CEE Seminar (ZOOM): Monitoring Inland Water Bodies with Multi-source Satellite Data: New US Geological Survey Tools to Provide Water Data for the United States

Abstract: The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is the primary science bureau in the Department of the Interior and works closely with government, academic and industry partners to provide timely information and understanding of the nation's land, water, biota, energy and mineral resources. With Water Science Centers in every state, the USGS operates the nation's largest stream and lake monitoring network to continuously measure water fluxes, water quality and water availability. The USGS is now moving rapidly to develop remote sensing technology for monitoring water resources and to provide timely hydrologic information to decision-makers and the public. New monitoring tools based on satellite observation data and advanced data processing techniques are being developed to gage streams, monitor water quality, map floods and measure the hydrologic cycle. This presentation will demonstrate several of these new monitoring tools and describe the revolutionary changes in hydrologic science enabled by recent growth in earth observation satellites, public availability of satellite data and continued growth in big data processing capabilities.

Bio: Jack Eggleston is a hydrologist in the USGS Water Mission Area and chief of the Hydrologic Remote Sensing Branch. At the USGS, he has helped water utilities and state, federal and international government agencies better understand and manage water resources. His areas of specialty include water resource assessment, hydrologic numerical modeling and remote sensing. Prior to joining the USGS in 2002, he was a research professor at Duke University and received a B.A. in mathematics and philosophy from St. John’s College in 1989 and a Ph.D. in civil and environmental engineering from Duke University in 1996.