataka
A.T. Jeyaseelan1, Ravi Prakash Singh1, Virat Arora1, Kuldeep1, Swati Uniyal1, Sapana B. Chavan1, Vijaya Banu1, Madhu Babu K.1 and V. Raghu Venkataraman1
Abstract
The hydrogeomorphology is an integrated study of lithology, geomorphology, fractures, lineaments, soil, land use, drainage, slope and their
linkages with hydrological processes in spatial dimensions. Groundwater recharge sites depends upon hydrogeomorphological nature of landforms
and lineament distribution with respect to the permeable nature of subsurface, percolation and run off status of the area. Satellite data provides
quick and useful baseline information on the parameters controlling the occurrence and movement of groundwater like Land use/Land cover
,geomorphology, soils, lineaments drainage slope etc. In the present study, LULC, Drainage ,Slope layer generated under SIS-DP project and
legacy data of Lithology, Soil texture, Lineament, Geomorphology have been used for geospatial modelling. The study area contains diverse
geological, geomorphologic features and has significant impact on groundwater recharge sites. The Result obtained through overlay weightage
method in Arc GIS shows that the entire area ranging between very poor to very good recharge sites zone. The suitable groundwater recharge sites
mainly located across the lineament where density is higher and soil texture are loamy in nature. The hilly area with higher slope shows poor to
very poor water recharge prospects. The geospatial model is also linked with the suitable Ground water recharge structures based on geological
and terrain variations.
Keywords: Hydro geomorphology, Arc GIS, Groundwater, ,

Corresponding Author: singhravi004@gmail.com
Page No. 477

Spectral Index Optimization for Water Body Extraction in Hilly Terrain
Alok Kumar Singh1, Manohar Kumar1, Hina Pandey1, Poonam S. Tiwari1 and Shefali Agarwal1
1Indian
Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 2Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram
Abstract
Water is one of the vital components of the Earth environment which needs to be frequently monitored. Monitoring status of available water is
critical to sustainable management of water resources on Earth. Remote sensing data are used for estimations of water bodies by many researchers
and planners in different fields. However, there are numerous challenges in extracting water bodies automatically despite advances in the field of
remote sensing and image analysis. The primary challenge still remains in achieving reasonable accuracy standards in locational and feature
extraction domains. Also the topographic shadows show similar spectral behaviour in optical-infrared remote sensing data and cause confusion in
the detection and delineation of water bodies, especially in hilly regions. Spectral index optimization for semi-automatic retrieval of inland water
bodies has been attempted and a comprehensive set of knowledge driven rules are proposed for delineating and classifying water features in hilly
regions of Uttarakhand state, India. Atmospherically corrected Landsat8 OLI image and elevation information is used as inputs for the algorithm.
Water and non-water areas are separated by applying spectral thresholding. These methods combine two or more spectral bands using logical rules
to enhance the discrepancy between water bodies and other non-water features. Subsequently shadow correction, built-up correction and snow
correction factors are used to obtain water body mask for the study area. Rules are generated based on the spectral values of the water feature
collected from each band, for classification of the water features in to different classes like, clear water, deep water, shallow water, snow/ice cover
and wetland. The optimized thresholds, are validated by spectral information collected as ground truth data to achieve results with a higher
confidence. The overall accuracy attained with this approach is 91.67% for the Landsat 8 OLI. The decision rule set enabled suppression of other
ground objects which have the same spectrum characters as that of water. The experiment results indicated that the proposed method could extract
a coherent water body with smooth and clear edge accurately.
Keywords: feature extraction , Spectral index optimization , spectral thresholding, Landsat 8OLI ,
Corresponding Author: alokks@iirs.gov.in
Page No. 478

Prediction of Sediment Yield in the IB River Catchment of Mahanadi River using SWAT Hydrological Model
Visakh S.1 and P.V. Raju1

Abstract
The higher rate of soil erosion causes land degradation as well as deposition of sedimentation in water impounding structures. Many large
reservoirs are losing storage capacity due to steady sedimentation process actuated by soil erosion in the contributing catchments. While
traversing, river networks deposit sediment load along the hydrological network leading to river meandering, bank expansion and changes in river
channel morphology. Such physical modifications along the river approach channels near the storage reservoirs are posing serious challenges to
the hydraulic structures and to their functional capacities. IB river, a tributary of Mahanadi, flows into Hirakud reservoir meeting at the upstream
of Sason main canal (left bank canal). Steady soil erosion in the IB river catchment brings huge sediment loads, depositing at the mouth of Sason
intake channel. Such deposits are constraining water withdrawal during lower reservoir operating levels, posing serious challenges to the
utilizable potential of water resources and irrigation command. The present study is to simulate the erosion process of IB river catchment and its
temporal changes due to changing land use/land cover and climate patterns using SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool). SRTM DEM of 90m
resolution, Land Use/Land Cover map derived from IRS-P6 LISS III data, Soil texture data obtained from National Bureau of Soil Sciences and
Land Use Planning (NBSS&LUP), weather data from Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) are used in this model for analysis. The sediment
yield from the landscape, and sediment deposition and degradation in stream channel have been estimated using Modified Universal Soil Loss
equation (MUSLE) and modified Bagnold's equation respectively. Calibration and validation of the model is attempted using SWAT-CUP
(calibration and uncertainty procedures) with Sequential Uncertainty Fitting algorithm (SUFI-2). Four statistical criteria are used that evaluate the
hydrologic goodness of fit: the correlation coefficient(r), the coefficient of determination (r2), the Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient and the root mean
square deviation (RMS). The correlations are attempted between simulated sediment load and temporal changes in reservoir storage loss and
physical changes river morphology.
Keywords: Modified Universal Soil Loss equation, Sediment yield, SWAT, SWAT-CUP,
Corresponding Author: visakhraja@gmail.com
Page No. 479

Morphometric Analysis of a Sub-watershed of Simrawal Watershed, Satna District Madhya Pradesh
Ravi Chaurey2 and Kutubuddin Beg2

1Mahatma Gandhi Chitrakoot Gramodaya Vishwavidyalaya, Satna
Abstract
Watershed is proved to be an ideal unit to study and planning of natural resources as all the resources interact in a watershed. Watershed is a
hydrological unit, water is draining in different patterns depending upon geology, Geomorphology, slope, soil, Land use, etc. morphometric
parameter gives information on soil types, productivity status, erosion potential, runoff from the catchment etc. which are useful parameters for
planning for development of any area. In the present paper, an attempt has been made to study the detail morphometric characteristics of 2A7E4F
Sub-watershed, which itself is a part of Simrawal Watershed (Lower Ganges basin) in part of Birsinghpur and Majhgawan Tehsil area, District
Satna, Madhya Pradesh. For detailed study, we used Resourcesat-2 LISS-IV (100_054_19 May 2012 & 100_054_27 November 2012) Satellite
image for digitizing/Interpreting updated base & thematic layers, SOI Toposheets (63D/13 & 63D/14) as reference data and ASTER data for
preparing digital elevation model (DEM) using Remote Sensing and GIS techniques. We found that the annual rainfall of the study area getting
fluctuate yearly. The analysis reveals that the stream order varies from 1 to 4 with the drainage density value being as 1.18 km/km2 and the total
number of stream segments of all orders counted as 105, out of which the maximum area (72.5%) is covered by 1st order streams and minimum
(2.5%) by 4th order. The drainage area of the sub-watershed is 162.895 km2 and shows sub-dendritic to dendritic drainage pattern. Morphometric
parameters viz. stream order, stream length, bifurcation ratio, drainage density, stream frequency, form factor, circulatory ratio, etc., are calculated.
The stream order of the sub-watershed is mainly controlled by physiographic and lithological conditions of the area.
Keywords: Resourcesat-2 LISS-IV, SOI Toposheet, ASTER (DEM), Sub-watershed, GIS

Corresponding Author: kbeg.rsd@gmail.com
Page No. 480

Delineation of Groundwater Prospective Zones using Geophysical Techniques in a Hard Rock Terrain, Nagavati
Watershed of Dharmapuri District, Tamil Nadu, India Application of Remote Sensing and GIS
R. Kannan1, S. Venkateswaran1, M. Vijay Prabhu1, S. Satheeshkumar1, S. Deepa1, R. Ayyandurai1 and G. Prithiviraj1

1Periyar
University, Salem
Abstract
Electrical resistivity survey has been very successful for decedes in delineating prospective groundwater zones around the world. To understand
the subsurface conditions and lithological variations is very much essential to target groundwater potential zone Electrical resistivity survey were
carried out in selected locatioins of Nagavati watershed in Dharmapuri district of Tamil Nadu in India. The electrical resistivity method is used to
identify the horizontal and vertical discontinuities of subsurface electrical properties. Forty Six Vertical Electrical Sounding have been conducted
with an equal grid method in the entire Nagavati watershed. A Schlumbergers array has been adopted in the present study. The field data have
been processed using IPI2 WIN software and identified different types of curves. In the study area major lineaments are identified from satellite
data inbterpretation, which are surface manifestation of some structural features in the subsurface lithological variations of fractures and joints.
Groundwater perspect are controlled by this major linemants. Nagavati watershed is naturally occur in undulated terrain . In that regions pockets
of aquifers are located isolated batches of favourable zones. Groundwater perspective in that regions is major task without proper understanding
of subsurface lithology. Geoelectric layers such as topsoil, weathered zone, fracture zone and infinitive hard and compact massive zone have been
identified. The interpretation of the VES data showed that the watershed is dominantly underlain by Charnockite and gneissic rocks.
Integration of various thematic layers groundwater perspective zones has been derived from subsurface data interpretation and spatial variations
through Geographical Information System.
Keywords: GIS, Groundwater prospective zone, IPI2 Win software , Vertical Electrical Sounding, Nagavati watershed
Corresponding Author: georkannan@gmail.com
Page No. 481

Landuse-Landcover Changes in Kaithal District of Haryana and its Impact on Groundwater Dynamics: A Remote
Sensing and GIS based Study
Sanjay Kumar Goyal3, Dheeraj Thakur3, Jakir Husain1 and G.K. Sethi2
1JiwajiUniversity, Gwalior , 2M.L.N. College, Yamuna Nagar , 3R.K.S.D. PG College, Haryana
Abstract
Kaithal district of Haryana state in India is an agriculture intensive area with cropping pattern dominated by paddy and wheat. The groundwater
availability is of crucial importance in the district for meeting its huge irrigation requirements. Since carving out in 1989, the district has
undergone tremendous development causing significant changes in landuse/landcover (LULC), agricultural production, and other related
parameters including the availability of groundwater. The present study was carried out to assess the spatio-temporal changes in LULC from 2000
to 2015 and its impact on groundwater level dynamics in the area. LANDSAT 7 (ETM) and LANDSAT 8 (OLI) data were used for the preparation
of the 2000 and 2015 LULC maps respectively. Main classes identified were cultivable land, built-up, scrub land, forests, plantations and water
bodies. Areas under various classes were calculated. Further, depth to water level data from observation wells for 2000 and 2015 was used to
prepare spatial variation maps of groundwater levels in GIS environment. Change detection maps were prepared to quantify changes in LULC and
groundwater levels. The 2000-2015 difference map revealed a significant increase in built up area at the cost of agriculture and scrub lands. The
built up area was found to increase from 5325.27 ha (2.32%) in 2000 to 8708.06 ha (3.79%) in 2015. Moreover, the average depth to water level
was found to decline from 10.67 m below ground level (bgl) to 23.09 m bgl in the corresponding period. The observed changes in groundwater
hydrology of the area can be attributed to the increase in the impervious area and increased runoff caused by observed urban expansion, besides
the impact of other factors leading to overexploitation of groundwater like changes in socio-economic conditions, technological advancement and
increase in population.
Keywords: Land use, Groundwater, Remote sensing, GIS, Kaithal

Corresponding Author: sanjayktl@gmail.com
Page No. 482

Influence of Landuse Pattern on the Lake Water Quality within the Wetland of Sultanpur National Park, Haryana
using Remote Sensing Techniques and Hydrochemical Analysis
Priyadarshni Singh1, Satyanarain Shashtri1, Ravi Singh1, Sadaf Javed1, Vikas Kamal1 and Saumitra Mukherjee1
1FijiNational University , 2Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi , 3National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad
Abstract
Change in water supply and drainage patterns of surface and subsurface moisture zones are greatly enhanced due to anthropogenic activities such
as agriculture, urban development, road building which in turn reduce the size and distribution of wetland ecosystems (such as lakes, marshes,
peatlands, floodplains and mangroves) dependent on these water sources. These features are constantly or periodically submerged under flowing
or still fresh, salty, or brackish water. Changes in the water composition of such fragile wetland ecosystems would further pose a threat to the
biological species diversity living within these areas. Monitoring these changing wetland ecosystems therefore helps to determine their tolerance
to anthropogenic activities and thereby control and regulate such activities to reduce their influence. Sultanpur National Park, a wetland ecosystem
located in Gurgaon district of Haryana state is such an ecosystem, harbouring plant and animal biodiversity with several species of migratory birds
visiting the park every winter. Increase in the landuse practices such as agriculture, settlements, road construction in the surrounding regions as
well as artificial deepening of the area by digging for rainwater accumulation has led to the degradation in the water quality of the central lake
within the park. These activities have resulted in increase in surface runoff of ionic components resulting in the changes in the surface water
quality. This study infers that the cause of the measured high concentrations of nitrate and sodium ions in the lake water is due to increased
surface run off from the agricultural activity within the lake catchment. This anthropogenic influence has been validated by landuse landcover
mapping using K-means unsupervised classification of LANDSAT-8 data within the wetland catchment delineated using DEM data. The accuracy
assessment was calculated with Kappa Statistics. Rampant agriculture and builtup land adjacent to the lake as well as artificial pumping of
groundwater are major reasons for the deterioration of the lake water quality further posing a major threat to the wetland ecosystem.
Keywords: wetlands, catchment, unsupervised classification, anthropogenic activity, hydrochemical analysis

Corresponding Author: ps.sesjnu@gmail.com
Page No. 483

Integrated Toolbox for Altimetry Data Analysis
Surajit Ghosh1, Md. Rahim1, Praveen Kumar Thakur1, Subrata Nandy1 and Vaibhav Garg1
Abstract
Integrated Toolbox for Altimetry Data Analysis (ITADA) is a desktop application for processing satellite radar altimetry datasts. It is a collection
of several algorithms which are mainly used for processing and analysing altimetry waveform data for inland hydrology applications. Satellite
radar altimetry is a technology by which water level and discharge can be estimated from space. Nowadays water resource managers are widely
using this technique, especially for ungauged basins. ITADA has a graphical user interface where the user can give input level 2 altimetry data,
desired geographical extent with the variables such as range, altitude, latitude, longitude, etc. The aim of the study is mainly to combine all
necessary tools for processing altimetry data under the same roof. It also helps the users to overlay altimetry footprint on Google Earth, plotting
different variables of altimetry datasets, extract time series of water level and some more applications of hydrology.
Keywords: Integrated Toolbox for Altimetry Data Analysis , Satellite radar altimetry, , ,
Page No. 484

Hydrological modelling using High Resolution Meteorological Data for North-Western Himalayan Catchments
Siddharth Arora1, Praveen K. Thakur1 and Vaibhav Garg1

Abstract
The study of incoming flow in summer season is required, when water demand is at highest. During summer, significant share of discharge comes
from melting of snow & glacial ice. Thus, a focused study for Sutlej, Beas and Chenab catchments in North-west Himalaya using Variable
Infiltration Capacity (VIC) Model in full energy balance mode with grid size of 5 km has been conducted for evaluating the snowmelt.
Delineation of the catchment has been done using ASTER GDEM 30 m with outlets at Bhakra, Pandoh & Akhnoor for respective river basins.
Meteorological (temperature and wind speed) from ERA-Interim and rainfall data from Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) with the
resolution of 0.5º for 2005 have been taken to generate meteorological forcing files. LULC map from ISRO-GBP and soil parameters from
NBSSLUP have been incorporated in the model as an input files. The routing was carried out from the output generated by VIC model to get the
hydrographs at the outlet. These hydrographs were used to analyse various hydrological parameters in particularly for runoff due to snowmelt in
the study area.
Keywords: Runoff, Snowmelt , VIC model

Corresponding Author: siddarora.civil@gmail.com
Page No. 485

Urbanization Impact on Ground Water through Geological and Geospatial Approach
Ramamoorthy Sivakumar3 and Manikanda Prabhu3

1S.R.M.
University, Chennai
Abstract
All around the world urbanization activates highly present in the costal environment, since from the ancient days. Increasing population density
and expansion of urban land area causes higher stress on costal aquifer system. The integrated approach of Geophysics, Geochemical and
Geospatial techniques were used in Chunnambar sub watershed of Ponnaiyar sub basin which located in East coast of south India for this study.
Urban sprawl mapping done for the period from 1991 to 2015 with decade of interval through digital image processing and visual interpretation
techniques with help of satellite images obtained from LANDSAT and IRS- LISS-IV mission. It indicates rapid urbanization taken place in this
sub watershed due to expansion of Pondicherry town, around 45 % of land area of this sub watershed occupied for urban land use at present.
Increasing urban population density and water demand causes over exploitation of groundwater and depletion of groundwater level. Water level
data for the period of 30 years were collected and studied to understand the fluctuation. Also the water quality data for the above period were
analysed along with primary data. Further integration were done with Visual MODFLOW to analyse the aquifer fluctuation and simulated. Also
all components were integrated through GIS platform and overlay analysis were performed. This study resulted that increasing urbanization and
over exploitation of groundwater impacts the costal aquifer.
Keywords: Remote sensing, Water quality, Visual MODFLOW, GIS, Aquifer

Corresponding Author: sivakumar.r@ktr.srmuniv.ac.in
Page No. 486

Decision Tree Based Extraction of Waterbodies from Landsat-8 Satellite Images

Abstract
Earth observation satellites are good resources for global change analysis and have varied applications in agriculture, geology, forestry, regional
planning, urban sprawl analysis, and water resources etc. Multi-spectral, multi-temporal & multi-resolution satellite images acquired in visible &
infrared bands have been used extensively for environmental monitoring. Extraction of waterbodies from satellite images is of great use for many
water related studies, including studies of river dynamics, flood mapping, coastal line change detection etc. This paper concentrates on extracting
waterbodies from Landsat 8 OLI and TIRS images by using decision tree classifiers based on spectral properties of various features. Water shows
high absorption of electromagnetic spectrum in visible and near infrared bands hence it can be classified using normalized difference water index
(NDWI), an index based on absorption properties of water bodies, however NDWI cannot differentiate between wet soil and periphery of
waterbodies. Further during the flooding period, demarcation of such areas becomes very important. Over the past decade, a significant amount of
research has been done to extract the waterbody information from various multi-resolution satellite images, however very less attempts have been
made to distinguish waterbodies, wet soil and flood inundated land surfaces. In this research investigation, flood inundated land areas have been
differentiated from wet soil using the land surface temperature derived from multi temporal Landsat 8 TIRS data. Waterbodies have been
demarcated using NDWI. Threshold for NDWI and the derived temperature were used in decision tree for accurate extraction of waterbodies,
inundated land areas and wet soil. All other noninterest earth features (like vegetation, soil, built up, barren, roads etc.) were suppressed using
different indices (e.g. NDVI, NDBI, NDISI etc.) and combinations of different bands and their ratios. Changes occurred due to flood were inferred
from classified pre and post flood images. Hence in this method signatures of waterbodies, inundated land areas and wet soil have been
differentiated from other ground objects based on spectral analysis and using decision tree for delineating these features.
Keywords: Decision Tree, NDWI, NDVI, Spectral Signatures, Landsat OLI & TIRS
Page No. 487

Merging of SAR and Optical Data for Characterising Antarctic Ice Features
Esha Shah1, Jayaprasad P.2, Raghav Mehra2 and M.E. James1

1GujaratUniversity, Ahmedabad , 2Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad
Abstract
Thawing and melting occurring in coastal regions of Antarctica are alarming and lead to sea level rise and global warming. Due to adverse
weather conditions and absence of sunlight during winter in the Antarctica, high spatial and high spectral information are both required in single
image. Remote-sensing data play an important role in extracting information with the help of various sensors having different spectral, spatial and
temporal resolutions. Hence, Image fusion has turned out to be an important tool for providing more comprehensive information over data
acquired from different spatial and spectral resolutions. The present study aims at fusion of RISAT-1 FRS-1 and Resourcesat-2 LISS-4 data over
Indian Antarctic Research Station-Maitri and its surroundings to generate a merged/fused product which contains the characteristic of both the
multispectral information (object identification) and the spatial detail (object localization and texture). Different pixel based merging techniques
were used for performance evaluation are Brovey Transform, Ehler’s Fusion, High Pass Filter (HPF), Modified IHS, Wavelet Principle
Component Analysis (W-PCA). The merged product is used for extraction of various ice features like melt ponds, crevasses, fresh water lake, blue
ice, oasis, ice waves and lake ice. Quality assessment of fused images have been carried out using visual, spatial (High Pass Correlation
Coefficient, Entropy) and spectral (Root Mean Square Error, Correlation Coefficient) analysis. Out of the four algorithms, Wavelet-PCA and HPF
resolution merging technique gives us better visual interpretation. Features like fresh water lake, which is not clearly visible in any of the original
images can be seen in Wavelet-PCA merging technique.
Keywords: Antarctica, Feature extraction, Merging, FRS-1, LISS-4

Corresponding Author: eshu7456@gmail.com
Page No. 488

Monitoring of Watershed Development Activities using GEOBIA Concept
Kumarapu Kumar2, M. Shashi2 and M.A. Fyzee1

1National
Institute of Technology, Warangal , 2National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad
Abstract
Monitoring resembles continuous collection of data and processing it. The watershed monitoring is one of such activity which requires to record
adequate changes in the area. High-spatial-resolution remote sensing images consists of more detailed information at which watershed monitoring
can be made easy. Monitoring of watershed involves extracting the information of development activities and impacts associated to those
development activities using HRS data. Now, the question is how to efficiently process the abundant high resolution remote sensing image data
and interpret for the ground objects. We considered the image categorization problem as an image texture analyzing problem by viewing an image
as a collection of regions, each obtained from image segmentation. The proposed method involves a series of steps like image fusion,
segmentation, classification and extraction. Classification algorithms formulated on pixel-based analysis often do not give the expected results
when applied to high-spatial resolution remote-sensing data. For achieving this problem, the current paper focuses on concepts of GEOBIA and
image-objects. Image objects instead of pixels are integrated with thematic layer for extracting and delivering information. Classification based on
absolute and arithmetic threshold condition with a strategic approach gives expected results.
Keywords: Monitoring, Image texture, Segmentation, GEOBIA, Threshold condition

Corresponding Author: kumar.ninni7@gmail.com
Page No. 489

Threshold Rainfall-Runoff Response and its Seasonal Behaviour: Field Evidences
Arpit Chouksey1, Subashisa Dutta2 and Shiv Prasad Aggarwal1

1IndianInstitute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 2Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati
Abstract
Physical processes behind runoff generation from forested or vegetated hillslopes in wet tropics and sub tropics are very critical for modelling. For
better understanding, plot scale natural or virtual rainfall experiments are popularly used now a days to characterize the runoff generation
processes in hillslopes. In present study, a vegetated hillslope plot in Brahmaputra basin, India was selected to monitor natural rainfall runoff
response over a long period of time (2008-2012). The observed natural rainfall runoff response and soil moisture profile of the hillslope plot
indicated strong threshold driven mechanism for runoff generation. The observed rainfall response also showed seasonal variability in rainfall
threshold values on which runoff generation depends. Few high intensity rainfall events were observed with low runoff coefficients. Rainfall
depth, duration, maximum intensity, average intensity, and antecedent precipitation conditions were taken as controlling parameters for hillslope
runoff response. Monitoring of rainfall runoff process at different landuse showed variations in controlling parameters for runoff generation
processes and it was found that the thresholding mechanism for runoff generation process varies seasonally i.e. with antecedent conditions as well
as with the landuse characteristics. Thus, Normalized differenced vegetation index (NDVI) based threshold techniques has been evolved to model
rainfall runoff responses over vegetated or forested hillslopes. The derived threshold curve is able to predict more than 85 % runoff generating
rainfall events.
Keywords: Forested hillsope, Threshold rainfall, NDVI

Corresponding Author: arpit@iirs.gov.in
Page No. 490

Flood Inundation Hazard Modelling of the Embankment Breaching of Brahmaputra River in Assam using
CCHE-2D Model and Geospatial Data
Sagar S. Salunkhe1, S.S. Rao1, Raghu Venkataraman1 and Y.V.N. Krishna Murty1
Abstract
In many flood prone river basins, flood inundates vast areas of land causing heavy damage to the dwellings in flood plains, impacts agricultural
productivity and cause severe economic losses. Brahmaputra River Basin in North East India starts in a geographical location, where the steep
slope of eastern Himalaya abruptly drops by forming a narrow valley. One of the reasons for flooding in plains of Brahmaputra valley is
embankment breaching. In this study, an attempt was made for probabilistic flood hazard modeling of July 2008 embankment breaching of
Brahmaputra river at Matmara, Lakhimpur District in Assam, based on various numerical simulations with the help of CCHE-2D (Center of
Computational Hydro science and Engineering) hydrodynamic model developed by University of Mississippi, USA. The methodology was
applied over 2146 Km2 flood prone area. The Data inputs in the study include ASTER GDEM, Pre-flood (March 2008) and Post flood
(September 2008) satellite imageries of Landsat ETM and ancillary data such as water level from nearby river gauging stations and flood
frequency analysis data. The simulation was carried out for various discharge levels (2, 10 and 20 years return period) based on frequency
analysis. Results were obtained in the form of spatial variations of flood inundated area, water depth and water velocity. The results were
validated by comparing it with the post-flood ETM data (September 2008) and flood situation status report. Flood hazard maps were prepared by
carrying out spatial analysis of simulated inundation depth and velocity. It classifies the flood prone area in to five hazard classes from H0 to H4
(no flood hazard to very high flood hazard). The results of the simulation show that there is a general increase in the areas of extent that would be
flooded in a 2-year return period to the 20-year return period. Flood hazard maps shows that the majority of the flooded area fell into very high
and high categories with a few isolated areas falling into low and moderate categories. This information can be used to plan appropriate cost
effective flood mitigation schemes.
Keywords: CCHE-2D, Hydrodynamic model, Flood inundation hazard modelling, Brahmaputra river, Embankment breaching
Corresponding Author: sagar.swce@gmail.com
Page No. 491

Impact of Human Water Abstraction on Terrestrial Water Storage in Indian River Basins
Aarti Soni2 and T.H. Syed2

Abstract
Water resources in various parts of the world are under major stress. Increasing global population and agriculture demand is putting a lot of
pressure on the available freshwater resources. Terrestrial water storage (TWS) is a key variable in earth system that has important control over
water, energy and biogeochemical fluxes. Assessment of terrestrial water storage is crucial for understanding an extensive range of hydrologic and
climatic processes which are significant for the ecosystem, agriculture and water resources management. This study aims to characterize the long
term variations in groundwater storage (GWS) and TWS and detecting trends in hydrologic fluxes/storage over major Indian River Basins,
namely, Ganga, Godavari, Krishna and Mahanadi basins. This study also focuses on influence of human water abstraction on total water storage in
aforementioned regions. In this work we assessed variability of GWS and TWS from Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE)
satellite observations and a variety of land surface model simulations (LSMs). Since GRACE-based TWS represents column-integrated storage
over land, contributions from soil moisture, snow and canopy water storage had to be removed in order to estimate GWS variations. Results
suggest that canopy water storage and snow water equivalent is insignificant in Indian River basins, hence we removed soil moisture anomaly to
obtain the GWS anomaly over the study area. Results also reveal that in larger basins, GWS and TWS are significantly decreasing which is
possibly influenced by human water consumption.
Keywords: GRACE, LSMs, Terrestrial water storage, Indian river basins, Human water abstraction
Corresponding Author: aartisoni2288@gmail.com
Page No. 492

Estimation and Validation of Land Surface Temperature of Glaciated Terrain in Karakoram Himalaya
Narendra Singh1, H.S. Negi1, Anant Kumar1, Ritesh Mujawdiya1 and G. Arun1
Abstract
Land surface temperature (LST) is one of the important parameter for energy exchange processes between atmosphere and earth surface. The
knowledge of LST is important in glacier study as it affects the melting rate of snow cover and glacier ice. It is difficult to get LST of vast rugged
glaciated terrain using field observation. Field observations are difficult to collect and provide only point observation of limited region. Therefore,
satellite remote sensing is the only mean to obtain the LST of a large rugged mountainous terrain. This study presents the estimation of LST from
Landsat-8 Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) data for Siachen glacier of Karakoram-Himalaya and its validation with in-situ surface temperature
using Infrared (IR) thermometer. The ground based average thermal emissivities for different land cover were retrieved. The range of thermal
emissivity of glacier ice, snow, debris cover, debris mixed ice, sand and melting ice were found to be 0.965 – 0.977, 0.977 – 0.987, 0.954 – 0.97,
0.954 – 0.994, 0.90 – 0.94 and 0.991 – 0.997 respectively. The retrieved glacier ice emissivity was used in calculating the land surface
temperature from Landsat-8 thermal data. The retrieved LST from Landsat-8 TIRS data was found to be in agreement with field based LST data
with differences of 0.2 – 2.0°C. This study is important to fine-tune the LST model using ground based thermal emissivity and surface
temperature observations and further will be helpful in glacier feature classification using remote sensing data.
Keywords: Snow, Remote sensing, LST, Siachen, Thermal emissivity

Corresponding Author: narendrasngh38@gmail.com
Page No. 493

Development of Fuzzy Model for Drinking Groundwater Contamination Assessment in Haridwar Terrain
Shwetank Arya1, Suhas1 and Jitendra Kumar Chaudhary1

1GurukulaKangri Vishwavidyalaya, Haridwar
Abstract
Groundwater is a renewable, vibrant and indispensable natural resource for survival of human. It is a factor that comprehensively influences the
socioeconomic growth of any country. Drinking groundwater quality assessment is a complex real world problem. Technically, such problems are
multifaceted and are not well defined. The main reasons of these problems are the uncertainties, interdependence and situations of elements under
consideration. In modern epoch of research, fuzzy logic based approaches have verified to be appropriated to handle uncertainty and biasness in
ecological problems. Fuzzy logic may be appropriate to solve such complex problems and it provides an acceptable solution in an ambiguous
situation. It represents a problem in linguistic terms rather than representing the problem by the relationships between crisp values. In the present
study a methodology based on Mamdani fuzzy inference method has been used to develop a fuzzy model to assess drinking groundwater water
quality in Haridwar city. The study area is situated just underneath the Shivalik mountain ranges which makes groundwater hard. Five heavy
metal parameters (Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb and Zn) has been used to verify the developed fuzzy model. The model was developed by employing triangular
and trapezoidal fuzzy membership functions for the input and output variables. Total 32 fuzzy rules, based on the drinking water quality expert
perception, were inferred. The result shows that groundwater in Haridwar city is suitable for drinking purpose. This study also enforces the use of
Geographic Information System for spatial analysis, improved decision making and to increase accuracy of groundwater quality assessment.
Keywords: GIS, Fuzzy logic, Mamdani fuzzy inference, Drinking groundwater, Heavy metal
Corresponding Author: shwetank.arya@gmail.com
Page No. 494

Estimation of Flood Hazard Map for Killi Basin using GIS based Morphometric Parameters
Sabitha N.M.1, Santosh G. Thampi 1 and Sathish Kumar D.1

1NationalInstitute of Technology, Calicut
Abstract
Basin morphometric parameters play an important role in hydrological processes, as they largely control a catchment’s hydrologic response. Their
analysis becomes even more significant when studying runoff reaction to intense rainfall, especially in the case of ungauged, flash flood prone
basins. Unit hydrographs are one of the useful tools for estimating runoff when instrumental data are inadequate. In this work, instantaneous unit
hydrographs based on the time-area method have been compiled along the drainage networks of Killi River basin in Thiruvananthapuram City of
Kerala State. Recurrent floods and insufficient drainage are perpetual problems faced by Thiruvananthapuram City since several years.
Thiruvananthapuram receives a very high average annual rainfall of over 1,800 mm and flash floods continue to occur in this region. In this work,
data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) is used and GIS software is employed to perform the analysis for estimating the
morphometric parameters of the Killi River Basin. The Hydrology tool of ArcGIS 10.1 was used to create the drainage network from the DEM of
the basin. The method proposed uses simple morphometric variables like catchment area, basin slope and point elevations that can be deduced
from topographic maps. The basic concept of the methodology is the compilation of a flood hazard map based on the peak flow rates derived from
instantaneous unit hydrographs across each basin. Hydrographs are compiled along the drainage network in numerous locations assumed to be the
outlets of theoretical sub-catchments. The process involves creating ‘‘Time-Area’’ diagrams for each sub-catchment by combining computed flow
distances with flow velocity. The whole procedure is carried out in GIS environment, and a grid format is used to represent the spatial distribution
of values of all variables involved. Calculated peak flow rates reflect the catchments’ runoff pattern, showing locations where morphometric
parameters of the basin tend to produce higher peak flows, which in turn indicate higher discharge potential and define flood hazard. The resulting
flood hazard zonation showed that the method can successfully predict flood hazard spatial distribution.
Keywords: Morphometric analysis, Killi River Basin, SRTM , Flash flood estimation, GIS
Corresponding Author: sabithanm@gmail.com
Page No. 495

Analysis of Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and Global Land Data Assimilation System
(GLDAS) Data to Map the Depletion in Groundwater Storage in Northern India
Alpana Dwivedi1, Suresh Kannaujiya1, Kamal Pandey1, Amit Pal1, Manash Pratim Gogoi2, Shovan Lal Chattoraj1 and P.K. Chamapti Ray1
1BundelkhandUniversity, Jhansi , 2Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 3Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad
Abstract
India is the second most populated country in the world. Due to its high density population, the rate of consumption of groundwater has been
alarmingly increasing during past decades. Pertinently more than 50 % of urban and industrial water, 85% of drinking water supplies and 60% of
irrigated agriculture water needs are dependent on sustainable groundwater management. Ground water storage depletion has its implications in
both hydrological cycle and sustainable water resource management in urban areas. In this study, GRACE satellite data (RL05) has been used to
estimate total water storage (surface & ground) and its variation in northern India from March 2002 to February 2015. Additionally, GLDAS land
surface model variables have also been used to infer how TWS is partitioned into canopy water, soil moisture and snow water equivalent
components. The harmony between GRACE and GLDAS reveals that GRACE is capable of evaluating groundwater storage depletion over the
study area. In this study, hydrological signals have also been used for the annual and seasonal time window. Different combinations of NASA’s
(GRACE) satellite products (JPL, CSR & GFZ) and global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) Land surface Models (MOSAIC, VIC,
NOAH & CLM) were further used to study the outputs deciphering trends of groundwater depletion rate in entire Northern India. Water level data
obtained from monitoring wells of Central Groundwater Board (CGWB) were used for the validation. The groundwater variation derived from
GRACE-GLDAS showed substantial correlation with the in-situ field data. In different parts of the north India particularly in Uttar Pradesh,
Punjab, Haryana & Delhi the groundwater depletion rates were -1.15±0.56, -0.81±0.49, -1.48±0.49 and -1.75±0.66 cm/year respectively.
However, the losses estimated from 2002 to 2015 for these states were approximately 47.58, 5.80, 9.41 and 13.12 km3 respectively. Moreover, the
estimated total average loss in ground water storage volume for these states were 23 and 10 km3 in 2003 and 2014 respectively. Factors like
higher urbanization, over-exploitation, deforestation, eco-tourisms, agriculture and industrial requirements can be considered responsible for the
depletion or change of groundwater table.
Keywords: GRACE, GLDAS, Groundwater, Northern India, CGWB

Corresponding Author: alpanadwivedi024@gmail.com
Page No. 496

Terraintools: An Interactive 3D Geovisualisation Instrument for Flooding
Adhitya Kamakshidasan1 and Benno Schmidt1

152Degree North (Germany)
Abstract
Throughout the last century, flooding has been one of the most costly natural disasters concerning of human casualties, property damage, and
environmental degradations. Developing strategies to mitigate or to adapt to the threats of floods is an important topic in the context of climate
changes. Many of the world's cities are endangered due to rising ocean levels and changing precipitation patterns. It is therefore crucial to develop
analytical tools that allow us to evaluate the threats of floods. In this paper, we present the development of a Web GIS based system for prediction
and risk assessment using advanced geo-visualizations. The users can access over the web a digital elevation model integrated with the flood plain
area. Furthermore, the 3D GIS application we developed provides a better platform for modelling and visualizing flood situations than previously
done in 2D maps. We also provide an insight into the algorithms for building a Cloud based Open Source tool for analyzing and preparing for
emergency measures.
Keywords: Flooding, GeoVisualization, X3DOM

Corresponding Author: adhitya07@gmail.com
Page No. 497

Assessing the Causal Factor for Land System Changes in Lidder Valley, Kashmir Himalaya, India
Nahida Ali1, Shakil A. Romshoo 1 and Munazah Maheen1

1Universityof Kashmir, Srinagar
Abstract
Land-use change is both a cause and consequence of many biophysical and socioeconomic changes. Land change science has emerged as a
fundamental component of global environmental change and sustainability research. In this research land system changes in the Lidder valley was
studied from satellite data verified in the field through extensive field surveys. Land use and land cover change maps, focusing on the finding the
changes in paddy cultivation and horticulture were prepared from Landsat MSS data of 25th Oct 1972, Landsat TM data of 25th Oct 2005 and
Landsat OLS/TIRS data of 25th Oct 2013. A Field based questionnaire was prepared having 60 questions and village wise survey was carried out
in 83 villages. Hydrometeorological parameters were studied from 1980-2010 for the Pahalgam meteorological station and 8 discharge stations
located in the lidder valley. Results from LULC mapping showed that area of agriculture has decreased from 189.73 km2 to 77.71 km2,
horticulture has increased from 3.00 km2 to 95.73 km2 and built up has increased from 1.31 km2 to 16.20 km2 from 1972 to 2013 in the Lidder
valley. Streamflow showed significantly decreasing trend for 8 stations of Lidder valley while as temperature showed increasing trend for
Pahalgam station. From the questionnaire and agriculture-horticulture conversion, it was concluded that conversion has mainly triggered due to
economic gains as the horticulture provides 5-6 time more economic returns. However, it was observed that in some areas the reduction in the
streamflows have forced the cultivators to shift to horticulture. People are self adapting to the climate change in the region and need to be guided
for making the adaptation sustainable in the long run.
Keywords: Climate, Landsat, Socioeconomic, Conversion , Hydrometeorological

Corresponding Author: geonahida@gmail.com
Page No. 498

Tectonic Control on the Channel Pattern of Alaknanda River in Srinagar Valley (Garhwal Himalaya)
Sapna Semwal1
1D.B.S.(P.G.) College, Dehradoon
Abstract
River morphology is the field of science dealing with changes of river form and cross-section shape mainly due to sedimentation and erosion
processes (Chang, 1988). This paper describes the results of a continuing investigation of tectonic control on channel pattern and morphology of
Alaknanda River in Lesser Garhwal Himalaya. An investigation of the tectonic controls of the channel pattern and meandering of the Alaknanda
River in Srinagar valley is conducted using remote sensing data and conventional method. The style of active tectonic on the deformation and
characterization of fluvial landscape has been investigated on typical strike-slip transverse faults near the zone of North Almora Thrust (NAT).
The structural and lithological controls on the Alaknanda River system in Srinagar valley are reflected by distinct drainage patterns, abrupt change
in flow direction, incised meandering, offset river channels, straight river lines, palaeo-channels, multi levels of terraces, knick points and pools in
longitudinal profile. A litho-tectonic map of the Srinagar valley has been prepared by the used of morpho-tectonic features and field investigation.
The results of the study show that the sinuosity index of the river is 1.35 which shows sinuous to meandering trend. All 8 sets of meanders are
controls by tectonic features. Six levels of terraces at Chauras are the results of tectonics. The meandering course is correlated with tectonic
features hence it concluded that the river channel closely controlled by structural features in the study area.
Keywords: Tectonic, Meander, Channel pattern, Structure, Knick point

Corresponding Author: sapnasemwal91@gmail.com
Page No. 499

Performance of 3T Model to Estimate Evapotranspiration after Time and Terrain Correction in the Eastern
Himalayas
Suman Kumar Padhee1 and Subashisa Dutta2

1Indian
Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 2Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati
Abstract
The 3T model is an energy balance based model and the only algorithm available to estimate evaporation and transpiration separately. Basic
inputs of this model are obtained from remote sensing and it has shown promising results. However, the key input of an energy balance model is
solar radiation. The dynamics of solar radiation at a particular point depends upon time in temporal domain and the complexity of the terrain in
spatial domain. Time correction has been applied to geographically variant Brahmaputra River basin including Eastern Himalayan belt. Also, the
complexity of terrain have been dealt by incorporating elevation, surface gradient (slope) and orientation (aspect), as well as position relative to
neighbouring surfaces. Incoming solar radiation have been computed from revolution of the Earth around the Sun which have been modified to
potential direct solar radiation and diffused radiation by using SRTM digital elevation model. However, the results are assumed to be at clear sky
conditions and variances due to cloud cover and different land covers have been neglected. The performances of 3T model are compared with and
without time and terrain corrections.
Keywords: 3T model, Evapotranspiration, Solar radiation, ,

Corresponding Author: suman.iirs@gmail.com
Page No. 500

Ice Margin Calving Around Lassiter Coast of Antarctic Peninsula Using SAR Data
Suryawanshi Maya Raghunath2, Jayaprasad P.2, Sandip R. Oza 2 and D. Ram Rajak2
Abstract
Catastrophic Ice Calving (the process of separation of ice block from ice shelf) events and thinning of peninsular ice shelves (the extended
cantilever part of ice sheet which floats on ocean)were found to be in tandem with more warm summers, which reduced its area by 28000km2.
More than 40% of the Antarctic coast is fringed with these ice shelves. Inland glaciers feed these Ice shelves while avalanching, melt, sublimation
and calving phenomenon results into deformation of ice shelves. Thus plays vital role in climate changes. The present study focuses on changing
margin of ice shelf around Lassiter coast which is a part of Antarctic Peninsula (AP). The data used in the present study are RADARSAT-1
(Antarctic Mapping Mission: AMM-1, Modified Antarctic Mapping Mission: MAMM), ALOS PALSAR, RISAT-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar data
of years 1997, 2000, 2008 and 2013 respectively. RISAT-1, ALOS PALSAR, data were co-registered with RAMP-AMM, MAMM images. The
measured retreat was of the order of~394 km2 in year 2000 w.r.t. year 1997 margin and advancement of ~74 km2 in year 2008 w.r.t. 2000 margin.
Further in year 2013 it has advanced through ~70 km2 w.r.t. 2008 margin and overall advancement w.r.t. 2000 margin was measured to be ~144
km2. Automatic change detection carried out using supervised parallelepiped classified SAR images clearly indicates ice margin advancement and
retreat. While percentage changes indicate overall changes i.e Shelf as well as continental part. Hence unable to quantify calved amount of shelf.
Keywords: Ice shelf, Ice margin, Calving

Corresponding Author: maya2509.surya@gmail.com
Page No. 501

Water Quality Assessment using VNIR Spectroradiometer
Abdullahi Ahmad Datti3, Sachikanta Nanda3 and Annadurai R.3

Abstract
Water is essential and vital for human survival especially for domestic and agricultural purposes. Over the years water quality is deteriorating and
the factors responsible are attributed to anthropogenic activities due to increase in population, and subsequent urbanization and industrialization.
Water quality assessment is highly needed for ensuring compliance with water quality standards. Geospatial technology proves to be effective in
providing up-to-date and cost-effective analysis of surface waters. This study was conducted at Kattankolathur Block, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The
major town panchayat and taluk under this block are Chengalpattu, Marammalai Nagar, Kattankolathur, Urapakkam, and Vandalur, the block
covers an area of 378.53 km2. River Palar is the major river draining the area. Many small-scale industries for auto ancillaries, engineering, wood
works, electrical electronic works along with automobile industries are functioning in the study area and discharging their effluents on the open
land and surrounding water bodies threatening the water quality in the area. In this research, in situ measurements of water quality parameters are
taken with handheld VNIR (Visible-Near Infrared) Spectroradiometer for the estimation of three parameters namely the total suspended solids
(TSS), chlorophyll-a, and turbidity. Different sample locations have been chosen in and around the block, regression models are used to evaluate
correlation between the water quality parameters and spectral reflectance values.
Keywords: VNIR spectroradiometr, Water quality, Parameter estimation, Spectral characteristics, Regression model
Corresponding Author: abdullahi_ahmaddatti@srmuniv.edu.in
Page No. 502

On Mapping of Blue Ice Areas in the Antarctic Environment using High Resolution Satellite Data
Shridhar D. Jawak2, Sayali N. Jadhav3 and Alvarinho J. Luis2

1National Centre for Antartica and Ocean Research, Goa , 2Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune
Abstract
Bare or blue ice is an ice-exposed region with the blue appearance and exhibits complexity to the enormous white snow where ablation exposes
the underlying glacier ice. Blue-ice areas (BIAs) cover 1% of the East Antarctic ice sheet. The Antarctic ice sheet surface is highly snow-covered
with a relatively less amount of blue ice. Nevertheless, blue ice could be of great value for climate studies because surface mass balance in BIAs
is negative, sublimation forms the main ablation process, and surface albedo is relatively low. In this study, BIAs surrounding the Schirmacher
Oasis have been mapped with high resolution WorldView-2 (WV-2) data using pixel-based semi-automatic extraction methods. Antarctica's
inclement weather, a few number of fine weather days in summer, and the high cost of ship/ helicopter restricts research trips to Antarctica.
Therefore, WV-2 is found to be suitable for semi-automatic feature extraction which is much needed to continuously monitor the geographical
features in a cryospheric environment as aerial photography which provides images at a higher resolution of 0.2-0.3 m becomes difficult because
of the harsh environment and high costs of logistics. In this paper, we have used GIS and remote sensing methods to analyze high-resolution
satellite image and subsequently extract BIAs by using minimal pre-processing operations and user's initial seed points.
Keywords: Blue ice, WorldView-2, Image processing

Corresponding Author: jsayalee02@gmail.com
Page No. 503

Geospatial Based Approach for Runoff Simulation in a Watershed
Shirisha P.2, Venkata Reddy K.2 and Deva Pratap2

1National Institute of Technology, Warangal
Abstract
Watershed is the basic scientific unit for understanding the hydrological regime of an area. Geospatial advancement has increased the simulation
capabilities of distributed watershed models. The present study deals with the runoff simulation for Peechara Watershed in Warangal district. A
well-established distributed hydrologic model is selected and applied to simulate the runoff of the watershed. Finite Element Method (FEM) is
applied for accurate representation of complex geometry. GIS is used in data processing. Geospatial database is compiled for the watershed.
Peechara Watershed is divided into sub watersheds. Continuous data from the watershed improve the accuracy of model simulation. For this
purpose, an experimental watershed at Peechara is set up by installing rain gauge station, soil moisture recorder and digital water level recorders.
The data is obtained through telemetry at the institute. This data is applied in the model for runoff simulation. Runoff simulation is carried out for
the watershed with the rainfall events obtained from raingauge station and Stream flow data from the digital water level recorders for the rainy
season. The results obtained from this study can be used for understanding the hydrological characteristics of the watershed.
Keywords: Finite Element Method, Geospatial, Runoff simulation, Telemetry, Watershed

Corresponding Author: shirirajp4@gmail.com
Page No. 504

Impact of Moraine-Dammed Lake on Glacier Response: A Case Study of Dulung Glacier, J&K
Siddhi Garg1 and Aparna Shukla1

Abstract
Glaciers are sensitive indicators of climate change. The recession of Himalayan Glaciers in response to climatic warming has resulted in the
formation and growth of potentially hazardous glacial lakes. In adverse conditions, the expansion of these lakes, particularly moraine-dammed
lakes may result into outburst of flood in downstream valleys. The disastrous outburst of moraine-dammed lakes represent a significant threat to
inhabitants of high mountain areas across the globe. Hence, continuous monitoring of these moraine-dammed lakes has become a major concern
over the last few decades. In this study, the impact of glacial lake on the morphometric characteristics of Dulung glacier, western Himalaya, J&K
has been discussed comparing it with the dimensional changes of the Chilung glacier located in the adjacent valley . Temporal monitoring of
these two glaciers has been done using LANDSAT series of satellite images during the period 1977-2016. The detailed analysis of Dulung glacier
revealed an area loss of 3.31km2 during 1977-2016. There has been a moraine-dammed lake formation on Dulung glacier and the lake area is
estimated to have increased from 0.15 km2 to 0.57 km2 during 1977-2016. During this time period, Dulung glacier has retreated by 18.3%, while
Chilung glacier has retreated by an average of 10.9%, indicating that Dulung glacier is retreating at a faster rate as compared to Chilung glacier,
irrespective of their similar environmental and geographical settings. The retreat of Dulung glacier has significantly enhanced after 2000,
evidently due to the positive feedback of lake. Therefore, the probable risk caused by the enhanced rate of moraine-dammed lake development
should be earnestly evaluated to prevent the hazardous outburst of flood.
Keywords: Glacier retreat, Moraine-dammed lake, Flood outburst, LANDSAT ,

Corresponding Author: g.siddhi86@gmail.com
Page No. 505

Full-Polarimetry Applications for Glacier Surface Feature Extraction
Dhirendra Chauhan1, Sanjeev Kumar1 and Snehmani1

Abstract
In recent times, changes in the climate & its fluctuation influences the Himalayan glaciers. These are situated at inaccessible higher altitude
regions and are significant climate change indicators. Continuous monitoring of glaciers becomes essential to predict their future state on the basis
of long term data analysis. Access of remote located Himalayan glaciers for regular monitoring becomes impractical and challenging. Remote
sensing based techniques have the potential for regular monitoring of glaciers, but needs to be explored. Optical remote sensing techniques are
widely explored for mapping and monitoring of glaciers in many parts of the world. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) sensors have the advantage
over optical sensors being climate and time-independent. Present study explores the potential of Full-Pol. L-band ALOS-1 PALSAR data for
surface feature mapping of Samudra-tapu glacier, HP India. A glacier have many features viz. seasonal snow cover, wet/dry zone, crevasses,
moraines, water bodies, permanent ice cover and debris cover etc. Here, we have processed early summer 09thApril 2009 full-polarimetric (HH,
HV, VH and VV) SLC data for classification of glacier features such as snow, debris cover and Glacier Lake. Polarimetric techniques have the
potential to discriminate the terrain objects on the basis of their discrete response to radar signal. Full Polarimetry SAR contains more information
as compared to single/dual pol. data and each polarization state is sensitive to different surface characteristics and properties. Various polarimetric
decomposition techniques viz. Freeman 3-component & Yamaguchi 4-component, RSI (Radar Snow Index) based and Wishart (H/A/Alpha)
supervised have been applied to extract glacier surface features. Freeman and Yamaguchi decomposition techniques provide scattering
components such as surface (representing water bodies), double bounce (buildings) and volume scattering (forested slopes) while Yamaguchi
4-component also include helix as a component. These extracted scattering components (surface, double bounce & volume scattering) have
immense significance to discriminate features of interest. RSI technique is also applied to extract snow cover information based on polarization
fraction & Eigen values and validated using optical (Landsat 7). After qualitative analysis, it was observed that Wishart (H/A/Alpha with window
size (9x9) based supervised classification techniques provides better results for glacier feature extraction.
Keywords: Snow & Glaciers, Full-Polarization, Polarimetry, ALOS-1 PALSAR,

Corresponding Author: dchauhan87@rediffmail.com
Page No. 506

Estimation of Groundwater Recharge using GIS Tools based on Observed Water Levels
Kuldeep Tiwari1, Rohit Goyal1 and Archana Sarkar3

1Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur , 2National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee
Abstract
Accurate estimation of the groundwater recharge is required for any water budget study. Various methods and techniques have been discussed to
estimate recharge and extraction of the groundwater in literature. This study presents a new methodology, based on GIS tools and hydrogeological
system, to estimate the overall recharge in an area from observed water levels of piezometers. Groundwater levels of 16 observation wells
surrounding the Khushkheda-Bhiwadi-Neemrana Investment Region (KBNIR) for the period, 2002 to 2013 are subjected to geostatistical and
spatial analysis. Lithological data of the exploratory wells is thoroughly analysed and similar layers are merged to form a four layer aquifer
system of the study area. Total groundwater recharge/discharge within the study area for the monsoon, non-monsoon and annualperiodis estimated
from pre and post monsoon generated maps for the depth of water in the lithological layer system. The maximum recharge is found to be 14.06 x
106 m3 in monsoon period of the year 2003 and maximum extraction is found to be 35.37 x 106 m3 in non-monsoon period of the year 2011-12.
The calculated average extraction per year for the study area is 3.35×106 m3 for monsoon period, 19.37×106m3for the non-monsoon period and
the average groundwater extraction in the study area is estimated to be 21.52 x 106 m3 per year.
Keywords: GIS, Groundwater, Recharge estimation, Extraction,

Corresponding Author: kuldeeptiwarig@gmail.com
Page No. 507

Inventory and Monitoring of Glacial Lakes using Remote Sensing and GIS
Pondari Satyanarayana1
Abstract
The glaciers consist of a huge amount of perpetual snow and ice and are found to create many glacial lakes. Abrupt release of large amounts of
stored water in these lakes results in a catastrophic outburst flood. Several such incidents of flash floods were reported all over the world and also
in Himalayas region of India causing huge economic losses. To mitigate the impact of these types of events, prior knowledge about the location,
the areal extent and the volume of these lakes is very essential. The location of these glacial lakes in rugged and remote terrain makes it difficult
to monitor them manually. Remote sensing plays a vital role in creating inventories and monitoring of the glacial lakes quickly and accurately due
to wider coverage and repeativity. The satellite images provide greater details for the evaluation of physical conditions of the area. This paper
discusses a case study on the inventory and monitoring of glacial lakes or water bodies in Sutlej basin using satellite remote sensing. The study
area is Satluj basin from its origin to Bhakra dam situated in Western Himalayas. This basin is highly rugged terrain with abundant natural water
resource in the form of snow pack and glacial lakes. The Inventory of glacial lakes or water bodies was done using Indian Remote Sensing
LISS-III data and monitoring using AWiFS data. A total of 197 lakes or water bodies have been identified whose water spread area is greater than
2 hectare. 40 lakes with area greater than 10 hectare were monitored during June - August 2007. The change in water spread area statistics was
observed in 23 lakes with a variation of greater than ~10%.
Keywords: Glaciers, Glaciers lakes, GLOF, Remote sensing, GIS

Corresponding Author: satyanarayana_p@nrsc.gov.in
Page No. 508

Temporal and True Water Body Extraction Using Spectral Reflectance Pattern
Alok Kumar Singh1, Poonam S. Tiwari1, Hina Pandey1 and Shefali Agarwal1
1Indian
Abstract
Water is an important feature of the Earth’s dynamic system that is essential to human health, society, and the environment. Temporal monitoring
of surface water is one of the requisites to enrich the ecology. The methods used to extract surface water features using remote sensing data can be
categorized into four types: Statistical classification, linear unmixing, single-band threshold, and two-band spectral indices. These methods,
though used extensively, are purely mathematical and statistical and do not explore the essential characteristic of multispectral images which is
based on ground object radiance absorption behavior in each spectral band. In multispectral imageries, the spectral reflectance behavior of water is
highly distinct from the other features and can be used as a discriminating factor. This study focuses on developing a methodology for
discrimination of water body using the spectral reflectance pattern in green, red, NIR and SWIR bands using Landsat 8 OLI data. The
methodology is based on the assumption that different ground objects have different spectral reflectance and absorption characteristics. This
spectral pattern id invariant and can be used as one of the classification rules. The multispectral image is decomposed into sub-images based on
modulation of the spectral reflectance curve. These modulation values are used for extraction of a feature of interest. The advantage of the
technique is that it clusters the data according to the spectral reflectance curve and each clustered data sets have individual modulation code that
bound to represents a certain class of features. For the higher level of classification of the cluster, it uses the amplitude of vectors. The novelty of
proposed approach is adaptive thresholding for the higher level classification of classes with the reference of most inert feature towards
temporally and spatially. The morphological approach has been carried out to separate temporal water and expansion and shrinkage of true water.
The advantage of this algorithm is its robustness and being scale, location and time independent. The algorithm not only discriminates water
features but also categorizes them. Further differentiation of water based on turbidity and organic matter contents could be applicable by adaptive
thresholding with reference to deep water.
Keywords: spectral reflectance pattern, modulation, adaptive thresholding, morphology,

Corresponding Author: alokks@iirs.gov.in
Page No. 509

C Identification of Ganga River Course Changes and Impact on Local Settlements in Gazipur District using
Remote Sensing and GIS Technology
Shashank Tripathi2 and Dhananjay Singh2

Abstract
River Ganga is a sacred river and treated as a Goddess among the Hindus. It has significant influence on the life of the Indians. It is one of the
longest river of the world and is the longest river in India. It has the largest river-Basin in India covering 8, 38,200 km2. It has three distinct
courses of flow; the upper course, the middle course and the lower course. As it is known that any river has the natural flow of water from upland
to plane land. The flow characteristics depend on the various factors of nature i.e. source of water, climatic condition, and topography, type of soil,
geology, forest, land use / land cover and human activities. The present paper will focus on course change with societal perspective of Ganga
River in nearby bank of Ghazipur. Changes in river channel such as bank erosion, down cutting, and bank accretion are natural processes for an
alluvial river. Regional developments such as sand mining, infrastructure construction on the riverbanks, artificial/natural cutoffs, bank revetment,
reservoir construction and land use alterations have changed the natural geomorphologic dynamics of rivers. Change detection of riverbanks is
such a study that is facilitated by application of RS, GIS and GPS. Remote sensing and GIS techniques are widely used for detection and
monitoring of changes of the physical environment. The Ghazipur stretch of river is a glaring testimony of such phenomena. In the present paper
we have analysed the shifting course of river Ganga using Remote Sensing and GIS techniques. For the change detection, we have used Landsat
and Aster satellite images of 03 different years starting from 2001 to 2016. Multi-temporal maps were generated for 03 different years and shifting
of river course is calculated using these satellite images. Finally shifting in course of river Ganga near Ghazipur district for 03 years is given in
meters. Due to the changing of course, many settlements situated in the near by the bank of river have lost their existence due to vertical and
lateral erosion by river water during and just after the rainy season.
Keywords: Remote sensing, GIS, ASTER data, Landsat data, Change detection
Corresponding Author: shashankrsac@gmail.com
Page No. 510

A Random Forest Approach to Delineate Debris Covered Glaciers
Rahul Nijhawan1, Raman Balasubramanian 1 and Josodhir Das1

Abstract
Mapping of Debris covered glaciers using satellite data requires robust algorithms for classification. Random forest is a highly powerful
classification algorithm in the field of Machine Learning and it has not so very rigorously evaluated in the field of remote sensing compared to the
other pattern recognition techniques. Major advantages of Random Forest classifier are, its high capability of classification accuracy, its
non-parametric nature and its strength to determine the importance of variable. In Random Forest the splitting conditions are not known so it acts
as a black box classifier. In this study an attempt was made to delineate debris covered glacier region, using Random Forest classifier. Landsat TM
and ETM+ satellite image along with other parameter’s including thermal data, slope, aspect, surface curvature and texture parameters viz.,
variance, entropy, homogeneity, Mean Euclidian Distance, Skewness and Dissimilarity were used. Classification was also performed using
Support vector machine and Artificial Neural Network and results were compared on the basis of overall accuracy and kappa coefficient. It was
observed that the highest classification accuracy was observed in case of Random Forest compared to the other classifiers
Keywords: Random Forest, Debris, ANN, SVM

Corresponding Author: rahulnijhawan2010@gmail.com
Page No. 511

Hydrological Model Development for Urban Flash Flood Early Warning System using Weather RADAR Input
A. Anjaneyulu2, Kamaljit Ray1 and Subashisa Dutta2

1IndiaMeteorological Dept., New Delhi , 2Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati
Abstract
Flash flood is the dangerous life-property lethal natural event across the globe that occurs within six hours of the causative event. In tropical/sub-
tropical countries this event occurs due to high intensity of rainfall. In urban areas addition to high intensity of rainfall, the tremendous growth of
infrastructure without adequate provision for drainage can greatly increase the flash flood potential. Flash flood forecasting is the most effective
method for giving early warning to protect life, property loss and mitigating flash floods. The unknown future precipitation is the largest source of
uncertainty of flash flood forecasting. Forecasting of flash floods in complex urban settings requires high-resolution forecasted precipitation and
physically distributed hydrological modelling. The goal of this study is to develop the urban flash flood forecasting model for Delhi region. In this
paper methodology of urban flash flood forecasting modeling framework was explained. Weather radar reflectivity (Z) and rainfall rate (R)
relationship was established to extract the rainfall from C-band weather radar. To establish the relationship, threshold spectral width value was
considered and probability matching method and window probability matching methods were used. Synthetic hyetograph was generated by using
Generalised Maxwell distribution function. The storm water storage elevation function was developed form available Digital Elevation Model
(DEM) after evaluating the DEMs with field surveyed topography by using storage-elevation function. The effective impervious area was
estimated by using maximum likelihood classification technique and drainage network. Then the physically distributed hydrological for flash
flood forecasting model will be developed by incorporating the above parameters.
Keywords: Urban flash flood, Weather radar reflectivity, Rainfall rate, Synthetic hyetograph, storage–elevation and effective impervious
Corresponding Author: a.anjaneyulu@iitg.ernet.in
Page No. 512

Influence of Bedrock and Climatic Control on Knickzone Development in Chaliyar River Basin, Western Ghats,
India
Yunus Ali1
1AligarhMuslim University, Aligarh
Abstract
Knickzones in the form of waterfalls often occur in bedrock rivers and are one of the most visually arresting indicators of channel adjustments to
either regional or local perturbations. Causative factors influencing knickzone origin have been interpreted in many studies. However, less
attention is directed towards the fluvial systems in well-developed passive mountain ranges. This work analysis knickzone development in the
Chaliyar River, which originates at about 2300 m elevation in the Western Ghats in the southern part of India. Longitudinal river profiles of
channels were extracted from a digital elevation model (DEM) and knickzones were identified using changing rate of river gradient at different
scales. Results suggests knickzone frequency and knickzone density vary according to bedrock types defined in the region. Comparative analysis
of knickzone frequencies from other regions indicate climatic control for their development. The results thus indicate that focused knickzone
analysis using a DEM has the potential to provide insight into the tempo of landscape development.
Keywords: Knickpoint, Waterfall, Erosion, Elevation models, Eemi-automatic

Corresponding Author: yunusp@csis.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Page No. 513

Soil Moisture Pattern over India using AMSR-E, SMOS and SMAP Data Products
B. Nithyapriya 1
Abstract
Soil Moisture is useful in several fields such as agriculture, hydrology and meteorology. It can be estimated from in-situ experiments in smaller
scale. However, remote sensing data of higher wavelengths can be effectively used in larger scale. Owing to the advantages like penetration
capability, weather independency and response to dielectric properties, microwave remote sensing have an important role in this context. This
study mainly focuses on passive microwave remote sensing datasets namely Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E), Soil
Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) and Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) ensembling a time span of 2003 to 2014. Soil moisture level-3
data retrieved from those satellites were studied over Indian region. Spatial-temporal variation shows AMSR-E derived soil moisture is different
from that of SMOS and SMAP. A small difference between SMOS and SMAP products are also observed. At a few locations, a detailed soil
moisture study is carried out to know the response of sensors for extreme rainfall and drought events. Soil moisture shows a dynamic pattern and
also a positive correlation with precipitation data in Gujarat and Rajasthan. It is also seen that drought year is easily observed from soil moisture
pattern from these satellite products. AMSR-E and SMOS datasets have a common coverage in 2010, hence comparison of those two datasets has
been made based on the percentage of area under dry spell in drought prone area of Mahabhubnagar district of Telangana. SMOS and SMAP has
overlap of more than 1.5 year. The difference between two products is also compared. Generally, it has been noticed that SMOS and SMAP
provide better representative of in-situ soil moisture than AMSR-E because of the higher wavelength used by SMOS and SMAP.
Keywords: Soil moisture, AMSR-E, SMOS, SMAP, Drought

Corresponding Author: nithyapriya.bnp@gmail.com
Page No. 514

Deposition of Light Absorbing Particulates and its Impacts in the Third Pole Region
Parteek Singh Thind2, Kamal Kumar2 and Siby John2

1P.E.C.University of Technology, Chandigarh
Abstract
The snow covered peaks of the Third Pole supply fresh water to various rivers of South Asian countries. For the last few decades, studies on Third
Pole have shown that glaciers in this region are experiencing shrinkage due to climate change. Studies have also reported that Light Absorbing
Particulates (LAPs) are next to CO2 in contribution to global climate change. Therefore, analysis of surface snow and ice core samples to estimate
Light Absorbing Particulates’ (LAPs) on glacier melting in the Third Pole region, has gained much attention. This paper reviews the studies on
LAPs’ deposition and its impacts in the Third Pole region and compares the various techniques used for the quantification of LAPs in surface
snow and ice core samples. Different types of LAPs such as: black carbon, organic carbon, mineral dust etc., were quantified in these studies.
Glaciers in Tibetian plateau have higher concentration of LAPs as compared to Himalayan peaks. Burning of fossil fuels, open biomass burning
and forest fires in South Asia have been reported as the major sources of these LAPs. The concentration of LAPs is observed to be inversely
proportional to altitude. Although techniques such as Single particle soot photometer, Thermo optical analysis, Integrating sandwich method etc.,
have been used for quantification of LAPs, there still exists an uncertainty in deciding the best technique. Decrease in albedo, due to LAPs’
presence in snow and ice, causes positive radiative forcings, which lead to early melting of glaciers in the Third Pole region.
Keywords: Light absorbing particulates, Climate change, Third Pole, Albedo, Glaciers
Corresponding Author: thindisrs@gmail.com
Page No. 515

Validation of Glacier Ice Velocity by Comparing Cross Correlation Techniques and Feature Tracking Method
Simone Darji2, Sandip Oza 2 and Rajesh D. Shah1

1Gujarat
University, Ahmedabad , 2Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad
Abstract
The velocity of glaciers is important for many aspects in Glaciology. The glaciers motion rate serves as a control parameters determing the mass
balance of ice sheets and furthermore helps for understanding the climate change globally and locally. A growing number of remote sensing
opportunities exist to monitor mass movement and also there is a large number of multi-temporal space-borne data available. Feature tracking
method is a visual-based photogrammetric method where two different spatio-time image where used for visual interpretation of image. Image-
to-image coregistration is necessary for this techniques. Automatic matching of images of different temporal interval is a method which is used to
derive surface velocity of glacial ice, such methods are often known as Image Cross-Correlation. This technique is based on the pattern of pixels
brightness values which lie at the heart of each advance. The digital number (DN) or the brightness values within the pixels chip are compared on
the pixel-by-pixel basis. Each small image chip is selected from a reference image, and a matching chip is identified in the image of same area of
another date, which is based on algorithm of cross correlation techniques. In this methodology Reference image is first image and searched imge
is the second image which are of the same area but of different dates. The reference chip pixel is compared to a pixel chip of a search area in the
second image at every central-pixel location and the pixel is identified which entirely fit within the search pixels area. Precision level of measured
velocity will increase with the an increased in the time interval has good chances of the change in surface feature. The velocity precision of
velocity change depends on the methodology of image-to-image coregistration and chip correlation. The velocity is strictly the component in the
plane. This methods can be best applied where the features are unique enough to produce maximum correlation. This method is applied on the
Lambert and Dalk glaciers of Eastern Antarctica where change in velcoity is detected by using CIAS (Correlation Imaging Analysis Software)
and feature tracking methods.
Keywords: Velocity, Cross-correlation, Feature tracking, Antarctica, Glaciers

Corresponding Author: dsimone24@sac.isro.gov.in
Page No. 516

Variation and Validation of INSAT3D Snow Cover Product with MODIS Satellite Data During 2014 - 2016 over
Himalayan Region
V.K. Rao1, R.B. Verma1 and M. Sateesh1

Abstract
Snow cover in Himalayan region plays an important role in hydrological and avalanche studies and also act as an indicator of climate change.
However, due to ruggedness and inaccessibility of Himalayan terrain, it is very difficult to monitor the snow cover using conventional
measurement techniques. Remote sensing based satellite data provides solution to monitor snow cover variations and to study snow cover
characteristics. India Meteorological Satellite INSAT3D Imager geophysical parameter like snow cover product compared with The Moderate
Resolution Imaging Spectro-radiometer (MODIS)/Terra daily Snow Cover product (MOD10C1) using the Bilinear interpolation technique.
INSAT-3D and MODIS satellite snow cover data has been assessed as monthly means and seasons. This snow covers area dynamics were
analyzed from 1st February 2015 to 31st August 2016 over Himalayan region. The Developed algorithm was validated for consecutive months.
Results demonstrate that accuracy of the INSAT-3D satellite snow cover was (90±5) %, which is found to be similar for MODIS Snow Cover
product over Himalayan region. INSAT-3D and MODIS derived product snow cover observation has been done. Analyzed study shows in terms
of observing progression of snow cover data found better in case of INSAT-3D satellite.
Keywords: INSAT-3D, MODIS, Snow cover , Validation, Himalayan region

Corresponding Author: KOTICHOWDARY28@GMAIL.COM
Page No. 517

Use of SARAL/AltiKa Altimetry Observation for Monitoring Narmada River, Central India
Shailesh Parihar1, Anil Kr. Singh1, M. Mohapatra1, R. Bhatla1, Jayant N. Tripathi2 and K.K. Singh1
1Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi , 2India Meteorological Dept., New Delhi , 3University of Allahabad, Allahabad
Abstract
Remote Sensing techniques have gained increasing application in monitoring basin and regional hydrological processes. It plays measure role of
hydrological cycle in water flow of any river. India using Geophysical Data Records (GDR) data from SARAL/AltiKa launched in February,
2013. In this paper, study shows monitoring of Narmada river located in Madhya Pradesh, central India. Global Interim Geophysical Date Record
(IGDR-near real time) SARAL/AltiKa along-track altimetric measurements averaged over 1 second, corrections to apply in near-real time (IGDR)
data product has been taken. Narmada river SARAL/AltiKa water height and in-situ data for the period of June, 2015 to September, 2016 have
been observed. The absolute average difference, standard deviation and root mean square error (RMSE) has been done between SARAL/AltiKa
and in-situ data. Results shows that observed SARAL/AltiKa and in-situ data time series of height changes are found consistence except in month
of July 2016. In month of July, 2016 time series of water height found to be high as compare with other months, due to flood occurred in this
month therefore waveform might be more disturbed. Concluded that good performance applicability through SARAL/AltiKa for monitoring the
water level of Narmada river.
Keywords: SARAL/AltiKa, Altimetry, Narmada River

Corresponding Author: shellsalpha@gmail.com
Page No. 518

Effect of Spectral Resolution and Band Width on Chlorophyll-a and Turbidity Estimation Accuracy in Case-II
Water study
P. Murugan2, R. Sivakumar3, Savithri Bhat1 and M. Annadurai2

1B.M.S. College of Engineering, Bangalore , 2ISRO Satellite Centre, Bengaluru , 3S.R.M. University, Chennai
Abstract
In land water bodies like lakes, ponds, reservoirs and rivers have strong influence on human life as they provide water for drinking, irrigation,
industries and recreation. The increased utilisation and addition of nutrients have deteriorated the water bodies and this calls for restoration and
management. Estimation of the water quality and quantity in suitable spatial distribution and with a temporal frequency is the prime activity of
water body management. The optical reflectance measurement methods are faster and less expensive than traditional laboratory methods. The
spectral reflectance of the water body is used to estimate the water quality parameters like Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) and Turbidity. The objective of
this study is to (a) examine the effect of spectral resolution and band width on estimation accuracy of Chl-a, (b) establish the relation between the
water quality parameters in case-II water with multispectral and Hyperspectral indices, (c) estimate turbidity with different resolution data and (d)
prepare Chl-a concentration map of an urban case-II water. The study was carried out using different spectral resolution and band width data
synthesised from spectroradiometer data. Band ratio model was used to estimate Chl-a concentration. Suitable bands for different spectral
resolution and band width were selected by iterative correlation study carried out with measured and estimated values. Measurements of Chl-a and
turbidity were carried out with the collected water samples using spectrophotometer and turbidity meter. The Chl-a concentration mapping was
done with Landsat-8 data.
Keywords: Remote Sensing, Water Quality, Hyperspectral, Chlorophyll, Turbidity

Corresponding Author: palanimuruga64@gmail.com
Page No. 519

Identification of Glacio-Fluvial Deposits based on Unique Sedimentological, Mineralogical Responses to Landsat 8

and Hyperion Spectral Signature in Gangotri Glacier Basin, Himalayas
Sarfaraz Ahmad1 and Khatib Khan1

1Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh
Abstract
The sedimentological and mineralogical investigations have been carried out for characterising the Himalayan glacier surface. Influence of these
characteristics on interaction between sediments and LANDSAT 8 spectral bands have been analysed to differentiating the homogenous debris
cover over Himalayan glaciers. The finding suggests that the ratio (4/1, 5/7, 7/1) based RGB image is more suitable than natural look 321 and
glaciological 576 combination. Optical index factor (OIF) technique has been used to determine the most suitable band combination of FCC for
glaciological purposes. Computation process of OIF results indicated that 2nd ranked 4,8,11 (RGB) is more suitable to differentiating the debris
cover based on sediment logical aspects. The spectral responses of glacier sediments with Hyperion data suggested the maximum response in 131,
138 and 197 band. Hence these band can be use to generate RBG to differentiating the side moraine, snout and surface moraine over debris
glacier. Keywords: Landsat 8, Glacio-fluvial, Gangotri glacier, Garhwal Himalaya.
Keywords: Landsat 8, Glacio-fluvial deposits, Gangotri glacier, Garhwal Himalaya, Debris covered glacier
Corresponding Author: sarf71@gmail.com
Page No. 520

Morphometric Analysis of Yamuna River Flood Plain in Parts of Agra and Etawah Districts of Uttar Pradesh using
Remote Sensing and GIS Techniques
L.A.K. Rao1, Armugha Khan1 and Himanshu Govil1

1AligarhMuslim University, Aligarh , 2National Institute of Technology, Raipur
Abstract
Drainage basin morphometry is basically a science of quantitative land surface analysis and it is widely being used to delineate groundwater
potential zones, suitable sites for artificial recharge and to manage the watersheds in terms of availability and conservation of soil and
groundwater. Remote sensing techniques using Digital Elevation Model (DEM) have proven to be an indispensible tool in morphometric analysis
and found more appropriate than conventional methods. Morphometry in parts of Agra and Etawah districts of Uttar Pradesh along Yamuna river
flood plain have been carried out by using survey of India (SOI) toposheets. Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) data has been used to
prepare DEM of the study area for catchments boundary delineation with Arc Hydro Tool. Geographical Information System (GIS) was used for
evaluation of linear, aerial and relief aspects of morphometric parameters. The present study reveals that the basin is elongated having highly
permeable rocks beneath and highly suffered from ravenous erosion. Hypsometric analysis shows that the basin is in the early mature stage of
geomorphic development.
Keywords: Toposheets, Catchments, Revenous, Conservation, Hypsometry

Corresponding Author: armrahi4314@gmail.com
Page No. 521

Delineation of Debris-covered Glaciers using Semi-automated Approach
Akansha Patel1, Snehmani1, Jaydeo K. Dharpure1, Sanjeev Kumar1 and A. Ganju1

Abstract
Glacier terrain are composed of different features such as snow, ice, ice-mixed-debris (IMD) and debris. The mapping of debris-covered glaciers
using optical remote-sensing data is a difficult task, due to the fact that the debris cover on the glacier surface has a similar reflectance to
surrounding rocky areas in the visible to near-infrared wavelength region. Therefore, this study presents an improved Semi-automatic approach
for delineating the glacier features using cloud-free Landsat TM/ETM+ imagery for the year of 1989, 2002 and 2015 in ablation (September and
October) period. This methodology are applied on two glaciers (Chhota-Shigri and Hamtah) based on the fact that they characterize different
geometries, debris and snow cover extent. The semi-automated approach is based on three steps – surface temperature approach, morphometric
parameters and indices approach – to delineate the glacier features. The thermal mask is generated by the thresholding of surface temperature
obtained from Landsat TM/ETM+ thermal band to delineate the debris cover over the snow. The extent of clean glacier ice is demarked by
different indices method (NDSI, NDVI) and digital elevation data. Morphometric parameters (slope, plan and profile curvature) are derived from
Digital Elevation Model (DEM). This derived parameters are rearranged using cluster analysis technique, which have been used for delineating
the debris and clean ice of the glacier. The derived masks which is generated from three approaches are vectorized and final classification maps
are produced using Geographic information system (GIS) overlay analysis technique. The combination of glacier feature agrees to discriminate of
clean ice, IMD and debris in an organized manner. The accuracy assessment of classified maps are based on statistical error matrix. This improved
methodology is applied on glaciers to analyse the variation of categorized features on observation imagery.
Keywords: Debris cover, GIS, Glacier, Optical remote sensing

Corresponding Author: akany90@gmail.com
Page No. 522

An Integrated Surface Emission & Temperature based Water Resource Management of Semi-Arid Region in
Madhya Pradesh, India
Abhishek Banerjee1, Prafull Singh1 and Kamleshwar Pratap2

1Amity University, Noida , 2WAPCOS Limited, New Delhi
Abstract
Land surface heat has a very important role in determining the water availability of a region where anthropogenic activities compromise the
surface and sub-surface water storages. The major purpose of this study is to assess the impact of surface temperature and heat impact created as a
result of anthropogenic activities on the regional hydrological conditions where average temperature remains high throughout the year with poor
precipitation conditions. Continuous exploitation of sub-surface water has lead to drying up of aquifers, which are deprived of natural recharging
due to poor percolation of rainwater. The principal attempt is to integrate the knowledge of moisture stress, evapotranspiration, emission, surface
temperature and vegetation index to identify the possible affected areas; moreover, to demarcate the possible recharge zones through which water
could reach the aquifer zone. A major conclusion drawn from the study is that the region has overall high distribution of temperature and the
major affected areas are the agricultural lands and vegetation lands; where temperature as high as 49.6ºC has been recorded. The alluvium in the
agricultural lands prohibits water percolation into sub-surface, hampering natural recharge. Thus artificial recharge structures are needed to be
constructed, for which possible zones have been proposed.
Keywords: Land surface emission, Land surface temperature, Water resource management, GIS, Madhya Pradesh
Corresponding Author: teamanrises@gmail.com
Page No. 523

Groundwater Prospective Zone Studies of Vasishta Nadi Sub Basin, Vellar River, South India - Using
Hydrogeophysical Resistivity Method and GIS Techniques
S.A. Palanisamy1
1Periyar University, Salem
Abstract
The geophysical methods which have been used to solve some of the problems of hydrogeology are the electrical resistivity methods are widely
used for both regional and detailed surveys because of their greatest resolving power, low expense and wide range of field applicability. The
Vertical Electrical Soundings (VES) study was conducted at 50 locations with the maximum electrode spacing of 150 m in crystalline terrain
(Archaean age), Vasishta Nadi sub basin, South India. The vertical electrical sounding field curves were interpreted using partial curve matching
methods. (Arc GIS ver. 9.3.1) Geographic information system to analyze the influence of groundwater potential zone and artificial recharge areas.
Various thematic layer of sub-surface lithological layers such as topsoil resistivity, weathered zone resistivity, First fracture zone resistivity and
second fracture zone resistivity were integrated in the GIS environment to generate groundwater potential domain map. The final groundwater
potential zone map reveals that most favorable groundwater area about 301.75 km2 most of the study area fell in moderate category. The overlay
analysis was adopted in the present studies of site selection for artificial recharge structure construction. The following thematic maps like topsoil
thickness, weathered zone thickness, first fracture zone thickness and second fracture zone thickness spatial distribution maps are overlay one
over to another map. The final output map are represent the artificial recharge map this map reveals that most suitable groundwater recharge area
about 58.73 km2 and suitable sites area about 351.01 km2.
Keywords: Groundwater, Resistivity, VES, Archaean age, Vasishta Nadi

Corresponding Author: hydropalani@gmail.com
Page No. 524

Estimation of Soil Moisture using RISAT-CRS Data in a Watershed in Yamuna Lower Sub-basin
Kumar Shivam4, S.K. Katiyar4, Parag Narvekar1, Sat Kumar Tomer1, S. Bandyopadhyay1 and Sekhar M.1
1Aapah Innovations, Hyderabad , 2Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru , 3Indian Space Research Organisation, Bengaluru , 4Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology,
Bhopal
Abstract
Soil Moisture (SM) is of paramount importance in hydrology, agricultural, climatology, and meteorology. Estimation of soil moisture using optical
region of electromagnetic spectrum (EM) directly related to change in reflectance while in thermal region it depends on the variation in brightness
temperature. However, at these wavelengths surface reflectance varies due to multiple factors as well as attenuate by clouds, fog and rain.
Microwave remote sensing, particularly the lower frequency part, provides suitable option for soil moisture estimation in all weather conditions.
Microwave reflectance directly proportional to soil dielectric constant and so as moisture content. Several physically based, empirical,
semi-empirical and regression models have been developed to estimate SM from microwave data. These models require extensive information on
the vegetation and surface roughness, which is difficult to obtain on large-scale. Other disadvantage of these models include large number of field
SM data for calibration which makes the models site specific. To overcome such problem, current study has been devised to utilize the
Cumulative Distribution Function (CDF) transformation model which utilizes the multi-temporal data to avoid the site-specific calibration. It also
uses soil hydraulic parameters (wilting point and field capacity) to explicitly account for the different soil types. The model is applied over a
watershed in Yamuna Lower Sub-Basin near Bhopal. Validation is performed using the 6 RISAT-1, CRS mode satellite data and field soil
moisture collected in 23 plots concurrently with the satellite pass. The RISAT – CRS data has a spatial resolution of 50m and has the incidence
angle ranging around 23o for SM estimation. The model has shown promising result with the RMSE varying from 0.04 m3/m3 to 0.08 m3/m3 in
comparison with field data and can be used to estimate SM from RISAT-1 CRS mode data over other regions.
Keywords: CDF , RISAT-1, Soil Moisture

Corresponding Author: shivamspj7@gmail.com
Page No. 525

Extraction of Glacial Lakes in Gangotri Glacier using Object Based Image Analysis
Kavita Mitkari2, R.K. Tiwari1, M.K. Arora2 and H.S. Gusain1

1DRDO-Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment, Chandigarh , 2P.E.C. University of Technology, Chandigarh , 3Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun
Abstract
Because of the change in global mean temperature, most Himalayan glaciers have been retreating and many small glaciers have already
disappeared, resulting in an increase in the number and size of glacial lakes which may give rise to glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs).
Therefore, it is important to map and frequently monitor glacier lakes. The motivation for this study comes from the fact that the conventional and
most widely used band ratio and NDWI techniques misclassify the shadows as glacial lakes and therefore requires manual correction of the glacial
lake boundaries. Most of the significant studies have extracted glacier lakes from medium to coarse resolution images of Landsat ETM+, ASTER
and MODIS sensors. With the availability of high spatial resolution data, it has become plausible to map small glacial lakes too. But, very few
studies have used high resolution data (WorldView-2, IKONOS, Resourcesat-2 Linear Imaging Self Scanner (LISS) IV, Cartosat 1 and 2A) to map
glacial lakes using band ratio and NDWI approaches. These techniques are simple to apply but due to high misclassification they increase the task
of manual post processing. Therefore in this study we have applied a new approach known as object based image analysis (OBIA). In the present
study, glacier lakes of Gangotri glacier, which lies in the Uttarakhand district of India, have been mapped from the high spatial resolution data of
LISS-IV (5.8 m spatial resolution) using OBIA approach. The accuracy of the OBIA results is found to be more than 85%. The results of OBIA
have been compared with the results obtained using band ratio (GREEN/NIR) technique. A reference dataset has been created by manually
digitizing the glacial lakes on the WorldView-2 satellite imagery which is a very high spatial resolution (1.84 m multispectral) data. The results
from OBIA indicated close matching with the reference dataset; however, overestimation of the areas of glacial lakes is found using band ratio
technique. Thus, extraction of glacial lakes using OBIA is recommended to reduce the cumbersome task of manual post processing.
Keywords: Glacial lakes, High resolution , OBIA, Band ratio

Corresponding Author: mitkari.kavita@gmail.com
Page No. 526

Modelling and Mapping of Potential Ice Avalanche Sites of Bhagirathi Basin, Central Himalaya
Kunj Shethiya1, Pratima Pandey1, Shovan Lal Chattoraj1 and P.K. Champati Ray1
Abstract
Avalanches are one of the major natural calamities occurring in high mountainous regions. Soldiers, trekkers, researchers and other stake holders
working on the higher mountainous environment are continuously at danger from snow, ice and rock avalanche. Very often these avalanches are
triggered by tectonic events like earthquake. Pertinently Himalaya is tectonically very active and earthquake associated tremors can bring
hazardous avalanche in the steep mountain regions by breaking off large mass of snow, ice and/or rock. To mitigate the risks of avalanche, proper
hazard zonation, mapping and predictive modelling leading to getting cues almost early warning system in the need of day, keeping view on the
recent mishap happened in Indian army base at Siachen. Monitoring, assessment and thereby management of avalanches and related rock/debris
flow are then highly required for the timely prediction of catastrophes and saving of live and property downstream. In the present study an attempt
has been made to identify, analyse and prepare the avalanche susceptibility map of Bhagirathi basin, Uttarakhand Himalaya, using various remote
sensing data. SRTM DEM and Landsat-8 data have mainly been used in analytical hierarchy process (AHP) model in GIS environment to identify
the potential avalanching zones in Bhagirathi basin. The factors which are considered for the AHP model are slope, elevation, aspect, curvature
and ground cover. This kind of work has direct relevance to disaster mitigation and may prove helpful to national and state disaster management
authorities.
Keywords: Avalanche, Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), Bhagirathi Basin, Central Himalaya,
Corresponding Author: kunjshethiya@gmail.com
Page No. 527

Delineation of Ground water potential Zones in Chinhat Block, District Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh of India-An
integrated approach.
Shashank Tripathi2 and Arjun Singh2

Abstract
Ground water potential Zones in the Chinhat block, district Lucknow, U.P. is depending upon the scientific investigation of Drainage, Hydro-
Geomorphology, Lithology, soil, land use & Land cover, Geo-resistivity data and their inter-relationship. Thematic layers of drainage, canal,
surface water body, geomorphology, lithology, lineament, Soil, and Land use & land cover maps were prepared with the help of satellite image
(LISS IV +Cartosat PAN merge data). Ground truth was collected on the litho-stratigraphic units through various field traverses. Dug well data
were collected at different locations in the district. Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of the area was generated using SRTM data. Slope map were
prepared from DEM. Generation of these layers have followed a step-approach, i.e. digitization, editing, building topological structure and
finally, polygonization for GIS overlay analysis. Every class in the thematic layers were placed into one of the following categories viz. (i)
Excellent (ii) Good (iii) Moderate (iv) Poor, and (v) very poor depending on their level of groundwater potential. Considering their behavior
with respect to groundwater control, the different classes were given suitable values, according to their importance relative to other classes in the
same thematic layer. To find out the more realistic ground water potentiality map of the area, the relevant layers which include geomorphology,
lithology, lineament, slope, drainage density, soil type and landuse/landcover were integrated in Arc/Info grid environment. Criteria for GIS
analysis have been defined on the basis of ground water conditions and appropriate weightage were assigned to each information layer according
to relative contribution towards the desired output. The inferred results have also been validated by the yield data collected from the existing
sources. The research confirms that the higher yield categories fall in the excellent ground water potential zones while the area marked as very
poor ground water potential zone fall under low yield categories.
Keywords: Groundwater potential, Remote sensing, GIS, Resistivity data, LISS IV +Cartosat PAN merge data
Corresponding Author: shashankrsac@gmail.com
Page No. 528

Evaluation of Spatial Variations in Groundwater Quality: A Case Study of Dindigul District, Tamil Nadu, India
Siva Kumar P.1, Balasundareshwaran A.1, Venkatesan M.1 and Kumaraswamy K.1
1Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli
Abstract
Groundwater is the most important natural resource of mankind essential for domestic, drinking, irrigation and industrial purposes. The present
study deals with the analysis of variation in physicochemical characteristics of groundwater samples in pre and post-monsoon seasons of Dindigul
District, Tamil Nadu. Spatial distribution maps for various parameters were prepared. Water Quality Index (WQI) map was also prepared to
understand the groundwater quality of the study area. The physicochemical characteristics of groundwater were analysed and compared with those
of drinking water standards recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). The GIS
technique and water quality index for the study area are found to be promising tools to understand the spatial pattern of groundwater quality and
evolving management strategies.
Keywords: Physicochemical parameters, Water Quality Index, Spatial variation, Geographical Information System (GIS),
Corresponding Author: sivageo1987@gmail.com
Page No. 529

Spatio-Temporal Changes in Groundwater Regime of Bankura District, West Bengal during 1996-2013
Shahnaz Khatun2, V. M. Chowdary1, Y. K. Srivastava1 and Neeti Neeti2

1RRSC-EAST, 2TERI University
Abstract
Geostatistics and Geographic Information System (GIS) have been proved as useful tools for proper planning and management of groundwater
resources. In the present study, long term Spatio-temporal changes in the groundwater regime was studied for a case study area using GIS and
Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) interpolation techniques.The study focused in the Bankura District, West Bengal, situated between 22° - 23°
North latitude and 86° -87° East longitude, which has total geographical area of nearly 6900 sq.km. Spatio-temporal changes of groundwater
regime between pre and post monsoon seasons and also annual changes are analysed. Variations in the spatial maps of groundwater levels during
the period 1996-2013 can be attributed to the rainfall and pumping pattern. It was observed that the groundwater levels during pre-monsoon
(May) indicated rising trend during the period 1996-2013. Annual rainfall in the study area nearly varies between 1000 mm in the year 2010 to
1520 mm during the year 2013. Post-monsoon spatial maps show a falling trend during the period 2005-2010, that can be attributed to rainfall
pattern (2005-1322 mm, 2010- 1008 mm). High groundwater draft in the Bishnupur, Aima, and Joypur regions may be responsible for large
variations in groundwater regime. Long term trend was analyzed using Mann-Kendall test and Theil Sen slope for rate of change. Results
indicated that the depth of water level during pre-monsoon season ranges from 8 to < 12 m, whereas in post monsoon season, the depth of water
level ranges from 1.5 to 5 m. The geographical relief features and rainfall pattern are also the responsible factors for groundwater depletion.
Decline in the groundwater levels were observed in some specific well locations over the study period, except 1997 and 2011 can be attributed to
rainfall pattern.
Keywords: GIS, IDW interpolation, Spatio-temporal variations, Groundwater level, Bankura

Corresponding Author: naz.asngc@gmail.com
Page No. 530

Spatial and Temporal Variability of Normalized Difference Turbidity Index (NDTI) over selected sites in Ganga
River Basin
V Pompapathi1 and R.P.Singh1

1Space
Applications Centre,ISRO
Abstract
Normalized Difference Turbidity Index (NDTI) is an important spectral index to assess the relative turbidity of water using remote sensing
observations. Turbidity of water depends on presence of suspended sediment such as silt or clay, inorganic materials, or organic matter such as
algae, plankton and decaying material. Turbidity increases the backscattering of light. Increase in spectral reflectance due to increase in turbidity
is more in higher wavelength region (red band) as compared to low wavelength band (Blue and Green). This paper reports the pre monsoon and
post monsoon variability in NDTI over selected regions of Ganga River basin such as Kanpur, Allahabad, Patna and Kolkata. The atmospherically
corrected Landsat-8 OLI/TIRS data from 2013 - 2016 were analyzed. Average NDTI values were computed at specific latitude and longitude in
different sites during March/April (Pre monsoon) and October/November (post Monsoon). It was observed that pre monsoon NDTI values were
lower in most of the cases as compared to post monsoon season. Tributaries joining the main river Ganga have important role in changing the
turbidity values (such as Yamuna in Allahabad and Gandak and Ghaghar in Patna). In the estuarine zone condition (Hoogly waters near Kolkata),
the seasonal variations in tidal movements changes the turbidity. The NDTI values varied from -0.080 to 0.026 near Kanpur. Similarly, NDTI
varied from -0.18 to 0.012 near Allahabad and -0.210 to 0.035 near Patna. Kolkata was associated with NDTI varying from -0.040 to 0.062. NDTI
values near Kolkata were found relatively higher as compared to other sites.
Keywords: Normalized Difference Turbidity Index (NDTI), Turbidity, Estuarine zone, ,

Corresponding Author: pawanecofriend@gmail.com
Page No. 531

Snow Cover Monitoring and Glacier Changes in Eastern Dhauliganga Basin of Pithoragarh District, Uttarakhand
Praveen Kr. Thakur1, B.P. Naithani1, Suruchi Aggarwal1 and Dhanendra Kumar Singh1
1HNB Garhwal University, Srinagar
Abstract
Snow cover and glacier study in Himalayan region is very essential for the availability of water in the snow-glacier fed rivers. The present study
of snow cover monitoring is based on upper Dhauliganga river basin of Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand using analysis of MODIS data of the
year 2000 and 2015.Catosat DEM version 3.1 is downloaded from Bhuvan (ISRO) website that provided highest elevation of the basin is 6376 m
and lowest 3177m amsl at the outlet of the basin. MODIS data was used for Snow Cover Area (SCA) mapping and calculation of Snow Depletion
Curve (SDC) for the year 2000 and 2015. SDC for the year 2000 has highest peak of snow accumulation at 449.33 km² of the total basin area
(691.29 km²) in the mid-February and after snowmelt season the SDC was 22% which is equal to area of 152.08 km2 in year 2000. In November
2000, snow cover is 414.77 km² due to accumulation of fresh snow in the basin. In starting of January 2015 curve is following almost same
positons of the year 2000. But in October 2015 after ablation period snow cover is 352.55 km². Minimum and maximum SCA is found to be
152.08 km² (22%), 449.33 km² (65%) and 131.34 km² (19%), 421.68 km² (61%) during 2000 and 2015 respectively. In second part, monitoring of
glacier changes in the basin, Nipchu and Nyalpu glaciers near outlet of the basin have provided significant results for assessing past and present
weather conditions of the region. Landsat ETM+ (2001), Landsat 8 (2015) and Google Earth imagery have been analyzed for glacier retreat.
Snout of Nyalpu glacier has retreated 118.72 m during 11/05/2000 to 10/10/2014. Nipchu glacier has also retreated by 98.84 m during this 14 year
time period. Nipchu is retreating slowly in comparison to Nyalpu. Fluctuations in snow cover pattern and snout positions of glaciers may provide
estimation for future climate variability in the region. This study will provide comprehensive study for glacier dynamics in the region for
sustainability of mountain ecosystem.
Keywords: MODIS, Cartosat DEM, Snow Depletion Curve, Snow Cover Area, Glacier Retreat
Corresponding Author: dhanendrageostudy@gmail.com
Page No. 532

Spatio-temporal Mapping & Monitoring of Rate of Siltation in Sarda-Ghaghra River System, Deciphering the
Causative Factors of Flood viz-a-viz Mitigating Strategies through Romote Sensing and GIS Techn
Ram Chandra2
1RemoteSensing Application Centre, Lucknow
Abstract
Amongst the numerous drainages traversing the Gangatic plain, Sarda-Ghaghra Rivers are perhaps the most dynamic in nature. The sudden fall in
gradient in the foothills provide braiding pattern subsequently meandering type of river flow. In the present investigation mapping and monitoring
of temporal variations in the sand bars in selected stretches i.e. from Tanakpur upto the Sarda-Ghaghra confluence as well as Katarniaghat upto
Ayodhya of Ghaghra river stretch in Uttar Pradesh have been taken as a case study. Also analysis of the actual configuration of stretches of Sarda-
Ghaghra River system is done using SOI-toposheets of the year 1965, 1972 & 1975 in conjunction with multi-date satellite data for the year
1989, 1996, 1999, 2002 and 2009 to decipher the causative factors of flood occurrences and to suggest mitigating strategies using remote sensing
and GIS technology. Percentage of sand bar area and active channel areas in Sarda River upto the Ghaghra River confluence during 1975 is 70.03
% and 29.97% corresponding to 0.427 ratio whereas in 2009 sand bar area is 56.83% and active channel area 43.17% corresponding to 0.756 ratio
respectively. The relative shifting in Sarda River has been delineated through the multi-date satellite data for the lean period of 1996, 1999 and
2002. The maximum migration has been noticed at Ramuapur village in the tune of 4.80 km during 1985-1999. Future continuous shifting of
Sarda River towards eastward would increase erosional activity in the ox-bow lake near Bhurjania village during 1996-2002 would cause
submergence of large extents of fertile agricultural land and also two villages (Gadiana and Hazara). This can be checked by constructing of
geo-engineering structure like embankment between Bhurjania to Kabirganj villages. The present investigation recommended that a detailed study
of landforms using high resolution remote sensing data alongwith geophysical investigations need to be under taken to understand the present
dynamic behaviors of Sarda and Ghaghra River system for their future possible configurations in a meaningful scientific approach.
Keywords: Sarda-Ghaghra River, Siltation, Mitigation, Remote sensing , GIS

Corresponding Author: vermarc40@gmail.com
Page No. 533

Extraction of Geomorphological Unit of Song River Watershed with the help of Different Remote Sensing Methods
and GIS for City Planning
Arpita Pankaj1, Pankaj Kumar1 and Ajai Mishra1

1GeologicalSurvey of India, Kolkata
Abstract
The earth's surface forms are primarily due to hypogenous or endogenous processes, which include diastrophism, leading to geologic structure,
tectonic activity etc. Remote sensing observations from aerial and space platforms are currently in operation provide a synoptic view of terrain
features in images which are interpreted by thematic specialists to understand and extract information of specific interest from the images. The
Song River, the tributary of the Ganga River, is the main water resource of Dehradun district, Uttarakhand. For Cultivation, upcoming
modernization like development of high rise building, malls, upcoming industries, it is very much important to understand the geology as well as
geomorphology of the area. The main objective in this paper is to understand the geomorphology of the area which is extracted with the help of
two different remote sensing techniques. Regionally the Song River watershed is classified into ten subunits based on the on-screen visual
interpretation of IRS LISS-III (Path: 96; Row: 49 and DOP: 13th November 2004) imagery. The prominent ten different geomorphic units, which
have been extracted are High relief structural hills (90.814 km2), Low relief structural hills (134.182 km2), High relief rugged Hills (152.185
km2), Low relief rugged hills (35.653 km2), Piedmont (113.514 km2), River terraces (159.793 km2), Cone deposits (90.323 km2), Fan deposits
(141.261 km2), Flood plain (35.509 km2) and Channel deposits (37.271 km2). Some geomorphologic units like channel bar, cone deposits, flood
plain deposits are prominent in the imagery after applying the Histogram Equalization method and the other unit like high relief structural hills
and low relief structural hills are much more prominent in the Standard Deviation Stretch. All the above units have their own characteristic
features like topography, land slope, drainage pattern, degree of dissection, soil cover, land use pattern, geohydrological condition, etc. As
geomorphology is an important aspect for urban planning, gives an idea about the variations in landscape/landform and indirectly facilitates in
evaluating the resources of an area. Geomorphological maps along with other relevant terrain related information such as slope, lithology and
geological structures can delineate suitable area for specific type of urban development and planning.
Keywords: Hypogenous or Endogenous Processes, Histogram Equalization method, Standard Deviation Stretch method, Structural hills, Urban development
and planning
Corresponding Author: arpita.pankaj@gmail.com
Page No. 534

Village Development Action Plan Using Remote Sensing and GIS - A Case Study from Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia
Villeges of Saharanpur district
A.L. Haldar2, Saroj and S. Suresh2

Abstract
Villages are ideal places for natural resources development. Consequences with natural phenomenon now a day's villages are disturbed and
becamepoorin the quality of landas well as crop production. It needs very much to boost the land through various developmental action plan. The
village development action plan for soil and water is an innovative plan for the development of village to usher in democratic decentralization,
need based planning and empowerment of the rural region. Each village has its own potentiality, problems, prospects and development needs
defined by set of climatic, socio-economic, demographic factors. Their action plans are generated for land resources and water resources using
Remote Sensing and GIS techniques at village level. Work is carried out for 3 Dr. Ram Monohar Lohia villages viz. Rastum, Matauli & Jahirpur
of Deobandtahsil of Saharanpur district. To develop the Lohia villages it is imperative to draw-up land and water resources action plan on micro
level studies. Cadastral maps are used along with high resolution satellite data such as Cartosat-1 & LISS-IV merged data. The land and water
resources action plans are based on the multi-thematic layer like landuse/landcover, hydrogeomorphology, soil, slope, contour, rainfall, socio-
economic condition of the region. These plan will broadly develop those villages.
The integration of above multi-layer information and criteria based as GIS analysis, the land and water resources development plans are
generated. The main land resources related developmental plan suggested with in 3 Lohia villages comprises 6 types of prescriptions viz. i) No
action ii) Agro-horticulture iii) Check road bund (CRB). The water resources related development suggestion comprised prospective site for
Earthen Check dam,Contour bund, Peripheral bund and Desiltation. The statistics for all above action plan and suggestions are - in village Rastum
- Chek road bund (CRB) 6no 4.99km for soil development and Contour bund (1no. 0.45Km), Earthen Check dam (2no. 0.22 km & 0.23km),
Desiltation (1 no, 0.16ha) water development,in villageMatauliAgro-horticulture (1.66ha), CRB (3no 4.689km) for soil developmentand Contour
bund (5nos, 0.828km), Peripheral bund (8.51km) water development, in village JahirpurAgro-horticulture (2.532ha), CRB 18no 13.23km for soil
development and Contour bund (4nos, 1.27km) water development.
Keywords: Decentralization, High resolution, Action Plan, Earthen Check dam, Peripheral bund
Corresponding Author: amritlalhaldar@gmail.com
Page No. 535

Spatial Downscaling of Satellite Soil Moisture over Bundelkhand Region
Suman Kumar Padhee2, Bhaskar R. Nikam1, Subashisa Dutta2 and S.P. Aggarwal 1
1Indian
Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun , 2Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati
Abstract
Owing to importance of Soil moisture (SM) in the fields of environmental and climate studies it has been recognized as essential climate variable.
Therefore, an accurate estimation of spatiotemporal SM is indispensable. Traditional SM at spatial scale is estimated using land surface models,
however, these models require in-situ observations of SM for calibration and validation. Collecting and maintain the in-situ SM data is expensive,
labour intensive, and time consuming. Therefore, remote sensing is the only technical and financially feasible way to provide global scale SM
data. Passive and active satellite microwave sensors have been widely used to estimate SM over the past three decades due to the advantage of
all-weather-all-time measurement. However, the coarse spatial resolution of global microwave SM data may restrict their application over local
scales. In the presents study, coarse resolution active and passive blended SM data from European space agency (ESA) under Climate Change
Initiative (CCI) has been spatially downscaled utilizing visible, infrared and thermal imageries acquired from MODIS. The spatial disaggregate of
coarse SM data of Bundelkhand region of India has been done using triangle-based method. From the spatial observation of enhanced vegetation
index (EVI), land surface temperature (LST) and soil moisture at coarse resolution (SMcoarse), a 3-dimensional cloud was generated in the feature
space. Fine resolution soil moisture (SMfine) based on 3-dimensional cloud was predicted by backward regressing the second order multivariate
polynomial regression. Spatiotemporal analysis of RMSE between SMfine and SMcoarse showed that SMfine agrees well with SMcoarse with RMSE
of around 0.065cm3/cm3. The sensitivity of SMfine with rainfall was also tested using effective drought index (EDI) derived from rainfall
observation data collected from the study area. Analysis showed that correlation coefficient between temporal EDI and SMfine increased at all
instances when compared with that of EDI and SMcoarse. The results indicate that SMfine can preserve the accuracy of SMcoarse, while improving
spatial resolution. SMfine presents much finer spatial details of land surface when compared with SMcoarse. The proposed technique is independent
of satellite platform and hence can even be applied using all available data sources to generate SMfine as operational product.
Keywords: Soil moisture, Spatial downscaling, Triangle-based method, Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Effective Drought Index (EDI)
Page No. 536

Development of High Resolution Land Surface Parameters Database for Extended Indian Monsoon Region
Bhaskar R. Nikam1, Vaibhav Garg1, Prasun Kumar Gupta1, Praveen K. Thakur1, S.P. Aggarwal1 and A. Senthil Kumar1
Abstract
The Indian monsoon is characterized by a wide spectrum of spatial and temporal variability due to interaction of land, atmosphere and oceans. It
is well known fact that land surface conditions in the Indian Monsoon Region (IMR) make significant contribution to the variability in climatic
system of the region. Lack of good observations of land surface parameters (LSP) over the IMR, limits studies addressing the important role of
LSP on the IMR circulation and rainfall. There is growing demand for high resolution database of LSPs in recent time. However, at present these
LSPs are available at coarser scale. These parameters necessary to initialize and validate land surface processes in the dynamic models and
weather forecasting. In the present study an attempt has been made to develop high resolution database of LSPs for the IMR using
semi-distributed land surface model. Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) model has been setup at 0.25º x 0.25° grid size over entire IMR.
Meteorological, topographical, landscape inputs for all 53,945 active grids were prepared using different thematic maps generated using various
data sources including remote sensing. The model has been run in energy and water balance mode for the 29 years (1977 to 2006). Output flux
files of model were analysed to drive LSP products. The model has been calibrated using routed modelled discharge data and observed long term
mean monthly river discharge data of different river basins in the IMR. Coefficient of determination in the range of 0.64 to 0.86 has been achieved
after calibration. The land surface parameter products in raster format are generated using output of calibrated model. Daily, weekly, monthly,
annual (varying time period) products of all the parameters are generated for the entire time period. Initial comparison of top layer soil moisture
product, snow cover area products, evapotranspiration with standard products derived using remote sensing data and detailed cross validation of
generated soil moisture of top layer and snow cover area products using satellite derived soil moisture and snow cover products has shown
encouraging results.
Keywords: Land surface parameters, Indian monsoon region, VIC, energy balance, soil moisture
Page No. 537

Impact of Urbanisation on Water Resources of Doon Valley, Uttarakhand (India)
Bhaskar R. Nikam1, S.K. Srivastav1, Prasun K. Gupta1, Kirti Bajpai1 and S.P. Aggarwal1
Abstract
Doon Valley in Uttarakhand (India) has witnessed rapid urbanisation and industrialisation in last one and half decades. The quantitative
assessment of the impact of this transformation from pervious surface to impervious surface on the water resources is lacking. Thus, the focus of
the present study is to investigate the impact of land-use land-cover (LULC) change in the Doon Valley, over last two decades (1995-2015), on
hydrological regime. The LULC maps of 1995 and 2005 are taken from ISRO-GBP LULC project while LULC of 2014-15 is mapped using
high-resolution images available in ISRO-Bhuvan geoportal and Google Earth. The hydrological response of the area has been simulated using
Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) model, a semi-distributed physics-based hydrological model, under three LULC scenarios (i.e. 1995, 2005
and 2015). Meteorological data for the period 1996 to 2010 have been used as forcing parameters for the decadal LULC inputs. The VIC model
outputs have been calibrated and validated using observed discharge data of Asan River. Impact of urbanisation on availability of surface water is
estimated by routing surface runoff fluxes. The relation between baseflow flux and actual groundwater recharge estimated using the Water Table
Fluctuation and Rainfall Infiltration methods as per the norms recommended by the Groundwater Estimation Committee (GEC-96) is established.
The validated relation between baseflow flux and actual groundwater recharge is used to quantify the impact of urbanization on the availability of
groundwater in the Doon Valley. It is observed that ~67 km2 increase in built-up area, dominant LULC change, in the Doon Valley has resulted in
an increase in annual surface runoff from 906mm to 951mm from 1995 to 2015. Average reduction in annual groundwater recharge during study
period is estimated to be ~10mm. However, in the areas with high rate of LULC transformation to built-up, the groundwater recharge is found to
be decreased by 20%. The findings suggest that there is an urgent need to adopt appropriate rainwater harvesting and artificial groundwater
recharge measures for sustainable water resource management.
Keywords: urbanisation, VIC, surface runoff, baseflow, groundwater recharge

Page No. 538

Impacts of Future Climatic and Land Use Land Cover Changes on the Hydrological Regime of the Krishna River
Basin
Bhaskar R. Nikam1, Vaibhav Garg1, Prasun Gupta1, S.P. Aggarwal1 and S.K. Srivastav1
Abstract
The Krishna Basin is the second largest eastward draining interstate river basin in Peninsular India which accounts for nearly 8% of the total
geographic area of the country. The basin hydrology is very significant from agricultural and economy point of view. Out of total utilizable annual
surface water potential (58.0km3) of basin, only 50.0km3 is used in the present scenario by the different sectors including irrigation to 0.203Mm2
agricultural land. According to National Water Development Authority, Krishna basin will be water deficit to the range of 3,235Mm3 in the future
development scenario. Studies have also highlighted the impact of climatic change on the water resources of the basin. It is also reported that the
future land use land cover (LULC) of the basin will also play a dominant role in governing the hydrological response of the basin. Analysis of
past records of Krishna Basin has revealed the continuous increase in agriculture, settlement and waterbodies in the basin since last two-to-three
decades, and these changes are expected to continue in future. The impact of such concurrent changes in climate and LULC on hydrological
regime of a basin is of widespread concern and a great challenge to the water resources engineers. Therefore, in the present study, hydrological
response of Krishna Basin has been simulated using Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) model under present and future climate along with
LULC scenario. The model has been calibrated and validated using observed discharge data of various gauging stations. A close agreement
between the observed and simulated discharge at various gauging stations was observed with r2 ranging from 0.74 to 0.96. Climate change
projections produced by regional climate models (RegCM4) were used in the hydrological model to generate scenarios with and without LULC
changes for the period from 2011–2060. All the water balance components (runoff potential, evapotranspiration and baseflow) of the Krishan
Basin have been simulated under present and future LULC/climate scenario. The future LULC and climate change scenarios indicated a decrease
in the low-flow regime of the basin. However, the changes are more dominated by LULC change in the spatial domain.
Keywords: Krishna Basin, LULC change, Climate change, hydrological model, Runoff potential
Page No. 539

Quantitative analysis of rainfall induced swift surface runoff in the River Thamirabarani sub-basin in
Kanyakumari district, South India using Remote sensing and GIS
S. Kaliraj1, N. Chandrasekar1 and K.K. Ramachandran1

1Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli , 2National Centre for Earth Science Studies, Thiruvananthapuram
Abstract
Runoff is one of the important hydrological processes in the drainage basin which mainly responsible for eroding soils and sediments, carrying
organic components, nutrients, and dispersing of pollutants to the outlet. The present study investigates the rainfall induced swift surface runoff in
the sub-basin of south flowing River Thamirabarani in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, India using GIS based Soil Conservation Service
Curve Number (SCS-CN) model. River Thamirabarani and its tributaries originating from different part of the Western Ghats at elevations
crossing 1700 m above MSL and southerly flow over high gradient swift surface towards the Indian Ocean. In SCS-CN model, the curve number
(CN) is assigned to each hydrologic soil group based on landuse and land cover and antecedent soil moisture conditions in order to measure initial
abstraction and potential maximum retention; essentially reflecting the dependence of soil and landuse in translating to runoff in a particular area.
The result reveal that the maximum runoff (4.83 - 5.94 cm/m2/yr) found in the steep slope of the valleys and open shrub covers in the upper hills
and on both sides of riverbanks is due to high intensity overland flow resulting in severe erosion and transportation of unconsolidated material
from the parental surface to the outlet. The gently sloping surface in the settlement areas, agricultural lands and plantations in the mid-land has
been estimated with moderate runoff at the rate of 3.98 - 4.83 cm/m2/yr. Incidentally, the lower rate of runoff (2.27 - 2.92 cm/m2/yr) has been
recorded in the forest cover, dense grass vegetative cover and southern plain region. These observations indicate that the soil and topography have
profound influence on the runoff rate in a particular area by controlling the flow direction, flow intensity and infiltration of overland flow during
events of precipitation. The runoff has produced significant impacts on swift surface like decreasing the capacity of water bodies due to siltation
and land degradation by denudating fertile surface soil in various parts of the study area.
Keywords: Rainfall-runoff, Swift surface drainage basin, SCS-CN model, Landuse and Land cover, Remote sensing and GIS
Corresponding Author: thayakaliraj@gmail.com
Page No. 540

Glacier Health and Dynamics: A Case Study of Samudra Tapu Glacier, Himachal Himalayas, India
Reet Kamal Tiwari1 and Purushottam Kumar Garg1

Abstract
Due to the global and local climate changes most of the glaciers around the world are retreating and many are considered in poor health. The
Indian Himalayas is the land of thousands of glacier and their dynamics is governed by both climatic and non climatic factors. In this study we
have analysed the velocity and the thickness change data of Samudra Tapu Glacier which is one of the prominent glacier of Chandra river basin.
The dynamics of any glacier can be fairly well asserted with the help of the variations in the velocity and the thickness over a period of time. To
estimate the velocity of the glacier COSI-Corr-an add-on module of ENVI software has been used. The thickness change has been estimated by
DEM (Digital Elevation Model) subtraction method. Aster data from 2002 to 2015 has been used to estimate these parameters. The data suggests
that this glacier is thinning at different rates over the analysed period and also the velocity is fluctuating over time. An analysis has also been
made to examine these fluctuations with the non climatic factors of the glacier such as debris cover, aspect, etc. The preliminary analysis suggests
that the glacier dynamics is dependent on the debris cover, aspect and other non climatic factors which may change drastically with time. Also,
these non climatic factors changes with the change in the glacier dynamics which suggests the reciprocal nature of glacier dynamics and the non
climatic factors. The present data points towards the poor health conditions of this glacier.
Keywords: climate change, glacier velocity, glacier thickness change, Himachal Himalaya ,
Corresponding Author: reetkamal@gmail.com
Page No. 541

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