Abstract
Geospatial analysis of land use and land cover (LULC) changes is crucial for understanding the dynamics of urban development and its impacts on the environment. This study presents an integrated approach utilizing Re-mote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to detect and analyze LULC changes over the past 40 years in the Amman Zarqa Basin in Jordan. The study employed satellite imagery from multiple sensors, including Landsat and Sentinel, covering a span of four decades (1980-2020). LULC classifications were performed using supervised and unsupervised classification methods, considering a range of LULC categories relevant to the study area. The results revealed significant LULC changes in the Basin over the study period. Urban expansion was found to be the dominant driver of land transformation, leading to the conversion of agricultural land, soil, and open spaces into built-up areas. The urban growth rate exhibited an accelerating trend, particularly during the past two decades, reflecting rapid population growth and urbanization in the region. Ground truthing technique was used to validate the results using 200 points distributed over the basin, the confusion matrix ranges from 79 to 85%, which reveals high accuracy. This research serves as a foundation for future studies on urban growth, land management, and environmental impact assessments, supporting sustainable development in the Amman Zarqa Basin and similar regions facing rapid urbanization.
