Developing a geoinformatics based approach to manage water resources in Southern Kurdistan

The region is currently experiencing an increase in water demand due to an expanding population, improvements in life quality and development activities. Consequently, Water Resource Managers and decision makers will be required to balance a dwindling supply with an escalating demand. These decision makers will need to use every aid available to them in order to identify management options for optimising the use of these limited water resources. The applicability of Geoinformatics as a water resources management tool in Southern Kurdistan and the relevance and the potential success of a range of applications, including water supply, hydrological catchment management, and managing sedimentation in reservoirs, floods and agriculture are examined. Based on the outcome of these assessments a Geoinformatics based hydrological management system is proposed. This management system will use Remote Sensing as an information source and GIS as an analytical tool within the management system. The system will enable decision makers to extrapolate, predict, update, plan, evaluate, compare, simulate and visualise various management actions and to anticipate the consequences of implementing each action over different periods of time in an objective manner, ultimately enabling them to optimise management decisions.