Development of an integrated computational tool to improve performance of irrigation districts

Nowadays irrigation district managers require several tools to assess irrigation networks9 performance such as hydraulic models, geographic information systems (GIS) or decision support systems (DSS) which are available but as independent elements. Thus, simplifying the use of these tools by means of applications that integrate all these components would be helpful for irrigation district managers. In this paper, a computer tool combining a GIS, a hydraulic model and performance indicators (PIs) has been developed creating a database to deal with most information required in an irritation district. MapObjects Java Edition was used for the GIS integration and EPANET calculation module for the hydraulic modeling. This tool enables the study of the network performance, taking into account real measures (data from the remote control system) and simulated measures (obtained when running the hydraulic model) which are stored in a database and used to calculate different indicators that can be represented in the GIS. The PIs calculated with this tool give important information regarding the network response to different conditions, malfunction problems and failures in supply. Therefore, this tool is also useful to study the effects of improvements and the quality of service provided to farmers.

[1]  Martin Burton,et al.  Benchmarking performance in the irrigation and drainage sector: a tool for change , 2004 .

[2]  Luciano Mateos,et al.  SIMIS: the FAO decision support system for irrigation scheme management , 2002 .

[3]  B. Çakmak,et al.  Benchmarking and Assessment of Irrigation Management Transfer Effects on Irrigation Performance in Turkey , 2007 .

[4]  M. H. Ali,et al.  Increasing water productivity in crop production : A synthesis , 2008 .

[5]  Y. Kim,et al.  Software design for wireless sensor-based site-specific irrigation , 2009 .

[6]  Raziyeh Farmani,et al.  Optimum Design and Management of Pressurized Branched Irrigation Networks , 2007 .

[7]  R. López-Luque,et al.  Benchmarking and multivariate data analysis techniques for improving the efficiency of irrigation districts: An application in spain , 2008 .

[8]  Yafit Cohen,et al.  Developing a learning mechanism for a spatial decision support system for medfly control in citrus. , 2008 .

[9]  E. Camacho Poyato,et al.  Quality of Service in Irrigation Distribution Networks: Case of Palos de la Frontera Irrigation District (Spain) , 2009 .

[10]  Linda Lilburne,et al.  A prototype DSS to evaluate irrigation management plans , 1998 .

[11]  Hector Malano,et al.  Guidelines for benchmarking performance in the irrigation and drainage sector. , 2001 .

[12]  Ian K. Smout,et al.  Irrigation Distribution Networks’ Vulnerability to Climate Change , 2010 .

[13]  Muhammad Nawaz Bhutta,et al.  Equity of water distribution along secondary canals in Punjab, Pakistan , 1992 .

[14]  P. Montesinos,et al.  Exploring energy saving scenarios for on-demand pressurised irrigation networks , 2009 .

[15]  Ph. Le Grusse,et al.  Use of a decision support system and a simulation game to help collective decision-making in water management , 2008 .

[16]  Hector Malano,et al.  International Programme for Technology and Research in Irrigation and Drainage , 2001 .

[17]  Gideon Oron,et al.  Computerized database for optimal management of community irrigation systems in Thailand , 1996 .

[18]  R. Wolf.  A Framework for Evaluation. , 1987 .

[19]  E. Camacho Poyato,et al.  IGRA. A tool for applying the benchmarking initiative to irrigated areas , 2005 .

[20]  H. Mahoo,et al.  Crop water productivity of an irrigated maize crop in Mkoji sub-catchment of the Great Ruaha River Basin, Tanzania , 2006 .

[21]  Inés Santé-Riveira,et al.  Original paper: GIS-based planning support system for rural land-use allocation , 2008 .

[22]  Paul Jowitt,et al.  Solution for Water Distribution Systems under Pressure-Deficient Conditions , 2006 .

[23]  R Earl,et al.  The potential role of GIS in autonomous field operations , 2000 .

[24]  S. Lecina,et al.  Irrigation modernization and water conservation in Spain: The case of Riegos del Alto Aragón , 2010 .

[25]  Nicola Lamaddalena,et al.  Development of a Decision Support System for Irrigation Systems Analysis , 2010 .

[26]  Peter Droogers,et al.  Combining remote sensing-simulation modeling and genetic algorithm optimization to explore water management options in irrigated agriculture , 2006 .

[27]  Daniel Renault,et al.  On reliability in irrigation service preliminary concepts and application , 1999 .

[28]  Abul Fazal M. Saleh,et al.  Evaluation of some deep and shallow tubewell irrigated schemes in Bangladesh using performance indicators , 2003 .

[29]  M. O'connell.  Research Report 2001 , 2001 .

[30]  Nicola Lamaddalena,et al.  Pressure-driven modeling for performance analysis of irrigation systems operating on demand , 2007 .

[31]  N. H. Rao,et al.  GIS-based decision support system for real time water demand estimation in canal irrigation systems , 2004 .

[32]  Narendra Singh Raghuwanshi,et al.  Development and testing of a GIS integrated irrigation scheduling model , 2004 .

[33]  C. Abernethy,et al.  Performance measurement in canal water management: a discussion , 1986 .

[34]  M. A. Jiménez-Bello,et al.  Methodology for grouping intakes of pressurised irrigation networks into sectors to minimise energy consumption , 2010 .

[35]  Hector Malano,et al.  Using modelling to improve operational performance in the Cu Chi irrigation system, Vietnam , 2004 .

[36]  Avi Ostfeld,et al.  Reliability simulation of water distribution systems - single and multiquality , 2002 .

[37]  Alessandro Ricci,et al.  A Framework for Engineering Interactions in Java-based Component Systems , 2006, Electron. Notes Theor. Comput. Sci..

[38]  Nicola Lamaddalena,et al.  Performance analysis of on-demand pressurized irrigation systems , 2000 .

[39]  Nicola Lamaddalena,et al.  Assessing the impact of flow regulators with a pressure-driven performance analysis model , 2007 .

[40]  H. G. Johnson,et al.  Methodologies for assessing performance of irrigation and drainage management , 1993 .

[41]  Charlotte de Fraiture,et al.  Indicators for comparing performance of irrigated agricultural systems , 1998 .

[42]  P. S. Rao,et al.  Review of selected literature on indicators of irrigation performance , 1993 .

[43]  W. O. Ochola,et al.  An integrated indicator-based spatial decision support system for land quality assessment in Kenya , 2004 .

[44]  Waldo Ojeda-Bustamante,et al.  Using spatial information systems to improve water management in Mexico , 2007 .

[45]  François Pinet,et al.  Using UML and OCL to maintain the consistency of spatial data in environmental information systems , 2007, Environ. Model. Softw..

[46]  S. D. Gorantiwar,et al.  Performance assessment of irrigation water management of heterogeneous irrigation schemes: 1. A framework for evaluation , 2005 .

[47]  Luciano Mateos,et al.  Modernization and optimization of irrigation systems to increase water productivity , 2006 .

[48]  Ph. Le Grusseb.  Use of a decision support system and a simulation game to help collective decision-making in water management , 2008 .

[49]  R. Aliod,et al.  Improved Pressurized Pipe Network Hydraulic Solver for Applications in Irrigation Systems , 2009 .

[50]  Timothy K. Gates,et al.  Performance Measures for Evaluation of Irrigation‐Water‐Delivery Systems , 1990 .

[51]  Luis S. Pereira,et al.  GISAREG - A GIS Based Irrigation Scheduling Simulation Model , 2004 .

[52]  Orazio Giustolisi,et al.  Algorithm for Automatic Detection of Topological Changes in Water Distribution Networks , 2008 .

[53]  Tiku T. Tanyimboh,et al.  APPRAISAL OF SOURCE HEAD METHODS FOR CALCULATING RELIABILITY OF WATER DISTRIBUTION NETWORKS , 2001 .

[54]  L. S. Pereira,et al.  Crop evapotranspiration : guidelines for computing crop water requirements , 1998 .

[55]  Orazio Giustolisi,et al.  Pressure-Driven Demand and Leakage Simulation for Water Distribution Networks , 2008 .

[56]  Joshua Mendoza-Jasso,et al.  FPGA-based real-time remote monitoring system , 2005 .

[57]  Newell R. Kitchen,et al.  Emerging technologies for real-time and integrated agriculture decisions , 2008 .

[58]  Hugo Bartolín,et al.  Analysis, assessment, and improvement of fertilizer distribution in pressure irrigation systems , 2010, Irrigation Science.