SCIENCE TALK: Mapping Surface Water Dynamics with Cloud Computing and Open-Source Software 

This webinar will provide an in-depth look at leveraging open-access satellite data, aerial imagery, cloud computing, and open-source software to map and analyze surface water dynamics. We'll start by exploring the wealth of freely available geospatial data sources, from Landsat and Sentinel satellites to high-resolution aerial imagery, that can track surface water extent, flooding, and related changes over time. Next, we'll dive into cloud computing platforms like Google Earth Engine and open-source tools like the geemap Python library. These technologies allow us to efficiently process massive geospatial datasets and generate insights using only a browser. We'll walk through practical examples using the powerful capabilities of these platforms, including time-series analysis and change detection. To illustrate these techniques in action, we'll showcase two recent high-profile flood events - the devastating 2022 Pakistan floods and the 2024 Brazil floods. Participants will learn how open data and cloud-based tools can be leveraged to rapidly map the spatial extent of flooding, monitor its evolution, and support relief and recovery efforts. The webinar will close with a Q&A session to address any questions from attendees.