Paper No. 3
Presentation Time: 9:00 AM-6:30 PM
THE INTEGRATION OF GIS AND REMOTE SENSING IN TRAINING AND RESEARCH IN THE FIELD OF WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN MOROCCO: EVOLUTION AND BENEFITS
LAFTOUHI, Nour-Eddine1, FEKRI, Ahmed2, BENAABIDATE, Lahcen3, MARKHI, Amal1, ZAMRANE, Zineb1, FRYAR, Alan E.4, MILEWSKI, Adam5 and SULTAN, Mohamed6, (1)Laboratory GEOHYD, Faculty of Sciences Semlalia, Marrakech, 40000, Morocco, (2)Geology, Faculty of Sciences Ben M'Sik, Casablanca, 20000, Morocco, (3)Earth Sciences, University of Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah, B.P. 2202, Fez, 30000, Morocco, (4)Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Kentucky, 101 Slone Building, Lexington, KY 40506-0053, (5)Geology, University of Georgia, Geography-Geology Building, 210 Field Street, Athens, GA 30602, (6)Geosciences, Western Michigan University, 1903 W. Michigan Ave, Kalamazoo, MI 49008-5241, noureddine.laftouhi@uca.ma
The use of GIS and remote sensing in water resources management has helped decision makers to reach their objectives with a minimum of effort and cost, in contrast to traditional tools such as field investigations and measurement campaigns. This has become possible because of the compilation of time series data on surface water hydrology (rainfall, runoff, temperature, snow melt, etc.) and on aquifers (piezometric measurements, water quality, etc.) over several decades.
All these data have been structured in databases that are now used to better characterize all the aspects dealing with management of water resources. The Cadi Ayyad University researchers and their partners have used GIS and RS and obtained successful results in a variety of projects in Morocco. These include the assessment of illegal pumping in the Haouz plain aquifer (Marrakech); the planning and implementation of systems of drinking water supply in rural areas (Berrechid); the contribution of snow melt to the hydrologic system of the High Atlas (Marrakech, Ouarzazate); the assessment of vulnerability of regional aquifers (Marrakech, Berrechid); the evaluation of natural hazards (erosion, landslides, etc.); hydrological modeling using SWAT (Marrakech); aquifer characterization (Berrechid, Haouz and Occidental High Atlas); and climate change and its impact on natural resources, especially water resources (Tensift).
