Monitoring and Forecasting of Spatiotemporal Changes in Land Use and the Growth of Kermanshah Township Using Remote Sensing and the CA-Markov Model

In this study, land use changes in Kermanshah Township in altitude classes and the city's growth in geographical directions were investigated and predicted on a time scale of 1987-2047 using remote sensing data and a CA-Markov model. The analysis of land use change results shows that urban and agricultural areas have increased, while vegetation and barren lands have decreased. Most of these changes have occurred at altitudes ranging from 1042 to 1587 meters, and this process of changes will continue until 2032–2047. Also, the investigation of the impact of city growth on land use changes shows that due to the large growth of the city in the north and northeast directions, land destruction will occur in urban areas in these directions more than in other areas. This trend can be seen both in the evaluation period (1987–2017) and the forecast period (2017–2047).