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Geographic Information Systems (GIS) represent a combination of hardware, software and data, which allows for the capture, management, analysis, and display of geospatial (geographically referenced) information. In a GIS, layers of spatially explicit data are linked to tabular (attribute) data in relational databases, allowing the user to analyze and visualize patterns and trends.

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Use of Remote Sensing and GIS in Water Resources Management: North Western Sahara Aquifer System (NWSAS)

Problem Description / Relevance to Water Security: 

The North-Western Sahara Aquifer System, which stretches over an area of more than one million square kilometers, is shared by Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. Due to the structural configuration and climate type of the region, the recharge of the NWSAS is very limited. These aquifer systems represent geological reserves whose natural outlets (springs and foggaras) led to the development of oases where people lived, for centuries ago, in perfect harmony with the Saharan ecosystem.

ICT Application / Outcome: 

As water resources are mainly related to agriculture in the area of interest, a first vegetation mapping was realized based on MODIS time-series NDVI covering the NWSAS area over the last 10 years in order to establish a first vegetation areas inventory, to better understand the spatial distribution and year-to-year variability in irrigated areas.

Results:

Using ICTs to Investigate Agricultural-Induced Eutrophication in Freshwater Reservoirs: A Case Study of the Tsimlyansk Reservoir (Russia)

Problem Description / Relevance to Water Security: 

The Tsimlyansk Reservoir in Southern Russia is of great environmental and economic importance to the region in which it is located. Formed as a result of the Tsimlyansk dam, the reservoir is relied upon for transportation, as a source of freshwater in an area that is densely populated, is used extensively for irrigation of the region’s agricultural lands, and is a source of cooling water for a nuclear power plant in the area, among a variety of other uses (Lagutov and Lagutov 2012). 

ICT Application / Outcome: 

The first step was to perform a land use classification to develop a land use land cover map to determine the extent to which agricultural lands cover the area of study. Four Landsat tiles (Figure 3), enough to cover the entire reservoir and adequate land around it, were obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey database (glovis.usgs.gov) for two dates, one at the beginning of the growing season (June-July) and one towards the end of the growing season (August)  Images were selected based on the 1) time of year, 2) satellite mission, and 3) little cloud cover.

Using ICTs to Link Spatial Planning and Management Approaches for Coastal, River Basin, and Marine Areas

Problem Description / Relevance to Water Security: 

Coastal zone pressures cannot be effectively assessed within a geographic coverage limited to coastal zones: both upstream activities at river basin level and marine activities impact environmental conditions in the coastal area. The latter are also naturally shaped by the material and energy transfers between coastal and surrounding ecosystems (e.g. sediment transport, water quality, storm surges, river discharge, floods).

ICT Application / Outcome: 

Integrated approaches to managing resources, pressures and impacts, have received considerable attention at river basin (Integrated River Basin Management / IRBM) and coastal area (Integrated Coastal Zone Management / ICZM) levels, within the overall framework of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM).