Context and objectives
IMDC requires information on the spatial variation of turbidity for the optimization of dredging locations and dumping sites, the better planning of new harbor locations and the calibration and validation of the sediment transport models. IMDC realizes that remote sensing data can help to overcome the limitations of the traditional, labor- intensive point measurements. For this reason VITO and IMDC conducted the ORMES project. The ORMES project focused mainly on the full capability of state-of-the-art airborne hyperspectral sensors, with some minor tasks devoted to satellite based TSM derivations. The final product of the ORMES project was a user-friendly software for the production of suspended matter maps. This software was implemented at IMDC and TSM concentration maps can now be generated from remote sensing data with a limited number of water samples for calibration. Yet, for the software to be fully operational the user partner in the ORMES project (WLB- Waterbouwkundig Laboratorium en Hydrologisch onderzoek - Flanders Hydraulics Research) emphasized the need for:
- extending the software for use in other estuarine or coastal environments
- identifying its applicability in other seasons
- detailed research on the viewing opportunities over sites of interest