Application of Remote Sensing and GIS to the evaluation of riparian buffer zones

Diffuse pollution has been considering as a major source of the quality deterioration of water resources. The establishment of riparian vegetation strips of buffers along those areas of water bodies is used to reduce the threat of diffuse pollution. Remote sensing offers a means by which critical areas could be identified, so that subsequent action toward the establishment of riparian zones can be taken. Even though the principal purpose of this research comes from the feasibility of the imagery of KOMPSAT-2 satellite, Landsat TM satellite data, which has 7 bands, are used to characterize the land cover for the study area on the behalf of KOMPSAT-2. This investigation focuses on the assessment of the existing riparian buffer zones for a portion of the upper Geum river watershed from the viewpoint of pollution mitigation by riparian vegetation strip establishment. Through comparing the delineation of riparian buffer zones developed with the existing zones established by the government, we can find the critical distortion points of the existing riparian buffer zone.