地球观测的应用 数据 信息 知识 Applications of Earth Observation Data Information Knowledge

Applicationsof

EarthObservation

Data|Information|Knowledge

Tableofcontents

Introduction05

Agriculture06

Agriculture06

Precisionfarming07

Crophealthmapping08

Croppests10

Illicitcropmonitoring11

Forestry12

Foreststockmapping13

Burnscarmapping14

Illegaldeforestation15

Riskmanagement16

Continentalscalemapping16

Urbangrowth17

Soilsealing18

Landcoverclassification19

Disastermonitoring20

Flooding21

Maritime22

Shipdetection23

Oilspillmonitoring24

Hydrology25

Defenceandsecurity26

Naturalresourcemanagement28

Waterresourcemanagement28

Energyinfrastructureoptimisation30

Oilandgas31

Mining32

Examplesatellitesolutions34

Wideareaoptical35

Highresolutionoptical35

Syntheticapertureradar35

SouthAralSea.

Copyright:UK-DMC2satelliteimage©[

2013

]SSTL,allrightsreserved,suppliedbyDMCii.

>Satellitederiveddataisbecomingcriticalinmanymodernandemerging

economies.Itassistsindevelopingrobustpoliciesandthenevaluatingtheireffectscomparedwiththecostbenefits.

>Satelliteownershipisimportantfor

economicgrowthandnationalsecurity.Ownershipensuresoperational

independence,privacyandpriorityinthesecurityofthecountry.

>Developspacetechnologyandderivedproductsforexportbyeitherowninganimagingspacecraftorowningthe

imagingcapacity.

Introduction

ItisacceptedandproventhatEarthobservationinformationgathered

fromspacecraftprovidessubstantialbenefitssupportingeconomic

developmentandsupportsinformedpolicyanddecisionmaking.

StandardspatialresolutionforEarthobservationsatellitesare:

>medium-resolutionvisibleimagery(10mto100mresolution)

>high-resolutionvisibleimagery(2mto5mresolution)

>very-highvisibleimagery(sub1mto1.5mresolution)

Earthimagingsatelliteownersareaffordeda

uniquecapabilityforunderpinningnational

technicaldevelopmentsandcapacitybuildinginmanydifferentareas.Thiscapacitybuildingmayexistacrossthespectrumofactivitiesfromoperatingasatellitethroughtoproviding

informationproductsthatareusedbypolicyanddecisionmakersforeconomicgrowth,environmentalmanagement,emergency

managementandsecurityapplications.

Satelliteownershipallowsforfullvisibilityandcontrolofthesysteminsupportofspecificorganisationalpriorities.

Spatialresolutiondescribesthelevelof

informationinanimageandahigherresolutionmeansincreasedimagedetail.Resolutioncanbemeasuredinvariouswaysandthereare

somebasicdifferencesbetweenaerial

photographyandobservationscollectedfromspace.Thesedifferenceshelpillustratethe

valueofsatelliteimagery.

Incontrasttoaerialphotography,satellite

imagestypicallyhavealowerspatial

resolutionthatisaccompaniedbyvastareacoverage.Thislargeareacoveragecan

allowforhundredsofthousandsofsquarekilometrestobecapturedinasingleimage.Theselargeimagescanbeputtogethersothatanimagemapofanentirecontinentcanberegularlyupdatedandrecentchangesinlandcoverautomaticallyhighlightedusing

computersoftware.

Satelliteshaveafarwiderrangeofresolutionsthanaerialimagery,fromtensofcentimetresuptokilometres,dependingontheapplications.

Asageneralguide,veryhighdetailimages(1mresolutionorless)cancoverareasof20kmeasttowestandthousandsofkilometresnorthto

south.Mediumdetailimages(15mresolutionormore)canhaveawidthof600kmeasttowestandthousandsofkilometresnorthtosouth.

ApplicationsofEarthObservation|05

Agriculture

06|ApplicationsofEarthObservation

>38%oftheworld’slandisused>1in3peopleworkinforagriculture.1agricultureworldwide.1

>WorldproductionvalueUS$3.269.477million.1

>70%ofworldwaterwithdrawalisusedforagriculture.1

Agriculture

Satelliteimageryisregularlyusedforagricultureandisgrowinginpopularity,providingdatatoenableeconomicandenvironmentalbenefitstofarmmanagementprocesses.Satelliteimagerycanimproverevenuegenerationforagriculturalapplicationsbyprovidinginformationrelatedto:

>Crophealthmonitoringandmanagement

>Croptype

>Cropinsurancedamageassessment

>Productionmanagementpractices

>Fertiliserapplicationrequirements

>Yieldestimates

>Re-growthmonitoring

>Illicitcropmonitoring

>Pestandinvasivespeciesmonitoring

>Irrigationrequirementsandapplication

>Fieldboundarymanagement

>Fieldscalemapping

>Monitoringagri-environmentalmeasures(e.g.,acreage)toinformsubsidy

allocations

>Assessingstormdamage

Precisionfarming

PrecisionfarmingcombinesGPStechnologywithsatelliteimagery

toenablefarmerstoapplyfertilisermoreefficientlyandreduce

overheads.Farmerscantargetresourcestowheretheyareneededandreduceexcessresourcesbeingexpendedonhealthyfieldareas.Thereductioninfertilisersandpesticidesresultsinbotheconomic

andenvironmentalbenefits.

>Increasescropyieldsandreducefarmingcosts.

>IntheUKthereisanaverage£27costreductionperhectareanda3%to8%increaseincropyieldwhenimageryisusedtoguidefertiliserapplications.2

>TheAllenstudyestimatesthatAustralia

couldseeanationalbenefitofA$152-206million($155-210million)foragriculture,whichcouldrisetoA$1005-1357million($1-1.3billion)by2030ifanationwide

GlobalNavigationSatelliteSystem(GNSS)networkisestablished.

Rapidrevisitimageryacquiredoveragriculturalareasduringvariablecropgrowthcyclesisanalysedanddeliveredtofarmersonline,

providingfieldlevelservicessuchasleafareaindex(LAI)andnitrogenapplicationmaps.

ApplicationsofEarthObservation|07

Agriculture

08|ApplicationsofEarthObservation

Crophealthmapping

Nearlyallcropscanbeassessedfortheirhealthusingsatellitedata.

TheimageshereshowanareaontheoutskirtsofBangkokthatislargelycoveredinsmallricepaddiesatvariousdifferentgrowthstages.The

NormalisedDifferentialVegetationIndex(NDVI)classificationcanbeusedtomonitorthegrowthstages.

NDVIhasbeenshowntobeproportionaltotheamountofchlorophyll

thatisfoundinvegetation.Thevolumeofchlorophyllchangesasthecropgrowsandasthecrophealthchanges.ByusingasimpleNDVIto

monitorthechlorophyllcontentthroughthegrowthcycle,theproducercanpinpointareasofconcernandapplyfertiliserandwaterappropriately.Thebiggestcostsavingsarefoundwhenfertiliserapplicationistargetedtoareasthatshowaneed.

ThefirstanalysisistotakeanormalisedratiooftheRedandNearInfraredbandstogivetheNDVIvalues.Thehealthyareasarethenmapped

accordingtotheirrelativeNDVIvalues,whichgivesacrophealthmap.

Manyotherusesofthisdataexist,includingbuildingwaterconsumptionmodelsandmappingandmonitoringpesthazardsandcropblight.

>Riceistheworld’smost

importantstaplefoodcropanddemandisduetomorethandoubleduringthenexttwodecades.

>Morethan1billionpeopledependonriceproductionfortheirlivelihoods.9

>Bynotfertilisingareasthataregrowingwell,moneyissavedonfertiliser.

>Increasecropyieldand

qualitybybettermanagingproblemareas.

>Healthmappingcanwarnaboutfoodshortages.

>Healthmappingcan

estimatecropyieldsand

anticipatecropsalesprices.

2.5mpansharpenedRGBandNIRimageofanareaintheoutskirtsofBangkok.

RGBbandsdisplayed.

VegetatedareascategorisedaccordingtoNDVI.

ApplicationsofEarthObservation|09

Agriculture

10|ApplicationsofEarthObservation

Croppests

PlaguesoflocuststhatdestroycropyieldscausestarkdevastationandthreatenfoodsecurityacrossNorthAfricaeveryyear.

Multispectralsatelliteimagescanhelptopredictthelocationofthe

locusts’breedinggroundsaccurately,wheretheswarmshavebeen

andwheretheyaremostlikelytogo.Forexample,theredareasintheimageshereindicatehealthyvegetatedareasthatarepotentialtargetsforlocustfeeding.

Eachswarmcancontainbillionsoflocusts,andeachonecaneatitsweightinfoodeveryday.Thismakesforadevastatingeffectoncrops,astheycanstripwholefieldsinminutes.

Algeria.

Copyright:UK-DMC2satelliteimage©[

2013

]SSTL,allrightsreserved,suppliedbyDMCii.

>Createspestforecasts.

>Focustheapplicationofpesticidestoreducepestimpactandstopswarms.

ApplicationsofEarthObservation|11

Illicitcropmonitoring

High-resolutionsatelliteimageryisusedforthesurveyand

identificationofillegalcropssuchasopiumpoppycultivation.Opiumproductionisanincreasingproblemforlawenforcementagenciesduetoexpandingcropsandincreasingyields.

Imageryacquisitionisprogrammedtocoincidewithforecastharvestandcropcycleeventstorevealareasofcultivation.Satelliteimageryenablesaccurateinformationtobedeterminedconcerningcropyieldandannualchange.Thisinformationisusedtosupportenforcement,socialmeasuresandpolicychangestohelpunderstandandcontroltheproductionanddistributionofillicitcrops.ThecompositeimageofAfghanistanshownhereillustrateshowwideareaimagescanbecombinedtomonitorlargeareas.Informationderivedfromthese

imagescanbeusedtoinformnationalandinternationaldrugtraffickingagencies.

CompositeimageofAfghanistanusedtorevealareasofpoppycultivation.

Forestry

12|ApplicationsofEarthObservation

Forestry

>In2009theformalforest’scontributiontoglobalGDPwasestimatedtobenearlyUS$468billion.14

>Between65-80%oftheglobalpopulationrelyonmedicinesderivedfromforests.14

>Morethan1.6billionpeople

worldwidedependonforestsforfood,medicineandfuelaswellasfortheirlivelihoods.14

>31%oflandareaiscoveredbyforests.1

>Forestsabsorbgreenhousegasemissions,helpingtomitigateclimatechangeimpacts.

Highresolutionimagerycan

complementwidearealowerresolutionimagerybyprovidingmoredetailed

informationfor:

>Obtaininginformationonforestacreage,standdensity(the

quantityoftreesperunitarea)andmonitoringstand

development(Stand-agroupofforesttreesofrelativelyuniformspeciescomposition,age,andconditiontobeconsideredasasingleunitformanagementpurposes)

>Surveying,evaluatingandmonitoringforesthealth

>Updatingforestmanagementplans:treefelling,delimitationandmonitoringofparcels,biomassestimation,planthealthand

plantationmonitoring

>Estimatingfire,stormandotherextremeweatherdamage

>Planningandprotectingconservationareas

>Performingfuelanalysisandidentificationofareaswherethedangeroffireishigh

>Mappingofdeforestation

>Monitoringofforestregrowthandconservationactivities

Foreststockmapping

Largeareaimagingenablesthemanagementofvastareasofforestry,buildingvaluablehistoricaldatatomonitorqualityofstock,mitigate

potentialproblemsandplanfuturemanagementprogrammes.

>Reforestation,afforestationanddeforestation

>Forestrymanagement

>Degradation

>Loggingroadandloggingconcession

>Natural,artificial,illegalpractises

>Speciesandgrowthstagemonitoring

>Landtenurerelatedtoforestryconcessions

Wideareaimageryfromsatellitesisthebestandmostefficientwaytoaccuratelyandregularlymonitorvastareasofforestwhichcannotbesurveyedfromtheground-thetropicsalonemakeuphalfofthe

ApplicationsofEarthObservation|13

Earth’slandarea.

Forestry

14|ApplicationsofEarthObservation

Burnscarmapping

Firedamageestimationandthemonitoringoffiresiscriticalworld-wideinproviding:

>Adetailedanduptodatelandcovermap

>Riskmapswhichcanbecreatedbasedonthevegetationindex

>Accuratemappingofburnscarextent

>Automaticevaluationofburnscarextents

>Detailedanalysisusingalandcovermaptoassessareasdamaged

>Remediationeffortwhichcanbedirectedtopreventproblemsduetolatererosion

Californiawildfires.

Copyright:UK-DMC2satelliteimage©[

2013

]SSTL,allrightsreserved,suppliedbyDMCii.

Illegaldeforestation

Datacanbesuccessfullyusedfortropicalforestmonitoringand

deforestationassessment.Wideareacoveragedrasticallyreducestheimpactofcloudcoverwhileradarsatellitesremovetheissueofcloudcovercommontotropicalrainforestregions.

AsummaryplotoftheBrazilianAmazonbasin(Green=rainforest,Purple=olddeforestation,Yellow=newdeforestation).

>Theillegalloggingtradeisestimatedtobeworth

betweenUS$30billionand$100billionannually,withgovernmentslosing$10billioneachyearintaxincome.4

>Deforestationaffectedan

estimated13million

hectaresperyearbetween2000and2010;netprofit

losswas5.2millionhectaresperyear,duetoafforestationandnaturalexpansion.1

ApplicationsofEarthObservation|15

Falsecolourimageoftypicalherringbonepatterndeforestation,theimagedepictsasubjectincoloursthatdifferfromthoseafull-colourphotographwouldshow.Thepicturehighlightsthedifferencebetweengreentreecover(showninred)andforestfloor(turquoise).

Riskmanagement

16|ApplicationsofEarthObservation

Risk

management

Continentalscalemapping

Managementandconservationofthecountryside,theenvironmentandinparticularlandownership,isakeycomponentofgovernmentpolicies.Regularlyupdatedcomparisonmapssupportinglanduseand

environmentalmonitoringareintegraltoolsinthisprocess.Exampleapplicationsinclude:

>Generallandusemonitoring

>Urbangrowthevaluation

>Telecomsclutteranalysis

>Changedetection

>Infrastructureplanning

Sub-SaharanAfricaisavastanddiverselandscapewithclimatic

extremesrangingfromaridEthiopiandeserttotheCongorainforest.

Satelliteimageryisaninvaluabletoolformonitoringregion-widechangesinlanduseandtheenvironment.

Tropicalforestspresentspecificchallengesastheyarefrequently

obscuredbycloud,whichasinglesatellitemaytakemanyyearstomap.Solutionstothisissuecanbeprovidedwithaconstellationofoptical

Earthobservationsatellites,orbytheuseofaSyntheticApertureRadar(SAR)satellite,whichwillimagethroughcloudandatnight,providing24

hourcoverage.Forthefirsttime,annualandseasonaltropicalforest

mapsareavailable,providingvitalinformationformonitoringofforest

carbonresourcesfortheUnitedNationscollaborativeprogrammeon

ReducingEmissionsfromDeforestationandforestDegradation(REDD).

PanchromaticimageoftheDubaiskylineincludingtheBurjKhalifa,whichiscurrentlytheworld’stallestbuilding.Copyright:NigeriaSat-2Image©2012[NASRDA]allrightsreserved.

Urbangrowth

Urbangrowthcancreateproblemsthatincludeflooding,increaseddemandonpublicservicesandpressuresonemergencyservicesfordisasterplanning.

Satelliteimageryprovidesvaluabledatatomonitorurbangrowththroughtheuseofregularsnapshots.Theimageryiscombinedwithfloodmodelsincatchmentspronetoflooding,alongwithsoilmodels,digitalelevationmodelandprecipitationdata.Thisdatacanbeusedwithcensus

informationforpopulationgrowthmodels.

>Rainwaterrunoffandfloodrisk

>Demandsonpublicservices

>Planningcontrol

>Monitoringurbangrowth

>Monitoringpopulationviacensus

>Estimatingpopulationgrowth

>Monitoringunplanneddevelopments

>Providingrapidcasualtyestimatesafterdisaster

ApplicationsofEarthObservation|17

Riskmanagement

Soilsealing

Soilsealingisthecoveringofthesoilsurfacewithimpermeablelayersofmaterialssuchasstoneandconcreteusedforincreasinghousingandinfrastructure.Thiscausesirreversiblelossofthesoilsnatural

functionswhichcanleadtofloodsaswatercannolongerdrainawayandcitiesareincreasinglyaffectedbyheatwavesduetolackof

18|ApplicationsofEarthObservation

evaporationinthesummer.

>By2050,70percentoftheworld’s

populationisexpectedtoliveinurban

areas,twothirdsofthisinlowandmiddleincomenations.6

>AnareathesizeofCyprusispavedoverevery10years.15

>Eachyearanestimated24billiontonnesoffertilesoilarelostduetoerosionintheworld’scroplands.8

>TheEuropeanCommission’sJoint

ResearchCentreestimatesthatfourmilliontonnesofwheatarepotentiallylosteveryyeartosoilsealing.

ManhattanIsland,NewYork.

Copyright:NigeriaSat-2Image©2012[NASRDA]allrightsreserved

ApplicationsofEarthObservation|19

Landcover

classification

Landcanbeclassifiedintocategorieswhichenableustolearnaboutitsrelativeusesandmonitoritschangesovertime.Thisisusefulformanydifferentapplications,forexampleminingandresource

extractionmonitoring,measuringdeforestation,landcadastreandplanningregulations.

Theanalysisrevolvesaroundacharacterisationofthelandinallavailablespectralbands,inthiscaseRed,Green,BlueandNearInfraredand

arrangingthemintogroupstogiveclearidentifiers.

AreaofAdelaidewithvariouslandcovertypes,Landclassifiedusingimageprocessingsoftware.

2.5mRGBimage.

>Theglobalcommunityislosingupto5%oftotalagriculturalgrossdomesticproduct(GDP)duetolanddegradation,costingsomeUSD$490billionperyear–accordingtoarecentstudytitledTheEconomicsofDesertification,LandDegradationandDrought:MethodologiesandAnalysisfor

Decision-Making.

Disastermonitoring

20|ApplicationsofEarthObservation

Disaster

monitoring

Timelinessofdataandtheabilityto

tasksatellitesquicklyiscriticalfor

disasterreliefefforts,meaningpriorityimagingtoallowrapidresponse.

Havingnationallyownedassetsallowsprioritytobegiventoimagingrequestswhichallowamuchfasterrevisittimeforaffectedareas.

CoastalfloodinginThailand.

Copyright:UK-DMC2satelliteimage©[

2012

]SSTL,allrightsreserved,suppliedbyDMCii.

>Morethan226millionpeoplegloballyareaffectedby

disastersassociatedwithnaturalhazardseveryyear.6

>Economiclossesregularly

exceed$100billionannuallyandareprojectedtodoubleby2030.6

>Weatherrelateddisasterscompriseabout81%ofallevents,causing72%ofalleconomiclossesand23%offatalities.6

>By2050,70%oftheworld’s

populationisexpectedtoliveinurbanareas,twothirdsofthisinlowandmiddleincomenations.Muchofthisgrowthistaking

placeinlocationsalreadypronetoearthquakes,cyclones,floodsanddroughts.6

>Improvefloodprediction

andfloodextent

mapping.

Flooding

Beingabletomonitorsoilmoisture,waterlevelsandchangestothese

overtimegivesagoodindicationofhowlikelyfloodanddroughtrisks

are.ThiscanbedonethroughacombinationofDigitalElevation

ModellingfromhighfidelityinterferometricSyntheticApertureRadar(SAR)measurementsandalsoutilisingS-bandSAR,mediumresolutionopticalimageryandgroundtruthmeasurementstoidentifychangesinlevels.

Beingabletocombinethiswithdetailedweatherpredictionsto

understandthelikelihoodandexpectedlevelofrainallowsidentificationofpotentialthreatsfromfloodingandalsodrought.

Theabilitytoproviderapidmappingofareasaffectedbydisastersisalsocriticalforsafetyoflifeandrescueoperations.Itallowsreliefeffortsonthegroundtobetargeted,routesthroughaffectedareastobeidentifiedandhelptobedirectedtoareaswhichmostneedit.

SARdataisveryusefulforfloodmanagementduetoitsabilitytoimagethroughcloud,acommonoccurrenceinfloodriskareas.Themain

informationrequiredincludesfloodextent,toallowimmediate

assessmentsoftheareasatriskandaiddecision-makingforreliefandcleanupoperations.Floodriskmapsmayalsobeproduced,showingpotentialeconomiclossesandthespatialdistributionofdamage

potential,andhistoricalmappingoffloodeventscanbeprovidedusinganarchiveofSARdata.

WatercoveredareasaredetectedinSARimageryduetotheirdarkerappearancehencechangedetectiontechniquescanbeusedto

detectfloodedareas.

ApplicationsofEarthObservation|21

Maritime

22|ApplicationsofEarthObservation

Maritime

Satelliteshelpkeepourseassafe

>Shiptracking

>Bathymeticdata-usedformeasuringbeacherosion,subsidence,sealevels,constructionofharboursandforcreatingnauticalcharts

>Detectionoficebergthreatsonshippingroutes

>Marineenvironmentalprotection

>Oilspillmonitoring

>Illegaloildischargedetection

>Detectionofunlicensedfishingvessels

>Portmonitoring

>Maritimepiracy-detectionofincominginhospitableobjects

>95%ofoceansareunexplored.

>Thetotallengthoftheworld’s

coastlinesisabout315,000mileswhichisenoughtocirclethe

Equator12times.

>Oceanscover70%oftheEarth’ssurfaceandcontains96.5%ofitswater.

>TheArcticOceanproducesupto50,000icebergsayear.13

Shipdetection

Bothradarandopticalimageryarehelpfulformonitoringmaritime

activityandshipdetection.UsingAutomaticIdentificationSystem(AIS)signalsandtrackingapplications,theflexibilityoftheseEarthobservationsystemswillallowships,boatsandothervesselstobedetected,

classifiedbytypeandtheirmovementsmonitored.Specificcapabilitiesinclude:

>Detectionofshipsinvolvedinoilproductspillsandviolationofenvironmentallawincludingtankflushingatsea

>Detectionofillegalships(notsendingAISsignals)includingthoseengagedinillegalfishing,transportationofillegal

immigrants,drugtraffickingorpiracy

>Detectionandmonitoringofvesselsindistressandthosewithmalfunctioningnavigationequipment

>Monitoringofmaritimetrafficinportsandhightrafficregionstosupportshippingtrafficmanagementanddefenceapplications

>Fisheriesmonitoring

TheopticalimageaboveshowshighmaritimetrafficinSingapore’sharbour.Copyright:NigeriaSat-2Image©2012[NASRDA]allrightsreserved.

>Monitoringshippingtrafficaroundoffshoreoiloperations

SpaceborneSyntheticApertureRadar(SAR)isaninvaluabletoolfor

detectingandmonitoringmaritimetrafficparticularlyasitcanimageat

anytimeofthedayornightandthroughcloudcover.Aswellasdetectingshipsitisalsopossibletoderiveadditionalinformationsuchasspeed

andheadingand,dependingonresolution,broadclassofship.Usesforshipdetectioninformationincludelawenforcement,includingenforcinglegislationregardingfishingactivities,environmentalprotection,searchandrescue,shiptrafficmonitoringaswellascustomsandexcise

activitiessuchasstoppingillegalsmugglingactivities.

ApplicationsofEarthObservation|23

>Atleast90%ofthevolumeofglobaltradeisseaborne.5

>Thereare4.4millionfishingvesselsintheworld.1

>60%offishtradeoriginatesfromdevelopingcountries.1

Maritime

24|ApplicationsofEarthObservation

Oilspillmonitoring

Severalmilliontonnesofoilarespilledintotheworld’soceanseachyear.Thedetectionandmonitoringofoilslicksontheseasurfaceisa

capabilityneededbymostseafaringandcoastalnationsforenforcementofmaritimepollutionlawsandidentificationofoffenders,supportto

clean-upandcontrolactivities,oilspilldetectionfromremotepipelinesandthedetectionofoilseepagefromoceanfloorsindicatingpossiblenewoilfields.OilslicksaredetectedinSyntheticApertureRadar(SAR)imagesastheyappeardarkerthanoil-freeareas.

TheimagetotherightshowsthedetectionofasimulatedoilspillusingSARdatacombinedwithAutomaticIdentificationSystem(AIS)data.TheshiptracksderivedfromtheAISdatahavebeendisplayedtoassess

whichshipmayhavebeenthecauseoftheincident.

Oilslickfromagroundedboat.

ExampleofoilsslicksinSyntheticApertureRadar(SAR)imagery.

ApplicationsofEarthObservation|25

Hydrology

Hydrologicalsurveyiscriticaltotheunderstandingofaterritory’scoastalzonesandinlandwaterways.Theuse,consumptionanddistributionofwaterresourcescanbemonitoredthroughtheuseofimagery.Manualsurveysarelabourintensiveandrarelyofferacompleteoverviewoftheresourceinquestion.Automatedsensorsareimportanttomonitorsinglepointsinwaterways,levelsatgaugesandpointsofcriticalconcern.

However,theydon’tprovidedataelsewhereandcansufferinremote

areasfromalackofconnectivityandpower.ThereisthereforearoleforEarthobservationfromspace.Additionally,itispossibletomonitor

agriculturalwateruseandwastageandtakeaccuratemeasurementsofsoilmoisturefromspace.

>Floodextent

>Inlandwaterways

>Coastalzone

>Shallowwaterbathymetry

>Tidalplain

>Waterlevels

>Icefloe

>Icebergmovements

>Glacierandlakemonitoring

Myanmar.

UK-DMC2satelliteimage©[

2011

]SSTL,allrightsreserved,suppliedbyDMCii.

Satellitesofferamethodtoroutinelyandregularlysurveywaterresourcesforoperationalorresearchprojects.Cross-border