Das Projekt "New opportunities for altimetry in hydrology" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Bundesanstalt für Gewässerkunde durchgeführt. General Information: The objective of N.O.A.H. is to demonstrate that the use of Earth Observation (EO) data provides a significant improvement in the field of hydrology and hydraulics, and particularly for flood prevention. Earth observation techniques enable us to measure terrain relief from space. These techniques include interferometry, which is based on ERS SAR data, and optical stereoscopy, which uses SPOT imagery. Data obtained through such processing techniques give access to precise and comprehensive information on the terrain characteristics, on a regional level (5 to 10 meters precision): relief, catchment basins, and slopes. Earth observation also provides adequate information on land use. EO data and derived high-level product information will be integrated into hydrological and hydraulic models over a pilot area (The Moselle Basin) to better understand the issues involved in the management of land use with respect to the risk of flooding, and to better serve user needs in this domain. The first year of the project will be devoted to the collection and the analysis of user requirements, the generation of suitable high-level products derived from EO data, and the development of tools to integrate this data into hydrological and hydraulic models. The second year will involve the implementation of the models with the full integration of the EO data gathered, the generation of the flood-related outputs (e.g. risk maps), and a final assessment of the results from a commercial, technical and scientific viewpoint. Finally, N.O.A.H. will include communication activities in interaction with the CEO services, to develop awareness of the contribution of EO data in the domain of flood prevention. The N.O.A.H. project responds to an urgent need in Europe concerning the prevention of flood events which cause considerable damage every year. From a scientific and operational point of view, N.O.A.H. represents a new tool for hydrological studies and a focal point for European hydrology institutes. From a technological and industrial point of view, N.O.A.H. valorizes the ERSl/ERS2 tandem mission as well as the SPOT programme, and the production of DEMs. Thus, it provides a good leverage for the development of the use of EO data in such important application domains. The proposal for N.O.A.H. is presesnted by a team lead by Cemagref, and consisting of other major hydrology institutes (Delft Hydraulics, BfG), major EO data providers (Spot Image, ISTAR) as well as scientific and technical entities which will act as interfaces to operational end-user communities (ICHR, EGERIE). Prime Contractor: Centre National du Machinisme Agricole, du Genie Rural, des Eaux et des Forets; Lyon; France.