Spatio-temporal change detection of land-use land cover of Hong Local Government Area, Adamawa State, Nigeria

Abstract

The concern of the study is spatio-temporal change detection of land use land cover. Data required for the study are area cover, population and land use land cover that were generated from relevant materials and the field. The lands at images were analyzed using various GIS and remote sensing techniques. The generated data on varied land-use land covers were analyzed by comparison. The study was restricted to Hong Local Government Area. The attributes of land cover investigated are vegetation cover, agricultural land, built-up area, bare land and water body. The time frame is from 1976 to 2009 with sample years as; 1976, 1989, 1998 and 2009. The result reveals increase in population, from 11,2845 in 1976 to 170,452 in 2009, led to drift in agricultural land, bare land, built-up area, vegetation cover and water body by 11.58%, 6.96%, 1.25%,19.79% and 0.00% accordingly. Results of correlation coefficient and 't' test at 0.05% degree of freedom reveal there is relationship between population trends and drifts in land use land cover. There should be adequate planning of land use to protect environmental resources such as vegetation cover and water body from diminishing in size and utility.

Keywords: Land cover, Change detection, Human activities, Time and space, Population increase