Proteus FZC, a provider of satellite-derived mapping and classification services, is now offering a daily Water Quality Monitoring service for the Arabian Gulf. Derived from NASA satellite data, the new service provides daily online access to reports on six water quality parameters at 250-meter to 1-kilometer spatial resolution. 
“We can further improve the accuracy of the standard NASA data by calibrating each data set to local water conditions,” said Proteus CEO David Critchley. “The easy-to-read reports are available online or can be delivered in PDF formats via email.”
Proteus now offers the daily service for organizations responsible for monitoring and maintaining the condition of coastal and offshore waters – environmental agencies, energy producers, desalination operators, marine engineering firms, and dredging companies.
“If an offshore infrastructure construction project is responsible for excessive water turbidity, the engineering company has to remediate the problem quickly,” said Critchley. “Likewise, desalination and power plants need to take precautionary actions if too much suspended sediment or sudden algal blooms are spotted near their operations.”
The daily water quality reports are derived from processed data collected by the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) sensors which fly aboard the orbiting NASA Terra and Aqua satellites.
“The sensors typically provide water quality details to a depth of three meters, depending on water column clarity,” said Critchley
The daily water quality reports provide the following information:
Total Suspended Sediments (mg/L) at 250-meter resolution
Chlorophyll-a Content (mg/m3) at 1-km resolution
Sea Surface Temperature (degrees C) at 1-km resolution
Turbidity or Fluorescence Line Height (mW/cm2/µm/sr) at 1-km resolution
Diffuse Attenuation Coefficient (m-1 at 490 nm) at 1-km resolution
True Color Composite (image) at 250-meter resolution
The 250-meter resolution is very suitable for marine monitoring as it enables data collection for the entire Gulf region several times per day. When the regional 250-meter resolution MODIS-derived product reveals a water quality anomaly or if increased spatial detail is required, Proteus water quality customers have the option of requesting higher-resolution reports processed from other satellites that can map events in more detail.
“We will soon expand the daily water quality monitoring service to ice-free oceans, seas and large lakes worldwide,” said Critchley.
About Proteus
Based in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and Bristol, UK, Proteus FZC offers full turnkey global mapping solutions produced from satellite imagery. It provides customers with cutting edge products for environment, oil & gas, engineering, agriculture, forestry and marine use. Proteus has completed projects in Europe, the Middle East, Caribbean and United States. The Proteus management team is comprised of seasoned professionals and provides customers with expert independent advice on derived geospatial products whether for land or sea. For more information on Proteus products, see www.proteusgeo.com or Email Contact for further details or to discuss individual requirements.