Satellite Remote Sensing Technologies for Water Studies, Assir Province; Saudi Arabia Dr. AlOtaibi Eed Lafi Assistant Professor of Remote Sensing

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Satellite Remote Sensing Technologies for Water
Studies, Assir Province Saudi ArabiaDr.
AlOtaibi Eed LafiAssistant Professor of Remote
Sensing Geographical Information Systems,
School of Human Sciences, Geography Dept., King
Khalid University, POB 1183, Greiger compound
Abha, Saudi Arabia.elsalotaibi_at_kku.edu.sa
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SummarySatellite Remote Sensing Technologies
(SRSTs) for monitoring inland water bodies have
been under development since 1980's. The tools
used to develop these techniques have ranged from
an empirically to semi-empirical techniques and
analytical methods for producing quantitative
water quality maps (Dekker 1997, AlOtaibi and
Zaki 20082009). Several investigators (e.g.,
Dekker 1993, Gitelson, et al. 1993, Jupp et al.
1994a, Jupp et al. 1994b) have developed
empirical regression formulas for the prediction
of water quality parameters from spectrometer
data by employing spectral ratios, typically
reflectance ratios, as the independent variables.
The predicted water quality parameters have
included chlorophyll concentrations, suspended
matter concentrations and turbidity.
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Developing an approach for optimum planning and
management would be helpful at harvesting water
natural resources for sustainable development
including flooding hazards prevention and better
living. Many countries complain of water
related problems and they expect the worst
because of the increases of the population, urban
and agricultural projects especially, fragile
regions which had begun complaining of pollution
problems (AlOtaibi, 2008). It is estimated that
the U.S.A spends about 70 billion annually on
environmental regulatory programs (Whittier and
Paulsen, 1992). In particular, the quality and
condition of the countrys water resources have
become a prime concern over the past decades
(Carpenter et al., 1998 Loague,1998). Despite of
that about 80 of stream miles go unassisted with
respect to the requirements for Section 305(b) of
the U.S Clean Water Act (GAO, 2000).
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• During the last two decades Satellite Remote
  Sensing
• Technology (SRST) of earth resource satellite
  systems has
• been implemented effectively
• to understand the concepts, to monitor and map
  the changes of the earth resources because of the
  characteristics of satellite sensors higher
  temporal, coverage, spectrum and spatial
  resolutions. Since1990s SRST imageries reflect an
  integration of physical and biological processes
  occurring in the catchment areas.
• This paper proposed for an approach of mapping
  permanent
• Inland water bodies and water landscape within
  Assir Province
• Saudi Arabia using SRSTs (Fig., 1). With the
  increasing feasibility of
• using SRSD, Landscape-water quality studies can
  now be more easily
• performed even at regional, multi-governorate
  scales water mapping
• in a very cost efficient way.

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• Traditional method of relating landuse and
  landcover (LULC)
• to water quality has been extended to include
  landscape
• patterns and other landscape vital information
  derived from
• SRSD. Three items were in focus
• 1) the increasing recognition of the importance
  of larger-scale studies of regional water bodies
  mapping and quality investigations that require a
  landscape perspective
• 2) the increasing importance of SRSD, such as of
  the imagery derived normalized difference
  vegetation index (NDVI) and vegetation
  phonological metrics derived from time series
  NDVI data and
• 3) landscape pattern metrics -which explained
  some of the variation in water quality not
  explained by LULC.
• However, in some other studies, the NDVI metrics
  were
• even more highly correlated to certain quality
  parameters
• than either landscape pattern metrics or LULC
  proportions.

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• Recent works SRST have demonstrated the
  potential
• usefulness in monitoring watershed
  conditions
• across large regions.
• Optical indicators of water quality
  have the potential
• of enhancing the abilities of resource
  managers to
• monitor permanent water bodies.
• However, the degree to which optical
  indicators are
• useful may depend on their applicability
  to
• data collected from multiple water bodies.

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• The water resources of Assir region -with an area
  
• of about 85000 km2 south-west S.A where the
• widespread climate is arid to semi-arid maybe
• described as very scarce and fragile. Therefore,
  The proper mapping, assessment, planning and
  development of water resources are key elements
  in the overall development of the region,
  therefore, improper management and planning
  either because of lack of data or because of
  inadequate studies, has often resulted in quality
  deterioration and water supply problems under the
  intensive urban development and limitation and
  deterioration of water resources
• (AlOtaibi, 2008, 2009).

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• The researcher studies showed that
• SRSTs would be the most efficient way to map
  and diagnose the condition of water resources
  under such an environment especially when
  assessing water quality when field measurements
  maybe time consuming, costly, and limited
  logistically. Moreover, because of the
  increase-ness in water quality parameters
  importance such as chlorophyll a, turbidity,
  total suspended solids (TSS), and nutrients as
  symptomatic ofeutrophic conditions, it would be
  advantageous to be able to detect eutrophic
  conditions using multiple water sites without
  relying on field measurements only.

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• SRST would overcome water studies constraints
  by providing an alternative means of water
  quality monitoring (Shafique et al. 2001
  AlOtaibi. 2009).
• SRST can also be helpful in measuring the
  properties of objects by calculating the amount
  of radiation they absorb, emit, or reflect at
  various wavelengths along the electromagnetic
  spectrum.
• Optical water quality research has a broad scope
  for developing environmental indicators that are
  useful in assessing, quantifying and monitoring
  water quality.
• More fundamentally, the absorption and
  scattering of light by components provide basic
  information from which relationships with other
  water quality indicators such as water clarity
  readings can be derived (Jupp et al. 1994a,
  Dekker 1997). Although a such fairly new method,
  the development of spectral indices can now be
  even a useful and easy tool for the diagnosis of
  eutrophic conditions.

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• According to previous investigations unlike
  SPOT-XS, the Landsat imagery tended to mask most
  anthropogenic disturbances and vegetation
  differences, leaving largely topographic
  information when used the following combination
  of bands e.g 5,7,4 and 7,4,3. It has shown that
  Landsat image can make a significant contribution
  in rock-type discrimination over other satellite
  imageries of the following generation such as
  SPOT-XS and IKONOS data when talking regional
  hydrological exploration. Previous studies
  (KACST, 1997,1998, 2001) of lineaments,
  particularly those aligned over significant
  distances with the main geo-morphologic trends in
  other basaltic terrains of the region, may
  likewise lead to sites of groundwater of
  different reservoirs.

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• SRSTs are presently being used as
• a good and objective sampling frame for solving
  problems like
• contamination of surface and ground resources
  changes in water
• ecological parameter and many more (AlOtaibi,
  2003 2009).
• SRSTs were used in this study primarily to
• map and delineate the boundaries of different
  water features mainly, the permanent water bodies
  of Assir Province S.A.
• However, extracting details from these satellite
  imagery has depended
• on the spectral contrast between the water
  objects and their
• surroundings. Landsat TM, TM imageries were used
  to extract
• drainage digital maps at a proper scale (e.g.,
  150000), showing the
• major water bodies of the region. Other major
  features such as
• "lineaments" were all clearly displayed visually
  on the Landsat-TM
• imagery as straight to curvilinear topographic
  breaks. It was found also
• that terrain elements were more readily
  distinguished on Landsat TM,
• TM, and SPOT-XS data, although, almost all the
  same features could
• be detected on both types of satellite imageries
  of Assir Province SA.

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• Fig. 1 Digital mapping sequences of permanent
  water bodies
• of Assir Province S.A
• mapping sources
• 1) digital map of Assir Province (
  AlOtaibi Quine 2007)
•  (permanent water bodies map)
•  2) full digital Landsat TM sat-scenes of Assir
  Province-03
• 3) full digital Landsat TM sat-scenes of Assir
  Province-08
• ( (permanent water mapping water bodies by
  governorate
• fieldwork verifications samplings
•  (data base building)

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• The major Role of Satellite Remote Sensing
  Technique used for this research was
• easing water map updating of Assir Region
• The operation consists of both
• the delineation of boundries and
• the determination of surfaces of individual
  features, such as permanent water bodies.
• The sequence of operations is basic
• Image enhancement geometric
  correction, Visual interpretation,
• digitizing...

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• To access previous published papers of this
  study
• Al-Otaibi, E L Quality of water sources
  bacteriological assessment in Khamis Mushait,
  southwestern Saudi Arabia. Water resources
  Applications (International Journal of Health
  Geographics 2009, 816 (IJHG21 March 2009))
  http//www.ij-healthgeographics.com/content/8/1/16
  
• Al-Otaibi, E L and Zaki, M.S.A Physico-chemical
  quality of drinking water sources at Khamis
  Mushait, Assir, south-western Saudi Arabia (
  African Journal of Clinical and Experimental
  Microbiology ,Vol. 10 (2) 2009 pp. 117-127)
  http//ajol.info/index.php/ajcem/issue/view/945
• Al-Otaibi, E L and Zaki, M.S.A Quality
  Assessment of traditional water resources in
  Khamis Mushait City, Abha Metropolitan, Assir
  Province, Saudi Arabia (accepted full paper at
  Magazine of the Center of Geographic
  Cartographic Research, Menufia University, Issue
  1, 2009, Egypt).
• ? - ???? ????? ?? ??????? ????? ?????? ??????
  ??????? ??????? ?? ??????? ??????? (???? ???????)
  -
• Al-Otaibi, E L and Quine T Satellite Remote
  Sensing Geographical Information Systems for
  Archaeological Heritage Applications Assir
  Project, Saudi Arabia. (The International
  Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing
  and Spatial Information Sciences, 2005 ..
  http//www.isprs.org/commission8/workshop_urban/al
  -otaibi.pdf

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Thanks for your time???? ??????Dr. AlOtaibi
2009