Research objectives and methodology

The research methodology is based on a multi-disciplinary approach that links together satellite data, ground measurements and numerical models all of them oriented to develop an operative forecast tool of water needs for irrigation.

The objective of the proposal is to develop and apply a tool for real-time forecast of crop water needs, to support interventions to reduce water losses in agriculture in case of dry or more severe drought periods and to promote a more sustainable use of the water in agriculture, supporting parsimonious water irrigation management at basin scale moving from the need of a single farmer. The different case studies represents the different spatial scale from farm to basin and also the respective end users needs (farmers, irrigation consortia, and river basin authority).

In addition to the above operative objective, several scientific objectives will be addressed.

The objectives stated above will be achieved through a number of interconnected and synergic activities, which are divided in work packages (WP), with their own deliverables and milestones.

WP0 - Coordination

WP Leader

POLIMI

Starting Month

End Month

Task

Task.0.1: Meetings, internal communication and reports.

Task.0.2: End-user involvement.

Task.0.3: Dissemination.

Deliverables

D.0.1: Report of end users needs.

D.0.2: Mid Progress report.

D.0.3: Final report.

WP1 - Ground monitoring

WP1 will collect and analyse ground data relative to each of the five cases studies providing a homogeneous dataset of soil moisture and evapotranspiration, irrigation practice, crop type, meteorological forcing.

WP Leader

POLIMI

WP Participants

UVES, MMI, TUD RADI-CAS, End-Users

Starting Month

End Month

Task

Task.1.1: Case studies description.

Task 1.2: Real time meteorological data for hydrological models input.

Task 1.3: Soil moisture and evapotranspiration data for the hydrological models validation at farm and basin scale.

Task 1.4: Radiometric data for satellite data calibration/validation

Deliverables

D.1.1: Report describing crop types and irrigation practice.

D.1.2: Consistent data base of meteorological, hydrological, radiometric data for each case studies from 2010 to 2015 and real-time data.

Milestones

M.1: Case studies consistency control time.

WP2 - Satellite data for hydrological models

WP2 will collect satellite data for each case study and retrieving vegetation parameters, land surface temperature and soil moisture that will be used as input and/or control data of the soil hydrological models implemented in WP3.

WP Leader

UVES

WP Participants

RADI-CAS, TUD

Starting Month

End Month

Task

Task 2.1: Time series of Leaf Area Index (LAI), fractional vegetation cover.

Task 2.2: Time series of albedo.

Task 2.3: Time series of land surface temperature.

Task 2.4: Time series of soil moisture.

Task 2.5: Real time data.

Deliverables

D.2: Consistent time series for the period 2010-2015 and real time for each study area: I) albedo; II) LST, III) LAI and fractional cover, IV) SM.

Milestones

M.2: Implementation of satellite algorithm for hydrological model.

WP3 - Hydrological modelling of water-energy fluxes

WP3 The hydrological models here used present a high degree of innovation due to the use of satellite data for their parameterization, validation and control; principal still open problem in hydrology will be analysed.

WP Leader

TUD

WP Participants

POLIMI, RADI-CAS

Starting Month

End Month

Task

Task 3.1: Implementation of the Hydrological models (FEST-EWB and ETMonitor).

Task 3.2: Calibration and Validation Intercomparison of the two hydrological models.

Deliverables

D.3: Estimates of soil moisture, evapotranspiration discharge for the cases studies for both modelling approaches.

Milestones

M.3: Definition of the most appropriate distributed hydrological model for each demonstration area.

WP4 - Meteorological forecast

WP4 will provide quantitative meteorological forecast assessed with Limited Area models for each test sites comparing different methods of ground data assimilation and boundary conditions perturbations.

WP Leader

UNI-BAL

WP Participants

EPSON

Starting Month

End Month

Task

Task 4.1: Comparison of modelling techniques in WRF.
Task 4.2: Analysis of Spatial Scale issue in forecasting lead-time.
Task 4.4: Real time forecast of meteorological forcings.

Deliverables

D.4: Consistent meteorological forecast for each case studies.

Milestones

M.4: WRF configuration for operative use.

WP5 - Soil moisture and evapotranspiration real time forecast for irrigation water needs

The irrigation water need forecast will be assessed in WP5 where the hydrological and meteorological models will be coupled analysing common but still open problems dealing with temporal and spatial resolutions.

WP Leader

POLIMI

WP Participants

RADI-CAS, TUD

Starting Month

End Month

Task

Task 5.1: Water need forecast from evapotranspiration or soil moisture estimates.
Task 5.2: Effect of different techniques of meteorological modelling forecast into hydrological modelling.

Deliverables

D.5: Maps of forecasted and real time estimates of irrigation water needs, soil moisture, evapotranspiration for each case study.

Milestones

M.5: Assessment of hydrological forecast procedure.

WP6 - Economic and environmental analysis

The economic impact of forecast water need and the relatively parsimonious use of the water will be analysed and quantified in the WP6 through profitability indicators and cost analysis of water management.

WP Leader

UNITU

Starting Month

End Month

Task

Task 6.1: Assessing current costs and benefits of water use for irrigation.
Task 6.2: Estimating optimal water and cost allocation under different policies.

Deliverables

D.6: Economic analysis of the project tool on the case studies.

Milestones

M.6: Assessment of economic crop/farm models for the case study.

WP7 - Product implementation

In the end, WP7 will deal with the operative tool implementation and with the interaction and promotion with the project end-users.

WP Leader

MMI

WP Participants

EPSON, UNITU, End-Users

Starting Month

End Month

Task

Task 7.1: Service implementation.
Task 7.2: Interaction with the end users.

Deliverables

D.7: Development of operative prototype project tool for each case studies.

Milestones

M.7: Assessment of forecasted chain for operative prototype tool.