Geospatial Technologies in Integrated Watershed Management

TLDR: Synergy of remote sensing, GIS, and Web-based technologies allow to develop and access dynamic geospatial watershed information without burdening the users with complicated and expensive software.

Abstract: Watershed is a geo-hydrological unit area that drains to a common point and is considered as an appropriate physical unit for natural resources evaluation, planning, and management. Watershed management implies the rational utilization of land and water resources for optimum production with minimum hazard to natural environment. Watershed prioritization is one of the most important aspects of planning for implementations of its development and management programs. Geospatial tools can be effectively used in various aspects of integrated watershed management, which includes terrain analysis, land resource inventory, assessment of soil erosion, watershed prioritization, assessment of land capability and irrigability, land use planning, and identify the critical areas for treatment within the watershed for planning and implementation of watershed plans. High-resolution remote sensing, geographic information system (GIS), global positioning system (GPS), simulation modeling, and information and communication technologies (ICT) opened new opportunities to develop intelligent watershed management information systems. Synergy of remote sensing, GIS, and Web-based technologies allow to develop and access dynamic geospatial watershed information without burdening the users with complicated and expensive software. Participatory monitoring and evaluation must be an integral part of integrated watershed management.