Water Resources Assessment using Remote-Sensing Data
In this course students will learn basics of remote sensing and how these datasets are used, in combination with other global datasets to assess, analyze and map water resources at the river basin scale. Participants will develop basic GIS and Python skills to produce a river basin fact-sheet. The course covers key concepts of remote sensing, an overview of available remote sensing and other non-traditional data sources, and spatio-temporal data analysis techniques in QGIS and python to assess water resources and hydrological processes.
For whom?
The course is designed for students, researchers, and professionals in water resource management, hydrology, remote sensing, environmental science, and related fields who wish to get applied remote sensing skills and to enhance their technical expertise in using remote sensing data for water resources assessment.
Prerequisites
Required skills:
- Basic understanding of hydrology and water resource management
- Familiarity with GIS and remote sensing concepts and basic programming is recommended but not required
- General proficiency in data analysis and interpretation
Motivations: interest to learn remote sensing and non-traditional data sources for water management
Learning objectives
- Prepare a water resources fact-sheet for a river basin and discuss results
- Explain the steps and datasets needed for water resources assessment.
- Analyse and interpret the output of a water resources assessment study
- Perform spatio-temporal analysis of RS and in-situ data
- Explain the basic principles of remote sensing products and their suitability for water resources assessment
Course content
The course covers the following topics:
- Water resources availability and demand assessment: introduction to water resources availability and demand assessment using data from observations, models and remote sensing highlighting the potential of remote sensing data for water management
- Remote data for water resources assessment: remote-sensing theory and introduction to different remote sensing products and data types relevant for water studies
- Remote sensing data collection and geospatial and temporal data analysis: development of GIS and python skills to collect remote sensing data for water resources assessment, perform spatio-temporal analysis of remote sensing datasets and compare remote sensing data with other datasets and assess their accuracy. Applied work with various data types such as precipitation, evapotranspiration and land use.
- Water resources assessment: application of previous topics to quantify water availability and water demands in a case study using various types of data. Preparation of a water resources fact-sheet for a case study, present, interpret and evaluate own results.
This course combines theoretical knowledge with hands-on experience, enabling participants to apply remote sensing and other non-traditional datasets for effective water resource assessment and management.
Course Coordinator
Solomon Seyoum
Senior Lecturer in Water Resources Assessment and Modelling