Vicky Vanthof surveying reservoirs in the 2016 field season.
Doctoral candidate and Collaborative Water Program student Vicky Vanthof, and Water Institute member Richard Kelly, Chair and Professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Management recently published an important paper in Remote Sensing of Environment entitled “Water storage estimation in ungauged small reservoirs with the TanDEM-X DEM and multi-source satellite observations”.
“This research demonstrates a significant application of remote sensing big data for water storage mapping and volume estimation in water-stressed regions.” said Professor Kelly.
Traditional rainwater harvesting structures are important local sources of water for domestic and agricultural uses, but are rarely monitored. This research showed that the structures can be seasonally and remotely monitored from space using the TanDEM-X digital elevation model to estimate tank water volumes. In the future, it is hoped this process can be used in combination with hydrological modelling to investigate tank water dynamics and spatial connectivity, thus providing useful local management information.
In completing the research, Vicky travelled to the Gundar basin in southern India to validate data from her research. More specifically, actual tank elevation measurements were gathered and subsequently compared with the TanDEM-X DEM predictions. Beyond data collection, Vicky’s time spent in rural Indian communities shaped her perspective of the world and continuously inspires her to find ways in which she can contribute to understanding how rural Indian communities, already lacking water resources, might best cope with future climatic changes.
In recognition of Vicky’s curiosity and pursuit of positive change, she was recently awarded The Hugh C. Morris Experiential Learning Fellowship. This award will allow Vicky to travel to three continents to develop a comprehensive understanding of how big data analytics can be leveraged for improved water resource management of reservoir rainwater harvesting structures in less developed countries.
Vicky’s
upcoming
journey
will
be
documented
on
her
blog,
vvanthof.com.
(L) Reservoir after monsoon rains. (R) Helping women in the field harvest picked cotton.