INTEGRATING TOOLS FOR SURFACE WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT - Integrating GIS, Remote Sensing, and Mathematical Modelling for Surface Water Quality Management - page 66

In operational remote sensing no or few in situ measurements should be required, as
concurrent sampling and analysis is expensive and labour intensive.
Standardized operational methods and algorithms for processing of remote sensing data are
required to enhance the reproducibility and to speed up the production process. Remote
sensing derived information should be available within the same time frame as the laboratory
results.
The development of analytical/deterministic algorithms is a prerequisite in order to develop
generally applicable methods with multisite, multisensor and multitemporal validity.
Empirical-based approaches always need a large amount of in situ data
Algorithms must offer possibilities for sensitivity analysis and must be suitable to determine
the precision of and the errors within results. In this way the end user knows whether or not a
particular remote sensing application meets their requirements.
This study also recommended that frequency of availability of remote sensing data is an important
issue. Frequency is more easily obtained from Satellite images at lower costs than associated with
airborne remote sensing. But a boundary condition is that of sufficiently cloud free images per
required monitoring period.
3.5. W ATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS
Before explaining the term “water quality management information systems', the terms systems,
information , and management must briefly be defined. A system is a combination or arrangement of
parts to form an integrated whole. A system includes an orderly arrangement according to some
common principles or rules. A system is a plan or method of doing something. A system is a scientific
method of inquiry, that is, observation, the formulation of an idea, the testing of that idea, and the
application of the results. The scientific method of problem solving is systems analysis in its broadest
sense. Data are facts and figures. However, data have no value until they are compiled into a system
and can provide information for decision making.
Information is what is used in the act of informing or the state of being informed. Information
includes knowledge acquired by some means. In general, information is the basis for any management
and control. Water management activities are not excluded from this general statement. Management
measures not based on adequate and reliable information are, principally, unaccountable. There is,
therefore, a profound need for effective information that is suitable for such use. As a consequence the
development of accountable information systems is receiving much emphasis
Management could be defined as the knowledge of the planning, organizing, directing, and controlling
of the resources, so decisions can be made on the basis of facts, and decisions are more accurate and
timely as a result. Management information systems are those systems that allow managers to make
decisions for the successful operation of resources. Management information systems consist of
computer resources, people, and procedures. The term MIS stands for management information
systems. A management information system (MIS) is a system or process that provides the
information necessary to manage resources. MIS could be developed for managing any resources, such
as human or natural resources, in the case of this research the focus is on Water resources management
and specifically water quality management.
In the last decade of this age of information, a shift in awareness of the role of monitoring and
information has become apparent. In the past, monitoring originated from the greater scientific ideal
that underpins our search for knowledge. The consequence, especially in advanced countries, is that
monitoring is frequently, if not implicitly, linked to scientific investigation. Water quality monitoring,
world-wide, tends to suffer from a chronic failure to establish meaningful programme objectives.
Therefore, it is crucial that when designing management information systems for water quality, it is
necessary to have a clear objective of the system uses, the associated tools, and the required