Remote Sensing and GIS Based Ground Water Potential Mapping of Kangshabati Irrigation Command Area, West Bengal

Abstract

The Remote Sensing and GIS tools have opened new paths in land and water resource studies, presently. Satellite images are increasingly used in ground water exploration because of their utility in identifying various geomorphic features. In the present study, all the prepared thematic data layers such as slope, relief, soil, geology, geomorphology, drainage, land use and ‘NDVI’ are integrated using the Spatial Analyst Tool in Arc GIS 9.2 implying weighted overlay methods to delineate the Ground Water Potential Zones in Kangshabati Irrigation Command Area (KICA). In weighted overlay analysis rank value assigned for each class of all thematic data layers according to their influence on ground water hydrology and factor weighted values are assigned according to analytical hierarchy process (AHP). Finally, an accuracy study is being performed in ERDAS Imagine Software by ground truth verification of 30 training sites with GPS readings for major land use/ land cover information which states the overall classification accuracy of the present study is 86.66%.