Abstract

Building on the Applications Development and Research Opportunity (ADRO) Program of the Canadian Space Agency, this project will use RADARSAT imagery for assessing the development potential of the Araba Valley, a border region in Israel and Jordan located between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba. Its emphasis will be on the development of RADARSAT applications in the areas of hydrology, geology, land use, and mapping. Furthermore, it will promote collaboration among Canada, Israel, and Jordan and improve the capacity of local scientists and development planners in mastering novel information technologies for natural resources inventory and management.

Post-Project Summary

Five scenes (four standard and one scansar) of the Araba valley were acquired by the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing (CCRS) and delivered to the Royal Jordan Geographic Centre (RJGC) and the Natural Resources Authority (NRA) in Jordan, and the Geological Survey of Israel (GSI). Print copies of the RADARSAT scenes are included in the final report. CCRS held a training workshop on RADARSAT interpretation in Jerusalem, 6-10 January 1996. A total of 23 persons attended, including two geologists from NRA. Training was provided separately to the RJGC. Interpretation of the RADARSAT images of the Araba valley was provide by the GSI and written up in a paper entitled, "Fault Traces in an Arid Valley Floor revealed by Radar Surface Roughness Classification, Arava Valley, Israel." The paper is included in the final report. The results showed that RADARSAT can provide additional information on the geological interpretation of the Araba valley. As the Araba is subject to serious earthquakes, one as recent as 1995, such geological interpretation was considered fundamental to current development within the valley.

Recipient Institution(s)