The Road and Hydraulic Engineering Institute of the Directorate General of Public Works and Water Management manages the peripheral lakes along the ‘IJsselmeerpolders’. They do so based on national goals and European directives. This directive is aimed, among other things, at ensuring that the quality of the water is at such a level that the ecological situation can be labelled as ‘good’. This means that the conditions enable a diversity of both flora and fauna. This is illustrated by the presence of rare plants, such as charales, in the peripheral lakes.
The presence, or lack thereof, of specific plant species and the water plant coverage form a reliable indicator of the water quality.
Whereas the monitoring of these plants used to be a highly labour intensive job, nowadays the inspection is partly carried out from the sky and by means of satellite recordings. Two GBP organizations are involved in this procedure: Ecoflight organizes flights in order to gain good air photographs and Infram processes the data gained from air photographs and satellite recordings. In 2008, by means of this procedure, maps showing the distribution of water plants, were made for 8 lakes and part of the IJsselmeer.
Hence, the application of geomatics techniques have made it possible to carry out water management effectively and in concordance with EU directives.
