Evaluation of agricultural expansion areas in the Egyptian deserts: A review using remote sensing and GIS

Agricultural expansion areas in the Egyptian deserts are one of the main governmental inputs that increased during the last decade. Evaluation of such agricultural lands helps decision makers in strategic planning of future projects. The present review paper highlights recent research studies conducted to evaluate some of the newly agricultural expansion areas in the Egyptian deserts using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) integrated with Remote Sensing technologies considering the main evaluation criteria and constraints. Moreover, various examples of agricultural expansion areas in the Western Desert are highlighted. Field observations, sampling, laboratory analyses, remote sensing and GIS are the most common tools used in the presented case studies. This review article supports the future governmental plans for protecting the wealth of cultivated lands and limits the illegal infringements on these lands that will accordingly protect other lands, planned to be used for urban expansion.