




































In ternationa l
Scholars
Journa ls

 

African Journal of Environmental Economics and Management ISSN 2375-0707 Vol. 3 (1), pp. 210-217, 
January, 2015. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals 

 

Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. 

 

Full Length Research Paper 
  

A study of the development of vegetation type map 
using visual image interpretation technique  

 

Shankar Patel1, Acharya Patnaik1, Omkar Sanjeev Ashok2 and Gulati Goyal Goswami2  
 

1
Department of Crop Improvement, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Lingaya's University, Faridabad, Haryana, India. 

2
School of Natural Resource Management, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa, Delhi, India. 

 

Accepted 02 October 2014 
 

Rajasthan, the largest state of India has a geographic area of 342,239 km
2
; shows great variation in climate and 

vegetation. In the present study, vegetation types and land use of Rajasthan were mapped using multi-season IRS 
P6 LISS III data. Visual image interpretation technique was adopted in mapping the heterogeneity of land cover 
classes at 1:50,000 scale. Georeferenced phytosociological information was also used to delineate different 
vegetation formations. Altogether 26 vegetation type classes were mapped in the study region. The vegetation 
cover occupies 16.78% of the geographical area of the State. Of the total vegetation cover, forest area is 
contributing 4.71% of the geographical area. The main forest types of Rajasthan includes Dry Deciduous forest, 
Thorn forest, Broad leaved hill forest, Dhauk forest, Teak mixed forest and Riverine forest. The vegetation type map 
prepared provides a key input for biodiversity understanding at landscape level. 

  

Keywords: Remote sensing, Rajasthan, visual interpretation, vegetation types.

 
INTRODUCTION 
 

The vegetation is one of the invaluable natural resources 
which changes spatio-temporally in its extent and 
distribution. Hence, reliable information on the extent and 
distribution of vegetation types is pre-requisite for natural 
resource management and planning. More recently, 
knowledge of the vegetation types is becoming 
increasingly critical to assess and monitor the potential 
vulnerability of natural ecosystems due to human induced 
global environment change. The difficulty of mapping 
spatial pattern in vegetation types largely depends on the 
level and scale of biodiversity under investigation. In this 
direction, the use of remote sensing and geographic 
information systems (GIS) for mapping vegetation 
systems has proved helpful and expanded considerably 
in recent years (Madden, 2004).  

Remote sensing technologies offer various tools which 
can detect, map, and monitor the natural resources 
ranging from global to micro levels. Mapping scale and 
spatial resolution are the most important parameters to 
evaluate when selecting satellite remote sensing data. If 
vegetation mapping is from regional scale to continental 
 
 
 

 
*Corresponding Author Email: shankar_patel@gmail.com 

 
 
 
 

scale MODIS and AVHRR satellite image data with pixel 
sizes ranging from 250m to 1,000 m are found to be 
appropriate. Many global initiatives, such as MODIS Land 
cover estimation, Food and Agriculture Organization 
(FAO) assessments, Global Land Cover Facility (GLCF) 
give estimation of forest cover with coarse resolution data 
which may not fulfill the requirement of planners and 
ecologists (Hansen et al., 2000; Lotsch et al., 2003). But 
for mapping and identification of habitats with different 
mixed vegetation types, single species dominated 
systems, locale specific formations and degraded types, 
the spatial resolution of 20-30 m are more appropriate; 
and thus, important for landscape scale studies of 
vegetation mapping (Singh et al., 2002). Vegetation 
mapping utilizes both qualitative and quantitative data 
collection techniques in order to create a database 
containing the spatial location and attribute table 
information of the plants (Hasmadi et al., 2009).  

Mapping of vegetation types with sole use of digital 
image classification techniques and single season 
satellite data is difficult in tropical forests. A common 
problem is that the varied land cover formations and 
illumination angle changes over small areas may result in 
spectral confusion. Also, the human disturbance and 
edaphic conditions induces seral vegetation stages and 
locale specific types which can create spectral confusion 



Shankar et al.           210 
 
 

 
(Helmer, 2000). As the vegetation types in tropical part of 
India represents diverse formations, on screen visual 
image interpretation approach was found to be suitable to 
delineate various vegetation types (Singh et al., 2005; 
Reddy et al., 2008; Reddy et al., 2009).  

In the present study, IRS P6 LISS III data which is 
having spatial resolution 23.5 m was used to generate 
baseline information of vegetation types of Rajasthan, 
India. The objective of the present study was to develop 
detailed vegetation type map using visual image 
interpretation technique supplemented by information 
collected from phytosociological surveys. 
 

 
Study Area 

 
Rajasthan is the largest State in India, occupying an area 

of about 3,42,239 km
2
 nearly about 11 percent of the total 

geographical area (TGA) of India, and lies between 
23º30´ and 30º 12’ North latitude and 69º 30’ and 78º 17’ 
East longitude. Rajasthan is bordered by Pakistan in the 
west and northwest, the Indian States of Punjab, Uttar 
Pradesh and Haryana lie in the north and northeast, 
Madhya Pradesh in the southeast and Gujarat in the 
southwest. Administratively, Rajasthan is divided into 33 
districts (Ajmer, Alwar, Banswara, Baran, Barmer, 
Bharatpur, Bhilwara, Bikaner, Bundi, Chittorgarh, Churu, 
Dausa, Dholpur, Dungarpur, Hanumangarh, Jaipur, 
Jaisalmer, Jalore, Jhalawar, Jhunjhunu, Jodhpur, Karauli, 
Kota , Nagaur, Pali, Pratapgarh, Rajsamand, Sawai 
Madhopur, Sikar, Sirohi, Sri Ganganagar, Tonk and 
Udaipur).  

Rajasthan is a unique State which shows great 
variation from one area to another and is noticeable in 
respect of climate, altitude and vegetation. Rajasthan has 
three major physiographic regions, viz. the western 
desert (Thar Desert), the Aravalli hills and the south-
eastern plateau. The most striking geographical feature is 
the Aravalli range - the oldest folded mountain range in 
the world, which intersects the State diagonally end to 
end north-east to south-west into three-fifth north-western 
desertic zone and two-fifth eastern semi-arid region. The 
elevation of Aravalli range gradually decreases in north-
east direction, as it is 1,772 m at Mt. Abu (Gurushikar), 
1100 m at Bijapur, 913 m at Harshanath and 792 m at 
Khetri; the elevation further decreases to 335 m at Delhi 
beyond the boundaries of the State in north-east 

direction. The total forest area of the State is 16,036 km
2
, 

which occupies 4.69% of the total geographical area (FSI, 
2009).  

The population of the Rajasthan is 56.61 million 
(Census, 2001). The State experiences varied climatic 
conditions ranging from extreme aridity in the 
northwestern parts (Jaisalmer) to sub-humid conditions in 
the southern parts (Jhalawar, Banswara and Mount Abu). 
However, most of the State (94%) falls under arid and 
semi-arid conditions with low and erratic rainfall patterns. 

 
 
 

 
Pre-monsoon season , the hottest period, extends from 
April to June with temperatures ranging from 32

o
C to 

45
o
C. The winter season is from January to March and 

temperature may drop to 0
o
C in some cities of Rajasthan, 

such as Churu. 
 
 
Materials and Methods 
 
The entire State of Rajasthan has been covered in 36 scenes of 
IRS P6 LISS III data. The multi-season data was chosen for optimal 
discrimination of various vegetation types. Ortho-rectified Landsat 
ETM+ datasets were downloaded from GLCF website 
(http://glcf.umiacs.umd.edu/). All the scenes were acquired and 
geometrically corrected with reference to Landsat ETM+ satellite 
data. The planimetric accuracy standards of ≤ 1 pixel error were 
achieved for all the scenes. The False Colour Composite (FCC) 
mosaic of IRS- P6 LISS-III data for the entire state of Rajasthan is 
shown in Figure 1. Landsat ETM+ (2001) and IRS P6 AWiFS (2008) 
datasets were also used for reference. The ancillary data of Survey 
of India toposheets on 1:50,000 scale and spatial datasets of 
Elevation data (from Shuttle Radar Topography Mission), DCW 
(Digital Chart of World), village location and road network was used 
in the study. 

 
Classification Scheme 
 
The vegetation delineation depends on spatial, spectral and 
temporal resolution of the satellite sensor on one hand and the 
spatial extent and degree of homogeneity of the species 
assemblages on the other hand. The forest class is subdivided into 
mixed species forest types, gregarious species forest types, locale 
specific types, degraded types based on composition and location 
specific distribution controlled by physiographic, edaphic and 
disturbance conditions. The sub classification under these classes 
was made based on phenology, physiognomy and dominant 
compositional patterns following the principles of Indian forest type 
classification developed by Champion and Seth (1968). Grasslands 
are primarily classified based on climatic, edaphic and species 
associations. The classification scheme of Dabadghao and 
Shankarnarayan (1973) was utilised with certain modifications.  

Visual interpretation of the vegetation types was carried out and 
different classes were interpreted using on screen digitization 
method. The interpreted product was further collaborated with 
ground truth information and phytosociological data. The interpreted 
vector layers of each district were mosaiced and the edge contrast 
and other inconsistencies were harmonized. Likewise, for all the 33 
districts of Rajasthan, vegetation type maps were prepared on 
1:50,000 scale. The vegetation type map of Rajasthan thus 
prepared is estimated to have an overall mapping accuracy of 89%. 

 
Field study 
 
Field surveys were undertaken to get acquainted with the general 
patterns of vegetation types of the study area. Major vegetation 
types and important localities of characteristic types were recorded. 
The variation and tonal patterns were observed on IRS P6 LISS III 
images. Stratified random sampling in the various vegetation types, 
further helps in classifying them up to community level. 
Phytosociological sample plot data of 1800 points were utilized in 
the study. To facilitate the on-screen visual interpretation, some 
site-specific vegetation types were identified and image chips were 
extracted from corresponding IRS P6 LISS-III scenes. All the 
unique image templates along with field information and 
photographs were made as geospatially referenced database for 



  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
Figure 1. IRS P6 LISS-III False Colour Composite image of Rajasthan 

 
 

 
delineating similar such areas across the entire scene. The image 
templates were also evaluated across the scenes for the degree of 
conformity and to maintain uniformity across the scenes. 
 

 
Results 

 
In Rajasthan, natural vegetation cover occupies 16.78% 
of the total geographical area (Figure 2, table 1). Among 
the five forest systems mapped at level 1, mixed 
formations occupy 79.22% of forest area followed by 
gregarious formations of 12.98%, degraded formations 
(3.68%) and forest plantations (3.50%) (Figure 3). The 
vegetation type map clearly showed that 4.71% of the 
geographical area is under forest cover. The major forest 
types delineated in the State are Broad leaved hill, Dry 
deciduous, Dhauk forest, Thorn, Teak mixed, Riverine 
forest, tree/shrub savannah and forest plantation. Scrub 

 
 

 
and grasslands occupy significant area and represented 
with 9.18% and 2.87% of geographical area respectively. 
Broad leaved hill forest occupies 80.25 km

2
 and unique to 

Mount Abu Wildlife Sanctuary of Sirohi district. Of the 
deciduous systems, mixed dry deciduous forest is 
dominant and occupies 10,443.81 km

2
 followed by 

Anogeissus pendula Edgew. (1354.13 km
2
) and teak 

(456.03 km
2
). Of the thorn vegetation system, mixed 

thorn forest represents 2252.16 km
2
 followed by Acacia 

senegal (L.) Willd. (212.19 km
2
) and Prosopis cineraria  

(L.) Druce (72.12 km
2
). Riverine forest is a locale specific 

vegetation type accounted for an area of 99.69 km
2
. 

Being located in arid and semi-arid zone of India, 

Rajasthan represents low area (4768.84 km
2
) under 

water bodies (including wetlands) and which occupies 
1.39% of total geographical area. Agriculture is 
predominant land use in Rajasthan estimated as 

250123.15 km
2
 (73.08%) of 

211         Afr. J. Environ. Econ. Manage. 



Shankar et al.           212 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
Figure 2. Vegetation type and land use map of Rajasthan 

 
 

 
geographical area. 
 
 
Discussion 
 
The important vegetation types of Rajasthan were 
discussed below: 
 
Broad leaved hill forests: Broad leaved hill forests 
(Central Indian subtropical hill forests (8A/C3) as per 

 
 

 
Champion and Seth, 1968) of Rajasthan shows a mixture 
of evergreen and deciduous tree species. It is dominated 
by Mangifera indica L., Anogeissus sericea Brandis.,  
Anogeissus lalifolia (Roxb. ex DC.) Well. ex Guill. and 
Perr., Lannea coromandelica (Houtt) Merr. and Syzygium 
cumini (L.) Skeels. Total area covered by this forest is 

80.25 km
2
 (0.02% of total geographical area). There is a 

more of dry vegetation, which in its present form 
resembles dense dry deciduous forest though 
representing evergreen elements. The steep slopes mark 



  
 
 
 
Table 1. Areal extent of Vegetation types and Land Use of Rajasthan (area in km

2
) 

 
 Sl.no. Class Area (km

2
) Area (%) 

 A Forest   

 I Mixed formations   

 1 Broad leaved hill forest 80.25 0.02 

 2 Dry Deciduous forest 10448.62 3.05 

 3 Thorn forest 2252.16 0.66 

  Sub total 12781.04 3.73 

 II Gregarious formations   

 4 Dhauk forest (Anogeissus pendula Edgew.) 1354.13 0.40 

 5 Teak Mixed forest 456.03 0.13 

 6 Acacia senegal (L.) Willd 212.19 0.06 

 7 Prosopis cineraria (L.) Druce. 72.12 0.02 

  Sub total 2094.48 0.61 

 III Locale Specific formations   

 8 Riverine forest 99.69 0.03 

  Sub total 99.69 0.03 
 IV Degraded formations/Woodland   

 9 Tree Savannah 468.44 0.14 

 10 Shrub Savannah 125.07 0.04 

  Sub total 593.52 0.17 

 V Forest Plantation   

 11 Mixed Plantation 564.89 0.17 

  Sub total 564.89 0.17 

 B/VI Scrub/Shrubland   

 12 Thorn Scrub 4788.36 1.40 

 13 Dry Deciduous Scrub 12440.38 3.63 

 14 Euphorbia Scrub 130.68 0.04 

 15 Prosopis juliflora (Swartz.) DC.Scrub 92.44 0.03 

 16 Desert Dune Scrub 13958.24 4.08 

 17 Lantana Scrub 8.26 0.002 

 18 Calotropis Scrub 4.77 0.001 

 19 Ravine scrub 48.47 0.01 

  Sub total 31471.61 9.20 

 C/VII Grassland   

 20 Saline Grassland 25.36 0.01 

 21 Swampy Grassland 2.80 0.001 

 22 Lasiurus-Panicum Grassland 3339.45 0.98 

 23 Cenchrus-Dactyloctenium Grassland 5430.01 1.59 

 24 Aristida-Oropetium Grassland 80.15 0.02 

213         Afr. J. Environ. Econ. Manage. 

 



Shankar  et al.           214 
  

 Table 1 Cont.    
       

 25 Sehima-Apluda Grassland 667.28 0.19 

 26 Aristida-Dichanthium Grassland 283.59 0.08 

    Sub total 9828.64 2.87 

   D/VIII Orchards 321.11 0.09 

   E/IX Agriculture 250123.15 73.08 

   F/X Water bodies 4685.00 1.37 

   G/XI Wetlands 83.84 0.02 

   H/XII Long Fallow/Barren land 26439.93 7.73 

   I/XIII Settlement 3152.17 0.92 

    Grand total 342239 100 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Figure 3. Pie chart showing distribution of level 1 Forest categories 
 
 

 
this terrain evident from other surroundings. Image shows 
these areas as bright tone with rough texture in both 
seasons. 
 
Dry Deciduous forest: It is equivalent to northern dry 
mixed deciduous forests (5B/C2). This forest type shows 
prominence of Anogeissus pendula Edgew. (Popularly 
known as Dhauk), Butea monosperma (Lam.) Taub,  
Lannea  coromandelica  (Houtt)  Merr,  Boswellia  serrata  
Roxb ex Coleb, Anogeissus lalifolia (Roxb. ex DC.) Well. 
ex Guill. and Perr. and Diospyros melanoxylon Roxb. Dry 
Deciduous forests (Tropical Dry Deciduous forests 
according to Champion and Seth, 1968) occupy major 
proportion under natural vegetation cover and 
predominantly found in Udaipur, Rajsamand, Ajmer, Kota, 
Baran, Chittorgarh districts. It occurs at an altitude of 
around 200-600 mts. It is spreading over an area of 

 
 
 

10,448.62 km
2
 (3.05% of TGA). In green season satellite 

image dry deciduous forest looks dark red in tone with 
rough texture, but in dry season the areas take up 
greenish shade with no evidence of foliage. Background 
reflectance of dry/often burnt undergrowth marks this 
system. Contiguity of these forests over large areas is 
common and can be generally found interspersed with 
contrasting fringing forests in dry season. 
 
Dhauk forest (Anogeissus pendula Edgew.): It is 
edaphic climax forest (6/E1) as per Champion and Seth' 
classifcation (1968). This type is largely determined by 
the Anogeissus pendula which forms nearly pure crops, 
often well stocked, about 6 m. height. These forests are 
predominantly found in northern Aravallis, central 
Aravallis and east of Aravallis. Profuse growth of 
Anogeissus pendula also found in Kumbalgarh wildlife 



 
 
 

 
sanctuary in southern Aravallis. It is leafless from 
February - June. The associated species are those of dry 
deciduous forests. The rainfall ranges between 500-900 

mm. Area covered by this type is 1354.13 km
2
. When 

browsing pressure is heavy the Anogeissus pendula is 
reduced to spreading and creeping forms. 
 
Teak mixed forest: It is known as dry teak forest 
(5A/C1b) according to Champion and Seth' s 
classification. Teak Mixed Dry Deciduous Forests are 
found in Southern region of Rajasthan Dungarpur and 
Banswara districts. Area covered by this type is 456.03 

km
2
 (0.13% of TGA) The species composition in this type 

includes Tectona grandis L., Anogeissus lalifolia (Roxb. 
ex DC.) Well. ex Guill. and Perr., Butea monosperma  
(Lam.) Taub., Diospyros melanoxylon Roxb., Lannea 
coromandelica (Houtt) Merr and Boswellia serrata Roxb 
ex Coleb. On satellite image it gives appearance of dark 
brown tone with rough texture in December image but it 
gets mixed up with dry deciduous forest in dry season. 
One of the most characteristic features regarding 
association is the contiguous tracts prevailing in foot hills 
and on low altitude hills of the plateau. Relatively intense 
ground truthing is essential for confirmation, in spite of its 
characteristic smoky looking dry deciduous tone at 
places. 
 
Thorn forest: It is equivalent to northern tropical thorn 
forests (6B). Thorn forest are mostly found in Thar Desert 
and central Aravallis of Rajasthan. Common species in 
this type are Prosopis cineraria (L.) Druce., Acacia 
senegal (L.) Willd, Acacia nilotica (L.) Willd. ex Del, 
Acacia leucophloea (Roxb.) Willd., Acacia tortilis  
(Forssk.) Hyene.and Zizyphus mauritiana Lam. etc. 
Capparis decidua (Forssk.) Edgew.is indicator species of 
thorn forests in western Rajasthan. There is a less 
admixture of dry deciduous forest species as compared 
to its counter part of southern tropical thorn forests of 
Peninsular India (Champion and Seth, 1968). On image it 
gives a rough texture with light to dark tone in both dry 
and wet season image. 
 
Acacia senegal (L.) Willd forest: It is the edaphic type 
of thorn forest (6/E2) with Acacia senegal and few 
associated species like Acacia leucophloea (Roxb.) Willd. 
and Zizyphus nummularia (Burm.f.) Wight. and Arn. It is 
distributed in desert region and Aravallis. 
 
Prosopis cineraria (L.) Druce forest: It is a desert thorn 
forest (6B/C1) with extremely open crops of scattered 
trees. The delineation of Prosopis cineraria forest is 
subjective and based on the field knowledge and 
technical skills due to scattered trees here and there. 
 
Riverine (riparian) forest: These are referred as dry 
tropical riverain forests (5/1S1) in Champion and Seth's 
classification. Riverine forests are interspersed in 

 

  
 
 

 
deciduous systems, wherever streams and rivers flow as 
surface channel over longer periods than surroundings. 
These areas are narrow strips along the hilly intersections 
of the large streams. The species constituting such 
forests include Syzygium heyneanum (Duthi.) Wall.ex 
Gamble, Terminalia arjuna (DC.) Wight and Arn., 
Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels., Holoptelea integrifolia 
(Roxb.) Planchon., Ficus racemosa L. Almost near 
perfect contrasts are apparent during dry seasons on 
image. Image shows these areas as bright tone in both 
seasons. 
 
Woodland: It was referred as dry savannah forest 
(5/DS2) in Champion and Seth's classification. 
Depending on the mode of degradation, 
fire/grazing/edaphic conditions, the forest shows 
deterioration and becomes woodland. Based on the 
severity of disturbance, woodland of two types were 
common in Aravallis of Rajasthan and they are referred 
as Tree savannah and Shrub savannah. Tree savanna 
differs from shrub savanna only in tree height and 
spacing. Tree Savannah appears dark maroon with 
pinkish tinge tone and have medium to coarse texture. 
Shrub Savannah presents light maroon with cyan tinge 
tone and possess medium to coarse texture. 
 
Scrub: Scrub is a vegetation cover predominantly 
occupied by shrubs or poor tree growth chiefly of small or 
stunted trees with crown density less than 10%. It is the 
first most dominant vegetation class covering an area of 

31,471.61 km
2
. Desert dune scrub occupies 13,958.24 

km
2
 is unique to sandy parts of desert on partially 

stabilised dunes and on shifting dunes. It is the dominant 
scrub type of Rajasthan. Thorn scrub is generally seen in 
the fringes of thorn forests, hill tops and nearby 
settlements. Dry Deciduous scrub has been subjected to 
more degradation and frequently found in and around dry 
deciduous forests. Calotropis scrub is specifically found in 
long fallow areas and bordering crop fields in desert 
region. Euphorbia scrub is unique to rocky and badly 
eroded areas of both desert and Aravallis. It is a very 
open formation in which Euphorbia caducifolia Haines. 
predominates. Prosopis juliflora (Swartz.) DC. and 
Lantana camara L. are worst invasive alien species and 
threat to native biodiversity (Reddy, 2008). Prosopis 
juliflora and Lantana camara being aggressive colonizers, 
form dense thickets referred as Prosopis scrub and 
Lantana scrub, respectively. Prosopis juliflora often grows 
along road sides, canals and degraded thorn forest lands 
and rapidly spreading in desert and Aravallis. Lantana 
camara prefers openings and fringes of dry deciduous 
forests and subhumid tracts of broad leaved hill forests. 
 
Grasslands: Grasslands of Rajasthan have been 
grouped into seven types. All these grasslands are 
mapped based on habitat information, physical location 
and unique associations. Smooth texture less expanse 

215         Afr. J. Environ. Econ. Manage. 



Shankar et al.           216 
 
 

 
restricted to arid and semi-arid plains and hill slopes mark 
the land cover. Occasionally tree/shrub savannah is 
associated in the fringes of grasslands. It may mix with 
barren areas if single season data is used, though for an 
experienced interpreter the association induced 
distinction is hard to ignore.  

Lasiurus scindicus-Panicum turgidum grasslands are 
climax vegetation systems adapted to very low rainfall 
(<250mm) areas of Thar desert. Cenchrus-
Dactyloctenium grasslands are very common throughout 
the central and eastern part of Rajasthan desert. This 
grassland receives annual rainfall of 300mm to 500mm 
and situated in elevation range of 150m-400m. Cenchrus-
Dactyloctenium grassland shows dominance of both 
grass (Cenchrus biflorus Roxb., Dactyloctenium 
scindicum Boiss., Aristida adscensionis L.) and non grass 
species (Farsetia hamiltonii Royle., Crotalaria burhia 
Buch.-Ham. ex Benth., Tribulus terrestris L., Tephrosia 
purpurea (L.) Pers, Aerva persica (Burm. f.) Merr., 
Indigofera cordifolia Heyne ex Roth). It was distributed 
throughout central and eastern part of Rajasthan desert. 
Aristida-Oropetium grasslands are edaphically adapted to 
rocky gravelly plains of Jodhpur, Ajmer and Sikar 
districts. It is very low productive grassland in terms of 
biomass and species diversity. Sehima-Apluda grassland 
system is unique to Aravallis. Sehima nervosum is 
abundant in southern Aravallis at an elevation range of 
500m-800m. It is inconspicuous in central Aravallis. 
Aristida-Dichanthium grasslands are prevalent in northern 
Aravallis and eastern part of Aravallis. Heteropogon 
contortus (L.) P.Beauv., Aristida spp (Aristida hystrix L., 
Aristida adscensionis L. and Aristida funiculata Trin.and 
Rupr.) and Dichanthium pertusum (L.) Clayton. shows 
widespread distribution throughout Aravallis. 
Chrysopogon fulvus (Spreng.) Chiov. is the common 
grass species in east of Aravallis and locally abundant in 
Ranthambore tiger reserve. Saline grasslands are locale 
specific vegetation systems occuring only in saline tracts 
of Sambhar lake, Didwana lake and Pachpadra. Swampy 
Grasslands (Vetiveria-Saccharum) are found among the 
marshes and fringes of wetlands in Bharatpur bird 
sanctuary. 
 
Other Non Vegetation Classes: Orchards includes the 
fruit plants cultivated along with the agricultural field. 
Orchards were mostly concentrated in eastern districts of 
Rajasthan. Current crop lands and current fallow lands 
were mapped under single class –Agriculture. Most of the 
land use area in Rajasthan is under agriculture (73.08% 
of TGA), as this is the main occupation of people. There 
are about 66 crops were grown in the State 
(http://www.rajasthanonline.in). Wheat, Barley, Jowar, 
Pulses, Mustard, Maize, Bajra are the principal crops. 
Operational estimation systems are in place elsewhere to 
derive single or multiple cropping areas from satellite 
remote sensing. Along with this other classes mapped 
were sand, water, settlement, barren 

 
 
 

 
land and wetland, which have relatively far better 
distinction and ease of interpretation as far as the 
accuracy for the current scheme was considered. Visual 
interpretation procedure help to tide over conspicuous 
digital processing glitch like confusion between cases of 
scrub, barren lands, settlements, water and wetlands and 
alike. 
 
 
Conclusions 
 
The study demonstrated that remote sensing is a state of 
the art technological tool to map and distinguish the 
complex vegetation formations in India. The geospatial 
data generated on vegetation type maps are prime input 
for landscape ecological analysis. Spatial extent and 
distribution of vegetation types can be linked to the 
human induced changes and biodiversity 
characterisation. 
 
 
Acknowledgements 
 
Authors are thankful to Dr. V. Jayaraman, Director, 
NRSC, Dr. P.S. Roy, Associate Director, NRSC and Dr. 
M.S.R. Murthy, Head, Forestry and Ecology Division, 
NRSC, Hyderabad for suggestions and encouragement. 
The present work is carried out as part of project on 
“Biodiversity characterization at landscape level using 
remote sensing and GIS” with support of the Department 
of Space and Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of 
India. 
 
 
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