Soil use and occupation in Caracol Settlement: a multitemporal assessment using remote sensing and geoprocessing techniques

Abstract

This study focused on the application of remote sensing and geoprocessing techniques to quantify the agroecological use of Caracol settlement area in order to quantify the vegetated areas, as well as the use and occupation of the soil in the years 2000, 2010 and 2020, in the months of May of each year. To achieve the objectives, computational tools (Quantum GIS software) were used, as well as data from Landsat 5 and 8 satellites, bands 3 and 4, 4 and 5 respectively. Vector data from the database of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), a Digital Elevation Model (DEM), from the United States Geological Survey (USGS/NASA) for evaluation of the watersheds were also used. For vegetation analysis, as well as temporal evolution, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was used, with this it was possible to evaluate by means of thematic maps and tables containing the quantification and classification of vegetation and soil cover. It was evident in the present study that there were significant changes in the vegetation landscape over two decades, through anthropic activity by settled families, that were responsible for such changes in the use and soil cover of Caracol settlement.