Big-picture modeling for river basins is often difficult due to a lack of sufficient data on river discharge and infrastructure operations, but satellite data and sensitivity analysis can help address such gaps. Much like the Mekong Dam Monitor uses remote sensing and satellite images to track reservoir operations, other expert teams are exploring novel ways to infer discharge time series from satellite data and identify relationships between hydrological modeling and reservoir operations modeling results. This has implications for other river basins with limited data. Join Stefano Galelli for a discussion on how his team combines satellite data, the Variable Infiltration Capacity model, and other modelling methods to fill data gap and solve flow regulation challenges.
This is the seventh in our Mekong data seminar series featuring presentations of recent studies and papers with an interactive discussion about the data and why it matters.
Featured Speakers
Dr. Stefano Galelli, Associate Professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Cornell University
Dr. Galelli is a tenured Associate Professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Cornell University, where he leads the Critical Infrastructure Systems Lab. A graduate of Politecnico di Milano, Italy, he first established his career at the National University of Singapore (2011-2013), and then as a faculty member of the Singapore University of Technology and Design (2013-2023).
Sothearoth Chea, Young Eco Ambassador
Sothearoth Chea currently studies fish migration and water quality in the Mekong River and supports youth climate action integration with Young Eco Ambassador. She also acts as an environmental learning kit consultant, developing materials for students in the Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary, and running an awareness campaign about flagship species in the Siem Pang Wildlife Sanctuary. Sothearoth earned her Water and Environmental Engineering degree from the Institute of Technology of Cambodia.
Piyatida Ruangrassamee, Assistant Professor with the Department of Water Resources Engineering, Chulalongkorn University
Professor Piyatada Ruangrassamee received her PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering from Chulalongkorn University.
Moderators
Brian Eyler, Senior Fellow and Director, Southeast Asia Program, Stimson Center
Brian Eyler directs the Southeast Asia Program and the Energy, Water, and Sustainability Program. He is an expert on transboundary issues in the Mekong region and specializes in China’s economic cooperation with Southeast Asia. He is widely recognized as a leading voice on environmental, energy, and water security issues in the Mekong. Brian is co-lead on the Mekong Dam Monitor. His first book, Last Days of the Mighty Mekong, was published by Zed Books in 2019.
Courtney Weatherby, Southeast Asia Program Deputy Director, Stimson Center
Courtney’s research focuses on sustainable infrastructure and the nexus of water, energy, and food issues in the Greater Mekong Subregion. She was a lead author on a range of technical and policy studies related to system-scale planning and electricity trade. She supports the team’s data-driven work through platforms like the Mekong Dam Monitor and the Mekong Infrastructure Tracker.