A geomatics-based integrated resource management model scheme for watersheds

Integrated management of land and water resources is critical to best addressing increasing resource demands of society while maintaining a healthy environment. Combining computer mapping and satellite data at the watershed scale with integrated resource management models will provide governments, industry and nongovernmental agencies with a new generation of resource planning and management capabilities. Watersheds are a natural management unit – defined by interactions of geologic and atmospheric processes.

Our integrated modelling platform provides high resolution real-time capability to assess changing resource issues in mountains – the water towers of the world. Such capabilities are critical to short, medium and long-term management. Short and medium term issues can be challenging: examples include flood protection, optimizing hydroelectric generation and water allocation in times of drought. Longer-term adaptation to inter-annual and inter-decadal environment change requires high-level resource management tools. Our modeling capacity is critical to address all these management issues in watersheds around the world.

Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. James Byrne

Student:

Devin Cairns, Stephnie Watson & Ryan MacDonald

Partner:

NOVUS Environmental

Discipline:

Geography / Geology / Earth science

Sector:

Environmental industry

University:

University of Lethbridge