Locating additional long-term groundwater resources in semi-arid regions of developing countries with growing populations is
an expensive undertaking. Simple geographic information system (GIS) techniques can be utilised to facilitate efficient application
of expensive geophysical techniques and test-drilling by functioning as an interdisciplinary integration and decision-making tool,
especially in data-poor and poorly mapped environments where more sophisticated GIS techniques are not applicable. The paper
demonstrates this in the context of the search for groundwater alternatives to the dwindling river water supply in the Boteti area of
the Kalahari region in Botswana.
Wondie, M.; Schneider, W.; Melesse, A.; Teketay, D.(MDPI Publishing; www.mdpi.com, January 5, 2011)
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Abstract:
The trend of land cover (LC) and land cover change (LCC), both in time and space, was investigated at the Simen Mountains National Park (SMNP), a World Heritage Site located in northern Ethiopia, between 1984 and 2003 using Geographical Information System (GIS) and remote sensing (RS). The objective of the study was to generate spatially and temporally quantified information on land cover dynamics, providing the basis for policy/decision makers and resource managers to facilitate biodiversity conservation, including wild animals. Two satellite images (Landsat TM of 1984 and Landsat ETM+ of 2003) were acquired and supervised classification was used to categorize LC types. Ground Control Points were obtained in field condition for georeferencing and accuracy assessment. The results showed an increase in the areas of pure forest (Erica species dominated) and shrubland but a decrease in the area of agricultural land over the 20 years. The overall accuracy and the Kappa value of classification results were 88 and 85%, respectively. The spatial setting of the LC classes was heterogeneous and resulted from the biophysical nature of SMNP and anthropogenic activities. Further studies are suggested to evaluate the existing LC and LCC in connection with wildlife habitat, conservation and management of SMNP.