Comparative Analysis of the Land Use and Land Cover Changes in Different Governorates of Oman using Spatiotemporal Multi-spectral Satellite Data

TL;DR

This study employs Sentinel-2 satellite data and machine learning to analyze and compare land use and land cover changes across different regions of Oman from 2016 to 2021.

Contribution

It provides a comparative analysis of LULC changes in Oman using multispectral satellite data and supervised machine learning over a five-year period.

Findings

Identified significant LULC changes across governorates

Demonstrated effectiveness of Sentinel-2 data for LULC monitoring

Compared land cover dynamics over time

Abstract

Land cover and land use (LULC) changes are key applications of satellite imagery, and they have critical roles in resource management, urbanization, protection of soils and the environment, and enhancing sustainable development. The literature has heavily utilized multispectral spatiotemporal satellite data alongside advanced machine learning algorithms to monitor and predict LULC changes. This study analyzes and compares LULC changes across various governorates (provinces) of the Sultanate of Oman from 2016 to 2021 using annual time steps. For the chosen region, multispectral spatiotemporal data were acquired from the open-source Sentinel-2 satellite dataset. Supervised machine learning algorithms were used to train and classify different land covers, such as water bodies, crops, urban, etc. The constructed model was subsequently applied within the study region, allowing for an effective comparative evaluation of LULC changes within the given timeframe.