NRSC/ISRO

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DocumentNumber

Title

NaturalResource Census Land Use Land Cover

Database

TypeofDocument

TechnicalReportVer.1

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Author(s)

Reviewedby

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LandUseand Cover Monitoring Division

GroupHead,LRUM

PD,NRC&DD(RSAA),NRSC

This project on National Land Use/ Land Cover Mapping

(Second Cycle) on 1:50,000 scale using temporal Resourcesat2
terrain corrected LISSIII data of 201112 was carried out by
NRSC, ISRO, Department of Space under Natural Resources
Census (NRC) Project of National Natural Resources Repository
(NRR) Programme. LULC data is regrouped for web users and
documentbrieflydiscusseslanduseandlandcoverclasseswith
methodologyadoptedandresults.

Abstract

Controlledby

Head,LU&CMD

Distribution

Unrestricted

ReproductionRights

This report and its contents are the property of National

RemoteSensingCentre

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NATURALRESOURCECENSUSLANDUSELANDCOVERDATABASE

INTRODUCTION

Earth observations from space platforms play a crucial role in generation and dissemination of
information on LULC pattern in a timely and reliable manner providing vital inputs required for
optimal land use planning. The evolution of Indian remote sensing program over the past two
decades,providingavarietyofremotesensingbasedsolutionsfornationaldevelopment,isanapt
and timely national initiative. Some of the important projects of ISRO/DOS under the theme of
LULCaregivenintheTable1.
Table1:MajorLandUseLandCoverMappingProjectscarriedoutbyISRO/DOS

S.NO.

PROJECTNAME

YEAR

1
2

NationwideWastelandMapping
1985, 19861999,200609,2010.
LandUseLandCoverMapping for Planningbased 1989 1990
onAgroClimaticZone

3
4
5

1995
1988 1990
1999

NationwideWetlandMapping
UrbanSprawlofMillionPlus Cities
LandUseLandCoverDatabase for Zoning Atlas
forsitingofIndustries
UrbanInformationSystems (BMR; NCR; MMDA;
AUDA,HUDA,NCRPBetc.
LandUseLandCoverMapping using WiFS data

IntegratedMissionforSustainable Development

19921998

Integrated Resource Information for Desert 2002

Areas
LandUse/LandCoverMappingon1:50,000scale 20062010

10

From 1990onwardsatdifferent
times
2003

AprojectonNationalLandUse/LandCoverMappingon1:50,000scale(SecondCycle)usingmulti
temporal Resourcesat2 terrain corrected Linear Imaging Self Scanning Sensor (LISS) III data was
taken up by DOS, under Natural Resources Census (NRC) Project of National Natural Resources
Repository (NRR) Program. The project has been accomplished with the active participation of
various state, central, universities and others partner institutes. The land use/land cover
classificationschemeof1:50,000scaleconsistsofLevelI:8classes,LevelII:31classesandLevelIII:
54classes(NRSC,2012).ThisclassificationwasfinalizedafterelaboratediscussionswithintheDOS
andvariousCentral/Stategovernmentdepartments/institutions.Theprojecthadbeencompleted
andatlas(NRSC,2011)wasreleasedfortheuseofvariousdepartmentscentral,stateandothers.
LULCdataisregroupedforwebuserswithanemphasisonlandcoverclassesasgiveninTable2.
This has been undertaken keeping in view of volume of data, faster access to database and
visualization.
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Table2:GroupingofLULCclassesof2ndcycle

Sl.

Description1

Description2

Builtup

Urban

Agriculture

Forest

Rural
Mining
Cropland
Plantation
Fallow
CurrentShiftingcultivation
Evergreen/Semievergreen
Deciduous
ForestPlantation
ScrubForest
Swamp/Mangroves

Grass/Grazing

Grass/Grazing

Barren/unculturable/Wastela

SaltAffectedLand
Gullied/RavinousLand
Scrubland
Sandyarea
Barrenrocky
Rann

Wetlands/WaterBodies

InlandWetland

River/Stream/canals
Waterbodies
Snow

Classes from NRC LULC50K Mapping Project

BuiltupCompact(Continuous),BuiltupSparse(Discontinuous),Built
upVegetated/Openarea,Industrialarea,Ash/CoolingPond/effluent
andotherwaste
Rural
MiningActive,MiningAbandoned,Quarry
Kharif,Rabi,Zaid,Croppedin2seasons,Croppedinmorethan2seasons
AgriculturePlantation
Fallowland
ShiftingcultivationCurrent
Dense/ClosedandOpencategoryofEvergreen/Semievergreen
Dense/ClosedandOpencategoryofDeciduousandTreeCladArea
ForestPlantation
ScrubForest,ShiftingCultivationAbandoned
Dense/Closed&OpenMangrove
Grassland:Alpine/SubAlpine,Temperate/SubTropical,Tropical/
Desertic
SaltAffectedLand
Gullied,Ravinous
Dense/ClosedandOpencategoryofscrubland
Desertic,Coastal,Riverinesandyarea
Barrenrocky
Rann
WetlandInlandNatural(Oxbowlake,cutoffmeander,waterlogged
etc.),InlandManmade(Waterlogged,saltpansetc.)
Wetland Lagoon,creeks,mudflats,Saltpanetc.
Perennial&NonPerennialRiver,Canal/Drain
Aquaculture,Permanent&seasonalLake/Ponds,Reservoir/Tanks
Snow

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DESCRIPTIONOFLANDUSEANDLANDCOVERCLASSES
LULCclassificationschemeandbriefdescriptionofclassesareasgivenhereunder:
LandCoverisdefinedasobservedphysicalfeaturesontheEarthsSurface.Whenaneconomic
functionisaddedtoit,itbecomesLandUse.(FAO,2005).
1.0BUILTUPLAND
Itisanareaofhumanhabitationdevelopedduetononagriculturaluseandthathasacoverof
buildings,transportandcommunication,utilitiesinassociationwithwater,vegetationandvacant
lands.WebLULCmapconsistsof3classesunderbuiltupviz.,urban,ruralandmining.
1.1Urban:Urbanareasarenonlinearbuiltupareascoveredbyimperviousstructuresadjacent
to or connected by streets. This cover is related to centers of population. This class usually
occursincombinationwith,vegetatedareasthatareconnectedtobuildingsthatshowaregular
pattern,suchasvegetatedareas,gardensetc.andindustrialand/orotherareas.(FAO,2005).It
includes residential areas, mixed builtup, recreational places, public / semipublic utilities,
communications, public utilizes/facility, commercial areas, reclaimed areas, vegetated areas,
transportation,industrialareasandtheirdumps,andash/coolingponds.

1.2 Rural: Thesearethelandsusedforhumansettlementofsizecomparativelylessthanthe

urban settlements of which the majority of population is involved in the primary activity of
agriculture.Thesearethebuiltupareas,smallerinsize,mainlyassociatedwithagricultureand
allied sectors and noncommercial activities. They can be seen in clusters non contiguous or
scattered.

1.3 Mining: Mining areas encompass area under surface mining operations. The recognizable
impacts of these activities on the landscape are unmistakable giant pit mines covering vast
areas. The presence of water bodies does not necessarily imply inactive or unused extractive
areas; ponds or lakes are often an integral part of an extractive operation. (USGS, 1999) It
includessurfacerocksandstonequarries,sandandgravelpits,brickkilns,etc.Theseareareas
of stockpile of storage dump of industrial raw material or slag/effluents or waste material or
quarried/mixeddebrisfromearth'ssurface.

2.0AGRICULTURALLAND
These are the lands primarily used for farming and for production of food, fiber, and other
commercialandhorticulturalcrops.Itconsistsof:
2.1 Cropland: These are the areas with standing crop as on the date of Satellite overpass.
Croppedareasappearinbrightredtoredincolorwithvaryingshapeandsizeinacontiguousto
noncontiguouspattern.Theyarewidelydistributedindifferentterrains;prominentlyappearin
theirrigatedareasirrespectiveofthesourceofirrigation.Itincludeskharif,rabiandzaidcrop
landsalongwithareasunderdoubleortriplecrops.

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2.2 Plantations: These are the areas under agricultural tree crops planted adopting agricultural
managementtechniques.Dependingonthelocation,theyareexhibitadispersedorcontiguous
pattern. Use of multiseason data will enable their separation in a better way. It includes
agricultural plantation (like tea, coffee, rubber etc.) horticultural plantation (like coconut,
arecanut,citrusfruits,orchards,fruits,ornamentalshrubsandtrees,vegetablegardensetc.)and
agrohorticulturalplantation.
2.3 Fallow: An agricultural system with an alternation between a cropping period of several
yearsandafallowperiod.(Ruthenberg,1980).Inanothertermsthesearethelands,whichare
taken up for cultivation but are temporarily allowed to rest, uncropped for one or more
season,butnotlessthanoneyear.

2.4 Current Shifting Cultivation areas: This describes the growing of crops for a few years on
selectedandclearplots,alternatingwithalengthyperiodofvegetativefallowwhenthesoilis
rested.Thelandiscultivatedforlessthan33percentofthetime(Ruthenberg,1980).Thiscover
isfollowedbythevegetativeand/orbarecoverofthefallowperiodthatcanlastforseveral
years (Shaneret. Al., 1982). These are the areas which are clearly perceptible on the satellite
imagethatareinpreburnt/postburntconditionasbrightwhiteorwithbluishsmallirregular
patchesamidstforestpatchesthatareredincolour.

3.0FOREST
Thetermforestisusedtorefertolandwithatreecanopycoverofmorethan10percentand
areaofmorethan0.5ha.Forestsaredeterminedbothbythepresenceoftreesandtheabsence
of other predominant land uses. The trees should be able to reach a minimum height of 5 m
(MOEF,2011).Itconsistsof:
3.1 Evergreen/SemiEvergreen: Thistermassuchdescribesthephenologyofperennialplants
thatareneverentirelywithoutgreenfoliage(FordRobertson,1971).Thiscategorycomprisesof
tall trees, which are predominantly remain green throughout the year. It includes both
coniferous and tropical broadleaved evergreen species. Semi evergreen is a forest type that
includes a combination of evergreen and deciduous species with the former dominating the
canopycover.

3.2Deciduous:Thisappliestothephenologyofperennialplantsthatareleaflessforacertain
periodoftheyear(FordRobertson,1971).Theleafsheddingusuallytakesplacesimultaneously
inconnectionwiththeunfavorableseason(UNESCO,1973).

Thesearetheforesttypesthatarepredominantlycomposedofspecies,whichshedtheirleaves
once a year, especially during summer. It also includes tree clad area with tree cover lying
outsidethenotifiedforestboundaryareasthatareherbaceouswithawoodyappearance(e.g.
bamboos,palms,treefernsetc.).
3.3. Forest Plantation: These are the areas of tree species of forestry importance, raised and
managedespeciallyinnotifiedforestareas.Thespeciesmainlyconstituteteak,Sal,eucalyptus,
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casuarina,bambooetc.

3.4. Scrub Forest: Thesearetheforestareaswhicharegenerallyseenatthefringesofdense

forestcoverandsettlements,wherethereisbioticandabioticinterference.Mosttimestheyare
locatedclosertohabitations.Forestblankswhicharetheopeningsamidstforestareas,devoid
oftreecover,observedasopeningsofassortedsizeandshapesasmanifestedontheimagery
arealsoincludedinthiscategory.

3.5 Littoral/Swamp/Mangrove Forest: These are tropical and subtropical vegetation species
that are densely colonized on coastal tidal flats, estuaries salt marshes etc. This category
includesalltheareaswherethecanopycover/densityisabove10%.

4.0GRASS/GRAZINGLAND
Thesearetheareasofnaturalgrassalongwithothervegetation,predominantlygrasslikeplants
(Monocots)andnongrasslikeherbs(exceptLantanaspecieswhicharetobeclassifiedasscrub).
It includes natural/seminatural grass/ grazing lands of Alpine/SubAlpine or temperate or sub
tropicalortropicalzones,deserticareasandmanmadegrasslands.
5.0WASTELANDS

Describedasdegradedlandswhichcanbebroughtundervegetativecoverwithreasonableeffort
andwhichiscurrentlyunderutilizedandlandwhichisdeterioratingforlackofappropriatewater
andsoilmanagementoronaccountofnaturalcauses.Itconsistsof:
5.1 SaltAffected Land: Generally characterized as land that has excess salt in the soils with
patchygrowthofgrasses.

5.2 Gullied / Ravinous Land: They are the resultant of terrain deformation due to water
erosionwhichoccurswidelyinallagroclimaticzones.Gulliesareformedasaresultoflocalized
surface runoff affecting the unconsolidated material resulting in the formation of perceptible
channels causing undulating terrain. They are mostly associated with stream courses, sloping
grounds with good rainfall regions and foothill regions. These are the first stage of excessive
landdissectionfollowedbytheirnetworkingwhichleadstothedevelopmentofravinousland.
Ravinesarebasicallyextensivesystemsofgulliesdevelopedalongrivercourses.

5.3 Scrub Land: These areas possess shallow and skeletal soils, at times chemically degraded
extremesofslopes,severelyerodedorsubjectedtoexcessiveariditywithscrubsdominatingthe
landscape.

5.4 Sandy Area: These can occur in coastal, Riverine or inland areas. Desertic sands are
characterized by accumulation of sand developed in situ or transported by Aeolian processes.
Coastalsandsarethesandsthatareaccumulatedasastripalongtheseacoast.Riverinesands
are those that are seen as accumulations in the flood plain as sheets which are the resultant
phenomenaofriverflooding.

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5.5.BarrenRocky/StonyWaste:Thesearerockexposuresofvaryinglithologyoftenbarrenand
devoidofsoilandvegetationcover.

5.6 Rann Area: An extensive salt marsh of western India between the Gulf of Kutch and the
IndusRiverdelta.
6.0WETLAND/WATERBODIES
Allsubmergedorwatersaturatedlands,naturalormanmade,inlandorcoastal,permanentor
temporary,staticordynamic,vegetatedornonvegetated,whichnecessarilyhavealandwater
interface,aredefinedaswetlands.Itconsistsof:
6.1InlandWetlands:Thesearetheareasthatincludeoxbowlakes,cutoffmeanders,playas,
marsh, etc. which are seasonal as well as permanent in nature. It also includes manmade
wetlandslikewaterloggedareas(seasonalandperennial).

6.2 Coastal Wetland: These include estuaries, lagoons, creek, backwater, bay, tidal flat/mud
flat, sand/beach, rocky coast, mangrove, salt marsh/marsh vegetation and other hydrophytic
vegetationandsaltpans.

6.3 River /Stream / Canals: Rivers/streams are natural course of water flowing on the land
surfacealongadefinitechannel/sloperegularlyorintermittentlytowardsaseainmostcasesor
intoalakeoraninlandbasinindesertareasoramarshoranotherriver.Canalsareartificial
watercourseconstructedforirrigation,navigationortodrainoutexcesswaterfromagricultural
lands.

6.4 Water Bodies: Thiscategorycomprisesareaswithsurfacewaterintheformofponds,lakes,

tanksandreservoirs.
7.0SNOWANDGLACIERS
These are the areas under snow cover confined to the Himalayan region. They are mostly
located in mountain peaks and steep slopes/high relief areas. These are the areas which
remain under snow either on temporary or permanent basis. These are the areas under
perpetual snow cover throughout the year. They are the origins of most of Himalayan river
systems.

METHODOLOGY

OnscreenvisualinterpretationwasusedinthecurrentexercisewhereintheGISLULCvectorlayer
createdduringthefirstcyclewasoverlaidontotheterraincorrectedResourcesat2LISSIIIimagery
acquiredduring201112.Themethodologyessentiallyisbasedoneditingtheabovevectorlayerfor
thechangedareastherebycreatingthenewLULCvectorlayerfor201112.

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DATASETS
Resourcesat2terraincorrecteddatafromLISSIIIsensorof3seasonspertainingto201112
andLLULCVectorof200506areusedinthisstudy.

MonsoonSeasonKharif :AugustOctober
PostMonsoonRabi
:DecemberMarch
PreMonsoonZaid
:AprilMay

Thespecificpathandrowofthesatellitedataalongwithdateofpasswillbedisplayedwhenthe
userisqueryingthemap.

SUGGESTEDUSE:
TheLULCmapsshouldbeusedatbroadlevelforthefollowingpurposes:
Scientific research involving carbon cycle, hydrologic cycle, energy budget studies,
weather/climatepredictionetc.;
Sitingofindustries,SEZsetc.;
Landimprovementprogrammes;
Watershedmanagement;
Coastalzonemanagement;
Agriculturalproductivityimprovementand

DISCLAIMER
Differentlanduseandlandcoverclassesaccuraciesaresubjectedavailabilityof
appropriatebiologicalwindowsofsatellitedata.
Datacannotbeusedforanylegalpurpose.
Usershallexercisereasonableskill,careanddiligencewhileusing theinformationand
will keep indemnified NRSC/ISRO in respect of any loss, damage or claim howsoever
arisingoutofuseofthisinformation.

USERRESTRICTION

I.
Databaseshouldbeusedatscalessmallerthan1:100,000
II.
Userofthisdata/informationwillconsultNRSCtocommerciallyexploit/usethe
intellectualpropertygeneratedintheProjects.

CONTRIBUTORS

S.No PartnerInstitution
Project Coordination
1
27PartnerInstitutions(Annexure I)
LandUse&CoverMonitoringDivision
LRUMG,RemoteSensingApplicationsArea
NationalRemoteSensingCentre
Dept.ofSpace,Govt.ofIndia
Balanagar,HYDERABAD500037

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CONTACTINFORMATION

DeputyDirector
RemoteSensingApplicationsArea,
NationalRemoteSensingCentre,ISRO,DepartmentofSpace
Balanagar,Hyderabad500037
Telephone:+914023884103
FaxNo.+914023884259
Email:ddrsa@nrsc.gov.in

CITATION
NRSC(2014),LandUse/LandCoverdatabaseon1:50,000scale,NaturalResourcesCensus
Project,LUCMD,LRUMG,RSAA,NationalRemoteSensingCentre,ISRO,Hyderabad

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Useofdatainanyformistobedulyacknowledgedasshownbelow:

I/wehaveusedtheLandUse/LandCover informationonmy/ourresearchworkfromNatural
Resources Census Project of National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), ISRO, Hyderabad,India

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REFERENCES

1.NRSA,(2006),ManualofNationalLandUseLandCoverMappingUsingMultiTemporal
SatelliteData,DepartmentofSpace,Hyderabad

2.NRSA,(2007),ManualofNationalWastelandsMonitoringUsingMultitemporalSatellite
Data,DepartmentofSpace,Hyderabad

3.DiGregorio,A.,andJansen,L.J.M.(2004).LandCoverClassificationSystem.
ClassificationConceptsandUserManual,version2,UnitedNationsFoodand
AgricultureOrganization,Rome

4.www.envfor.nic.in/divisions/fp/Evo_def.doc

5.UNESCO.1973.InternationalClassificationandMappingofVegetation.Paris

6.FordRobertson,F.C.(ed).1971. Terminologyof ForestScience,TechnologyPractice

andProducts.SocietyofAmericanForesters,Washington,DC

7.NRSC, (2011),Land Use Land Cover Atlas of India (Based on Multitemporal Satellite
Dataof20052006),DepartmentofSpace,ISRO,GOI,Hyderabad

8.NRSC,(2012),ManualofNationalLandUse/LandCoverMapping(SecondCycle)
UsingMultitemporalSatelliteData,DepartmentofSpace,Hyderabad

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AnnexureI
LISTOFPARTNERINSTITUTIONS

1. AndhraPradeshRemoteSensingApplicationsCentre,Hyderabad500038
2. ArunachalPradeshRemoteSensingApplicationsCentre,Itanagar791113
3. AssamRemoteSensingApplicationsCentre,ASTEC,Guwahati781005
4. BirlaInstituteofTechnology,Mesra,Ranchi835215
5. ChhattisgarhCouncilonScience&Technology,,Raipur492007
6. BhaskaracharyaInstituteofSpaceApplications&Geoinformatics,Gandhinagar382007
7. HaryanaSpaceApplicationsCentre,Hissar125004
8. RemoteSensingApplicationsCell,HPCouncilonST&E,Shimla171009
9. Environment,Ecology&RemoteSensing,Srinagar190018
10. JharkhandSpaceApplicationsCentre,Ranchi834004
11. KarnatakaStateRemoteSensingApplicationsCentre,Bangalore560001
12. KeralaStateRemoteSensing&EnvironmentCentre,Thiruvananthapuram695033
13. MadhyaPradeshRemoteSensingApplicationsCentre,MAPCOST,Bhopal462003
14. MaharashtraRemoteSensingApplicationsCentre,Nagpur440011
15. ManipurRemoteSensingCentre,Imphal795001
16. NorthEasternSpaceApplicationsCentre,Umiam793103
17. MizoramRemoteSensingApplicationCentre,Aizawl796012
18. NagalandStateS&TCouncil,Kohima797001
19. OrissaSpaceApplicationsCentre,Bhubaneswar751023
20. PunjabRemoteSensingApplicationsCentre,Ludhiana141004
21. StateRemoteSensingApplicationsCentre,Rajasthan,Jodhpur342003
22. RemoteSensingCell,DST,Gangtok737101
23. TripuraSpaceApplicationsCentre,Agartala799006
24. InstituteofRemoteSensing,AnnaUniversity,Chennai600025
25. RemoteSensingApplicationsCentre,UttarPradesh,Lucknow226021
26. UttarakhandSpaceApplicationsCentre,Dehradun248001
27. Geoinformatics&RSCell,WestBengal,Kolkata700091

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