Use of geo-spatial information and technologies for analyzing morphological changes in the Greater Visakhapatnam coastal region, east coast of India

The objective of this study was to investigate the land use/land cover, landforms, shoreline and coastal regulation zone (CRZ) changes of Greater Visakhapatnam coastal region using Indian Remote Sensing-IRS P6 (Resourcesat-I) satellite data and collateral information. Prominent changes have been observed during the past 30 years through land use/land cover analyzes which clearly indicate that the coastal regulatory zones have altered in respect of both natural and anthropogenic activities. Various geomorphic units were identified and confirmed with appropriate field work. Significant changes have been recognized in the shoreline map, which denote that the area of erosional shoreline is larger than the accretional and stable prone shoreline. The availability of high resolution data has helped to prepare large-scale maps for implementation of CRZ measures. The results were promising and suggest that the modern geo-spatial information and technological tools are extremely helpful for conducting coastal morphological studies.