CONCLUSION

Multi resolution spatial data acquired through satellite borne sensors provided vital inputs of land use and land cover in Bellary, Tier II city in Karnataka, India.  Analysis  reveals that urbanization  is in progress but neither uniform in space nor planned , Land use analysis show an increase of urban area from 2.12% (1973) to 7.42% (in 2010) in and around Bellary. The present land-use is predominantly cultivation or agriculture and open area.  Shannon entropy illustrated the tendency of urban sprawl in and around the periphery and buffer zones. Further the zonal approach with gradients supplemented with landscape metrics brought out the fact that during the past four decades the center of the city is forming a clumped urban patch, while the periphery and the buffer regions are experiencing dispersed growth or sprawl.  The judicious use of land by checking the haphazard growth of urbanization is imperative to maintain he environmental quality and health in the region. . Spatial models provide vital inputs for the decision makers and city planners to visualize and plan a sustainable management strategies.

Acknowledgement

We are grateful to NRDMS Division, The Ministry of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India and Centre for infrastructure, Sustainable Transportation and Urban Planning (CiSTUP), Indian Institute of Science for the financial and infrastructure support.