POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS OF RADAR ALTIMETRY ON WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN NILE RIVER

A critical state-of-the-art review was conducted on the potential applications of altimetry radar in Nile River systems of Sudan and nearby areas in Africa. Altimetry data obtained from ERS (ENVISAT) and Topex/Poseidon missions were compared with gauge data from selected river systems. With remote sensing and GIS supported validation tools, the water levels were estimated with low root mean square error and good accuracy far to use for operational hydrology but good enough for tracking variation trend. Such is a promising and very valuable tool for monitoring water levels of river network thereby contributing to some confidence for decision support systems for Nile River Basin initiative being implemented by various government and non-government institutions. Such method gives some insights on the innovative applications of radar altimetry products for regional water resources management, specifically on flood monitoring/hazard mitigation and water resources management, especially in remote and poorly gauged river basins.