Remote Sensing and GIS for water district management: the Caia network case study

Abstract

The development of irrigation technologies related with the different areas covered by irrigated crops in Portugal as well as in the Southern countries of the EU taking into account the relative importance of Agriculture, in what concerns the integration, Water Framework directive and the Eco-compatibility principles requires the capability for the management of big amount of spatial data, a detailed knowledge of their structure and links, the improvement and development of GIS skills at Local, Regional or National scale, integrating remote sensing data on different systems, allowing a better water use, allowing a better knowledge of spatial and temporal distribution of land Use, Soil Types, Crop Water requirements, water distribution network and a more rational management of the available water resource. The application of the GIS to the areas covered by the different Water Districts Management Boards, spread all over the country, gives the possibility for a better use of water for agriculture, on the frame of programs like the EU INTERREG II C Program.