A watershed is a geographical area with a well-defined boundary that collects and drains rainwater into a single outlet. Within its borders, a watershed includes a range of natural resources, including soil, water, and biomass. For the planning and management of land and water resources at watersheds area, watershed models supported by remote sensing data and a geographic information system (GIS) have proven to be essential research tools. Understanding how human and natural events interact and relate to one another is crucial. With reference to the evaluation of watershed management and land use land cover, remote sensing and geographic information, systems (GIS) can yield reliable data. In this review, paper shows the study of watershed development and land changes. A geographic information system is one that is made to collect, store, and process, evaluate, organize, and display any kind of geographic data. The aim of this research is to study issues related to watershed management and LULC. Morphometric analysis using RS and GIS has been very beneficial for the exploration and management of the watershed and it can handle hydrological problems, such as soil erosion, drought, and floods.
Keywords
LULC, GEE, Landsat-8/9, Morphometric Analysis, DEM, Remote Sensing and GIS.
In today’s watershed management, remote sensing and GIS technologies are essential instruments that provide effective, economical, and accurate methods for data collection, analysis, and decision-making. Through the integration of multi-temporal satellite imagery, spatial analysis, and modeling, these technologies enable comprehensive assessment of watershed characteristics, land use/land cover changes, hydrological modeling, soil erosion risk, flood risk mapping and water resource distribution. The review highlights that RS and GIS not only support better understanding of watershed dynamics but also facilitate the planning and implementation of sustainable management strategies. As technological advancements continue, the incorporation of higher-resolution datasets, real-time monitoring, and machine learning will further enhance the effectiveness of watershed management practices. Over the past decades, the integration of RS and GIS has transformed traditional approaches by enabling precise spatial and temporal analysis of watershed parameters. The review reveals that RS and GIS significantly improve the accuracy of watershed delineation, resource inventory, and impact assessment, supporting data-driven decision making and sustainable resource planning.
References
1. Ali,S.,&Ahmed,N.(2022).Floodriskmappingusingthreshold-basedtechniquesandSVM classification with MIKE SHE. Journal of Hydrology and Remote Sensing, 14(2), 112–124. 2. Banerjee,A.(2020). SAVI-basedhydrologicalmodeling usingsupervised classification and ASTER DEM. Hydrological Processes, 34(18), 3691–3704. 3. Belgiu, M., & Drăguţ, L. (2016). Random forest in remote sensing: A review of applications and future directions. *ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, 114*, 24–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isprsjprs.2016.01.011 4. Belgiu, M., & Drăguț, L. (2016). Random forest in remote sensing: A review of applications and future directions. ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, 114, 24–31. 5. Borah, D. K., & Bhattacharjya, R. K. (2020). Watershed prioritization using remote sensing and GIS-based morphometric analysis. Water Resources Management, 34(2), 695–710. 6. Bose, M. (2011). Flood risk identification using thresholding and random forestwith RUSLE.Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, 11, 3011–3022. 7. Chavez, P. S. (1996). Image-based atmospheric corrections—Revisited and improved. Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing, 62(9), 1025–1036. 8. Choudhary, V. (2021). Object-based watershed prioritization using image differencing and SWAT modeling. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 193(4), 281. 9. Ashiagbor, G., Forkuo, E. K., Laari, P., & Aabeyir, R. (2013). Modeling soil erosion using RUSLE and GIS tools. Int J Remote Sens Geosci, 2(4), 1-17. 10. Das, Dr Bhumika and Kumar, Dr. Deepak, Recent Trends in GIS Applications (May 23, 2015). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2609707 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2609707 11. Dey, T. (2011). Object-based watershed prioritization using thresholding.Applied Water Science, 1(4), 45–57. 12. Gorelick, N., Hancher, M., Dixon, M., Ilyushchenko, S., Thau, D., & Moore, R. (2017). Google Earth Engine: Planetary-scale geospatial analysis for everyone. *Remote Sensing of Environment,202*, 18–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2017.06.031 13. Horton, R. E. (1945). Erosional developmentof streams and their drainage basins. Geological Societyof America Bulletin, 56, 275–370. 14. Jadhav, S. (2015). LULC mapping using SAVI and SVM with ASTER DEM.Journal of Remote Sensing Applications, 49(3), 299–310. 15. Jenson, S. K., & Domingue, J. O. (1988). Extracting topographic structure from digital elevation data for geographic information system analysis. Photogrammetric engineering and remote sensing, 54(11), 1593-1600. 16. Jha,M. K.,Chowdary,V.M., &Chowdhury,A.(2007).Soil erosionassessmentusingRSandGIS: A case study of Eastern Ghats, India. *Hydrological Processes, 21*(3), 258–267. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.6237 17. Jothimani, M. (1997).Monitoring land use and land cover changes using remote sensing techniques.Journal of the Indian Society of Remote Sensing, 25(4), 233–242. 18. Kulkarni,R.(2013).Watershed prioritization using SAVI and random forest with HEC-HMS. Journal of Hydrology, 498, 33–45. 19. Kumar, R. (2010). NDVI-driven hydrological modeling using SWAT and IRS imagery. Journal of Environmental Management, 91(12), 2515–2525. 20. Kumar et.al. (2014).Watershed impact evaluation using remote sensing. Current Science, Vol. 106, No. 10 (25 May 2014),: 1369-1378. 21. Kulshrestha, R. (2011). Watershed prioritization using MODIS data through thresholding and object-based image analysis. International Journal of Watershed Management, 6(2), 89–101. 22. Li, J., Wang, R., & Yang, Z. (2021). Deep learning-based watershed modeling: Current status and future directions. *Environmental Modelling& Software, 144*, 105141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2021.105141 23. Mandal, U. K.,& Pradhan, B. (2020). LULC analysis using remote sensing and decision tree classification. *Journal of Spatial Hydrology, 20*(1), 45–58. 24. Meena, S. R.,& Singh, A. (2018). Object-based image classification for watershed delineation. International Journal of Remote Sensing. 25. Mehta,A.(2024).Flood risk mapping using change vector analysis and RUSLE with ASTERDEM. Natural Hazards, 120(3), 3101–3120. 26. Mishra, S. (2010).NDVI-based flood risk mapping using MODIS data and MLC. Journal of Flood Risk Management, 3(3), 221–230. 27. Mutanga, O., & Kumar, L.(2019).Google Earth Engine applications in remote sensing: A decade of innovation. *Remote Sensing Applications: Society and Environment, 15*, 100267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsase.2019.100267 28. Naik, M. (2025). NDVI-based hydrological modeling using SWAT and ASTER DEM. Journal of Hydrological Sciences, 70(2), 144–160. 29. Pal,M., & ,P.M.(2005).Support vector machines for classification in remote sensing. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 26(5), 1007–1011. 30. Patel,K.(2024). Hydrological modeling using thresholding and random forest with HEC HMS. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 69(1), 55–70. 31. Prajapati, A.,& Kumar, R. (2024). SWAT and MODIS in dynamic watershed modeling. Water Resources Management. 32. Prakash, V.(2017).MODIS-based LULC mappingusingchangevectoranalysisandSVM. Remote Sensing of Environment, 199, 120–133. 33. Pillai, P. (2010). Identification of erosion-prone areas using NDVI and maximum likelihood classification in MIKE SHE modeling. Journal of Hydrology and Remote Sensing, 25(3), 215–228. 34. Reddy,K. (2013). Hydrologicalmodelingusing imagedifferencingandSVMwith MIKESHE. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 17(12), 5001–5015. 35. Renard,K.G.,Foster,G.R.,Weesies,G.A.,McCool,D.K.,&Yoder,D.C.(1997).Predictingsoil erosion by water: A guide to conservation planning with the RUSLE. USDA. 36. Roy, S. (2016). Hydrological modeling using change vector analysis and IRS imagery. HydrogeologyJournal, 24(5), 1121–1134. 37. Saaty, T. L. (2008). Decision making with the analytic hierarchy process.International Journal of Services Sciences, 1(1), 83–98. 38. Sen, A.(2011). SAVI-based hydrological modeling using unsupervised classificationand Sentinel- 2A. Hydrology Research, 42(4), 377–390. 39. Sharma, R. (2018). Land use/land cover mapping using change vector analysis andrandom forest classification. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 39(11), 4032–4050. 40. Sharma, A., Patel, D., & Mehta, R. (2021). Hydrological modeling of watershed processes using geospatial inputs. Journal of Hydrology, 603, 127012. 41. Singh, P. (2014). Flood risk assessment using change vector analysis and unsupervised classification. Environmental Earth Sciences, 71(5), 2221–2235. 42. Singh, S. (1997). S. and MC Singh, “Morphometric Analysis of Kanhar River Basin”, National Geographical. J. of India, 43(1), 31-43. 43. Singh,P.,Gupta,A.,&Singh,M.(2014).Hydrologicalinferencesfromwatershedanalysisforwater resource management using remote sensing and GIS techniques. The Egyptian Journal of Remote Sensing and Space Science, Vol 17, issue (2), pages 111-121. 44. Srivas, S., & Khot, P. G. (2018). GIS-based Computational Tools & Techniques for Multidimensional Data Analysis& Visualization. International Journal of Applied Engineering Research ISSN 0973-4562 Volume 13, Number 15 (2018) pp. 11770-11775 45. Srivastava, P., Mitra, G., & Singh, S. (2002). Watershed prioritization using morphometric analysis and GIS. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 57(3), 179–184. 46. Strahler, A. N. (1964). Quantitative geomorphology of drainage basins and channel networks. In V. T. Chow (Ed.),Hand book of applied hydrology (pp. 439–476). McGraw-Hill. 47. Verma,L.(2021).Land use land cover change detection using image differencing and SVM. GIScience & Remote Sensing, 58(5), 680–697. 48. Yadav,A.(2021).SVM-based watershed prioritization using DEM derived morphometric parameters. Environmental Earth Sciences, 80(6), 251.
📋 How to Cite This Paper
Robin S. Athawale, Dr. Nitin P. Patil, Prof Dr. Bharti W. Gawali (2026). A REVIEW ON: INTEGRATED WATERSHED MANAGEMENT USING REMOTE SENSING AND GIS. International Journal of Computer Science Engineering Techniques, 10(4), 119–138. ISSN: 2455-135X. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22147060