International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Voi. XXXII Part 7C2, UNISPACE III, Vienna, 1999 
106 
I5PR5 
UNISPACE III - ISPRS/EARSeL Workshop on 
“Remote Sensing for the Detection, Monitoring 
and Mitigation of Natural Disasters” 
2:30-5:30 pm, 22 July 1999, VIC Room B 
Vienna, Austria 
zoning map of the rangeland at the level of the country, by 
overlaying the existing maps, the detailed cartography of 
vegetation and tire development of a statistical model for the 
inventory of the rangeland at the national level, in tenns of 
species acreage. 
Remote sensing allowed the mapping and the inventory of the 
soils in arid and semi-arid zones, at the scale of recognition 
(1/200.000), by using Landsat data (Merzouk, 1992) and the 
mapping of the stony zones by the utilization of Spot data 
(MAMVA, 1996). By the means of GIS, the mapping of the 
sensitivity to water erosion, which is based on the principle of 
tire Universal Equation of the Losses in Soil, integrating many 
factors such as climate, topography, pedology, vegetation and 
fanning practices, pennitted the production of soil losses 
maps, on which the management plans of the watersheds in 
Morocco are based (Anys et al., 1992). 
Remote sensing and GIS are applied to the conservation and 
the management of the surface water. Indeed, they pennit the 
management of the irrigated perimeters (Ait Belaid, 1990), the 
inventory of water bodies, the choice of sites of dams and the 
determination of the zones affected by the floods (El Hadani, 
1997). The information on soil moisture could be obtained by 
the utilization of radar data (Merdas and Lichtenegger, 1994). 
The interpretation of the appropriate elements on the pictures 
indicate the favorable conditions for the presence of 
underground water (El Hadani, 1997). 
2.2 Monitoring of environmental 
indicators 
At the national level, the low resolution satellite data allows to 
ensure the management of natural vegetation, on a ten day, 
monthly and yearly basis by using NOAA/AVHRR data. The 
frequently used parameters are the albedo (AL), the vegetation 
index (NDVI) and the surface temperature (ST). These 
different parameters are exploited for the monitoring of the 
state of vegetation, the localization of the zones with water 
stress and the characterization of the vulnerable zones to 
desertificatioa 
For example, the vegetation index images are produced and 
provided to the national center for the fight against migratoiy 
locusts. Other geophysical parameters such as thermal inertia 
and emissivity were developed and validated by CRTS in 
collaboration with the University of Valencia. These 
parameters have a great utility in the monitoring of the 
desertification phenomenon and climatic variations. 
Thus, a database of these parameters covering the period of 
1987-1999 was constituted and enriched progressively by the 
integration of new data. As a first result of the exploitation of 
this database, a stratification at the national level was 
produced in 5 classes : water bodies, rainfed cultures, 
irrigated lands, forests as well as rangelands and bare soils 
(Smiej, 1998). 
In addition to the survey of the desertification phenomenon 
from one single parameter, a new complementary approach 
was developed at the national level, it is based on the 
modelling of two parameters (ex. combination of the AL and 
ST parameters). 
The systematic development of this kind of document will 
allow the yearly monitoring of desertification. The results are 
in agreement with those obtained by many authors in different 
regions (Seguin et al., 1987; Becker et ah, 1988). using more 
or less similar methodologies and nomenclatures. 
In conclusion, we note that the different results concerning the 
monitoring of vegetation as well as the development of 
desertification maps, emanating from various approaches, are 
coherent with each other. These results being exploratory, 
require validation by means of in situ data and popularization 
among the potential users. 
2.3 Scientific cooperation 
Within the framework of regional cooperation, CRTS lias set 
up tliree projects on the survey of desertification. 
The first is lead in collaboration with the University of 
Valencia in Spain over a period of 2 years. It focuses on the 
survey- of desertification and climatic risks in Morocco and 
their impact on natural resources. The main objectives are : to 
derive two parameters (thermal inertia and emissivity') from 
NOAA/AVHRR images, at the regional level (Morocco and 
Spain), and to characterize soil and vegetation, using Landsat- 
TM images at the local level. 
The second project, entitled CAMELEO (Changes in Arid 
Mediterranean Ecosystems on the Long Temi through Earth 
Observation ), over a period of 3 years, associates the 
countries of North Africa to set up a methodology for 
desertification monitoring in this region producing 
information for the operational management of arid zones. The 
main purpose is to discriminate areas where soil and 
vegetation are degrading, stable or recovering. In addition, the 
understanding of the relationships between those changes and 
land use will be a major objective. 
The third project, entitled Network for Long Term Ecological 
Survey (ROSELT), aims to set up permanent devices for 
systematic observations of natural ecosystems in order to 
follow on the evolution of the environment at the local and 
regional levels. 
These projects constitute an excellent beginning in the 
understanding of desertification at the national and regional 
levels. The future projects are going to capitalize on the 
accumulated knowlege in order to build an operational system 
for forecasting and combatting desertification. 
2.4 Toward the development of a DIS