International Journal of Research Studies in Agricultural Sciences
Volume-1 Issue-3, 2015, Page No: 17-20
Land Capability Classification using Geographical Information
System in Guang Watershed, Highlands of Ethiopia
Gizachew Ayalew
Faculty of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
Debre Tabor University, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia
Citation : Gizachew Ayalew, Land Capability Classification using Geographical Information
System in Guang Watershed, Highlands of Ethiopia International Journal of Research Studies in Agricultural Sciences . 2015;1(3):17-20.
Abstract
The main objective of this study was to spatially classify lands of Guang watershed, Ethiopia based
on their capability for sustainable use by USDA criteria. Land use land cover was determined from LANDSAT
satellite image by applying supervised classification method in ENVI 5.0 software. Digital Elevation Model
(DEM) data of 30 m resolution was used to derive slope. “Spatial Analyst Tool Extract by Mask” in GIS
environment was used to obtain soil depth and soil texture map of the watershed from Amhara regional digital
soil map. Intersect overlay analysis method was applied to obtain the spatial and attribute information of all the
input parameters using Geographical Information System (GIS) 10.1 soft ware. The study demonstrates that
GIS provide advantage to analyze multi-layer of data spatially and classify land based on its capability. The
study revealed that 1,540 ha (61.6%), 442.25 ha (17.69%) and 518 ha (20.52%) of the watershed was
categorized in the range of land classes I to IV, V to VII and VIII, respectively. It was observed that present
land use land cover was not as per the capability of the land.