MONITORING AGRICULTURAL AND VEGETATION COVER OF THE WEST BANK, PALESTINE USING REMOTE SENSING AND GIS TECHNOLOGY
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Date
2025-10-27
Authors
مها جميل عبد الكريم مسامح
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Publisher
جامعة النجاح الوطنية
Abstract
Studying land cover and land use in the West Bank using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) is essential for monitoring spatial changes over time, especially given the restrictions imposed by the Israeli occupation. This study uses satellite imagery from 2001 and 2021 to assess land cover changes, focusing on vegetation and agricultural areas. It aims to provide valuable insights for ministries and specialists. The study area is divided into three main regions: the mountainous highlands, the Jordan Valley, and the coastal plain. Satellite images from Landsat 7 (ETM+) and Landsat 8 (OLI), dated June 25, 2001, and June 24, 2021, were analyzed. Fourteen land cover categories were defined to represent the study area, with rocky terrain and quarries combined due to similar spectral characteristics. A supervised classification using the maximum likelihood method achieved high accuracy—90.5% for 2001 and 94% for 2021. The Kappa coefficients were 83.13% and 86.66%, confirming strong classification reliability. The findings show no significant increase in agricultural land between 2001 and 2021. However, data from the Ministry of Local Government suggest that some lands could be restored and cultivated based on agricultural classifications. The average Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) for 2021 was 0.11, similar to 2001 values. These results highlight the importance of continued monitoring of land cover and land use in the West Bank to preserve vegetation, reclaim soil, and protect agricultural lands from encroachment by Israeli.