GIS and remote sensing applications in modern water resources engineering

Abstract

Geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) concepts and technologies are used extensively in modern water resources engineering planning, design, and operations practice and are changing the way these activities are accomplished. GIS has become an increasingly important means for understanding and dealing with the pressing problems of water and related resources management in our world. GIS concepts and technologies help us collect and organize the data about such problems and understand their spatial relationships. GIS analysis capabilities provide ways for modeling and synthesizing information that contribute to supporting decisions for resource management across a large range of scales, from local to global. And GIS provides a means for visualizing resource characteristics and thereby enhancing understanding in support of decision-making. This chapter introduces GIS and RS and their application to water resources systems. A general overview of GIS is presented which is followed by summary review of GIS applications for modern water resources engineering.