Towards democratization of water related data in developing regions using cloud computing and open source geospatial web applications

Water security remains a major challenge for many countries today coping with complex water issues that cut across sectors and geopolitical boundaries. One of the largest barriers associated with achieving water security is related to the availability and, arguably more important, the quality of data to make informed decisions regarding water use. Earth observations provide a unique opportunity for addressing data sharing and quality issues in developing regions in need of open data for decision making.

This study provides examples of open source geospatial web applications built using the Tethys platform that supplies timely and accurate information related to water quantity and quality from a variety of unique satellite sources. Specific examples included: (1) global trans-boundary river/reservoir height monitoring using altimetry data, (2) monitoring and forecasting of the extent of ephemeral water bodies in West Africa using Landsat 8 and Sentinel-2 optical sensors along with weather models, and (3) monitoring of suspended sediments using the long-term Landsat collection in the Lower Mekong Basin. These co-developed applications provide decision makers with the information needed to create informed decisions without the need for advanced processing or expert knowledge. Moreover, Tethys provides the ability for open source applications to leverage science from other efforts that exist within the platform. This communal sharing of science and applications allow for stakeholders to easily take ownership of science that leads to impact associated with water security.