Detection of Spatio-temporal Land Use and Land Cover Changes in NTR District, Andhra Pradesh, India: A Geoinformatics Approach

Abstract

Land use and land cover (LULC) change assessment is important for understanding landscape transformation and supporting land-management decisions in rapidly developing districts. This study analyses spatio-temporal LULC changes in NTR District, Andhra Pradesh, India, from 2017 to 2024 using remote sensing and GIS-based geoinformatics approaches with Sentinel-2 L2A imagery. The study area covers 3,316 sq. km and includes agricultural land, tree cover, rangelands, built-up areas, water bodies, bare ground and flooded vegetation. Results show that crops remained the dominant land-cover class, increasing from 2,178.13 km² (66.31%) in 2017 to 2,335.84 km² (71.11%) in 2024. Built-up areas also increased from 220.21 km² (6.70%) to 259.60 km² (7.90%), indicating continuing urban and infrastructure expansion. Tree cover declined from 471.31 km² (14.35%) to 289.95 km² (8.83%), while rangeland decreased from 351.92 km² (10.71%) to 328.83 km² (10.01%). Water bodies increased slightly from 52.21 km² (1.59%) to 63.04 km² (1.92%). Change-detection results indicate that 2,060.33 km² remained under crops, 208.67 km² remained built up and 219.68 km² remained under tree cover. The most notable transitions included tree cover and rangeland conversion to crops, along with crop conversion to built-up land. The study highlights the need for balanced agricultural development, urban planning and environmental management in NTR District.