Water Science

ScienceDirectWater Science 31 (2017) 122–136

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/wsj

Research Article

Integrating Geographical Information System (GIS) withhydrodynamic modeling for evaluation the Nile River berths

navigation conditions

Hossam Elsersawy, Noha Kamal ∗Nile Research Institute (NRI), National Water Research Center (NWRC), Cairo 13621, Egypt

Received 25 April 2017; received in revised form 29 September 2017; accepted 22 October 2017Available online 21 November 2017

Abstract

In recent years there are needs to initiate the efforts towards developing evaluation tool for the navigation condition of the existingberths on the Nile River. Main goals of the research are to develop GIS application for the berths data and link it to a numerical modelfor evaluate morphological and hydraulically changes at the berthing area. The established application is used to evaluate the existingberths conditions at Luxor reach. The investigation included the physical, hydraulic, morphological, navigation conditions for safeand reliable navigation operation. The model was applied to create base flow map for morphological and hydraulically changes at theberthing areas. It was indicated that the rate of deposition is much more than the rate of erosion. It is concluded that the percentageof 26% of the existing berths are satisfied the navigation depths conditions, the percentage of 58% require maintained dredgingand the percentage of 16% of the existing berths does not satisfy the navigation depths conditions. The developed evaluation toolis essential for improving and the rehabilitation the navigation conditions of the existing berths.© 2017 National Water Research Center. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CCBY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Keywords: Geographical Information System (GIS); Hydrodynamic model; Luxor; Navigation; Nile River; Sedimentation

1. Introduction

Navigation in the Nile River is greatly affected by the variation of water levels, water depths, and bed topography. The

berths and their approaching channels are designed mainly based on site conditions and specific requirements accordingto the Permanent International Association of Navigation Congresses “PIANC”, the International Association of Portsand Harbors “IAPH”, and US Army Engineers. The design requirements were considered as dimensions of the ships

∗ Corresponding author.E-mail addresses: hossamelsersawy@yahoo.com (H. Elsersawy), Noha kamal2002@hotmail.com (N. Kamal).Peer review under responsibility of National Water Research Center.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wsj.2017.10.0021110-4929/© 2017 National Water Research Center. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-NDlicense (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

(aflaaa

fatosMhtpr

(afftmtatso

aeadmtapeiat

2

dSat

H. Elsersawy, N. Kamal / Water Science 31 (2017) 122–136 123

considering their lengths, widths, drafts, and displacements as well as stopping distances, maneuvering characteristic,nchoring and mooring equipment), and depth of channels (considering their draft of the design ship, Variation of riverow and elevation, under-keel clearance, allowances for vessel motion, side slope effects and inaccuracies in dredgingnd measurements). According to RTA (River Transport Authority), the minimum safe depth for navigation at berthsnd connected channels is 2.30 m, which is the summation of maximum draft permitted for ships and barges 1.80 mnd the keel clearance depth 0.50 m (Fahmy and Elsersawy, 2005).

In recent years, there are needs to initiate the efforts towards developing evaluation tools for the navigation conditionor the exiting berthing areas at the Nile River. El-Sersawy (2001) developed new approach that can be used to achieve

better identification and prediction of the location of the navigation bottlenecks that can affect the navigation inhe river. It is proposed to link numerical model and Geographic Information System (GIS) for the developmentf a Decision Support System (DSS) under ArcView GIS environment to provide analytical tools for reducing theediment deposition rates at the expected navigational bottlenecks in the Nile River reach from Aswan to El-Gafraa.

ore examples of this type of GIS applications may be found in various publications Kuo (1993). Maidment (1997)as an improved Map Module linking them to the Surface Water Modeling System (SMS) that is used to representwo-dimensional flow in rivers, bays, and estuaries. Using GIS as a hydrologic/hydraulic model’s preprocessor andost processor has the benefits of reducing the amount of data preparation work, enhancing spatial data display andevealing some hidden spatial relations (De Vantier and Feldman, 1993).

The berths along the Nile River can be classified in terms of their function and role, as follow: Major Station BerthMSB) which is typically located in front of gateway cities and connected to cruise ships utility service systems, suchs water and fuel supply, sewerage and solid waste collection. Landing Berth (LB) which serves as landing placeor sightseeing of antiquities or other attractions. Other Berths (OB) which serves various boats and vessels, such aserryboats, recreational boats and taxi boats as demonstrated in JICA (1999). The Nile River hydrology shows thathe water levels are high at the summer period (July and August), due to release of high discharges as a result of theaximum irrigation water requirements. While, the winter period (December, January), the water levels are low due

o minimum water irrigation requirements which represents a critical situation for navigation in Nile River. Berthingreas navigation faces real problems during the winter period due to navigable depths inadequacy. This period matcheshe low discharge period. This issue considered to be a real threat to the tourism industry. The feasible solution forediment deposition is periodic dredging of the berthing areas and the main ship channel to achieve reducing the volumef shoaling of berths.

In this research, an evaluation tool is developed by integrating the expert knowledge, model analysis, and GISpplication for the assessment of the navigation conditions of the existing berths. The main elements of the proposedvaluation tool are the Geographical Information System (GIS) and two dimensional hydrodynamic models. Thepproach adopted involves GIS spatial data management (geo-referenced digital map, spatial data, etc.), analysesata such as hydrologic, hydraulic, morphologic, navigation data and the application results of appropriate numericalodels to assist for development and planning for safe and reliable navigation operation of berths. The GIS was used

o manage databases and linking to the model; visualize input data and models output. The numerical model providesnalyzing the behavior of the morphological and hydraulic changes in the river, predicting the expected navigationroblems at the berthing areas and giving basic support to the decisions on the preferable options. For an efficientvaluation procedure it is essential to identify the current state of the berths, to understand the basic mechanisms andnterrelations between the different state variables, and to be able to predict the trends as a function of the managementctions. This tool will be useful for the main actors in navigation at the Nile River such as the government authorities;he Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources (MIWR), River Transport Authority (RTA).

. Objectives

The main objectives of the research are creating Geographic Information System (GIS) application for the berths

ata, formulation of the evaluation tool by establishing link between the Finite Element Surface Water Modelingystem (FESWMS) and GIS to develop digital maps for morphological and hydraulically changes at the berthingreas. The evaluation tool is applied for Luxor reach (Fig. 2) to evaluate the existing berths conditions by investigatinghe (physical, hydraulically, morphological, navigation) conditions for safe and reliable navigation operation.

124 H. Elsersawy, N. Kamal / Water Science 31 (2017) 122–136

Fig. 1. Flow chart of the research procedures.

3. Materials and methods

3.1. Methodology

In this research, the main procedure to develop the evaluation tool is as follows:

• Collect the required (bathymetric, hydrological, and hydraulic) data during different years (1982–2007).

• Develop Geo Data base of berths.• Establish GIS interface which was used to develop a computational grid for the study reach using topographic and

hydrographic maps.

H. Elsersawy, N. Kamal / Water Science 31 (2017) 122–136 125

Fig. 2. Study reach location.

••

••

3

faNf6

Fig. 3. River discharges and water levels at study area.

Apply numerical model for different scenarios of the river flow. Create base flow maps for the minimum and maximum river flow for bed elevation, water-surface elevation, and

velocity-magnitude contours, and velocity vectors. Estimate the morphological changes at berthing areas for different years (1982–2007). Analyze the existing berths (physical, hydraulically, morphological, navigation) conditions.

The flow chart of the research procedures is shown in Fig. 1.

.2. Study area

The berthing area at the Luxor regain was selected. The historical importance of Luxor region is the main reasonor selecting the berthing areas at this region, and high traffic intensities of cruise ships. The Luxor region is locatedt the second reach of the Nile River as shown in Fig. 2. The second reach starts from Esna Barrage at km 760.35 to

ag Hammdi Barrage at km 567.55 from “El Roda” Gauge Station at Cairo, Egypt. The berths data were collected

rom km 683.60 to km 715.50 with total length 32 km. The width of the river at the study reach varies from 320 to60 m. The total berths number at the study area are 38 berths, which located at the east bank of the River Nile. The

126 H. Elsersawy, N. Kamal / Water Science 31 (2017) 122–136

Fig. 4. The GIS application of berths data.

morphological characteristics of the study reach are complex system. The thalweg line route is located at the east sideof the river at the study reach. The river bed is at a gentle gradient along the study reach.

3.3. Data collection

The digital data of Ortho Photo, Image Satellite, Topographic Map, and Hydrographic Maps, were collected for cre-ating the (GIS) application. The Hydrographic (bathymetric), hydrologic, hydraulic, and sediment data were collectedas input for hydrodynamic model.

3.3.1. Bathymetric dataThe bathymetric data were obtained from the contour maps, produced from the recent hydrographic survey of

year 2007 provided by the Nile Research institute (NRI). The channel geometry presented by Easting, Northing, andElevation (E, N, and Z) points were used for the mesh generation. The coordinates of the mesh were referenced to theWGS84 ellipsoid (World Geodetic System, 1984) with Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) Projection. In addition,the topographic maps for years 1982 and 2007 were used to create different layers, which represent different informationsuch as riverbed elevation, thalweg line, berths location, roads, banks, bridges, etc. These data were used to create thenetwork mesh for numerical model and preparing data as an input to the GIS interface. The digital bathymetry model

of the study reach has been produced using interpolation techniques and the point coverage has been converted intoraster images.

H. Elsersawy, N. Kamal / Water Science 31 (2017) 122–136 127

3

vmtmG(i

3

aTl

4

4

dia

Fig. 5. Flowchart GIS functions linked to the phases of hydrodynamic modeling.

.3.2. Hydrological dataIn addition to the bathymetric data, hydrologic and hydraulic data such as stage and flow hydrographs, water

elocities, and rating curves are also needed to establish the initial and boundary conditions of the hydrodynamicodel. The hydrological records for the past 10 years (from year 2000 to year 2009) for the study reach including

he maximum and minimum flow discharges, and the corresponding minimum and maximum water levels have beeneasured at Luxor gauge station km 700.90 and Downstream Esna Barrage Station at km 750.35 from “El Roda”auge Station. As shown in Fig. 3-a, the minimum water level in the berthing area is (68.03) m at minimum discharge

60 million m3/day) while the maximum water level is (72.92) m at maximum discharge (246 million m3/day) as shownn Fig. 3-b.

.3.3. Berths dataArcView points coverage have been created by using berths data such as berth name; river bank; berth length; etc.

t the study area. The water depths for different river flows were added as an attribute in accordance with the coverage.he coverage of the shoreline was created from the aerial photographs and the satellite images. The layout of the berths

ocations is shown in Fig. 4.

. Hydrodynamic model simulation

.1. General

The Surface Water Modeling System (SMS) is a pre and post interface for surface water models. It was initiallyeveloped by the Engineering Computer Graphics Laboratory at Brigham Young University at year 1998. The SMS

s the interface of the Finite Element Surface Water Modeling System (FESWMS) which is the depth-averaged flownd sediment transport model. The finite element method is used to solve the governing differential equations that

128 H. Elsersawy, N. Kamal / Water Science 31 (2017) 122–136

Fig. 6. Mesh network and the river bed elevations for the study reach.

describe the two-dimensional depth averaged surface water flow (FESWMS, 2002). These equations are shown as thefollowing:

∂H

∂t+ ∂(HU)

∂x+ ∂(HV)

∂y= q (1)

∂(HU)

∂t+ ∂

∂x{βuuHUU + (cosαx cos αz)2 1

2gH2} + ∂

∂y(βuvHUV) + cosαxgH

∂zb

∂x− �HV

+ 1

ρ[τbx − τsx − ∂(Hτxx)

∂x− ∂(Hτxy)

∂y] = 0 (2)

∂(HV )

∂t+ ∂

∂y{βvvHVV + (

cosαy cos αz

)2 1

2gH2} + ∂

∂x(βuvHVU) + cosαygH

∂zb

∂y+ �HV

+ 1

ρ[τby − τsy − ∂(Hτyx)

∂x− ∂(Hτyy)

∂y] = 0 (3)

where H = water depth, U = horizontal velocity in the x direction, and V = horizontal velocity in the y direction,z = vertical direction, zb = bed elevation, HU = unit flow rate in the x direction, HV = unit flow rate in the y direc-tion, q = mass inflow rate (positive) or outflow rate (negative) per unit area, � is water mass density, � is the Coriolisparameter, � is isotropic momentum flux correction coefficient that accounts for the variation of velocity in the verticaldirection, g = gravitational acceleration, �bx, and �by = bed shear stresses acting in the x and y directions, respectively,�sx and �sy = surface shear stresses acting in the x and y directions, respectively, and �xx, �xy, �yx, and �yy = shearstresses caused by turbulence.

4.2. GIS functions linked to the hydrodynamic model

The GIS functions are linked to the phases of hydrodynamic modeling at different steps as following: digitizationof available data, performing GIS operations, processing data for input to hydrodynamic model, model simulation, andpost processing of output from hydrodynamic model. The process for integration of GIS in hydrodynamic modelingis outlined at Fig. 5.

H. Elsersawy, N. Kamal / Water Science 31 (2017) 122–136 129

Fv

4

dobmaen

ig. 7. (a) The comparison of observed and measured velocities for different cross sections. (b) The RMSE for the observed and measured velocitiesalues.

.3. Mesh generation

The finite element mesh was developed, using the SMS v12.4 software. The Map Module in SMS was used toefine the study area boundaries and water features using hydrographic survey maps of year 2007. For the generationf bathymetric data, the point coverage of the area was prepared in GIS environment and from this coverage interpolatedathymetry grid has been produced and the grid was exported to ASCII file. Then, the ASCII file is imported in SMSodel as XYZ file. Subsequently, SMS Model automatically generated a mesh or grid network from the map module

nd then interpolated the bathymetric data into the mesh. The mesh contains 2130 elements and 6310 nodes. Thelement width ranges between 20 m and 60 m and its length ranges between 50 m to 200 m with concentrating theumber of elements in important areas along the study area as shown in Fig. 6. The mesh of the study area represents

130 H. Elsersawy, N. Kamal / Water Science 31 (2017) 122–136

Fig. 8. Physical characteristic of the existing berths.

approximately 38.90 km length. The built-in interpolate command in the mesh creator module of SMS was used toassign a depth for each individual node using the surveyed bed elevation in terms of (XYZ) data points.

4.4. Model calibration

The initial water levels and the bed elevations are described the initial boundary conditions for the model. The inflowboundary condition of the study area is defined as the discharge downstream Esna Barrage. The water levels from Luxorgauge station is used for the outflow boundary conditions. For the calibration process, the model was applied for theriver discharge 60 million m3/day (695 m3/s) which is corresponding to the water level (68.03) m. The model runswere carried out by adjusting roughness coefficients at various locations along the modeled study area to achieve thebest agreement between measured and resulted values of the model. Fig. 7a shows the comparison of observed andmeasured velocities for different cross sections along the study area. The root mean square error (RMSE) which ispresented by Eq. (4) was computed to quantify the model performance for the observed and measured velocities valuesas shown in Fig. 7-b.

RMSE =√∑n

i=1(Xobs ,i − Xmo del,i)2

n(4)

H. Elsersawy, N. Kamal / Water Science 31 (2017) 122–136 131

Table 1Berths capacity of floating hotels (one row arrangement).

Berths lengths (m) Capacity of floating hotels (one row arrangement)

Type I 50–60 m Type II 60–70 m Type III 70–72 m

50–100 1 1 1100–150 2 2 1150–200 3 2 2200–250 4 3 3250–300 5 4 4300–350 6 5 5>350 7 6 6Total/parking row 28 23 22

Table 2Model results for application of scenarios of river flow.

No. River flow scenarios River discharge Water depths Flow velocity Water surface slope

Million m3/day m3/s (m) (m/s) (cm/km)

12

w

5

cstt

5

tfotflh(ib

5

lacwm

Maximum discharge 246 2847 (4.8–10.6) (0.69–1.02) 3.46 cm/km Minimum discharge 60 695 (2.1–7.4) (0.37–0.82) 6.78 cm/km

here Xobs is observed values and Xmodel is modelled values at time/place.

. Results and discussion

The developed tool was used for evaluation of the physical, hydrologic, hydraulic, morphologic, and navigationonditions of the existing berths for the period of minimum water discharge (60 Million m3/day). It represents a criticalituation in terms of berths navigation condition. The period of minimum river flow release coincides with the peak ofhe tourism season where the number of floating hotels tends to multiply and needs more water to navigate safely, ando provide sufficient water depths at berthing areas.

.1. Physical analysis results

The physical characteristics of the existing berths at the study area are affected by the berths lengths, the type ofourism vessels (Floating Hotels), and the equipment used for navigation operation control. The analysis carried outor the relation between existing berths lengths and its capacity of the floating hotels in the study reach. The presencef locks and bridges along Cairo-Aswan waterway and shallow water nature of Nile represent several constraints onhe dimensions of Nile cruisers. Younis et al. (2011), mentioned that, the maximum allowable dimensions of the Nileoating hotels are as follows (length = 72.00 m, breadth = 14.0 m, and Drought = 1.5 m) in the Nile River. The floatingotels lengths at the study reach are classified to three types as follow: type (I) has length of (50–60) m, type (II)60–70), and type (III) (70–72) m. Fig. 8 presents the relation between the number of births and its lengths, whichndicates that more than 42% of the total number of berths have length of (50–100 m). In addition, the capacity of theerths was calculated for the different types of floating hotels assuming one row parking as shown in Table 1.

.2. Hydraulic analysis results

Changes of the bed elevations, water surface slope, and the values of velocities are indicators for determining theocation of navigation problem in a river reach. The evaluation tool was used to simulate the river flow for the minimum

nd maximum water discharge as shown in Table 2. The water-surface profile was calculated for a study area with givenonfiguration, discharge, and roughness. From the water-surface profile, other hydraulic parameters such as velocity,ater depths and energy slope were obtained. The simulated water surface elevation, water velocities, and water depthsaps were created for the study reach based on the two-dimensional hydrodynamic model results as shown in Fig. 9-a.

132 H. Elsersawy, N. Kamal / Water Science 31 (2017) 122–136

Fig. 9. (a) Simulated water surface elevation, water velocities, and water depths maps for minimum discharge (60 M m3/day) and maximum discharge(246 M m3/day). (b) The water surface elevation longitudinal profile at minimum discharge (60 M m3/day) for years (1982–2007).

H. Elsersawy, N. Kamal / Water Science 31 (2017) 122–136 133

(idtc

5

oytpdhaif

5

ddpn

•

Fig. 9. (Continued)

In addition, the water surface elevation of the longitudinal profiles were computed for minimum discharge60 M m3/day) for years (1982–2007) as shown in Fig. 9-b. It is shown that the water surface elevations of year 2007s higher at many locations than the water surface elevations of year 1982 which indicate the locations of sedimenteposition along the berthing areas. The low water surface slope decreases of river depths that influenced waterwayransportation and the adjacent existing berths. The sedimentation occurs when the reduction of river flow velocity andonsequently by reducing of flow energy and the suspended sediment particles would be deposited.

.3. Morphological analysis results

Morphology analysis of the study area showed the areas of deposition which is the first indicator for the presencef navigation problem at the berthing areas and the effect on navigation path efficiency. The bathymetric surveys forears 1982 and 2007 have been used to identify the maps of sediment erosion and deposition in the study reach withinhe period time of 25 years. These maps were used to generate the river bed elevations which are based on model gridattern to identify all of the river bottom features. The accuracy of these maps may be affected by the density of theata coverage. The results from the analysis of these maps are being used to track sediment migration pattern withigh resolution for the deposition which is shown in Fig. 10-a and the erosion as shown in Fig. 10-b at the berthingreas. In addition, the annual rate of the sedimentation and erosion pattern in the study reach was estimated as shownn Fig. 11. It indicated that the annual sedimentation rate is ranged from 0.16 to 0.35 m and the annual erosion rate isrom 0.05 to 0.16 m. Fig. 12 shows comparison of the cross sections for upstream and downstream of the study reach.

.4. Navigational analysis results

The berths areas have been investigated for its navigational operational performance by using the predicted waterepths at berthing areas for the minimum river flow and the allowable navigable depth of 2.30 m. The navigable channelepths are determined based on the minimum safe depth for navigation, which is the summation of maximum draftermitted for boats and barges (1.80 m) and the keel clearance depth (0.50 m). Therefore, the minimum safe depth foravigation at berths is 2.30 m.

The berthing areas were classified according to the navigable depths for three categories as follow:

Type (A) where the navigable depth is ranging between 0.0–1.0 m (Not Allowed—Need Dredging),

134 H. Elsersawy, N. Kamal / Water Science 31 (2017) 122–136

Fig. 10. Deposition and erosion maps for years (1982–2007).

Fig. 11. Annual rate of the deposition and erosion pattern of the berthing area.

H. Elsersawy, N. Kamal / Water Science 31 (2017) 122–136 135

Fig. 12. comparison of the cross sections for years (1982–2007).

•

•

fte

Fig. 13. Classification of berths navigation depths.

Type (B) where the navigable depth is ranging between 1.0–2.3 m (Allowed—Need Monitoring & BathymetricSurvey),

Type (C) where the navigable depth is ranging between 2.3–3.0 m (Permitted—No Action).

The spatial analyst using GIS was used to assess the status of the existing berths for the sufficient water depths

or navigation at the berthing area (for minimum water discharge) as shown at Fig. 13. It is indicated that 26% ofhe existing berths are satisfying the navigation depths conditions, 58% require maintained dredging and 16% of thexisting berths does not satisfy the navigation depths conditions.

136 H. Elsersawy, N. Kamal / Water Science 31 (2017) 122–136

6. Conclusions and recommendations

The evaluation tool was established by integrating Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and hydrodynamicmodelling to evaluate the (physical, hydraulic, morphological, navigation) conditions of Nile River berths for safe andreliable navigation conditions. It is applied for assessment of the existing berths at the Luxor region. The physicalanalysis of the existing berths was carried out for the relation between existing berths lengths and its capacity of thefloating hotels in the study reach. From the hydraulic analysis, it was concluded that the changes of the water surfaceslope and the values of velocities are indicators of locating the navigation problems. The morphological analysis of thestudy reach indicated that the rate of deposition is much more than the rate of erosion. The sediment deposition intenseat the left bank of the study area and the annual rate of sedimentation ranged from 0.16 to 0.35 m and for erosion from0.05 to 0.16 m. It is concluded from navigation analysis that 26% of the existing berths are satisfying the navigationdepths conditions, 58% require maintained dredging and 16% of the existing berths does not satisfy the navigationdepths conditions. The tool supports the decision maker in the improvement and the rehabilitation of the navigationconditions of the existing berths by defining the required periodic dredging for the berths. In addition, the tool givesmore managing of releasing water discharge into the river especially in the winter period for the navigation uses whichmakes effective water management policy possible.

References

DeVantier, B.A., Feldman, A.D., 1993. Review of GIS applications in hydrologic modeling. J. Water Res. Plan. Manage. 119 (2), p246–p261.El-Sersawy, H., 2001. Modeling of the Morphological Processes in the Nile River for Navigation Uses. Ph.D. Cairo University, Egypt.Fahmy, A., Elsersawy, H., 2005. Inland waterways design criteria and its applications in Egypt. In: Ninth International Water Technology Conference,

IWTC9 2005, Sharm 910 El-Sheikh, Egypt.User’s Manual for FESWMS Flo2DH Publication No. FHWA-RD-03-053, Sept. 2002. FESWMS.JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency), 1999 — The Study on Tourism Development Projects in the Arab Republic of Egypt Final Report.Kuo, C.Y. (1993). Engineering Hydrology, American Society of Civil Engineers, pp365–368, pp545–574, pp677–701.

Maidment, D.R., 1997. Integration of GIS and Hydrologic Modeling. In: Preconference Seminar, GIS Hydro97 CD ROM, 1997, User Conference,

ESRI.Younis, G.M., Gaafary, M.M., El-Kilani, H.S., Moustafa, M.M., 2011. Techno—Economical Optimization for River Nile Container Ships, Brodarski

Institut, Brodogradnja Journal, Croatia.