Land use patterns and mapping methods: the case of Eğil district (Diyarbakır)
Abstract
Located northwest of Diyarbakır, the Eğil district (approximately 450 km²; minor area variations across datasets arise from raster/pixel resolution differences during GIS processing) exhibits a heterogeneous land use pattern driven by topographic diversity and complex lithology. This study comparatively evaluates the representational power of various Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) mapping approaches in such complex environments. The methodology holistically analyzes data from the General Directorate of Rural Services (KHGM), 2011 field-supported supervised classification, CORINE (2018), ESA WorldCover, Dynamic World, and unsupervised-corrected classification outputs derived from Sentinel-2 imagery (2024–2025). Findings demonstrate that land use patterns are shaped by vegetation, geomorphology, and irrigation infrastructure, directly influencing satellite spectral reflectance. While global datasets (ESA WorldCover, Dynamic World) successfully capture general trends, they suffer from significant detail loss at the local scale and data gaps due to atmospheric conditions. In contrast, the proposed "unsupervised-corrected classification" approach, refined through field observations, provided the highest representational accuracy in complex transition zones. The study highlights that purely spectral-based classifications can be misleading in heterogeneous areas where different land covers are intertwined. By comparing five distinct methods and introducing a field-validated hybrid model, this research addresses the ongoing debate regarding the local-scale reliability of global datasets. Ultimately, the results confirm that the selection of a land cover dataset is a critical methodological variable that fundamentally impacts research accuracy.
Keywords
References
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Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Remote Sensing
Journal Section
Research Article
Publication Date
June 30, 2026
Submission Date
May 18, 2026
Acceptance Date
June 14, 2026
Published in Issue
Year 2026 Volume: 2 Number: 1
APA
Yildirim, A., Karadoğan, S., Kavak, M. T., & Satar, N. (2026). Land use patterns and mapping methods: the case of Eğil district (Diyarbakır). Mediterranean Journal of Engineering and Scientific Research, 2(1), 25-41. https://izlik.org/JA42TP47LF
AMA
1.Yildirim A, Karadoğan S, Kavak MT, Satar N. Land use patterns and mapping methods: the case of Eğil district (Diyarbakır). Mediterranean Journal of Engineering and Scientific Research. 2026;2(1):25-41. https://izlik.org/JA42TP47LF
Chicago
Yildirim, Ahmet, Sabri Karadoğan, Mehmet Tahir Kavak, and Nesretullah Satar. 2026. “Land Use Patterns and Mapping Methods: the Case of Eğil District (Diyarbakır)”. Mediterranean Journal of Engineering and Scientific Research 2 (1): 25-41. https://izlik.org/JA42TP47LF.
EndNote
Yildirim A, Karadoğan S, Kavak MT, Satar N (June 1, 2026) Land use patterns and mapping methods: the case of Eğil district (Diyarbakır). Mediterranean Journal of Engineering and Scientific Research 2 1 25–41.
IEEE
[1]A. Yildirim, S. Karadoğan, M. T. Kavak, and N. Satar, “Land use patterns and mapping methods: the case of Eğil district (Diyarbakır)”, Mediterranean Journal of Engineering and Scientific Research, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 25–41, June 2026, [Online]. Available: https://izlik.org/JA42TP47LF
ISNAD
Yildirim, Ahmet - Karadoğan, Sabri - Kavak, Mehmet Tahir - Satar, Nesretullah. “Land Use Patterns and Mapping Methods: the Case of Eğil District (Diyarbakır)”. Mediterranean Journal of Engineering and Scientific Research 2/1 (June 1, 2026): 25-41. https://izlik.org/JA42TP47LF.
JAMA
1.Yildirim A, Karadoğan S, Kavak MT, Satar N. Land use patterns and mapping methods: the case of Eğil district (Diyarbakır). Mediterranean Journal of Engineering and Scientific Research. 2026;2:25–41.
MLA
Yildirim, Ahmet, et al. “Land Use Patterns and Mapping Methods: the Case of Eğil District (Diyarbakır)”. Mediterranean Journal of Engineering and Scientific Research, vol. 2, no. 1, June 2026, pp. 25-41, https://izlik.org/JA42TP47LF.
Vancouver
1.Ahmet Yildirim, Sabri Karadoğan, Mehmet Tahir Kavak, Nesretullah Satar. Land use patterns and mapping methods: the case of Eğil district (Diyarbakır). Mediterranean Journal of Engineering and Scientific Research [Internet]. 2026 Jun. 1;2(1):25-41. Available from: https://izlik.org/JA42TP47LF