AquaWatch Satellite Constellation Project
“Monitoring Water Resources at a Global Scale”
AquaWatch Overview:
An Australian CSIRO initiative to provide a “weather service” for water quality whose goal is to establish an integrated ground-to-space international water quality monitoring system, to help safeguard global freshwater and coastal resource. INTOSPASS intends to support this initiative by identifying partners who would add their own satellites to the proposed constellation along similar lines as the SSTL DMC.
CSIRO aims to develop AquaWatch as a holistic, co-designed water monitoring system using space applications for on-ground benefits for everyone.
For more information please visit: AquaWatch Australia (csiro.au)
AquaWatch Australia Contributing to the UN’s Sustainable Development goals:
AquaWatch Science Goals:
- Direct monitoring: Cyanobacterial pigments (CPC, CPE), Chlorophyll, Algal blooms, CDOM, TSS, Turbidity.
- Indirectly monitoring: effects of dredging, Aquatic Macrophyte extent, Seagrass: species and extent.
- Monitoring by proxy: Algal toxins; Pesticides and Fertilisers; Overland flows: Blackwater events, Fish kills and Coral reef health
- Water surface and body temperature, using thermal imaging.
- Water levels and quantity, using by estimation of area covered using high spatial resolution imagery (VIS/NIR).
- Mangrove mapping and wetland health.
AquaWatch Innovations Goals:
- Satellite constellation utilizing innovative instruments and IoT technologies.
- Fusion of ground and Space based water monitoring data (eg. In-situ Earth Observation data, sensors & IoT connectivity).
- Implementing multi sensor and multi satellite networks (i.e. a virtual constellation).
- Multi-sensor data fusion using cloud-computing data analytics.
- Enable predictive modelling for water quality forecasting & early warning.
- Downstream generating ‘value-adding’ data products.
- Fosters community engagement and regional approaches to capability building and knowledge sharing.
