SPATIO-TEMPORAL ANALYSIS OF URBAN EXPANSION IN BIU BORNO STATE USING REMOTE SENSING AND GIS TECHNIQUES

Abstract

This study examined urban sprawl in Biu, Borno State, Nigeria, for the period of thirty years using Remote Sensing (RS) and GIS and analyzed spatio-temporal land use/land cover (LULC) dynamics. Ideally, Biu’s urban growth would be systematically planned which would have balance socio-economic needs with ecological sustainability, fostering a livable urban environment. In reality, Biu experiences rapid, unplanned urban sprawl driven by population growth, rural-urban migration, and post-conflict resettlement following insurgencies in Borno State. The aim was achieved through four objectives of acquiring Landsat imagery, classifying LULC changes, assessing classification accuracy, and determining spatio-temporal transitions. Landsat imageries were sourced from USGS Earth Explorer, they were classified via supervised Maximum Likelihood method. Five LULC classes were defined: built-up, vegetation, agriculture, water bodies, and bare soil, accuracy was evaluated with 100 random points. Results showed built-up area increased 22.17% (73,604.4 ha), from 9.35% (31,042 ha) in 1995 to 31.52% (104,646.4 ha) in 2025, Vegetation declined 34.85%, agriculture 3.76%, water bodies 0.34%, while bare soil rose 16.76%. Vegetation (26.59%) and bare soil (6.76%) were primary sources of built-up expansion. The study concludes that GIS-based monitoring is vital for sustainability and recommends integrating socio-economic data for future urban planning.