Mapping of Surface Water Bodies in Punjab and High Resolution of Remote Sensing Data

Abstract

This study is an attempt to create boundary of Punjab state and surface water bodies map from NATMO atlas map, SOI map, Landsat-8 data and Google Earth image using GIS software. It has also compared the variation in status which is extracted from the data or image of various scale or resolution. According to NATMO data, the water bodies in Punjab are 1476. 109km2 (excluding canals), according to Landsat-8 are 2844.55 km2 (including canals), according to SOI are 764.93 km2 and according to Google earth are 141.06 km2. Variation in the status of the area and length of surface water bodies is due to the scale and resolution of images. High resolution image is capable of creating precise boundaries. The purpose of this study was to create precise boundaries of the state and water bodies. Management of water bodies calls for generation of multiple inventories and demarcation of precise boundary is one of the inventories. This study also suggests the Map making organisations to revise their maps by using recent geospatial technologies.