Francesco Mitidieri

Sentinel-1 for Monitoring Reservoirs: A Performance Analysis

In this paper we explore the performances and the opportunities provided by the European satellite Sentinel-1 for water resource management applications in low-income countries. The analysis is supported by a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) simulator, which allowed the quantification of the expected characteristics of Sentinel-1 products in three applications: interferometric digital elevation models (DEMs) generation, land cover mapping and estimation of water volumes retained by small reservoirs. The obtained results quantitatively show that Sentinel-1 data characteristics are fully suitable for most of the application already explored in the recent SAR literature.

Modeling Watershed Response in Semiarid Regions With High-Resolution Synthetic Aperture Radars

In this paper, we propose a methodology devoted to exploit the outstanding characteristics of COSMO-SkyMed for monitoring water bodies in semiarid countries at a scale never experienced before. The proposed approach, based on appropriate registration, calibration, and processing of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data, allows outperforming the previously available methods for monitoring small reservoirs, mainly carried out with optical data, and severely limited by the presence of cloud coverage, which is a frequent condition in wet season. A tool has been developed for computing the water volumes retained in small reservoirs based on SAR-derived digital elevation model. These data have been used to derive a relationship between storage volumes and surface areas that can be used when bathymetric information is unavailable. Due to the lack of direct measures of rivers discharge, the time evolution of water volumes retained at reservoirs has been used to validate a simple rainfall-runoff hydrological model that can provide useful recommendation for the management of small reservoirs. Operational scenarios concerning the improvement in the efficiency of reservoirs management and the estimation of their impact on downstream area point out the applicative outcomes of the proposed method.

Hydrological modeling in ungauged basins using SAR data

In this paper we propose a methodology devoted to exploit high resolution radars for monitoring water bodies in semi-arid countries. The proposed approach is based on appropriate registration, calibration and processing of SAR data, producing information ready to use by end-users. The obtained results were used to (i) estimate a relationship between surface and volume of water stored in reservoirs and (ii) validate a hydrological model that simulates the time evolution of water availability.

Monitoring Soil Erosion and Reservoir Sedimentation in Semi-arid Region Through Remote Sensed SAR Data: A Case Study in Yatenga Region, Burkina Faso

Monitoring soil erosion and consequent reservoirs sedimentation is necessary for a proper planning of water and soil conservation measures. Applicability to large scale and cheapness of the monitoring system is crucial for low income countries. The present work proposes a novel approach in which remote sensed SAR and Landsat data are used for monitoring reservoir’s sedimentation and for mapping the soil erosion risk at catchment scale. Novel techniques for SAR imagery pre-processing are combined with empirical soil loss estimates. A SAR derived DEM is used to monitor the soil sedimentation rate of small reservoirs. The USLE (Universal Soil Loss Equation) method is used to draw a soil erosion risk map and to roughly estimate the total soil loss at catchment scale.

Mapping small reservoirs in semi-arid regions using multitemporal SAR: Methods and applications

In this paper, we introduce an innovative method to map small reservoirs in semi-arid environment. The proposed technique is based on the exploitation of the recently introduced Level-1α RGB SAR composite, and it is based on change-detection. In particular, we introduce a user-oriented water index defined by a weighted ratio of the bands composing the RGB product. The performance of the method are evaluated by comparison with other popular segmentation techniques of the same complexity in order to demonstrate its reliability. Finally, an applications concerning hydrology, i.e the estimation of reservoir bathymetry starting from area measurements, is presented to underline the usefulness of remote sensing in multidisciplinary contexts.

Water resource monitoring in semi-arid environment through the synergic use of SAR data and hydrological models

In semi-arid regions, small reservoirs are widely employed for facing seasonal in water availability due to the alternation of a short rainy season and of a very long dry season. Therefore, their monitoring is fundamental for local rural communities wellness. In this paper, we present a novel framework for water resources management exploiting the synergy of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data and hydrological models. The pilot project was implemented in Burkina Faso, showing good potentialities for cheap and continuous monitoring of the environment through the exploitation of a multi-disciplinary framework.

Use of high resolution SAR images for modeling watershed response in semi-arid regions

In this paper we propose a methodology devoted to exploit high resolution radars for monitoring water bodies in semiarid countries. The proposed approach is based on appropriate registration, calibration and processing of SAR data, producing information ready to use by end-users. The obtained results were used to (i) estimate a relationship between surface and volume of water stored in reservoirs and (ii) validate a hydrological model that simulates the time evolution of water availability.