Comparative Analysis and Prediction of Ecological Quality of Delhi

This study showcases the comparison of ecological quality in Delhi and also predicts the environmental quality in coming future if the anthropogenic activities continue to remain the same. A pilot study was conducted by using the remotely sensed data to develop a Geospatial Ecological Impact Index (GEII), by implementing Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) which incorporated vegetation, moisture content, land surface temperature, water bodies, and built-up factors of the study area to examine how much they have impacted the ecology and in what manner. The ecological changes were contrasted between the years 2016 and 2020. It was revealed through this study that the overall ecological quality has decreased over the years with an increase in the mean LST. A simulated map was also developed using the nonlinear modelling technique, i.e. artificial neural network (ANN) to ascertain the future ecological quality for the year 2024. Certainly, this study can help decision makers, urban planners, and researchers in formulating new ways to mitigate and overcome the continuous degradation of ecology.