Use of remote sensing data in distributed hydrological models: applications in the Senegal River basin

Abstract

Research activities aiming at integrating Earth Observation data in large scale distributed hydrological modelling will be presented. The focus will be on the Senegal River basin in West Africa where satellite data from various sensors and from different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum will be used in combination with a distributed model specifically adapted to utilize Earth Observation data. The work represents the initial results obtained by the ongoing INTEO project. The outcome and experiences gained so far are primarily related to low resolution optical data from the NOAA-AVHRR sensor, and results related to land cover classification, vegetation and soil moisture will be presented.By the end of 1996 the Danish Research Council had launched a four-year research programme in Earth Observation (EO) with the long-term purpose of complementing and developing ongoing earth observation activities in Denmark. INTEO (INTegration of Earth Observation data in agrohydrological models) was one of the four projects that obtained funding through this initiative. This multi disciplinary project has the ultimate objective to integrate EO data and hydrological models with the perspective of improving water resource management. Research within INTEO focuses on the use of satellite remote sensing data combined with large scale hydrological modelling, in particular the Senegal River basin in West Africa, (Figure 1). This paper presents the research done within INTEO, with focus on the general approach pursued for combining

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