Estimating lake okeechobee’s water volume using NDWI-derived remote sensing and genetic algorithm optimization on Google Earth Engine

Abstract Lakes and reservoirs are critical for sustaining water resources, serving as key sources of water supply. Monitoring changes in lake properties offers valuable insight into water resource management, agricultural demand, watershed analysis, and environmental monitoring. This study introduce...

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Main Authors: Golmar Golmohammadi, Hamid Reza Eslami, Rashid Rasouli Harouni, Kamyab Eslami, Mahin Jamali, Seyed Mostafa Biazar, Kourosh Mohammadi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Springer 2025-08-01
Series:Discover Water
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1007/s43832-025-00255-5
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author Golmar Golmohammadi
Hamid Reza Eslami
Rashid Rasouli Harouni
Kamyab Eslami
Mahin Jamali
Seyed Mostafa Biazar
Kourosh Mohammadi
author_facet Golmar Golmohammadi
Hamid Reza Eslami
Rashid Rasouli Harouni
Kamyab Eslami
Mahin Jamali
Seyed Mostafa Biazar
Kourosh Mohammadi
author_sort Golmar Golmohammadi
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Lakes and reservoirs are critical for sustaining water resources, serving as key sources of water supply. Monitoring changes in lake properties offers valuable insight into water resource management, agricultural demand, watershed analysis, and environmental monitoring. This study introduces an innovative approach that utilizes the Google Earth Engine platform, artificial intelligence (AI), and genetic algorithms to analyze water surface areas and estimate lake volume without the need for bathymetric data. The method was applied to Lake Okeechobee in Florida, Using Landsat-8 imagery and the normalized difference water index to calculate the lake’s surface Area. Ai techniques, including image segmentation and thresholding, were employed to refine the images. These processed images were then analyzed using a genetic algorithm to estimate the lake’s volume. The estimated volume was compared with calculations derived from the lake’s bathymetry, achieving a root mean square error of 273 million cubic meters (Mm3), a mean absolute percentage error of 28.85%, and a percent bias of 21.8%. These findings suggest that AI techniques can be highly useful for estimating lake volumes, and further exploration of their application is recommended in future studies.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2730-647X
language English
publishDate 2025-08-01
publisher Springer
record_format Article
series Discover Water
spelling doaj-art-2c1f9ac6b8b64608b95f7ea36f8604232025-08-20T04:02:55ZengSpringerDiscover Water2730-647X2025-08-015112610.1007/s43832-025-00255-5Estimating lake okeechobee’s water volume using NDWI-derived remote sensing and genetic algorithm optimization on Google Earth EngineGolmar Golmohammadi0Hamid Reza Eslami1Rashid Rasouli Harouni2Kamyab Eslami3Mahin Jamali4Seyed Mostafa Biazar5Kourosh Mohammadi6Department of Soil, Water and Ecosystem Sciences, IFAS/RCREC, University of FloridaPayeshgar Tadbir Afzar (Knowledgebase Company)Payeshgar Tadbir Afzar (Knowledgebase Company)Payeshgar Tadbir Afzar (Knowledgebase Company)Payeshgar Tadbir Afzar (Knowledgebase Company)Department of Soil, Water and Ecosystem Sciences, IFAS/RCREC, University of FloridaDepartment of Water Resources Engineering, Planet EngineeringAbstract Lakes and reservoirs are critical for sustaining water resources, serving as key sources of water supply. Monitoring changes in lake properties offers valuable insight into water resource management, agricultural demand, watershed analysis, and environmental monitoring. This study introduces an innovative approach that utilizes the Google Earth Engine platform, artificial intelligence (AI), and genetic algorithms to analyze water surface areas and estimate lake volume without the need for bathymetric data. The method was applied to Lake Okeechobee in Florida, Using Landsat-8 imagery and the normalized difference water index to calculate the lake’s surface Area. Ai techniques, including image segmentation and thresholding, were employed to refine the images. These processed images were then analyzed using a genetic algorithm to estimate the lake’s volume. The estimated volume was compared with calculations derived from the lake’s bathymetry, achieving a root mean square error of 273 million cubic meters (Mm3), a mean absolute percentage error of 28.85%, and a percent bias of 21.8%. These findings suggest that AI techniques can be highly useful for estimating lake volumes, and further exploration of their application is recommended in future studies.https://doi.org/10.1007/s43832-025-00255-5Lake bathymetryRemote sensingArtificial intelligenceGenetic algorithm for volume estimationLake Okeechobee. Landsate-8Image segmentation
spellingShingle Golmar Golmohammadi
Hamid Reza Eslami
Rashid Rasouli Harouni
Kamyab Eslami
Mahin Jamali
Seyed Mostafa Biazar
Kourosh Mohammadi
Estimating lake okeechobee’s water volume using NDWI-derived remote sensing and genetic algorithm optimization on Google Earth Engine
Discover Water
Lake bathymetry
Remote sensing
Artificial intelligence
Genetic algorithm for volume estimation
Lake Okeechobee. Landsate-8
Image segmentation
title Estimating lake okeechobee’s water volume using NDWI-derived remote sensing and genetic algorithm optimization on Google Earth Engine
title_full Estimating lake okeechobee’s water volume using NDWI-derived remote sensing and genetic algorithm optimization on Google Earth Engine
title_fullStr Estimating lake okeechobee’s water volume using NDWI-derived remote sensing and genetic algorithm optimization on Google Earth Engine
title_full_unstemmed Estimating lake okeechobee’s water volume using NDWI-derived remote sensing and genetic algorithm optimization on Google Earth Engine
title_short Estimating lake okeechobee’s water volume using NDWI-derived remote sensing and genetic algorithm optimization on Google Earth Engine
title_sort estimating lake okeechobee s water volume using ndwi derived remote sensing and genetic algorithm optimization on google earth engine
topic Lake bathymetry
Remote sensing
Artificial intelligence
Genetic algorithm for volume estimation
Lake Okeechobee. Landsate-8
Image segmentation
url https://doi.org/10.1007/s43832-025-00255-5
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