Dr. Bharath Setturu

Bharath Setturu

Ph.D., IIIT Hyderabad
Associate Professor

Bharath Setturu

Ph.D., IIIT Hyderabad
bharaths@chanakyauniversity.edu.in
Spatial Analysis, Machine Learning, AI, Image Processing, Remote Sensing, GIS, Spatial Data Mining, Landscape Modeling, Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS), Environment and Natural Resource Management.

My research focuses on capturing the spatial dynamics of diverse landscapes—including urban areas, forests, and waterscapes—through the integration of Machine Learning, AI, and Image Processing techniques. I have developed Spatial Decision Support Systems (SDSS) for the Western Ghats and Bangalore to support sustainable planning. My work primarily addresses Environment and Natural Resource Management using advanced Remote Sensing and GIS technologies.

My research reflects a deep and sustained engagement with natural resource management, focusing on delineating Natural Resources Rich Zones (NRRZ) prioritisation, incorporating biotic and abiotic ecosystem parameters to guide strategic conservation and land-use planning. My research extends into urban ecology, unpacking the temporal and spatial dynamics of land use in rapidly transforming cities to demonstrate expertise in monitoring peri-urban growth patterns, blending satellite data with socio-economic perspectives.

A significant contribution lies in terms of Natural Capital Accounting (NCA), where we have provided a pioneering Karnataka-focused ecosystem accounts, covering extent, condition, and service valuation for terrestrial and aquatic systems. These outputs, part of India’s national-scale NCA initiatives, provide a replicable model for integrating ecological data into economic planning. My research underscores a commitment to evidence-based environmental governance, advancing tools like virtual spatial decision support systems for protected area management. The scholar’s trajectory reflects a rare blend of technical rigor, applied relevance, and policy impact, making these contributions vital for both conservation science and sustainable development agendas in India and beyond.

Post Doctoral Research, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, 2022

Ph.D., IIIT Hyderabad, 2020

MCA, 2006, Osmania University

  • Post Doctoral Research, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, 2022
  • Ph.D., IIIT Hyderabad, 2020
  • MCA, 2006, Osmania University

  1. Book Bharath, S., Rajan, K.S., Ramachandra, TV., 2021. Modeling Forest Landscape Dynamics, Nova Science Publishers, pp. 248, ISBN: 978-1-53619-594-1
  2. Ramachandra, T.V., Bharath H.A., Bharath, S., Vinay, S., Asulabha, K.S., Sincy, V., 2024. Natural Capital Accounting and Valuation of Ecosystem Services, Karnataka State, India: Ecosystem Services, Springer Nature Singapore, 2024, ISBN 981972404X, 9789819724048, 674 pages.

Book Chapters

  1. Ramachandra, T.V., Bharath, S., Subashchandran, M.D., Rao, G.R., Mukri, V. and Prasanna, B., 2024. Monitoring land use dynamics and diversity of flora in Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka, Central Western Ghats, India, Dutta, D., Arnab, K., and Patel, N.R. (Ed). Vegetation Dynamics and Crop Stress an Earth-Observation Perspective, Elsevier, eBook ISBN: 9780323956178
  2. Ramachandra, T.V., Bharath, S., Vinay, S., Aithal, B.H. (2024). Forest Ecosystems Goods and Services: Challenges and Opportunities for Conservation. In: Joseph, S., Pradeepkumar, A. (eds) Ecosystem Services Valuation for Sustainable Development. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-4688-0_3
  3. Ramachandra, T.V., Tulika Mondal, Paras Negi, Bharath, S., 2024. Visualization of Ecologically Sensitive Regions at Disaggregated Levels in the Central Western Ghats. In Civil Engineering Innovations for Sustainable Communities with Net Zero Targets, 1st Edition, CRC Press Pages 35, eBook ISBN9781032686899.
  4. Bharath S., Ramachandra T.V., 2021. Carbon Emissions in Karnataka and Scope for Sequestration. In Srikanth K.J. (eds) An In-Depth Look at Carbon Emissions. Nova Science Publishers, Inc., NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.52305/UTRF8102, ISBN: 978-1-68507-190-5
  5. Ramachandra T.V., Bharath S., 2021. Carbon Footprint of Karnataka: Accounting of Sources and Sinks. In: Muthu S.S. (eds) Carbon Footprint Case Studies. Environmental Footprints and Eco-design of Products and Processes. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-9577-6_3, ISBN: 978-981-15-9576-9 (# Citations: 12)
  6. Ramachandra, T.V. and Bharath, S., 2024. Prudent Management of Protected Areas in India Through Virtual Spatial Decision Support System. In Biodiversity Hotspot of the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka (pp. 357-369). Apple Academic Press.
  7. Ramachandra, T.V., Bharath, S., Vinay, S., Tara, N.M., Chandran, M.D.S., and Joshi, N.V., 2018. Conservation and Sustainable Management of Local Hotspots of Biodiversity. In Geospatial Infrastructure, Applications and Technologies: India Case Studies (pp. 365-383). Springer, Singapore., ISBN: 978-981-13-2329-4 (# Citations: 11).
  8. Ramachandra, T.V., Tara N.M., Bharath, S., 2017. Web Based Spatial Decision Support System for Sustenance of Western Ghats Biodiversity, Ecology and Hydrology Aneesha Sharma, In Jamuna Rajeshwaran (eds), Creativity and Cognition in Art and Design, Section 1, Bloomsbury publishers, 1st Edition, ISBN: 9789386349880, p.312., ISBN:9789386349880. (# Citations: 11).

Research Articles (in a peer-reviewed journal: 48)

  1. Ø  Bharath, S. and Ramachandra, T.V., 2021. Modeling Landscape Dynamics of Policy Interventions in Karnataka State, India. Journal of Geovisualization and Spatial Analysis, 5 (22). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41651-021-00091-w
  2. Ø Ramachandra, T.V. and Bharath, S., 2025. Prioritization of natural resources rich regions (NRRZ) based on ecosystem (biotic and abiotic) extent and conditions. Environment, Development and Sustainability, pp.1-36.
  3. Ø  Bharath, S. Deepak, B. and Mahin, S., 2025. Land Use Dynamics and Challenges in Smart Cities: A Temporal and Spatial Perspective. Vidhyayana-An International Multidisciplinary Peer-Reviewed E-Journal-ISSN 2454-8596, 10(si3).
  4. Ø  Ramachandra, T.V., Mondal, T. and Bharath, S. 2023. Relative performance evaluation of machine learning algorithms for land use classification using multispectral moderate resolution data. SN Applied Sciences, 5(10), p.274.
  5. Ø  Ramachandra, T.V., Negi, P. and Bharath, S., 2022. Insights from Big Spatial Data through Machine Learning Techniques for Prudent Management of Natural Resources. Journal of Resources, Energy & Development, 19 (2), pp. 1-17.
  6. Ø  Ramachandra, T.V., Vinay, S. and Bharath, S. 2022. Visualisation of landscape alterations with the proposed linear projects and their impacts on the ecology. Modeling Earth Systems Environment. 8(1), pp. 977-989 https://doi.org/10.1007/s40808-021-01135-2
  7. Ø  Ramachandra, T.V., Bharath, S. and Vinay, S., 2019. Visualisation of impacts due to the proposed developmental projects in the ecologically fragile regions-Kodagu district, Karnataka. Progress in Disaster Science, 3, p.100038.
  8. Ø  Ramachandra, T.V., Bharath, S. and Gupta, N., 2018. Modelling landscape dynamics with LST in protected areas of Western Ghats, Karnataka. Journal of environmental management, 206, pp.1253-1262. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2017.08.001.
  9. Ø  Ramachandra, T.V., Bharath, S., Rajan, K.S. and Chandran, M.D.S., 2017. Modelling the forest transition in Central Western Ghats, India. Spatial Information Research, 25(1), pp.117-130.
  10. Ø  Bharath, S., Rajan, K.S. and Ramachandra, TV., 2014. Status and Future Transition of Rapid Urbanizing Landscape in Central Western Ghats – CA Based Approach, ISPRS Annals of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, 3(8): 69-75. doi:10.5194/isprsannals-II-8-69-2014.
  11. Ø  Bharath, S., Gupta, N. and Ramachandra, T.V., 2017. Visualization and Prediction of Landscape Dynamics in The Protected Areas of Karnataka, International Journal of Research in Engineering and Technology, 6 (2), 53-62.
  12. Ø  Ramachandra, T.V. and Bharath, S., 2019. Carbon Sequestration Potential of the Forest Ecosystems in the Western Ghats, a Global Biodiversity Hotspot, Natural Resources Research, 29, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11053-019-09588-0
  13. Ø  Ramachandra, T.V., Mondal, T., Negi, P. and Bharath S., 2024. Assessment of Climate Trends and Carbon Sequestration in a Forest Ecosystem through InVEST. Productivity, 64(4).
  14. Ø  Ramachandra, T.V. and Bharath, S., 2019. Global Warming Mitigation Through Carbon Sequestrations in the Central Western Ghats. Remote Sensing in Earth Systems Sciences, 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41976-019-0010-z.
  15. Ø  Ramachandra, T.V., Bharath S., Vinay, S. and Aithal, B.H., 2020. Mitigation of Carbon Footprint. YOJANA, pp.36-40.
  16. Hydrology Ø  Ramachandra, T.V., Shivamurthy, V., Subramanian, A.K., Varghese, S., Bharath, S., and Aithal, B.H., 2022. Appraisal of Environmental Health and Ecohydrology of Free-Flowing Aghanashini River, Karnataka, India. Water, 14(6), p.977.
  17. Ø  Ramachandra, T.V., Vinay, S., Bharath, S., Chandran, M.D. and Aithal, B.H., 2020. Insights into riverscape dynamics with the hydrological, ecological and social dimensions for water sustenance. Current Science (00113891), 118(9).
  18. Ø  Ramachandra, T.V., Vinay, S., Bharath, S. and Shashishankar, A., 2018. Focus: Ecology and Evolution: Eco-Hydrological Footprint of a River Basin in Western Ghats. The Yale journal of biology and medicine, 91(4), p.431.
  19. Ø   Vinay, S., Vishnu, D.M., Srikanth, N., Chandran, M.D.S., Bharath, S., Shashishankar, A., Ramachandra, T. V., 2017, Landscapes and Hydrological Regime Linkages: Case Study of Chandiholé, Aghanashini, International Journal of Research in Engineering and Technology, 6(2), pp. 27–32.
  20. Ø  Ramachandra, T.V., Bharath, S., Shivamurthy, V., Subash Chandran, M.D. and Aithal, B., Ecologically Sensitive Regions in the Western Ghats, a Biodiversity Hotspot, 2023. Indian Forester 149(11):1105-1121, DOI: 10.36808/if/2023/v149i11/169382
  21. Ø  Ramachandra, T.V. and Bharath, S., 2019. Sustainable Management of Bannerghatta National Park, India, with the Insights in Land Cover Dynamics. FIIB Business Review, pp.231971451982846. doi.org/10.1177/2319714519828462
  22. Ø  Ramachandra, T.V., Shivamurthy, V., Bharath, S. and Aithal, B., 2023. Valuation of Ecosystem Services, Karnataka State, India. ARPHA Preprints, 4, p.e111028.
  23. Ø  Ramachandra, T.V., Bharath, S., Naik, K.R., Pai, J.B. 2022. Conservation Prioritization of Ecologically Susceptible Zones at Disaggregated Levels. Adv Environ Eng Res, 3(2):30. doi:10.21926/aeer.2202014.
  24. Ø  Ramachandra, T.V., Bharath, S. and Vinayaka, B. 2022. Conservation of Ecological Sensitive Regions with the insights of forest dynamics at disaggregated levels, International Journal of Ecology and Environmental Sciences 48 (2), 177-197.
  25. Ø  Ramachandra, T.V., Bharath, S. and Naik, K.R. 2023. Ecologically sensitive regions in Belgaum district, Karnataka, Central Western Ghats, Journal of Environmental Biology 44 (1), 11-26.
  27. Ø  Ramachandra, T.V., Bharath, S. and Bharath, A.H., 2020. Insights of Forest Dynamics for the Regional Ecological Fragility Assessment. Journal of the Indian Society of Remote Sensing, 48(8), pp.1169-1189.
  28. Ø  Ramachandra, T.V., Bharath, S., Chandran, M.D.S. and Joshi, N.V., 2018. Salient Ecological Sensitive Regions of Central Western Ghats, India. Earth Systems and Environment, 2(1), pp.15-34.
  29. Ø  Ramachandra, T.V., Vinay, S., Bharath, S., 2018. Ecological Sustainability of Riverine Ecosystems in Central Western Ghats. J Biodiversity, 9(1-2), pp. 25-42.
  30. Ø  Ramachandra, T.V., Bharath, S. and Chandran, M.D.S., 2016. Geospatial analysis of forest fragmentation in Uttara Kannada District, India. Forest Ecosystems, 3(1), pp.1-15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40663-016-0069-4
  31. Ø  Ramachandra, T.V., Bharath, S., Rajan, K.S. and Chandran, M.S., 2016. Stimulus of developmental projects to landscape dynamics in Uttara Kannada, Central Western Ghats. The Egyptian Journal of Remote Sensing and Space Science, 19(2), pp.175-193. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrs.2016.09.001.
  32. Ø  Ramachandra, T.V. and Bharath, S., 2018. Geoinformatics-based Valuation of Forest Landscape Dynamics in Central Western Ghats, India. J Remote Sensing & GIS, 7(227), p.2.
  33. Ø  Ramachandra, T.V., Bharath, S., Aithal, B.H., 2014. Spatio-temporal dynamics along the terrain gradient of diverse landscape. Journal of Environmental Engineering and Landscape Management, 22(1):50-63.
  34. Ø  Mesta, P.N., Bharath, S., Chandran, M.D.S., Rajan, K.S., Ramachandra, T.V., 2014. Inventorying, Mapping and Monitoring of Mangroves towards Sustainable Management of West Coast, India. J Geophys Remote Sensing 3: 130. doi:10.4172/2169-0049.1000130 (3):130.
  35. Ø  Bharath, S., Rajan, K.S., Ramachandra, T.V., 2013. Land Surface Temperature Responses to Land Use Land Cover Dynamics. Geoinformatics & Geostatistics: An Overview. 01/2014; doi:10.4172/2327-4581.1000112
  36. Ø  Ramachandra, T.V., Mondal, T., Bharath, S. and Aithal, B.H., 2023. Environmental Consequences in the Neighbourhood of Rapid Unplanned Urbanisation in Bangalore City. Advances in Environmental and Engineering Research, 4(4), pp.1-17.
  37. Ø  Ramachandra, T.V., Bharath, S., Vinay, S. 2021. Assessment of Forest Transitions and Regions of Conservation Importance in Udupi district, Karnataka, Indian Forester, 147(9), pp. 834-847 https://doi.org/10.36808/if/2021/v147i9/164166
  38. Ø  Ramachandra, T.V., Bharath, S. and Vinay, S., 2021. Landslides in Western Ghats & Coastal Area-Causes, Triggers and solutions: Perspective based on the analysis of land use dynamics, Landslides in Western Ghats and Coastal Karnataka: Prevention and Mitigation Strategies, Department of Forest, Environment & Ecology, Govt. of Karnataka. (Invited Article)
  39. Ø  Ramachandra, T.V., Sellers, J., Aithal, B.H. and Bharath, S., 2019. Micro level analyses of environmentally disastrous urbanization in Bangalore. Environ Monit Assess 191, 787. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-019-7693-8.
  40. Ø  Ramachandra, T.V., Bharath, S. and Aithal, B.H., 2012. Peri-urban to urban landscape patterns elucidation through spatial metrics. International Journal of Engineering Research and Development, 2(12), pp.58-81
  41. Ø  Aithal, B.H., Bharath, S., Durgappa, D.S., and Ramachandra, T.V., 2012. Empirical patterns of the influence of Spatial Resolution of Remote Sensing Data on Landscape Metrics. International Journal of Engineering Research and Applications.
  42. Ø  Ramachandra T.V., Vishgnu Bajpai, Aithal, B.H., Bharath, S., Kumar, U., 2011.Exposition of Urban Structure and Dynamics through gradient Landscape metrics for sustainable management of Greater Bangalore. Journal of FIIB review, 1(1), pp.53-67
  43. Ø  Ramachandra, T.V., Ganesh, H., Bharath, S., Gautham, K., 2014. Bioenergy: A sustainable Energy Option for Rural India. Advances in Forestry Letters (AFL)., 3(1):1-15.
  44. Ø  Ramachandra, T.V., Krishnadas, G., Bharath, S. and Kumar, U., 2012. Regional bioenergy planning for sustainability in Himachal Pradesh, India. Journal of Energy, Environment & Carbon Credits, 2(1), pp.13-49

  • Research Ambassador award by Viksit Bharath 2047, Vedant Knowledge Systems in 2025.
  • Young Researcher in Spatial Informatics-2022, presented by Venus International Research Foundation, Chennai.
  • “Sahyadri Ecologist-2020”- Presented during LAKE 2020 Conference at Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru.
  • “Sahyadri Ecologist-2016”- Presented during LAKE 2016 Conference at Alva’s Education Foundation, Moodbidri.
  • “Best paper award”- Presented by IIT-Kharaghpur during CCIVA-2019 Conference, BDCC-2018 Conference, at Kharaghpur.
  • “Best paper award”- Presented by Rotary Sadashivanagar & AMC Eng College during NSRS-2019 Conference at Bengaluru.
  • “Best paper & poster award”- Presented by IIT-Kharaghpur during WEIZ-2017 Conference at Kolkata.
  • “Dr Parameshwaran Research Grant”- Presented during LAKE 2018 & LAKE 2016 Conferences at Alva’s Education Foundation, Moodbidri.
  • Indian Society of Remote Sensing – Life Member (L-5264)
  • American Geophysical Union–Student member
  • International Association of Engineers (IAENG) – Life member
  • International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS) – Member
  • International Society for Development and Sustainability (ISDS) – Associate Member
  • Editorial board member for International Journal of Research & Development Organisation (IJRDO) journal.
  • Editorial board member for EPH – International Journal of Science and Engineering (ISSN: 2454 – 2016)
  • Guest reviewer for Remote Sensing Applications: Society and Environment-Elsevier Publisher; Journal of Indian Society of Remote Sensing-Springer Publisher; Advances in Remote Sensing (ARS) journal of Scientific Research-An Academic Publisher.
  • Editorial board member for SCIREA Journal of Surveying and Mapping
  • Web of Science Researcher ID: D-1103-2013
  • Life Member “Internet Society – 2317000”

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