Airborne Red, Near-IR, and Thermal-IR Multispectral Remore Sensing for Detecting Canal Seepage

Project ID: 7110
Principal Investigator: Audrey Rager
Research Topic: Repair and Maintenance
Funded Fiscal Years: 2017, 2018 and 2019
Keywords: None

Research Question

Can airborne multispectral remote sensing be used to delineate canal embankment seepage and animal burrows? There are over 100,000 miles of levee embankments on the national inventory list. Many of these structures are nearing or have exceeded their design life. The Homeland Security Presidential Directive (May 7, 2001) identifies levees as one of the 18 most critical infrastructure and key resource sectors (e.g., assets, systems, and networks, whether physical or virtual, so vital to the United States that their incapacitation or destruction would have a debilitating effect on security, national economic security, public health or safety or any combination thereof). Canal and levee leaks can be confirmed with soil resistivity surveys. Remote sensing may provide a relatively easy, economical way to narrow down which areas along a canal embankment may be leaking. This could save time and money by preventing geophysicists from conducting soil resistivity surveys on areas that are not leaking.

Need and Benefit

There are over 100,000 miles of levee embankments on the national inventory list. Many of these structures are nearing or have exceeded their design life. The Homeland Security Presidential Directive (May 7, 2001) identifies levees as one of the 18 most critical infrastructure and key resource sectors (e.g., assets, systems, and networks, whether physical or virtual, so vital to the United States that their incapacitation or destruction would have a debilitating effect on security, national economic security, public health or safety or any combination thereof). Canal and levee leaks can be confirmed with soil resistivity surveys. Remote sensing may provide a relatively easy, economical way to identify areas along a canal embankment which may be leaking. This could save time and money by focusing geophysical survey and maintenance efforts.

Contributing Partners

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Research Products

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Last Updated: 6/22/20