Land cover mapping over Mato Grosso State using Modis Sensor multitemporal data

Abstract

On the last decades, the remote sensing became an important source of information to monitor the natural resources of the planet, due to its possibility to acquire data over large regions. The images derived from remote sensing instruments are an excellent source of data to produce land cover and vegetation maps. Recent estimates of changes occurring in the land cover point to the agricultural intensification, deforestation in the tropic, pasturelands expansion, and urbanization as the currently main forces. So, it is unquestionable the importance of developing an accurate map of the different vegetation formations, as base for conservation studies, and studies that involve global change, such as climate change and carbon and hydrological balance. The main objective of this paper is to present a methodological approach to land cover mapping using MODIS multitemporal sensor data. The map generated in this research presents the classification of different vegetation classes, anthropic areas and soybean cultivation areas, over the Mato Grosso State. Keywords: Land cover mapping; Remote Sensing; MODIS sensor; Mato Grosso State.