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Geomatic techniques for precise Dayas detection in arid zones: a case study in Northwestern Wilaya of Naama, Algeria

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Abstract

Arid zones are characterized by limited rainfall and scarce surface water, making them highly susceptible to droughts and water scarcity. However, temporary water bodies known as “Dayas” play a crucial role in providing surface water in such regions. These Dayas often serve as the sole water source, supporting local communities and biodiversity. This study aims to identify the most effective index for extracting Dayas by evaluating seven water indices on the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform. Using a 30 m spatial resolution Landsat-5 Thematic Mapper (TM) imagery from October 2008, indices including the Modified Normalized Difference Water Index (MNDWI), the Augmented Normalized Difference Water Index (ANDWI), the Automated Water Extraction Index: for images with shadow (AWEIsh) and without shadow (AWEInsh), the Water Index (WI2015), the New Water Index (NWI), and the Enhanced Water Index (EWI) were computed and compared using the Otsu thresholding method. MNDWI and EWI exhibited superior performance, achieving overall accuracies of 94% and 92%, respectively, with a kappa coefficient exceeding 0.8, signifying accurate Dayas identification. This study focuses on the Wadi Ateuch watershed; however, the identified indices have the broader potential for precise Dayas detection and monitoring in diverse arid regions.

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Acknowledgements

This work constitutes an integral part of the doctoral thesis pursued by PhD student Tayyib Moussaoui. The research was carried out under the guidance of Dr Abdessamed Derdour as the primary supervisor and was cosupervised by Professor Abdelkarim Benaradj. The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the Laboratory for the Sustainable Management of Natural Resources in Arid and Semi-arid Zones of the University Center of Naama. We are greatly grateful for the in-depth discussion by the anonymous reviewers that have improved the quality of the manuscript. Furthermore, we acknowledge the indispensable role played by CRSTRA and Forest Conservation Services of Wilaya of Naama in providing essential field support for the ground truthing process. Their involvement has significantly contributed to the robustness and reliability of our findings.

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The authors did not receive any specific funding for this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory for the Sustainable Management of Natural Resources in Arid and Semi-Arid Zones, University Center of Naama, 45000, Naama, Algeria

    Tayyib Moussaoui, Abdessamed Derdour, Abdelkarim Benaradj & Alia Hosni

  2. Artificial Intelligence Laboratory for Mechanical and Civil Structures and Soil, University Center of Naama, P.O. Box 66, 45000, Naama, Algeria

    Abdessamed Derdour

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  1. Tayyib Moussaoui
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  2. Abdessamed Derdour
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  4. Alia Hosni
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Contributions

T.M.: conceptualizations, methodology, software, validation, formal analysis, investigation, data curation, writing and original draft preparation, visualization, and review and editing the manuscript. A.D.: supervision, conceptualizations, methodology, software, validation, formal analysis, investigation, data curation, writing and original draft preparation, visualization, review and editing the manuscript, and project administration. A.B.: supervision, conceptualizations, methodology, writing and original draft preparation, visualization, and review and editing the manuscript. A.H.: software, formal analysis, data curation, writing and original draft preparation, visualization, and review and editing the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Abdessamed Derdour.

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Moussaoui, T., Derdour, A., Benaradj, A. et al. Geomatic techniques for precise Dayas detection in arid zones: a case study in Northwestern Wilaya of Naama, Algeria. Euro-Mediterr J Environ Integr 9, 859–874 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41207-024-00477-4

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