Assessing Land Use and Land Cover of Bengaluru Using GIS and Remote Sensing

Rashmi Paramesh; Guturu Karteek

doi:10.48084/etasr.14987

Authors

Rashmi Paramesh Department of Architecture, School of Planning and Architecture, Vijayawada, India
Guturu Karteek Department of Architecture, School of Planning and Architecture, Vijayawada, India

Volume: 16 | Issue: 3 | Pages: 35255-35262 | June 2026 | https://doi.org/10.48084/etasr.14987

Received: 21 September 2025 | Revised: 19 February 2026 | Accepted: 25 February 2026 | Online: 6 June 2026

Corresponding author: Rashmi Paramesh

Abstract

Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) results from a combination of natural and human factors. Understanding LULC is crucial for analyzing urban expansion, vegetation, water quality, and land suitability. Land cover changes over time can help us determine the trend in area transformation and predict its future effects. Land cover data is often obtained through remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), with supervised classification being a common method for data analysis. Recently, Bengaluru has undergone rapid urbanization and expansion due to intense development. Due to this concentrated growth, the population has increased, straining natural resources and infrastructure and eventually giving rise to problems like climate change. Changes in land use over the past 40 years resulted in a 584% increase in built-up area and declines of 66% and 74% in vegetation and water bodies, respectively. Bengaluru's radial growth pattern indicates that urbanization is accelerating from the city's center and spreading to its outskirts. Numerous locations with higher local temperatures demonstrate the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect. Urbanization had a significant impact on Bangalore’s land temperature between 2001 and 2021, with the average temperature increasing by 0.34 degrees C per year during the highest UHI events, whereas in non-urbanized areas it increased by 0.14 degrees C per year during the same period. Increasing Land Surface Temperature (LST) will result from the decline of heat sinks such as water bodies and green cover, which will affect Bengaluru's microclimate and emphasize the importance of maintaining ecosystem services to support local communities' livelihoods. An understanding of the ecological significance of diverse habitat characteristics across the urban region is crucial for decision-makers. The research was conducted using remote sensing techniques and Landsat imagery of Bengaluru from the years 2002, 2008, 2013, 2018, and 2023. Remote sensing methods and GIS technology were used to produce LULC maps. Bengaluru's land temperature changes from 2002 to 2023 demonstrated the impact of urbanization, with an average annual temperature increase of 0.34 degrees Celsius during the highest UHI events compared to non-urbanized areas. Within the Bengaluru Metropolitan Region, the primary outcomes of this methodology are LULC and urban expansion patterns, which are considered determinants of land use change. It is projected that the outcomes will assist society and a number of organizations, including legislators and city planners.

Keywords:

land use/land cover, urbanization, remote sensing, GIS, Bengaluru, BBMP boundary, maps 2002-2023

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