LIBV: national insight into soil moisture and evaporation

Introduction

The National Information Service for Soil Moisture and Evaporation (LIBV) provides water managers with daily current and predictive insight into soil moisture and evaporation. By combining satellite data and hydrological models, LIBV supports operational, tactical and strategic decisions in water management.

Duration: 2024–present
Clients: Het Waterschapshuis and all Dutch water boards
Keywords: soil moisture, evaporation, drought, water distribution, earth observation, data-driven water management
Partners: Planet Labs and Wageningen Environmental Research
Models & Tools: satellite observations, hydrological models, weather data, vegetation and soil data, integration with Delft-FEWS, WIWB

Background

Climate change

Climate change is leading to more frequent drought, more extreme rainfall and increasing pressure on water availability. Water managers therefore need faster, more consistent and better-founded insight into the water balance. Existing information on soil moisture and evaporation was fragmented across various sources and scales. The sector was looking for a single, reliable national information service that provides both current and forecast information and can be applied directly in day-to-day water management practice.

Method

Nationwide picture

Together with Het Waterschapshuis and knowledge partners such as Planet and Wageningen Environmental Research, HydroLogic developed LIBV. LIBV combines satellite observations with weather data, vegetation and soil characteristics and hydrological models. This creates a consistent, nationwide picture of soil moisture and evaporation.

The information is updated daily and made available at a spatial resolution of approximately 100 by 100 metres. LIBV provides insight into historical, current and expected developments. In this, HydroLogic fulfils the bridging function between remote sensing, hydrological modelling and practical application in water management. Continuous validation with in-situ measurements and quality analyses ensures a reliable and robust product.

More about our method

The result

Operational information service

LIBV is an operational, nationwide information service that supports water managers with drought monitoring, water distribution and risk assessment. The service enables data-driven decisions at both regional and national level and can be deployed directly in existing decision support systems. In this way, LIBV forms an important building block for future-proof water management.

What did the project deliver?

Nationwide coverage for the whole of the Netherlands
Daily update of soil moisture and evaporation
Level of detail down to approximately 100 × 100 metres
Deployable for operational, tactical and strategic water management

“With LIBV, we connect satellite data and hydrological knowledge into applicable information for day-to-day water management practice.”

Bram Schnitzler | project lead