Application of GIS and Remote Sensing for River Basin Management and Water Resource Planning
Keywords:
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Remote Sensing (RS) River Basin Management Water Resource Planning Hydrological Modeling Flood Monitoring Drought Monitoring Groundwater Assessment Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) Water Scarcity Climate Variability Land-Use Change Spatial Analysis Hydrological SystemsAbstract
River basin management and water resource planning are increasingly dependent on spatially explicit, data-driven approaches due to growing water scarcity, climate variability, and land-use change. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) have emerged as essential tools for monitoring, analyzing, and managing hydrological systems at multiple spatial and temporal scales. GIS enables integration, storage, and spatial analysis of hydrological and environmental data, while Remote Sensing provides continuous, large-scale observation of land surface and water dynamics. This review presents recent advancements in GIS and RS applications for river basin characterization, hydrological modeling, flood and drought monitoring, groundwater assessment, and water resource planning. The integration of these technologies with hydrological models enhances decision-making and supports sustainable Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). Challenges such as data uncertainty, resolution limitations, and computational constraints are also discussed, along with future directions involving Artificial Intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and real-time monitoring systems.
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