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The Future of Navigation: How Satellite Data Shapes Map Innovation

Geoawesome is thrilled to announce our upcoming digital event, The Future of Navigation: How Satellite Data Shapes Map Innovation, where industry leaders from Maxar Technologies and TomTom will share their insights into how satellite data is transforming mapping and navigation.

Join us as we dive into the innovations shaping the next generation of digital maps. This event is an exclusive opportunity to gain insights from the experts driving advancements in geospatial technology. You’ll hear firsthand how satellite data enhances map accuracy, enriches real-time navigation, and supports a wide range of applications—from urban planning to logistics.

But this isn’t just another webinar! At Geoawesome, we are all about the community – this event is an opportunity for you to network with fellow professionals, broaden your industry connections, and engage directly with top voices in satellite and mapping technologies.

Don’t forget to register for the event

The Future of Navigation: How Satellite Data Shapes Map Innovation

Luca Perletta is a Senior Sales Manager focused on the European Enterprise sector for Maxar Intelligence. For nearly a decade, he has helped users in the mapping and automotive sectors leverage Maxar’s very high-resolution imagery and geospatial capabilities. He earned a Master of Science in Remote Sensing and Image Processing from Politecnico di Milano.

Hervé Clauss has over 25 years of expertise in data innovation, engineering, and management, delivering measurable value through process optimization, cost reductions, and new product development. At TomTom, Hervé successfully established the Automated Driving content sourcing team, created a new Mobile Mapping Data business line, and expanded engineering teams in mobile mapping and connected vehicle domains. His specialties include data management, operations, digital mapping, and automated driving.

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Using SWOT Mission Data: Monitoring South Asian Rivers During Monsoon Season
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Using SWOT Mission Data: Monitoring South Asian Rivers During Monsoon Season

The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission is transforming our ability to monitor global surface water and ocean dynamics.

Launched on December 16, 2022, this collaborative project between NASA and the French space agency CNES provides a new perspective on Earth’s lakes, rivers, and oceans— enabling researchers to study water resources and climate change with greater detail and accuracy.

SWOT’s Mission Objectives: A Closer Look at Earth’s Water

SWOT aims to fill data gaps by providing high-resolution measurements of surface water elevations and inundation extents for rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and wetlands, as well as detailed observations of ocean currents and water whirlpools. The mission’s primary objectives are:

  • Create a detailed water map with high spatial resolution

SWOT is drawing the most precise picture yet of Earth’s water bodies. It’s measuring the heights of rivers, lakes, and wetlands with incredible accuracy, showing us exactly where water is and how much of it there is too.

  • Enhance our understanding of ocean currents and small-scale dynamics

The mission is diving deep into understanding ocean currents and tiny water swirls that were previously too small to see from space. These small-scale dynamics shed light onto things that were previously unseen. SWOT is helping us to better grasp how oceans move heat and affect our climate.

  • Support water management

By providing us with a clearer picture of our water resources, SWOT gives decision-makers, stakeholders, and policymakers alike, new tools. This could lead to better decisions about how we use and protect our water supplies.

SWOT Products and Data Overview

The SWOT data is categorized into three primary products: L2_HR_Raster, L2_HR_RiverSP, and L2_HR_LakeSP. Essentially:

  1. Raster images: Think of these as detailed water maps.
  2. River snapshots: Focused data on river changes over time.
  3. Lake insights: Detailed information about lakes and reservoirs.

Each product includes variables like water surface elevation (WSE), river and lake surface area, and derived discharge, allowing researchers to monitor changes in water bodies. The datasets are available in formats such as NetCDF-4 and shapefiles, making them compatible with most geospatial tools. Scientists and water managers can use this information to track changes in our water resources over time.

Data Access and Availability

The SWOT data can be accessed through platforms, primarily via NASA’s Physical Oceanography Distributed Active Archive Center (PO.DAAC) and the Earthdata Search portal.

Users can download the datasets in different formats, depending on the product type and their specific research needs. For advanced users, data can also be accessed directly through cloud services such as AWS S3, ensuring efficient and scalable data handling.

Overview of SWOT Measurement System

Overview of SWOT Measurement System

SWOT raster data by NASA

SWOT raster data by NASA

Case Study: Monitoring Indian and Pakistanian Rivers During Monsoon Using SWOT Data

A small study using SWOT data was conducted to monitor changes in the width and Water Surface Elevation (WSE) of major Indian and Pakistanian rivers during the monsoon season.

Data

Two SWOT datasets were used: one from the peak monsoon period (July 2023/August 2023) and one from the non-monsoon period (December 2023/January 2024). Researchers wanted to see how these rivers swelled and shrank with the rains.

Processing

To ensure data reliability, river segments with high uncertainty values were excluded, leaving only those with relatively low uncertainty for analysis. The selected data attributes, such as width, WSE, and slope, were integrated into a single table for a comprehensive view of the river changes. Differences in WSE and width were calculated by comparing the monsoon and non-monsoon datasets. Visualizations were created using QGIS software, showcasing the spatial distribution of these changes across different river basins. These maps show exactly where rivers expanded the most, where water levels rose dramatically, and how different river basins responded to the monsoon rains.

Results

The Indus River showed a significant increase in water level, with WSE values rising by at least 3 meters during the monsoon compared to the non-monsoon period. The width of the Indus also expanded considerably, reaching over 200 meters wider in certain segments.

In contrast, the changes observed in the rivers flowing over the Deccan Plateau, such as the Godavari, were relatively minor, with only slight increases in both width and WSE. These visualizations clearly illustrated the correlation between intense monsoon rainfall and rising water levels in the Ganges and Brahmaputra. These rivers swelled dramatically with monsoon rains.

One of the study’s key insights was identifying river segments prone to high seasonal variability, which are crucial for flood risk management.

Continuous monitoring and comparison of SWOT datasets over several years could help us understand the rivers of South Asia like never before. This knowledge could reveal how climate change is affecting these vital waterways, making a significant difference in flood preparation for high-risk areas and water management overall.

Conclusion

The SWOT mission is a groundbreaking initiative that bridges the gap between hydrology and oceanography by providing high-resolution, global measurements of surface water and ocean topography.

With its advanced Ka-band Radar Interferometer (KaRIn) sensor, SWOT delivers critical data that enhances water resource management, informs climate change research, and improves disaster response efforts.

As the mission progresses, the insights gained from SWOT will continue to shape our understanding of Earth’s water systems, contributing to more effective management and preservation of this precious resource.

 


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