Monitoring Water Resources and Hydraulic Infrastructure with GNSS, InSAR, GRACE and SWOT Satellite Observations

Dear Colleagues,

Monitoring water resources and hydraulic infrastructure is a multi-faceted process that utilizes a combination of in situ sensors and remote sensing observations. Currently, the increasing intensity of global climate change and anthropogenic activities is profoundly altering the Earth’s water cycle, resulting in severe spatial and temporal heterogeneity in water resource distribution across river basins and a rising frequency of extreme hydrological events such as floods and droughts. The rise in space-based geodesy technologies—including GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography), GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) and InSAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar)—has brought new opportunities for monitoring water resources and hydraulic infrastructure. Conventional monitoring approaches are inadequate to meet the demands for large-scale, high-precision, and near real-time water resource management. Modern geodesy technologies, with their powerful autonomous positioning capabilities, offer high precision, global coverage, all-weather capability, and automation, enabling centimeter- and even millimeter-level deformation monitoring. Integrating multi-sensor observations from GNSS, InSAR, SWOT, and complementary missions such as GRACE enables the development of an intelligent, integrated space–air–ground monitoring system.

This Special Issue focuses on monitoring water resources and hydraulic infrastructure using modern technologies (e.g., GNSS, InSAR, SWOT, and GRACE satellite missions). We welcome contributions that present novel algorithms for integrating multi-satellite geodesic observations (GNSS, InSAR, GRACE, SWOT), support satellite-based flood forecasting and assessment, introduce open-source software for modeling hydraulic systems, advance groundwater and drought monitoring via multi-satellite observations, and enhance remote sensing applications for infrastructure diagnostics. This Special Issue aims to showcase innovative approaches that enhance the monitoring, management, and sustainability of water resources and hydraulic infrastructure through the integrated use of multi-satellite observations.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Novel algorithms for water resources and hydraulic infrastructure with GNSS, InSAR, GRACE and SWOT observations.
• Satellite-supported flood forecasting and assessment.
• Open-source software for modeling water resources and hydraulic infrastructure.
• Groundwater and drought monitoring with multi-satellite observations.
• Remote sensing of hydraulic infrastructure monitoring.

Dr. Xiaoxing He
Dr. Nengfang Chao
Dr. Rui Fernandes
Dr. Gaël Kermarrec
Guest Editors

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