Digital Watershed and Beyond

By 

Yi Shi, Jon F. Bartholic, and Jeremiah AsherPlus a Chorus of Dozens

November 5, 2005

The Midwest Spatial Decision Support System Partnership

Topics

• The Midwest Spatial Decision Support System Partnership

• Digital Watershed

• Where Technology Is Going

• What Users Need

• Future Development of Digital Watershed

• Offers state and local decision-makers thirteen regional decision support tools

• Includes bundled data• Means of clear impact

analysis

Origin: April 2002

Midwest Web-based Spatial Workshop in Chicago

Midwest Partnership for Watershed Management Decision Support Systems

Co-hosts: US EPA Region 5, Michigan State University, and Purdue University

Purpose: Demonstration of various Decision Support and GIS Systems

Participants: State, Federal, and Tribal water resource managers Land Grant University Extension community, Watershed managers, and local government representatives

Midwest Partnership for Watershed Management Decision Support Systems

Members:

• Indiana Department of Environmental Indiana Department of Environmental Management Management

• International City/County Management International City/County Management Association Association

• Michigan State University, Institute of Water Michigan State University, Institute of Water ResearchResearch

• Purdue University - Agricultural and Biological Purdue University - Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Forestry and Natural Resources Engineering, Forestry and Natural Resources

Midwest Partnership for Watershed Management Decision Support Systems

Members cont.• State University of New York at Buffalo State University of New York at Buffalo

• University of Wisconsin Extension University of Wisconsin Extension

• U.S. EPA, Region 5 - Office of Public Affairs, U.S. EPA, Region 5 - Office of Public Affairs, Water Division and the Office of Information Water Division and the Office of Information Services Services

• Wisconsin Department of Natural ResourcesWisconsin Department of Natural Resources

• U. S. EPA/HQ - Office of Water Smart Growth U. S. EPA/HQ - Office of Water Smart Growth TeamTeam

Unique & Emerging CharacteristicsOf The Tools

In demand by

local officials, natural resource managers, and the general local officials, natural resource managers, and the general publicpublic

local officials, natural resource managers, and the general local officials, natural resource managers, and the general publicpublic

because they deliver ease of use, bundled data, and means of clear impact analysis:

1. Web-based

2. Spatially Based and Scalable

3. Science-based

4. Accessible (in Public Domain)

5. Intuitive

6. Customizable via Features & Plug-ins

7. Free-standing

A Nationwide Web Application Tool for Effective Watershed Management

Digital Watershed

Introduction

Centralized Hierarchical Information Repository

Online Watershed Computing Center

Comprehensive Datasets of EPA BASINS

Online Environmental Modeling

Nationwide Watershed Coverage

Overview

Multiple Forms of Access

Comprehensive Datasets

Scaling Function

Online Environmental Modeling

Erosion and Deposition Modeling Online

Nationwide Watershed Coverage

Multiple Forms of Access

Multiple Forms of Access cont.

Multiple Forms of Access cont.

Contrasting Hillsides

Where Technology Is Going

• Internet-based Applications

• Semantic Web through XML

• Web Services

• OpenGIS Consortium

• GML, WMS, WFS…

• Server GIS

• Grid Computing

What Users Want

• Tools That Can Really Solve Their Problems

• Easy to Use and Easy to Understand

• User Friendly Interface

• Performance

Future Development

• Dynamically integrate more data sources on the fly

• Integrate more decision tools

• Integrate remote sensing data and techniques

• Take advantage of server based GIS

• Develop Geoprocessing Web Services

• Develop User Assistance Agent

Thanks for Caring and Acting to Sustain the Water Resource

http://www.iwr.msu.edu