Including the spatial dimension: using geographical information systems in hydrology

Developments in geographical information systems (GIS) technology have coincided with moves within hydrology to a more explicit accounting of space through distributed rather than lumped or topological representations. GIS support these spatial data models and provide integrating, measuring and analytical capabilities which have been used in many hydrological applications ranging from inventory and assessment studies through to process modelling. The many examples in the article illustrate how the technology has supported moves away from averaged value representations for catchments towards a greater inclusion of spatial variations in hydrological studies. While the potential of these systems is gradually being realized, there are still various issues, both technical and methodological, which at present limit their use. As new data sources become available, GIS data structures become more flexible and open, and, as the understanding of scale variations in processes improves, the possibilities for using the technology in hydrological research will expand.

[1]  V. Klemeš,et al.  Dilettantism in hydrology: Transition or destiny? , 1986 .

[2]  P. E. O'connell,et al.  An introduction to the European Hydrological System — Systeme Hydrologique Europeen, “SHE”, 1: History and philosophy of a physically-based, distributed modelling system , 1986 .

[3]  Allan L. Gutjahr,et al.  Stochastic Analysis of Unsaturated Flow in Heterogeneous Soils: 3. Observations and Applications , 1985 .

[4]  R. G. Healey,et al.  Using hydrological models and geographic information systems to assist with the management of surface water in agricultural landscapes. , 1993 .

[5]  R. Hickey,et al.  Slope length calculations from a DEM within ARC/INFO grid , 1994 .

[6]  Phillip C. Muehrcke.  Cartography and Geographic Information Systems , 2011 .

[7]  John G. Fryer,et al.  On the accuracy of heighting from aerial photographs and maps: Implications to process modellers , 1994 .

[8]  Pinhas Yoeli,et al.  Computer Executed Production of a Regular Grid of Height Points from Digital Contours , 1986 .

[9]  J. J. Warwick,et al.  Efficacy of ARC/INFO GIS Application to Hydrologic Modeling , 1994 .

[10]  Timothy L. Nyerges.  Analytical Map Use , 1991 .

[11]  P. Burrough,et al.  Principles of geographical information systems , 1998 .

[12]  D. Mark,et al.  Cognitive and Linguistic Aspects of Geographic Space: An Introduction , 1991 .

[13]  A. N. Strahler.  DYNAMIC BASIS OF GEOMORPHOLOGY , 1952 .

[14]  D. Goodrich,et al.  Kinematic routing using finite elements on a triangular irregular network , 1991 .

[15]  Michael F. Goodchild,et al.  GIS and land-surface-subsurface modeling. , 1993 .

[16]  Thomas A. McMahon,et al.  Physically based hydrologic modeling: 1. A terrain‐based model for investigative purposes , 1992 .

[17]  M. B. Beck,et al.  Water quality modeling: A review of the analysis of uncertainty , 1987 .

[18]  P. Fisher,et al.  Modeling the effect of data errors on feature extraction from digital elevation models , 1992 .

[19]  James C. Bathurst,et al.  Physically-based distributed modelling of an upland catchment using the Systeme Hydrologique Europeen , 1986 .

[20]  Karen K. Kemp.  Environmental modeling with GIS: A strategy for dealing with spatial continuity (93-3) , 1993 .

[21]  C. Daly,et al.  A Statistical-Topographic Model for Mapping Climatological Precipitation over Mountainous Terrain , 1994 .

[22]  G. Langran,et al.  A Framework For Temporal Geographic Information , 1988 .

[23]  D. Montgomery,et al.  Digital elevation model grid size, landscape representation, and hydrologic simulations , 1994 .

[24]  Peter A. Rogerson,et al.  Spatial Analysis and GIS , 1994 .

[25]  David Theobald.  Accuracy and bias issues in surface representation , 1989 .

[26]  Praveen Kumar,et al.  On the use of digital elevation model data for Hortonian and fractal analyses of channel networks , 1993 .

[27]  David R. Maidment,et al.  Expert Geographic Information System for Texas Water Planning , 1993 .

[28]  J. Fairfield,et al.  Drainage networks from grid digital elevation models , 1991 .

[29]  David M. Mark,et al.  Part 4: Mathematical, Algorithmic and Data Structure Issues: Automated Detection Of Drainage Networks From Digital Elevation Models , 1984 .

[30]  Richard S. Jarvis.  Drainage network analysis , 1977 .

[31]  I. Moore,et al.  A contour‐based topographic model for hydrological and ecological applications , 1988, Earth surface processes and landforms.

[32]  David C. Mason,et al.  Handling Four-Dimensional Geo-Referenced Data in Environmental GIS , 1994, Int. J. Geogr. Inf. Sci..

[33]  Baxter E. Vieux,et al.  Closure of "Nonpoint-Pollution Model Sensitivity to Grid-Cell Size" , 1993 .

[34]  Keith Beven,et al.  GIS and distributed hydrological models , 1993 .

[35]  Fangju Wang,et al.  Fuzzy information representation and processing in conventional GIS software: database design and application , 1990, Int. J. Geogr. Inf. Sci..

[36]  Jehng-Jung Kao,et al.  DETERMINING DRAINAGE PATTERN USING DEM DATA FOR NONPOINT-SOURCE WATER-QUALITY MODELING , 1992 .

[37]  M. G. Anderson,et al.  Catchment scale distributed hydrological models , 1987 .

[38]  C. Thorne,et al.  Quantitative analysis of land surface topography , 1987 .

[39]  M. Hutchinson.  A new procedure for gridding elevation and stream line data with automatic removal of spurious pits , 1989 .

[40]  Trevor C. Bailey,et al.  A review of statistical spatial analysis in geographical information systems , 1994 .

[41]  Vassiliki J. Kollias,et al.  Fuzzy reasoning in the development of geographical information systems FRSIS: a prototype soil information system with fuzzy retrieval capabilities , 1991, Int. J. Geogr. Inf. Sci..

[42]  Andrew K. Skidmore,et al.  A comparison of techniques for calculating gradient and aspect from a gridded digital elevation model , 1989, Int. J. Geogr. Inf. Sci..

[43]  I. D. Moore,et al.  Electronic acquisition of hydrologic data from intensively instrumented hillslopes , 1986 .

[44]  Jay Lee,et al.  Comparison of existing methods for building triangular irregular network, models of terrain from grid digital elevation models , 1991, Int. J. Geogr. Inf. Sci..

[45]  Michael B. Smith,et al.  A gis‐based distributed parameter hydrologic model for urban areas , 1993 .

[46]  David H. Douglas,et al.  Detection of Surface-Specific Points by Local Parallel Processing of Discrete Terrain Elevation Data , 1975 .

[47]  Susan K. Jenson,et al.  AUTOMATED DERIVATION OF HYDROLOGIC BASIN CHARACTERISTICS FROM DIGITAL ELEVATION MODEL DATA , 1984 .

[48]  K. Beven,et al.  A physically based, variable contributing area model of basin hydrology , 1979 .

[49]  S. K. Jenson,et al.  Extracting topographic structure from digital elevation data for geographic information-system analysis , 1988 .

[50]  Lawrence W. Martz,et al.  Numerical definition of drainage network and subcatchment areas from digital elevation models , 1992 .

[51]  Peng Gao,et al.  A knowledge-based, two step procedure for extracting channel networks from noisy DEM data , 1990 .

[52]  E. Foufoula‐Georgiou,et al.  Channel network source representation using digital elevation models , 1993 .

[53]  S. Franklin,et al.  Incorporation of a digital elevation model derived from stereoscopic satellite imagery in automated terrain analysis , 1994 .

[54]  Kurt Fedra,et al.  GIS and Environmental Modeling , 1993 .

[55]  G. Langran.  Time in Geographic Information Systems , 1990 .

[56]  John F. O'Callaghan,et al.  The extraction of drainage networks from digital elevation data , 1984, Comput. Vis. Graph. Image Process..

[57]  Christopher M. Gold.  Chapter 3-Surface interpolation, spatial adjacency and GIS , 1989 .

[58]  Baxter E. Vieux,et al.  Geographic information systems and non‐point source water quality and quantity modelling , 1991 .

[59]  Jonathan Raper,et al.  Three dimensional applications in Geographical Information Systems , 1989 .

[60]  Andrea Tribe,et al.  Automated recognition of valley lines and drainage networks from grid digital elevation models: a review and a new method , 1992 .

[61]  David G. Tarboton,et al.  On the extraction of channel networks from digital elevation data , 1991 .

[62]  Lawrence E. Band,et al.  A terrain-based watershed information system , 1989 .

[63]  Keith Beven,et al.  Effects of spatial variability and scale with implications to hydrologic modeling , 1988 .

[64]  Joan Nunes,et al.  Geographic Space as a Set of Concrete Geographical Entities , 1991 .

[65]  David R. Maidment,et al.  Developing a spatially distributed unit hydrograph by using GIS , 1993 .

[66]  Baxter E. Vieux,et al.  Finite‐Element Modeling of Storm Water Runoff Using GRASS GIS , 1992 .

[67]  Michael F. Goodchild,et al.  A spatial decision support system for modeling and managing agricultural non-point-source pollution. , 1993 .

[68]  Charles Ichoku,et al.  A combined algorithm for automated drainage network extraction , 1992 .

[69]  R. Horton.  EROSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF STREAMS AND THEIR DRAINAGE BASINS; HYDROPHYSICAL APPROACH TO QUANTITATIVE MORPHOLOGY , 1945 .

[70]  R. S. Drayton,et al.  Distributed Models 7: a CIS Approach , 1992 .

[71]  J. Carter,et al.  The Effect Of Data Precision On The Calculation Of Slope And Aspect Using Gridded Dems , 1992 .

[72]  Howard A. Zebker,et al.  Comparison of elevation derived from INSAR data with DEM over large relief terrain , 1994 .

[73]  I. Moore,et al.  Digital terrain modelling: A review of hydrological, geomorphological, and biological applications , 1991 .

[74]  R. Haining.  Spatial Data Analysis in the Social and Environmental Sciences , 1990 .

[75]  L. Band.  Topographic Partition of Watersheds with Digital Elevation Models , 1986 .