Land Use Maps of Murewha District (Zimbabwe): Temporal Analysis from 2002 to 2023 Using Landsat Data

This dataset comprises a series of five land use and land cover (LULC) maps of western Murewha District, Zimbabwe, spanning the years 2002, 2007, 2013, 2018, and 2023. The overall accuracy scores for these maps are 0.93, 0.91, 0.90, 0.90, and 0.90, respectively. These maps were generated using open-access Landsat satellite imagery (30m resolution) from Landsat 5, 7, and 8, enabling consistent spatial resolution and temporal coverage. Each map integrates two images from the crop/wet and dry seasons, ensuring comprehensive seasonal representation. Key radiometric indices (NDVI, RVI, NDWI2, BI2) and a 30m resolution DEM were applied for enhanced classification accuracy. The algorythm used for the classification is a pixel random forest using Python 3.7.4 and the library sklearn. The study focuses on wards within Chitopi and Mushaninga sub-districts.