Open Data and Tools for Multispectral Satellite Analysis of Desert Sand Dunes Migration: Case Studies in the MENA Region

The recent availability of medium resolution free and open multispectral satellite imagery, with short revisiting time, opens newsworthy opportunities to the monitoring of natural events, like the sand dunes migration that is of high interest in desert areas such as the MENA Region. In parallel, open tools such as algorithms, software, and web platforms have also emerged by facilitating imagery exploitation. The chapter investigates the availability and characteristics of the modern open multispectral satellite imagery and assesses the suitability of employing it for the analysis of desert sand dunes migration through the design of an ad-hoc data analysis framework. The technological requirements and challenges in the management of a large volume of satellite images and the benefits derived from the systematic use of cutting-edge GIS and remote sensing free and open-source software technologies are discussed. A preliminary application of the conceived analysis framework on two study areas in Egypt and the United Arab Emirates is presented. A discussion on lessons learned and both possible improvements and uses of the presented framework concludes the chapter.