14. Hydroinformatics for Integrated Watershed Management for Mitigating Floods and Droughts

Hydroinformatics is expanding the role of hydrological monitoring and analysis in decision making. Hydrological mapping is undergoing dramatic and substantial changes driven primarily due to technological developments in both the computer and telecommunication fields. Hydrologists have a greater opportunity to utilize computer and multimedia for hydrological data processing. The geographical information system has changed mapping in many ways. Softcopy images have replaced printed maps for many applications. Production time has been reduced drastically for micro-planning and development needs. A timely, high resolution image of a designated site can be obtained in minutes by moving a nearby satellite into a new orbit. Automation is also changing the quality as well as variety of geospatial information that can be mapped. The paper identifies various hydrological data bases together with space informatics in order to link with integrated watershed management for floods and droughts mitigation in India.