The use of Remote Sensing applications for determining the vegetation decline resulting from the urban sprawl and reducing its environmental impacts in Daraya District in the Damascus Countryside

Abstract

The integration of remote sensing technologies with geographic information systems results in advanced research tools and purpose maps that help in

studying, evaluating and monitoring changes in natural resources. The analysis and evaluation of the data and information from these maps helps to better understand the current state of urban expansion in these areas, and thus suggest more realistic scenarios for planning these areas in an urban manner that is safer and more sustainable. The scientific importance of this research lies in determining the percentage of vegetation cover decline in the Daraya area in the Damascus countryside, by taking advantage of this technical integration in drawing urban sprawl maps for the studied area, and thus showing the extent of the spread of this sprawl based on both the natural change index of vegetation cover and the natural change index of urban growth. The current results show the expansion of the urban area compared to the decline in the area of agricultural land in the studied area, and the impact of this expansion on the increase of disasters and hazards that threaten the safety of the environment and food security in the Daraya region and its surrounding areas.