Spatial-Temporal Mapping and Delineating of Agulu Lake Using Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Science for Sustainable Development †.

Water is a crucial component of ecosystems and a critical resource that cannot be replaced for social progress or human life. In this study, Agulu Lake, an inland water body located in Anambra, southeast Nigeria, was mapped, classified, and delineated with remotely sensed data so as to monitor the spatial-temporal changes that occurred in the lake's surface water every 15 years, in 1985, 2000, and 2015, in order to achieve sustainable development by 2030. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations emphasize the need to manage the marine environment. Some of the goals of the SDGs have some connection to open surface water, but goal 6a and indicator 6.6.1 are significant to this study. The study adopted Landsat 5 TM (1985), ETM+ (2000), Landsat 8 OLI (2015), ArcGIS 10.5 software, and the maximum likelihood classifier to create various classification maps. The Google Earth image (2015) was also used to show the general overview of Agulu Lake and its environs. The findings demonstrate that during the study period, the land surface class grew while the water surface class (Agulu Lake) shrank. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]