Investigating the Land Use Changes in the City of Rasht Using Satellite Image Analysis

Considering the extensive changes in land use and the necessity of providing awareness to managers and planners about the nature of these transformations for policy-making and problem-solving, the detection of land use changes through land cover analysis has become essential. Therefore, land use mapping is a requirement for any national and regional development planning. It empowers managers, planners, and experts to design and implement necessary actions by identifying current conditions, comparing capabilities and potentials, and addressing current and future needs and issues. Due to the high costs associated with traditional manual methods of land use mapping, remote sensing can offer engineers a faster and more accurate means for land use mapping and subsequent assessment of changes in an area. The present research aimed to investigate the land use changes in the city of Rasht from 1990 to 2020 using Landsat satellite images. Data analysis was conducted using Google Earth Engine, and the results were further analyzed and visualized using ArcGIS software. The findings indicated that over the 30-year study period, the percentage of forest and agricultural land decreased, while built-up areas, croplands, and pastures increased. The highest increase was observed in residential (urban and rural) land use, encompassing 8,080 hectares, followed by a 12,690-hectare expansion in pastureland.