Title: EVALUATION OF IFSAR DATA FOR HYDROLOGICAL AND

ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS IN THE MURRAY-DARLING BASIN

Authors: Tishampati Dhar, Carl Menges, Fabrice Marre, John Douglas

Intermap Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar(IFSAR) technology has been used

globally to map entire continents with remarkable consistency and accuracy. This paper
presents the intensive study carried out for the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) to
assess the suitability of IFSAR technology for basin-wide hydrological modelling and
other ecological applications.

The study site was chosen to be the section of Murray stretching from lock 7 to lock 9,
adjoining Lake Victoria. 5m posting 0.5m vertical accuracy IFSAR digital surface model
and digital terrain models were collected along this part of the river. In addition 0.38cm
aerial photography and 6m RapidEye imagery was also collected. The IFSAR DTM was
was fused with existing LiDAR data to integrate the available detail while removing bias
and distortions from the latter.

Stream networks were derived from the IFSAR DTM with and without assistance from the
aerial imagery and the LiDAR fused product, evaluating the cost benefit of each
approach.

This study makes the case for basin-wide IFSAR coverage with fused Lidar to produce
consistent and detailed hydrological model for the Murray-Darling basin which will greatly
improve the predictability of the system and water resource management.