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An Open Source GIS ‐Based Decision Support System for Watershed Evaluation of Best Management Practices
Author(s) -
Shao Hui,
Yang Wanhong,
Lindsay John,
Liu Yongbo,
Yu Zhiqiang,
Oginskyy Anatoliy
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
jawra journal of the american water resources association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.957
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1752-1688
pISSN - 1093-474X
DOI - 10.1111/1752-1688.12521
Subject(s) - watershed , geographic information system , soil and water assessment tool , geospatial analysis , environmental science , watershed management , decision support system , water quality , water resource management , environmental resource management , computer science , drainage basin , remote sensing , geography , streamflow , ecology , cartography , machine learning , artificial intelligence , biology
Economic costs, water quantity/quality benefits, and cost effectiveness of agricultural best management practices ( BMP s) at a watershed scale are increasingly examined using integrated economic‐hydrologic models. However, these models are typically complex and not user‐friendly for examining the effects of various BMP scenarios. In this study, an open source geographic information system ( GIS )‐based decision support system ( DSS ), named the watershed evaluation of BMP s ( WEB s), was developed for creating BMP scenarios and simulating economic costs and water quantity/quality benefits at farm field, subbasin, and watershed scales. This DSS or WEB s interface integrated a farm economic model, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool ( SWAT ), and an optimization model within Whitebox Geospatial Analysis Tools ( GAT ), an open source GIS software. The DSS was applied to the 14.3‐km 2 Gully Creek watershed, a coastal watershed in southern Ontario, Canada that drains directly into Lake Huron. BMP s that were evaluated included conservation tillage, nutrient management, cover crop, and water and sediment control basins. In addition to assessing economic costs, water quantity/quality benefits, and cost effectiveness of BMP s, the DSS can be also used to examine prioritized BMP types/locations and corresponding economic and water quantity/quality tradeoffs in the study watershed based on environmental targets or budget constraints. Further developments of the DSS including interface transfer to other watersheds are also discussed. Editor's note : This paper is part of the featured series on SWAT Applications for Emerging Hydrologic and Water Quality Challenges. See the February 2017 issue for the introduction and background to the series .