Background:

Farmers, land owners, and land managers need to be able to understand their nearby water resources and how the water may change in availability, quantity, and location over time.

Your challenge is to use satellite and other data to allow these stakeholders in your community to visualize and understand your landscapes and the sources of water near you.  Use data from Earth-observing satellites to identify the broad sweep of groundwater levels below you and surface water supplies, and determine how environmental conditions affect these water resources.

Track the identified resources over time to see how water levels have changed over time (seasons to years). 

How can you combine the satellite and other data with local knowledge to help stakeholders understand why these changes may be taking place?

This challenge addresses the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted by the United Nations General Assembly to engage all countries and all stakeholders in a collaborative partnership.  The SDGs aim to build a better future for all people by achieving sustainable development in three dimensions – economic, social, and environmental – in the spirit of strengthened global solidarity:

• Goal 6.5:  By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate.
  
• Goal 6.6:  By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes.