Detection of land use/land cover changes for the northern part of the Nile delta (Burullus region), Egypt

The monitoring of land use/land cover changes along the north part of the Nile delta, Egypt is very important for the planner, management, governmental and non-governmental organizations and the scientific community. This information is essential for planning and implementing policies to optimize the use of natural resources and accommodate development whilst minimizing the impact on the environment. To study these changes along the study area, two sets of Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data were used. TM data are useful for this type of study due to its high spatial resolution, spectral resolution and low repetitive acquisition (16 days). A post-classification technique is used in this study based on hybrid classification (unsupervised and supervised). Each method used was assessed, and checked in field. Nine land use/land cover classes are produced. The overall accuracy for a 1984 image is 78% and for a 1997 image is 80%. The objective of this study was to detect land use/land cover changes, and to assess the nature of future change following construction of the international coastal road which crosses the study area.