Welcome to the 2026 GIS in Action Annual Conference hosted by the Oregon & SW Washington Chapter of the Geospatial Professional Network & Cascadia ASPRS.
Water managers, farmers and communities across the United States are increasingly seeking better information about how water is used across the landscape. One of the most important- and historically difficult- components of water accounting is consumptive use: the water that is actually used by crops and vegetation and returned to the atmosphere through evapotranspiration (ET).
OpenET is a collaborative, satellite-based platform that provides field-scale evapotranspiration data across the western United States. By combining satellite imagery, weather data and multiple ET models, OpenET makes it possible to estimate consumptive water use consistently across large areas while also making the information accessible through an easy-to-use online platform and open data tools.
This presentation will introduce the fundamentals of satellite-based evapotranspiration and provide an overview of the OpenET platform. Attendees will learn how ET can be estimated from satellite observations, how OpenET integrates multiple scientific models, and how these data can help water users, researchers and resource managers better manage water.
The talk will also highlight emerging ways OpenET data are being explored and applied in Oregon. Across the state, satellite-derived ET information is helping improve understanding of agricultural water use, support water management planning and provide new insights into how water moves through landscapes and watersheds.
