a powerful tool that can be used in sustainable
urban development. GIS data shows the natural
drainage route design which ensures efficiency
at several levels including the best positions for
installing the drainage systems needed to serve
the entire sub catchments in a responsible
manner. This method also provides indispensable
information in a number of other areas such as
the velocity of runoff in each sub catchment which
is useful in water-borne disease studies; the runoff coefficient maps of the studied area and so on.
Due to the constant threat from its unique
position in the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire,’ Japan has
invested heavily in modern Earth observation
methods for public works and safety. This mature
planning system provides infrastructure resilience.
Potential of natural disasters must be assessed
and determined by extensive hydrological and
geological research. Japan has been developing
its Integrated Earthquake Disaster Simulation
Systems, an integration of computer science,
earthquake engineering and Spatial-Temporal GIS
database technology. Not only is this needed for
rapid emergency operations but it also paves the
way to better city planning and production of city
maps (Goto, Takeuchi, & Shigeru, 2004).
Space Technology Applications for Water
Resources Management
A large number of space technology applications
and space-borne platforms address water-related
issues. Space-derived information can be used
extensively in water management and combined
with non-space technologies, can play an
important role in addressing many water-related
issues, including understanding and observation
of global water cycles and unusual climate
patterns, mapping water courses, monitoring and
mitigating the effects of floods, droughts and
earthquakes and improving the timeliness and
accuracy of weather forecasts. This leads to an
improvement in early warning systems operated at
regional, national and local-community levels and
helps to mitigate flood- and water-related risks to
vulnerable populations. Having this information
and knowing how to use it also aids in developing
effective responses to natural disaster s.
Technically, the Tropical Rainfall Measuring
Mission’s (TRMM) Microwave Imager used to
measure the brightness temperature of radiation
is a good example of promoting space technology
for water resource management. It uses optical
remote sensing to record radiation from the visible
and infrared range. Land and water surfaces
are delineated through their differences in
wavelengths (Parida & Oinam, 2008).
In terms of renewable energy production,
space technology and GIS are often used to gather
parameters aiding production estimates. Some
common applications currently are for geothermal
and hydroelectric power. For geothermal
energy, strategic exploration and management
technologies such as remote sensing are used
in order to reduce risks and improve sustainable
geothermal energy production fields (Meneses III,
2013). An added benefit is that hydroelectric power
structures assist in controlling floods. The dam
structures are built to create a water reservoir,
a hydraulic head and a water surface (Vischer &
Hager, 1998). Reservoirs are vital components of
water management systems as they offer several
benefits including a more reliable water supply
and the possibility of hydropower generation.
Multipurpose dams create operational problems
that come from, ironically, its different purposes.
The multi-objective nature of the reservoir, in
addition to the multi-stakeholder environment
defined by local laws and policies, requires
alternative and dependable inflow estimation and
forecasting methodologies to support the complex
decision-making in water resource management
(Warner, 2007).
The Mekong River is an international river
passing through a number of countries. Therefore,
the management of the river requires collaboration
among countries in the river basin. The Mekong
River Commission (MRC) was established for the
collaboration among the basin countries including
Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic,
Thailand, and Vietnam. As a part of their cooperation, the MRC designed a website called
MRC Data and Information Services. This website
allows basin countries to share information on
water level and water quality of the Mekong River
based on in situ measurements done by each
member periodically. For example, water level
information is updated every 15 minutes for 48
stations around the member States, and water
quality information is updated every two months
for 17 stations.
65