Orientation training on HydroSAR data products and web application

Date 3 Aug 2022 to 5 Aug 2022
Venue ICIMOD headquarters, Kathmandu, Nepal
Contact Persons servirhkh@icimod.org
Type Training
Programmes SERVIR-HKH, MENRIS

HydroSAR data products and web application

About the training

We are organising a two-day workshop in collaboration with the NASA SERVIR Applied Sciences Team (AST) to introduce the HydroSAR service with its HYDRO30 surface water extent and FD30 flood water depth products. The workshop will also include an introduction to the visualisation properties and a step-by-step methodology for accessing the products via a web-based application.

Objectives

  • Provide information on the properties, capabilities, and limitations of the HydroSAR HYDRO30 and FD30 data products
  • Hands-on training on the web application
  • Training on how to download HydroSAR data products via the ICIMOD Regional Database System (RDS) portal
  • Discussion and feedback on the customisation of the web application

Outcome

By the end of the workshop, participants will have sufficient understanding of the capabilities of the surface water mapping products included in the HydroSAR service and will be able to confidently use the associated web application.

Resources

Quick guides

Resource persons and facilitators

University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF): Franz J Meyer

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC): Lori Schultz

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC): Batu Osmanoglu/MinJeong Jo

NASA SERVIR Science Coordination Office (SCO): Timothy Mayer

ICIMOD: Rajesh Bahadur Thapa, Sudip Pradhan, Poonam Tripathi, Birendra Bajracharya

Background

Floods are considered the most significant natural disaster affecting the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region because of their intensity and frequency, and most importantly, the impact on the population, the financial toll, and the disruption to socio-economic activities. Following the onset of flooding, remotely-sensed geospatial data serves as a critical resource for surface inundation information that can be combined with other social and infrastructure information to aid in disaster response efforts and decision making. In collaboration with a team led by NASA SERVIR Applied Sciences Team member Franz Meyer, Professor, University of Alaska Fairbanks, we developed the cloud-based automatic flood monitoring service HydroSAR, which includes a 30-m surface water extent mapping (HYDRO30) product and a flood water depth (FD30) product, both derived from weather-independent Sentinel-1 SAR data. The products are available within hours after data acquisition and can provide near real-time information on flood water extent and depth as an event progresses. The products are available for the lower reaches of the HKH region and are distributed via a web service through our (RDS) portal.

Tentative agenda

  • Day 1 – Wednesday, 3 August 2022
    Time Topic
    09:15–09:30 Registration
    09:30–10:30 Opening session

    Training objectives and programme overview – Rajesh Bahadur Thapa, ICIMOD

    Introduction to the SERVIR Programme – Timothy Mayer, NASA SERVIR SCO
    Overview of SERVIR-HKH activities – Birendra Bajracharya, ICIMOD
    Introduction of participants
    Welcome remarks – TBC, ICIMOD
    10:30–11:00 Group photo
    11:00–12:30 Summary of SAR, NISAR and Sentinel-1 sensors used by HydroSAR

    Pre-training assessment – Poonam Tripathi, ICIMOD

    Summary of SAR for surface water mapping – Franz J Meyer, UAF

    The Sentinel-1 and NISAR sensors – Franz J Meyer, UAF

    Q&A session on SAR and SAR sensors

    12:30–13:30 Lunch
    13:30–15:00 Overview of the HydroSAR HYDRO30 surface water extent product
    13:30–14:15 The HYDRO30 workflow Including capabilities and limitations – Franz J Meyer, UAF
    14:15–15:00 Lab: Create surface water extent information using a Jupyter Notebook – Franz J Meyer, UAH
    15:00–15:30 Coffee break
    15:30–16:00 Demonstration of HYDRO30 Quick guides – Lori Schultz, NASA MSFC
    16:00–16:30 Surface water extent mapping Q&A
  • Day 2 – Thursday, 4 August 2022
    Time Topic
    09:15–09:45 Demonstration of HydroSAR web application and data access via RDS – Sudip Pradhan, ICIMOD
    09:45–10:30 Lab: Hands-on familiarizing with the web application and the RDS Portal
    10:30–10:45 Q&A on web application
    10:45–11:00 Coffee break
    11:00–12:30 Lab: Assess monsoon flood progression over your area of interest (AOI) using the HydroSAR web application
    12:30–13:30 Lunch
    13:30–15:00 Overview of the HydroSAR FD30 flood water depth product
    13:30–14:15 The FD30 workflow including capabilities and limitations – Batu Osmanoglu/MinJeong Jo,  NASA GSFC
    14:15–15:00 Lab: Create FD30 information using a Jupyter Notebook – Batu Osmanoglu/MinJeong Jo,  NASA  GSFC
    15:00–15:30 Coffee break
    15:30–16:00 Demonstration of FD30 Quick guides – Lori Schultz,  NASA MSFC
    16:00–16:30 Flood water depth mapping Q&A
  • Day 3 – Friday, 5 August 2022
    Time Topic
    09:15–10:30 Lab: Assess monsoon-related flood water depth progression over your AOI using the HydroSAR web application
    10:30–11:00 Coffee break
    11:00–12:30 Lab: Presentations of HYDRO30 and FD30 experiences over user-selected AOIs
    12:30–13:30 Lunch
    13:30–16:00 Post-training assessment – Poonam Tripathi, ICIMOD
    Meetings with end-users
    16:00–16:45 Summary and closing ceremony