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Transboundary

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:

Airborne LIDAR Technology for Sustainable Watershed Management: Ecological Health of Riparian Zones

Problem Description / Relevance to Water Security: 

Airborne LIDAR measurements principally lead to the highly accurate 3D reconstruction of the landscape and its features. By mounting LIDAR measurement units on an aircraft large areas can be measured relatively quickly and cost effectively. Airborne LIDAR measurements can then be used to reconstruct a bare earth landscape as well as featured landscape which includes vegetation, buildings and other. These landscape reconstructions can then be used for a number of applications such as archeology, water and coastline management, farming, forestry, geology and conservation.

ICT Application / Outcome: 

Michez et al. (2013) examine the application of LIDAR data to monitor the ecological riparian zones, which are of concern in most parts of Europe due to the European Water Framework Directive. As a transition zone between dry and wet environments riparian areas are typically high in ecosystem productivity and biodiversity. The authors use LIDAR point cloud data to derive a Digital Terrain Model (DTM) and canopy height model which allows for establishing general riparian zone attributes and ecological integrity.

GIS Based Communication Platform for the Sustainable Management of Transboundary Water Resources in Lithuania, Poland, Belarus and Kaliningrad Region (Russia)

Problem Description / Relevance to Water Security: 

Pregolya and the Neman rivers are heavily affected by anthropogenic pressures in all four countries. The lack of basin wide information on pressures and current ecological and chemical status of water bodies is an important issue for the sustainable management in the region. Due to the political situation in the region the sustainable transboundary management of river basins was limited. So far the planning of water resources was usually based only on national data.

ICT Application / Outcome: 

A GIS database consisting of 12 transboundary GIS layers (Table 1) and more than 100 attribute fields was created. The database content is based on national information. The information for different countries was obtained from various sources: official GIS maps, official statistical data, digitized paper maps, reports, literature, etc. The long list of sources meant that the detail level of the map was diverse. The data harmonization was necessary to provide the unified basin wide information layers.

Application of Multi-Sensor Remote Sensing for Flood Protection Planning Over the Sajó Valley

Problem Description / Relevance to Water Security: 

The project was set up following the flooding of 2010, when Hungary experienced a record rainfall in May and June and consequently a nation-wide flood came about on smaller and larger rivers. The most affected areas and settlements were in the Sajó valley. An approximately 100 year return period flood wave arrived to the Hungarian border in June 2010 that increased to a once-in-200 year flood on the lower parts of the river.

ICT Application / Outcome: 

The Sajó valley airborne laser scanning and aerial digital imagery have been made on 121 km2 area in Hungary (17th June 2013), and on 190 km2 area in Slovakia (17-18th July 2013).

Water in Central Asia Knowledge Base

Problem Description / Relevance to Water Security: 

Given the utmost importance of water resources for economies, people and ecosystems, a lot of water-related scientific and practical activities are taking place in Central Asia. A wealth of smart and locally adapted solutions, methods, and techniques are accumulated in scientific and research institutions. However, the use of these research outputs in practice is inadequate. This is mainly due to limited access to available knowledge and absence of effective knowledge transfer mechanisms.

ICT Application / Outcome: 

To deliver transboundary water security and sustainable water management in Central Asia, SIC ICWC builds on its strengths in the four areas: 1) Research and expert advice, 2) Data and Information, 3) Capacity building, and 4) Communication and Networking. All these areas of activities feed into and make use of a water-related knowledge base, which was developed to make better use of knowledge accumulated from field works, scientific research and water-related projects in Central Asia.