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Irrigation Performance Indicators Based on Remotely Sensed Data: a Review of Literature

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Irrigation and Drainage Systems

Abstract

The earlier generation of irrigation performanceindicators was based on canal flow data. Commonly,they quantify performance in a command area downstreamof a discharge measurement device. Remote sensingdeterminants, such as actual evapo-transpiration, soilwater content and crop growth reflect the overallwater utilization at a range of scales, up to fieldlevel. Crop evapo-transpiration includes wateroriginating from irrigation supply, water fromprecipitation, groundwater and water withdrawn fromthe unsaturated zone. Hence, this is a refinement inspatial scale as compared to the classicallycollected flow measurements, and describes moreoverdepletion from all water resources. If thesepossibilities are well implemented, we expect that anew generation of irrigation performance indicatorscan be quantified in a cost-effective manner.Especially, because satellite measurements pave a wayto standardize data collection between differentirrigation schemes and among different countries atcosts which are currently decreasing. These challengescan only turn into a success if irrigation managersare involved in pilot projects and demonstrationstudies exploring satellite data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Colombo, Sri Lanka and

    W.G.M. Bastiaanssen

  2. AgroWater Consultants, Maurik, The Netherlands

    W.G.M. Bastiaanssen

  3. International Institute for Land Reclamation and Improvement (ILRI), Wageningen, The Netherlands

    M.G. Bos

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  1. W.G.M. Bastiaanssen
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Bastiaanssen, W., Bos, M. Irrigation Performance Indicators Based on Remotely Sensed Data: a Review of Literature. Irrigation and Drainage Systems 13, 291–311 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006355315251

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