Change Detection Using Multispectral Satellite Images for Sustainable Development in Regions of Al-Najaf Al-Ashraf, Iraq

Abstract

The change detection in urban and surrounding areas, such as vegetation and bare, is a significant achievement for sustainable development, especially nowadays. The research conducted a supervisor classification of two images representing two time periods (1973 and 2023) using the method of land cover and land use (LCLU) using the ArcGIS 10.8.2 program. The classified pixels were converted into digital data to compare using the land cover method and land use change (LCLUG). The results showed a significant expansion in the urban areas of Najaf and Kufa districts, 5.72 km² to 134.95 km², with a decrease in the area of green areas, 17.26 km² to 15.16 km², and the absence of water areas, in addition to the transformation of most of the barren areas to urban areas 215.64 km² to 88.51 km²,  The study concluded that there was a significant decrease in the area of green areas in the study area and the absence of water bodies in urban areas, and these two indicators - along with the increase in urban areas - harm the environment of the region and the quality of environmental influences on the lives of the people who live in it. Which negatively affects its sustainable development plans.