Land Use and Land Cover Mapping by using Remote Sensing and GIS Techniques – a Case Study of Kasaba Hobli, Hoskote Taluk, Bangalore Rural District, Karnataka, India. Prof. Dr. P. K. Srimani, F.N.A.Sc., Mrs. Nanditha Prasad (Ph.D.) Prof & Director, R&D (CS), Asst. Prof, Department of Computer Science Bangalore University, DSI Government Science College, Bangalore, India Bangalore, India Abstract The present study analyzes the dynamics of land use / land cover using modern geospatial techniques of Remote Sensing and GIS on Kasaba Hobli in Hoskote taluk of Bangalore District, India. The seasonal data of IRS-IC LISS-III images of the year 2005 and data collected from field visits were used to analyze the dynamics of land use / land cover of the above area. Erdas and Arc-GIS softwares were used for classification of land use/land cover. The area has been classified into five classes at Level I and fourteen sub classes at Level II. The major land use is Agricultural land 6798.93 Ha (77%), Built-up land 520.70 Ha (5.9 %), Forest cover 148.41 Ha (1.70%), Wasteland 118.30 Ha (1.35%) and Waterbodies 1160.76 Ha (13.27%). The study helps in identifying land use and land cover classes, and the data can be used for future environmental monitoring studies. 1. Introduction The remote sensing techniques are used to measure the land cover, from which land use can be inferred particularly with ancillary data or priority knowledge. Land use/cover studies are multidisciplinary in nature. In addition, facilitating sustainable management of the land, land cover and use information may be used for planning, monitoring and evaluation of development, industrial activity or reclamation [1]. Detection of long term changes in land cover may reveal an idea for the shift in local or regional climatic conditions and analyzing the basis of terrestrial global monitoring. In order to improve the economic condition of the area without further deteriorating the ecosystem, every bit of the available land has to be used in the most rational way [2]. For this type of mapping it requires the present and the past land use/land cover data of the area. In this context, remote sensing technology plays an effective role in the sustainable development and management of our environment and resources [3]. The unparalleled increase in population growth in Bangalore region has resulted in the increasing demands for land in Bangalore rural district. Hoskote area on the outskirts of Bangalore region has much of the land for agriculture and waterbodies, due to change in landuse from agriculture to non-agricultural use resulting in, decrease in vegetation and waterbodies. This leads to depletion in ground water and much drier climate. This calls for rational utilization of the available land and hence the study of its characteristics is crucial in formulating the management and development plans. The conventional methods for the study of land use involves extensive field study which is time consuming and cumbersome. Land use changes are mostly due to more of human activities, which can be observed using current and archived remotely sensed data [4]. The information on land use / land cover patterns, their spatial distribution and changes over a time scale are perquisite for making development plans [5]. Though many studies were undertaken to understand the land use and land cover in different parts of India, not much studies were carried out in Hoskote Taluk, Kasaba Hobli. So, a preliminary study was carried out to understand the present overlay of land use and land cover. The study focuses on the effectiveness of the satellite data for land use/land cover study and describes the various land use and land cover categories of the study area. It is observed that the multi-temporal images (Seasonal data) play an important role in the classification of land use and land cover [6][7]. 2. Materials and Methods 2.1 Study Area The study area is Kasaba Hobli in Hoskote Taluk in International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT) Vol. 2 Issue 1, January- 2013 ISSN: 2278-0181 1 www.ijert.org