The energy-water agriculture nexus: the past, present and future of holistic resource management via remote sensing technologies

The nexus between energy, water and agricultural production is important to consider for effective resource management and risk mitigation. New data acquisition techniques, in conjunction with cheap storage applications, have facilitated the collection and analysis of massive datasets to holistically describe natural and built environments. However, the field of coupling energy, water and agricultural management through evolving remote sensing technologies is still nascent. We find that remote sensing technologies are being increasingly utilized for resource management, but there are still large opportunities to deploy these technologies to achieve integrated resource management goals. Thus, this article aims to bridge remote sensing and integrated resource management communities, which have largely developed in isolation, so that technologies can be developed to assist in achieving sustainable development. The opportunities and challenges highlighted in this article can guide technology development, research opportunities and create new interdisciplinary research partnerships. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.