Mapping of Potential areas for Wet Rice Cultivation in Mizoram
The Mapping of Potential Areas for Wet Rice Cultivation in Mizoram using Remote Sensing and GIS was undertaken as an in-house project by the Mizoram Remote Sensing Application Centre (MRSAC) under the Science & Technology, Planning Department, Government of Mizoram, and completed in 2008. The study was initiated to address the limited availability of level and gently sloping land suitable for wet rice cultivation in Mizoram’s predominantly mountainous terrain and to provide reliable spatial information for strengthening food-production planning. The project covered the entire State of Mizoram and examined all eight districts. Its main objective was to identify, delineate and digitally map potential wet rice cultivation areas, together with supporting thematic information on slope and land use/land cover. The study used IRS-1D LISS-III satellite imagery with 23.5-metre spatial resolution, Survey of India topographic sheets at 1:50,000 scale, ancillary records and field observations. Image processing and interpretation were carried out using ERDAS Imagine, while spatial integration, analysis and map preparation were undertaken through ARC/INFO GIS. Field verification, handheld GPS observations and local information from Village Councils were used to validate doubtful or inaccessible locations. The outputs were designed primarily for the Agriculture Department, Minor Irrigation Department, district planning authorities and other development agencies involved in land development, irrigation and agricultural infrastructure. The district-wise and statewide maps provide a common scientific reference for identifying priority valleys, river plains and foothill areas where wet rice cultivation and irrigation development may be feasible. The report and digital database are useful for planning new irrigation schemes, improving existing wet rice areas, assessing accessibility and infrastructure requirements, prioritizing field investigations and preparing area-specific agricultural programmes. They also provide a baseline for future updating with higher-resolution satellite data. Overall, the project demonstrates how Remote Sensing, GIS and ground verification can support more objective, efficient and location-specific planning for enhancing rice production and improving food security in Mizoram. Summarize Metadata Mapping Scale: 1:50,000 Satellite data & Year: IRS 1D – LISS III (2006) Study area: Mizoram Collaborating/Funding Agency: Mizoram Remote Sensing Application Centre No. of Report(s) published: 1 Project Period: 2007 – 2008
Mapping and Growing Stock Assessment of Bamboo in Mizoram
The Mapping and Growing Stock Assessment of Bamboo in Mizoram was undertaken by the Mizoram Remote Sensing Application Centre (MIRSAC) in collaboration with and under the sponsorship of the Environment & Forest Department, Government of Mizoram. The project was conceived to generate a reliable, spatially referenced assessment of Mizoram’s extensive bamboo resources and to support their sustainable management, particularly in the context of the State’s cyclical gregarious bamboo flowering, which reached its peak during 2006–2007. The project was executed in two complementary phases. The first phase represented the pre-flowering period assessment, using a three-date satellite time series of IRS-1D LISS-III imagery from 2003, 2005 and 2006, together with PAN data, Survey of India topographic maps, existing forest-resource information and intensive field sampling. Remote Sensing and GIS techniques were used to delineate bamboo cover, classify it into Pure, Mixed and Young bamboo, and develop district-, watershed- and forest-division-wise information on area, culm density and growing stock. The second phase, undertaken after the major flowering event, focused on post-flowering regeneration and future growing-stock assessment using 2008 IRS-1D LISS-III satellite imagery acquired from NRSC, Hyderabad. Regenerating bamboo areas were mapped and verified through systematic field sampling of young bamboo stands, and the observations were used to estimate the likely growing stock as the regenerated bamboo reaches maturity. Together, the two phases provide an important temporal record of bamboo resources before and after the flowering cycle. The resulting bamboo maps, spatial databases, regeneration information and growing-stock estimates are valuable for the Environment & Forest Department, Bamboo Development agencies, planners, researchers, industries and rural development institutions. They support bamboo conservation, plantation planning, sustainable harvesting, raw-material assessment, forest management, industrial development and future monitoring of regeneration across Mizoram. Summarize Metadata Mapping Scale: 1:50,000 Satellite data & Year: IRS 1D LISS III (2003, 2005, 2006, 2008), IRS 1D PAN (2003). Study area: Mizoram Collaborating/Funding Agency: Environment & Forest Department, Government of Mizoram. No. of Report(s) published: 2 Project Period: 2007 – 2009
Digital Mapping of Village Boundary of Mizoram
The Digital Mapping of Village Boundary of Mizoram using Remote Sensing and GIS was undertaken as an in-house project by the Mizoram Remote Sensing Application Centre (MRSAC) under the Science & Technology, Planning Department, Government of Mizoram. The project was developed to address the need for accurate and standardized village boundaries for micro-level planning, administrative management and equitable implementation of development programmes across the State. The study covered the entire geographical area of Mizoram, including all eight districts and the village jurisdictions administered through the State Government and the Lai, Mara and Chakma Autonomous District Councils. The principal objective was to prepare a comprehensive digital village-boundary database that could be maintained, updated and used by MRSAC and other government departments for future planning and administrative purposes. The project integrated IRS-1D LISS-III satellite imagery, Survey of India topographic sheets at 1:50,000 scale, departmental land records, field observations and local administrative information. Satellite data were geometrically corrected and interpreted using ERDAS Imagine, while digitization, database preparation and spatial analysis were undertaken in ARC/INFO GIS. Field verification, handheld GPS observations and consultations with Village Councils and local communities were used to resolve doubtful or inaccessible boundary sections. Institutional collaboration formed an important component of the project. The Land Revenue & Settlement Department, Local Administration Department, local administrative offices and the three Autonomous District Councils provided preliminary records and jurisdictional information required for validation. Existing departmental maps were compared with satellite-derived information, enabling anomalies and inconsistencies in village boundaries to be identified and corrected. The resulting digital maps and associated spatial and non-spatial database provide a reliable reference for village-level administration and development planning. The outputs can support rural infrastructure development, land-use planning, resource allocation, census and socio-economic analysis, watershed and natural resource management, implementation of area-specific schemes and coordination among government departments. By presenting village locations, extents and administrative relationships in an accessible digital format, the project created an important baseline for decentralized planning in Mizoram. The maps and report remain valuable to planners, administrators, researchers, development agencies and user departments requiring accurate village-level spatial information for evidence-based decision-making. Summarize Metadata Mapping Scale: 1:50,000 Satellite data & Year: IRS 1D – LISS III (2006) Study area: Mizoram Collaborating/Funding Agency: Science, Technology & Environment Wing, Planning Department, Government of Mizoram No. of Report(s) published: 1 Project Period: 2006 - 2008
Mapping of Forest Administrative Boundary of Mizoram
The Mapping of Forest Administrative Boundary of Mizoram using Remote Sensing and GIS was undertaken as an in-house project of the Mizoram Remote Sensing Application Centre (MRSAC) under the Science & Technology, Planning Department, Government of Mizoram, and was included in the Centre's Annual Plan for 2007–08. The project was conceived in recognition of the critical ecological and socio-economic importance of Mizoram's forests and the need for an accurate, standardized, and spatially referenced delineation of the administrative framework responsible for their conservation, management, and sustainable utilization. The primary objective was to prepare comprehensive digital Forest Administrative Boundary maps of Mizoram, covering the hierarchical administrative units of the Forest Department, from Forest Divisions and Wildlife Divisions to Forest Ranges and other relevant administrative units. The project covered the entire State of Mizoram, an area of approximately 21,087 sq. km, characterized by predominantly hilly terrain and extensive forest resources. The mapping also incorporated important protected and conservation areas, including Murlen National Park, Khawnglung, Thorang, Tawi and Lengteng Wildlife Sanctuaries, Zoological Park, Dampa Tiger Reserve, and forest areas administered by the Lai, Mara and Chakma Autonomous District Councils. The project integrated IRS-1D LISS-III satellite imagery with 23.5 m spatial resolution, Survey of India topographic sheets at 1:50,000 scale, departmental records, collateral information, and ground data. Satellite imagery and existing Forest Department records were compared and integrated using Remote Sensing, GIS, digital image processing, digitization, and cartographic techniques. This approach enabled inconsistencies and anomalies in existing boundary information to be identified and corrected, while providing a systematic means of updating and standardizing the spatial representation of forest administrative units. The resulting maps were prepared at appropriate scales for different administrative areas, with important spatial and non-spatial attributes embedded within the digital database. The project involved close coordination with the Environment & Forest Department, Government of Mizoram, whose officers and staff provided preliminary administrative information and departmental records. Inputs were also obtained from the Forest Divisions and staff of the three Autonomous District Councils—Lai Autonomous District Council (LADC), Mara Autonomous District Council (MADC), and Chakma Autonomous District Council (CADC). This institutional collaboration was essential for validating existing administrative information and ensuring that the resulting geospatial products reflected the operational framework of forest administration in the State. The principal outcome was a comprehensive set of illustrated Forest Administrative Boundary maps and a digital GIS database covering the State's forest administrative structure. These outputs provide a reliable spatial reference for the Environment & Forest Department, forest managers, planners, researchers, and other government agencies. The database can support forest resource conservation, monitoring, sustainable utilization, working-plan preparation, field-level administration, infrastructure planning, and area-specific development programmes. It also provides an effective framework for integrating forest administrative boundaries with other geospatial datasets, including forest cover, land use, biodiversity, protected areas, watersheds, roads, settlements, and other natural resource information. Overall, the project demonstrated the value of Remote Sensing and GIS as cost-effective and efficient tools for demarcating, updating, and managing complex administrative boundaries in a forested and mountainous landscape. The resulting maps, digital datasets, and associated report constitute an important baseline reference for systematic forest administration and provide a foundation for improved coordination, monitoring, planning, and sustainable management of Mizoram's valuable forest resources. Summarize Metadata Mapping Scale: 1:50,000 Satellite data & Year: IRS 1D LISS III (2006) Study area: Mizoram Collaborating/Funding Agency: Mizoram Remote Sensing Application Centre No. of Report(s) published: 1 Project Period: 2006 - 2008
Tiger Habitat Analysis in Dampa Tiger Reserve, Mizoram
The project “Tiger Habitat Analysis in Dampa Tiger Reserve, Mizoram using Remote Sensing and GIS” was undertaken to evaluate the condition and suitability of tiger habitat within Dampa Tiger Reserve and its surrounding landscape, and to support scientific conservation and management planning through geospatial technologies. The study was carried out in close association with Northeastern Space Application Centre (NESAC) and Environment & Forest Department, Government of Mizoram, which provided reserve boundaries, wildlife census information and other field-level data required for analysis. The main objectives were to prepare an inventory of vegetation types, forest density and water bodies, assess long-term habitat changes, characterize suitable tiger habitat, identify possible habitat and corridor areas outside the reserve, and create a digital database for future management. The project employed a multi-temporal Remote Sensing and GIS approach using Landsat MSS data from 1978, Landsat TM data from 1989, IRS-1D LISS-III and PAN data, and IRS-P6 LISS-III imagery from 2005, supported by topographic information, socio-economic data from surrounding villages and field verification. GIS-based spatial modelling integrated vegetation type, forest density, slope, aspect, elevation, proximity to water and observed tiger pug-mark locations to develop a tiger habitat suitability model and map. The surrounding buffer area was also examined to evaluate habitat continuity and potential corridors beyond the reserve boundary. The importance of the study lies in its ability to link wildlife observations with measurable landscape characteristics and long-term vegetation change. The report identifies degradation and fragmentation of closed evergreen and semi-evergreen forests, largely associated with shifting cultivation and other biotic pressures, as important threats to tiger habitat quality. The resulting habitat suitability maps, vegetation and forest-density datasets, change-analysis outputs and digital GIS database provide valuable baseline information for the Forest Department, wildlife managers, conservation planners and researchers. These outputs can support habitat restoration, monitoring of forest degradation, management of buffer zones, identification of wildlife corridors, prioritization of conservation interventions and periodic assessment of habitat change, thereby strengthening long-term conservation planning for Dampa Tiger Reserve and its surrounding landscape. Summarize Metadata Mapping Scale: 1:50,000 Satellite data & Year: Landsat MSS (1978), Landsat TM (1989), IRS 1D LISS III (1999), IRS 1D PAN (2003), IRS P6 LISS-III (2005). Study area: Dampa Tiger Reserve Collaborating/Funding Agency: North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC) & Environment & Forest Department, Government of Mizoram. No. of Report(s) published: 1 Project Period: 2005 – 2008