Application of geospatial information system for mapping and management of natural resources - a review

Management of available natural resources is of utmost importance for the economic prosperity of any region. Use of Geospatial Information System provides very useful information about available natural resources in space and time. Important policy decisions can be taken on the basis of such information. Remote sensing provides important information on land use and land cover, vegetation, soil, morphology and water resources of any region. Using various models, different layers/scenarios can be created for the planning. Geospatial Information System can be used for the real-time mapping of wastelands, sodic and acidic lands, crop acreage, estimation of crop yield, degraded lands, groundwater, runoff potential, Indelineation of watersheds etc. This tool very important for providing information from inaccessible areas and real-time monitoring of intervention undertaken in any area. The present paper provides details of these methodologies and features of Geospatial Information System.