GIS and SBF for estimating groundwater recharge of a mountainous basin in the Wu River watershed,Taiwan

The temporal and spatial distributions of precipitation are extremely uneven; so, careful management of water resources in Taiwan is crucial. The long-term overexploitation of groundwater resources poses a challenge to water resource management in Taiwan. However, assessing groundwater resources in mountainous basins is challenging due to limited information. In this study, a geographic information system (GIS) and stable base-flow (SBF) techniques were used to assess the characteristics of groundwater recharge considering the Wu River watershed in central Taiwan as a study area. First, a GIS approach was used to integrate five contributing factors: lithology, land cover/land use, lineaments, drainage, and slope. The weights of factors contributing to the groundwater recharge were obtained from aerial photos, geological maps, a land use database, and field verification. Second, the SBF was used to estimate the groundwater recharge in a mountainous basin scale. The concept of the SBF technique was to separate the base-flow from the total streamflow discharge in order to obtain a measure of groundwater recharge. The SBF technique has the advantage of integrating groundwater recharge across an entire basin without complex hydro-geologic modelling and detailed knowledge of the soil characteristics. In this study, our approach for estimating recharge provides not only an estimate of how much water becomes groundwater, but also explains the characteristics of a potential groundwater recharge zone.     

An integration of GIS and remote sensing in groundwater investigations: A case study in Burdur, Turkey

The importance of groundwater is growing based on an increasing need and decreasing spring discharges in the Burdur area. Remote Sensing and the Geographic Information System (GIS) have been used for investigation of springs, which are an important groundwater source. The chemical composition of groundwater is not of drinking water quality in Burdur city and water in the Burdur residential area is being obtained from the Cine plain.The purpose of this study was to investigate new water sources by using remote sensing and GIS methods. Geology, lineament and land use maps of the research area were prepared using the Landsat TM satellite image composed of different analyses on the TM 7–4-1 band. In addition, contours, creeks, roads and springs were digitized using a topographic map of 1/100,000 scale to produce a drainage density map. A groundwater potential map was produced which integrated thematic maps, such as annual rainfall, geology, lineament density, land use, topography, slope and drainage density. According to this investigation, the surrounding villages of Askeriye, Bugduz, Gelincik, Taskap and Kayaalt were determined to be important from the point of view of groundwater potential in the research area.     

Groundwater potentiality mapping in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, using remote sensing and GIS-watershed-based modeling

Systematic planning for groundwater exploration using modern techniques is essential for the proper utilization, protection and management of this vital resource. Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) images, a geographic information system (GIS), a watershed modeling system (WMS) and weighted spatial probability modeling (WSPM) were integrated to identify the groundwater potential areas in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt. Eight pertinent thematic layers were built in a GIS and assigned appropriate rankings. Layers considered were: rainfall, net groundwater recharge, lithology or infiltration, lineament density, slope, drainage density, depth to groundwater, and water quality. All these themes were assigned weights according to their relative importance to groundwater potentiality and their corresponding normalized weights were obtained based on their effectiveness factors. The groundwater potentiality map was finally produced by WSPM. This map comprises five gradational groundwater potentiality classes ranging from very high to very low. The validity of this unbiased GIS-based model was tested by correlating its results with the published hydrogeological map of Egypt and the actual borehole yields, where a concordant justification was reached. The map declared that the Sinai Peninsula is generally of moderate groundwater potentiality, where this class encompasses an area of 33,120?km² which represents 52% of its total area.     

Study on groundwater recharge potentiality of Barind Tract,Rajshahi District,Bangladesh using GIS and Remote Sensing technique

The groundwater recharge potentiality in Barind Tract in Rajshahi district, Northwest Bangladesh was studied based on Geographical Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing technique. In this connection satellite images (Landsat 7 ETM and SPOT) and aerial photos were subjected to several treatment processes using softwares like ERDAS Imagine and ESRI’s Arc View. Thus various thematic maps have been prepared for drainage density, lineaments, lithology and land cover/use that allowed deciding their interactive effect. In the present study, the degree of effect was determined for each factor to assess the total groundwater recharge potentiality for two categories (moderate to low). The resultant map shows that 85% of the area has low, and rest has moderate groundwater recharge potentiality. Finally only 8.6% of the total average annual precipitated water (1685mm) percolates into subsurface and ultimately contributes to recharge the groundwater.     

Delineation of potential groundwater zones based on multicriteria decision making technique

Groundwater is the most prioritized water source in India and plays an indispensable role in India's economy. The groundwater potential mapping is key to the sustainable groundwater development and management. A hybrid methodology is applied to delineate potential groundwater zones based on remote sensing, geographical information systems(GIS) and analytic hierarchy process(AHP) as on multicriteria decision making. For the purpose of demonstrating field application, Chittar watershed, Tamilnadu, India is studied as an example. The important morphological characteristics considered in the study are lithology, geomorphology, lineament density, drainage density, slope, and Soil Conservation Service–Curve Number(SCS-CN). These six thematic layers are generated in a GIS platform. Based on intersecting the layers, AHP method, the values for adopting the pairwise comparison normalized weight and normalized subclasses weightage were given. The normalized subclass weightage is input into each layer subclass. Then, weighted linear combination method is used to add the data layers in GIS platform to generate groundwater potential Index(GWPI) map. The GWPI map is validated based on the net recharge computed from the differences of measured groundwater levels between the pre-monsoon and post-monsoon in the year 2018. The kappa statistics are used to measure level spatial consistency between the GWPI and net recharge map. The overall average spatial matching accuracy between the two data sets is 0.86, while the kappa coefficient for GWPI with net recharge, 0.78. The results show that in Chittar watershed about 870 km~2 area is divided into high potential zone(i.e. sum of very high and high potential zone), 667 km~2 area, as the moderate one and the rest 105 km~2 area, as the poor zone(i.e. sum of very poor and poor potential zone).     

Integrated GIS and remote sensing for mapping groundwater potentiality in the Tulul al Ashaqif,Northeast Jordan

Jordan with its limited water resources is currently classified as one of the four water-poor countries worldwide. This study was initiated to explore groundwater potential areas in Tulul al Ashaqif area, Jordan, by integrating remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), and multicriteria evaluation techniques. Eight thematic layers were built in a GIS and assigned using multicriteria evaluation techniques suitable weights and ratings regarding their relative contribution in groundwater occurrence. These layers include lithology, geomorphology, lineaments density, drainage density, soil texture, rainfall, elevation, and slope. The final groundwater potentiality map generated by GIS consists of five groundwater potentiality classes: very high, high, moderate, low, and very low. The map showed that the study area is generally of moderate groundwater potentiality (76.35 %). The very high and high potential classes occupy 2.2 and 12.75 % of study area, respectively. The validity of results of this GIS-based model was carried out by superimposing existing hand dug wells on the final map. The single parameter sensitivity test was conducted to assess the influence of the assigned weights on the groundwater potential model, and new effective weights were derived. The resulted groundwater potentiality map showed that the area occupied by each of the groundwater potentiality classes has changed. However, the study area remains generally of moderate groundwater potentiality (70.93 % of the study area). The area occupied by the very high and high potential classes comprises 4.53 and 18.56 % of the study area, respectively.     

Remote Sensing and GIS Based Groundwater Potential Zone Mapping in Ariyalur District,Tamil Nadu

The groundwater is the most precious resources around the world and is shrinking day by day. In connection, there is a need for demarcation of potential ground-water zone. The geographical information system (GIS) and remote sensing techniques have become important tools to locate ground-water potential zones. This research has been carried out to identify groundwater potential zone in Ariyalur of south India with help of GIS and remote sensing techniques. To identify the groundwater potential zone used by different thematic layers of geology, geomorphology, drainage, drainage density, lineaments, lineaments density, soil, rainfall, and slope with inverse distance weightage (IDW) methods. From the overall result the potential zone of groundwater in the study area classified into five classes named as very good (13.34 %), good (51.52 %), moderate (31.48 %), poor (2.82 %) and very poor (0.82 %). This study suggested that, very good potential zone of groundwater occur in patches in northern and central parts of Jayamkondam and Palur regions in Ariyalur district. The result exhibited that inverse distance weightage method offers an effective tool for interpreting groundwater potential zones for suitable development and management of groundwater resources in different hydro-geological environments.     

Assessment of groundwater potential zone using remote sensing,GIS and multi criteria decision analysis techniques

The sustainable development and management of groundwater resource needs quantitative assessment, based on scientific principle and recent techniques. In the present study, groundwater potential zone is being determined using remote sensing, Geographical Information System (GIS) and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) techniques using various thematic layers viz. geomorphology, geology, drainage density, slope, rainfall, soil texture, groundwater depth, soil depth, lineament and land use/ land cover. The Analytic Hierarchy Approach (AHP) is used to determine the weights of various themes for identifying the groundwater potential zone based on weights assignment and normalization with respect to the relative contribution of the different themes to groundwater occurrence. Finally, obtained groundwater potential zones were classified into five categories, viz. low, medium, medium-high, high and very high potential zone. The result depicts the groundwater potential zone in the study area and found to be helpful in better development and management planning of groundwater resource.     

Identification of Groundwater Potential Zones using Remote Sensing and GIS of K-J Watershed,India

Groundwater potential zone mapping has become easier with the inputs from Remote Sensing (RS) & Geographical Information System (GIS) techniques. Various thematic maps like geology, geomorphology, drainage density, slope, landuse/landcover etc can be easily generated through RS & GIS. The present study is aimed at generating groundwater potential map of Koshalya-Jhajhara (K-J) watershed by using integrated approach of RS & GIS. Various thematic layers have been generated and assigned weightages and ranks. These layers have been integrated in GIS software for generating Groundwater Potential Zone (GPZ) map of K-J watershed. The area falls into five categories of groundwater potential zones i.e. very good, good, moderate, poor and very Poor depending on the likelihood of availability of ground water. On the basis of this study it is found that only 5.83 km² and 4.91 km² area is under very good and good category of groundwater availability respectively. An area of 24.48 km² is found under moderate category whereas dominant portion of K-J watershed i.e. 61.83 km² and 37.87 km² area falls under poor and very poor category of availability of groundwater respectively.     

Potential groundwater recharge zones within New Zealand

Water resources in New Zealand are not evenly distributed across the country which makes it difficult to adequately allocate the use of water resources in every basin. Groundwater is a fundamental water resource in New Zealand for agricultural, industrial and domestic use. Detailed knowledge regarding groundwater recharge potential is a pre-requisite for sustainable groundwater management, including the assessment of its vulnerability to contamination by pollutants. In this study, a comprehensive GIS approach was used to map the potential groundwater recharge zones across New Zealand. National data sets of lithology, slope, aspect, land use, soil drainage and drainage density were converted to raster data sets with a spatial resolution of 500 m × 500 m and superimposed to derive groundwater potential zones. The resultant maps demonstrate that the potential is low in urban and mountainous areas, such as the Southern Alps, whereas the highest potential can be found in regions with large lakes and in the lower elevation plains areas, where Quaternary sediments prevail. The resulting maps can be used to identify areas of high nutrient leaching in zones where high groundwater recharge potential exists.     

Determining the groundwater potential recharge zone and karst springs catchment area: Saldoran region,western Iran

Assessing the groundwater recharge potential zone and differentiation of the spring catchment area are extremely important to effective management of groundwater systems and protection of water quality. The study area is located in the Saldoran karstic region, western Iran. It is characterized by a high rate of precipitation and recharge via highly permeable fractured karstic formations. Pire-Ghar, Sarabe-Babaheydar and Baghe-rostam are three major karstic springs which drain the Saldoran anticline. The mean discharge rate and electrical conductivity values for these springs were 3, 1.9 and 0.98 m³/s, and 475, 438 and 347 μS/cm, respectively. Geology, hydrogeology and geographical information system (GIS) methods were used to define the catchment areas of the major karstic springs and to map recharge zones in the Saldoran anticline. Seven major influencing factors on groundwater recharge rates (lithology, slope value and aspect, drainage, precipitation, fracture density and karstic domains) were integrated using GIS. Geology maps and field verification were used to determine the weights of factors. The final map was produced to reveal major zones of recharge potential. More than 80 % of the study area is terrain that has a recharge rate of 55–70 % (average 63 %). Evaluating the water budget of Saldoran Mountain showed that the total volume of karst water emerging from the Saldoran karst springs is equal to the total annual recharge on the anticline. Therefore, based on the geological and hydrogeological investigations, the catchment area of the mentioned karst springs includes the whole Saldoran anticline.     

A knowledge-driven GIS modeling technique for groundwater potential mapping at the Upper Langat Basin, Malaysia

The aim of this paper is to use a knowledge-driven expert-based geographical information system (GIS) model coupling with remote-sensing-derived parameters for groundwater potential mapping in an area of the Upper Langat Basin, Malaysia. In this study, nine groundwater storage controlling parameters that affect groundwater occurrences are derived from remotely sensed imagery, available maps, and associated databases. Those parameters are: lithology, slope, lineament, land use, soil, rainfall, drainage density, elevation, and geomorphology. Then the parameter layers were integrated and modeled using a knowledge-driven GIS of weighted linear combination. The weightage and score for each parameter and their classes are based on the Malaysian groundwater expert opinion survey. The predicted groundwater potential map was classified into four distinct zones based on the classification scheme designed by Department of Minerals and Geoscience Malaysia (JMG). The results showed that about 17% of the study area falls under low-potential zone, with 66% on moderate-potential zone, 15% with high-potential zone, and only 0.45% falls under very-high-potential zone. The results obtained in this study were validated with the groundwater borehole wells data compiled by the JMG and showed 76% of prediction accuracy. In addition statistical analysis indicated that hard rock dominant of the study area is controlled by secondary porosity such as distance from lineament and density of lineament. There are high correlations between area percentage of predicted groundwater potential zones and groundwater well yield. Results obtained from this study can be useful for future planning of groundwater exploration, planning and development by related agencies in Malaysia which provide a rapid method and reduce cost as well as less time consuming. The results may be also transferable to other areas of similar hydrological characteristics.     

Delineation of groundwater recharge zones and identification of artificial recharge sites in West Medinipur district,West Bengal,using RS,GIS and MCDM techniques

Artificial recharge plays a pivotal role in the sustainable management of groundwater resources. This study proposes a methodology to delineate artificial recharge zones as well as to identify favorable artificial recharge sites using integrated remote sensing (RS), geographical information system (GIS) and multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) techniques for augmenting groundwater resources in the West Medinipur district of West Bengal, India, which has been facing water shortage problems for the past few years. The thematic layers considered in this study are: geomorphology, geology, drainage density, slope and aquifer transmissivity, which were prepared using IRS-1D imagery and conventional data. Different themes and their corresponding features were assigned proper weights based on their relative contribution to groundwater recharge in the area, and normalized weights were computed using the Saaty’s analytic hierarchy process (AHP). These thematic layers were then integrated in the GIS environment to delineate artificial recharge zones in the study area. The artificial recharge map thus obtained divided the study area into three zones, viz., ‘suitable,’ ‘moderately suitable’ and ‘unsuitable’ according to their suitability for artificial groundwater recharge. It was found that about 46% of the study area falls under ‘suitable’ zone, whereas 43% falls under the ‘moderately suitable’ zone. The western portion of the study area was found to be unsuitable for artificial recharge. The artificial recharge zone map of the study area was found to be in agreement with the map of mean groundwater depths over the area. Furthermore, forty possible sites for artificial recharge were also identified using RS and GIS techniques. Based on the available field information, check dams are suggested as promising artificial recharge structures. The results of this study could be used to formulate an efficient groundwater management plan for the study area so as to ensure sustainable utilization of scarce groundwater resources.     

Remote Sensing and GIS based groundwater potential mapping for sustainable water resource management of Lidder catchment in Kashmir Valley,India

The valley of Kashmir is blessed with abundant water resources. However, high population growth and concentration of population at favorable locations have resulted in increased demand for water. The problem is further aggravated in Lidder catchment where unplanned tourism development has resulted in deterioration of water quality. Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) approach is adopted using IRS P6 LISS III satellite data 2010, geological map published by Geological Survey of India, toposheets prepared by Survey of India, 1961 and field observation. Seven thematic layers (slope, lineament density, drainage density, soil, geology, geomorphology and land use land cover) are generated in GIS environment and weighted according to their relative relevance to groundwater occurrence. Knowledge-based weights and ranks are normalized, and a weighted linear combination technique is adopted to determine the groundwater potential (GWP). The catchment is divided into five zones of very high, high, medium, low and very low GWP. The results show that 50.22% of the total catchment area, which is uninhabited, has very low GWP. However, the densely populated southern part of the catchment has moderate to very high GWP. The study demonstrates that MCE using remote sensing and GIS technology could be efficiently employed as a very useful tool for the assessment and management of groundwater resources especially in regions where data is poor.     

Groundwater exploration using remote sensing and geographic information systems in a semi-arid area (Southwest of Urmieh, Northwest of Iran)

Shortage of water required for drinking and agricultural uses is a subject with a vital importance in most arid and semi-arid regions. The area of this study is one of the semi-arid regions located in southwest of Urmieh lake, northwest of Iran, between N 37°00′, 37°15′ latitude and E 45°05′, 45°30′ longitude which is composed of Permian dolomitic limestone, limestone, and post-Jurassic granite with a very low primary porosity/permeability character. In order to delineate groundwater potential zones in this area, the study focused on identifying secondary porosity/permeability indicators such as lineaments, vegetation cover, lithology, drainage pattern, drainage density, etc. In this regard, a remote sensing and geographic information system-based methodology was selected. Landsat ETM, IRS (pan), SPOT data, digital elevation model, and digital image processing techniques such as filtering, false color composite, principal component analysis, band rationing and classification have been applied to reach the purposes. Information layers extracted for analysis and interpretation stage were then integrated with other data and modeled through the use of existing geographic information system (GIS) software and their related analytical functions. Finally, based on determined ground water favorability index for different sub zones, layers, weighting, and overlapping, a ground water potential index (GWPI) was defined which respectively was utilized to groundwater potential zoning and preparation of GWPI map of the region. Within the six different sub zones defined, two sub zones labeled with high and very good potential areas were highly recommended for further development and exploration purposes. Geophysical investigations in target areas confirm the labeled subzones. Based on the obtained results of the study, it can be concluded that remote sensing data are very useful tool to extract information of groundwater exploration. Also, application of geographic information systems to find target areas for groundwater exploration are effective to save time and cost.     

Delineation of groundwater potential zones using remote sensing,GIS, and AHP technique in Tehran–Karaj plain,Iran

Evaluation of groundwater resources in dry areas without enough data is a challenging task in many parts of the world, including Tehran–Karaj plain in Iran, which includes Tehran, the capital city of Iran and Karaj, one of Iran’s biggest cities. Water demand due to increasing agricultural and industrial activities caused many problems in the field of water resources management. In this study, the potential of groundwater resources was evaluated using remote sensing, geographic information system (GIS), and analytic hierarchy process (AHP) for the first time. Digital Elevation Model from Shuttle Radar Topography Mission was used to generate a slope map and drainage density map. Three Landsat-8 satellite images were utilized to provide lineament density and land cover/land use maps. Geological and soil type maps were provided from the Geological Survey and Mineral Explorations of Iran (GSI). Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission data were used to prepare average annual precipitation map. Discharge values from 102 pumping wells in the time period of 2002–2014 were used to evaluate the results. Seven data layers were prepared, and the geodatabase was made in GIS. The layers and their classes were assigned weights using AHP method. Finally, the layers were overlaid based on their weights, and the potential map of groundwater resources was generated. The area was classified into five zones with very high, high, moderate, low, and very low potentials. The zones covered 5.95, 32.90, 22.70, 10.20, and 28.25% of the study area, respectively. The results showed good agreement with the field data obtained from discharge wells.     

Mapping potential areas for groundwater storage in the High Guir Basin (Morocco):Contribution of remote sensing and geographic information system

Identification of water potential areas in arid regions is a crucial element for the enhancement of their water resources and socio-economic development. In fact, water resources system-planning can be used to make various decisions and implement management of water resources policies. The purpose of this study is to identify groundwater storage areas in the high Guir Basin by implementing Geographic Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing methods. The required data for this study can be summarized into five critical factors: Topography (slope), lithology, rainfall, rock fracture and drainage. These critical factors have been converted by the GIS into thematic maps. For each critical parameter, a coefficient with weight was attributed according to its importance. The map of potential groundwater storage areas is obtained by adding the products (coefficient × weight) of the five parameters. The results show that 50% to 64% of the total area of the High Guir Basin is potentially rich in groundwater, where most of fracture systems are intensely developed. The obtained results are validated with specific yield of the aquifer in the study area. It is noted that there is a strong positive correlation between excellent groundwater potential zones with high flows of water points and it diminishes with low specific yield with poor potential zones.     

Integrating remote sensing and GIS for identification of groundwater prospective zones in the Narava basin, Visakhapatnam region, Andhra Pradesh

This paper mainly deals with the integrated approach of remote sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS) to delineate groundwater prospective zones in Narava basin, Visakhapatnam region. The various thematic maps generated for delineating groundwater potential zones are geomorphology, geology, lineament density, drainage density, slope and land use/land cover (LULC). Weighted index overlay (WIO) technique is used to investigate a number of choice possibilities and evaluate suitability according to the associated weight of each unit. The integrated map of the area shows different zones of groundwater prospects, viz. very good (18.9% of the area), good (26.4% of the area), moderate (17.1% of the area) and poor (37.6% of the area). The categorization of groundwater potential was in good agreement with the available water column in the basin area.     

Mapping potential areas for groundwater storage in the High Guir Basin(Morocco): Contribution of remote sensing and geographic information system

Identification of water potential areas in arid regions is a crucial element for the enhancement of their water resources and socio-economic development. In fact, water resources system-planning can be used to make various decisions and implement manage- ment of water resources policies. The purpose of this study is to identify groundwater sto- rage areas in the high Guir Basin by implementing Geographic Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing methods. The required data for this study can be summarized into five critical factors: Topography (slope), lithology, rainfall, rock fracture and drainage. These critical factors have been converted by the GIS into thematic maps. For each cri- tical parameter, a coefficient with weight was attributed according to its importance. The map of potential groundwater storage areas is obtained by adding the products (coeffi- cient × weight) of the five parameters. The results show that 50% to 64% of the total area of the High Guir Basin is potentially rich in groundwater, where most of fracture systems are intensely developed. The obtained results are validated with specific yield of the aqui- fer in the study area. It is noted that there is a strong positive correlation between excel- lent groundwater potential zones with high flows of water points and it diminishes with low specific yield with poor potential zones.     

Identifying potential sites for artificial groundwater recharge in sub-watershed of River Kanhan,India

Groundwater is an important decentralized source of drinking water. Being underground, it is relatively less susceptible to contamination. In addition to domestic needs, it is extensively used for irrigation and industrial purposes. It is therefore necessary to implement groundwater recharge systems by capturing the rainwater runoff. In the present study, GIS-based hydrological assessment of watershed has been used to identify the potential sites for locating the groundwater recharge structures. Based on land use, soil and topography, rainfall runoff modelling was carried out in GIS for a sub-watershed of River Kanhan, in Nagpur District, Maharashtra State, India. Five potential sites with maximum flow accumulation were delineated using the rational method for peak runoff estimation. As the groundwater recharge potential also depends on the geological and geomorphological characteristics of land, analytic hierarchy process (AHP) with expert’s judgement was used for ranking the sites. The criteria considered in AHP were geological features, i.e. lineament density, depth to bedrock and soil cover; geomorphological features, i.e. drainage density, slope, landforms and land use/land cover; and water table level fluctuation. The site P5 with maximum flow accumulation and sandstone rock formation was ranked first. The site P1, where catchment has well-developed drainage and geological formation shows rock with secondary porosity, was ranked second.