Hydrological modelling with SWAT under conditions of limited data availability: evaluation of results from a Chilean case study

Abstract

The Biobío River basin is of high strategic importance for Chilean development, at both the regional and the national levels. For this reason, advances in the general understanding of, and in the capacity to describe and predict, in a spatially explicit way, the impact of climate and anthropogenic forcing on the hydrology of the Biobío basin are urgently needed. The work presented here attempts to set the basis for future modelling applications within the Biobío basin by analysing the applicability of a readily available modelling tool, the SWAT model, to one of its sub-basins. Modelling results show that the model performs well in most parts of the study basin. The SWAT model application for the Vergara basin confirms that SWAT is a useful tool and can already be used to make a preliminary assessments of the potential impacts of land-use and climate changes on basin hydrology.     

Adaptive neural-based fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) approach for modelling hydrological time series

Abstract

The main aim of this study is to develop a flow prediction method, based on the adaptive neural-based fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) coupled with stochastic hydrological models. An ANFIS methodology is applied to river flow prediction in Dim Stream in the southern part of Turkey. Application is given for hydrological time series modelling. Synthetic series, generated through autoregressinve moving-average (ARMA) models, are then used for training data sets of the ANFIS. It is seen that the extension of input and output data sets in the training stage improves the accuracy of forecasting by using ANFIS.     

Estimation of rainfall elasticity of streamflow in Australia

Abstract

Estimates of rainfall elasticity of streamflow in 219 catchments across Australia are presented. The rainfall elasticity of streamflow is defined here as the proportional change in mean annual streamflow divided by the proportional change in mean annual rainfall. The elasticity is therefore a simple estimate of the sensitivity of long-term streamflow to changes in long-term rainfall, and is particularly useful as an initial estimate of climate change impact in land and water resources projects. The rainfall elasticity of streamflow is estimated here using a hydrological modelling approach and a nonparametric estimator. The results indicate that the rainfall elasticity of streamflow (? _P ) in Australia is about 2.0–3.5 (observed in about 70% of the catchments), that is, a 1% change in mean annual rainfall results in a 2.0–3.5% change in mean annual streamflow. The rainfall elasticity of streamflow is strongly correlated to runoff coefficient and mean annual rainfall and streamflow, where streamflow is more sensitive to rainfall in drier catchments, and those with low runoff coefficients. There is a clear relation-ship between the ? _P values estimated using the hydrological modelling approach and those estimated using the nonparametric estimator for the 219 catchments, although the values estimated by the hydrological modelling approach are, on average, slightly higher. The modelling approach is useful where a detailed study is required and where there are sufficient data to reliably develop and calibrate a hydrological model. The nonparametric estimator is useful where consistent estimates of the sensitivity of long-term streamflow to climate are required, because it is simple to use and estimates the elasticity directly from the historical data. The nonparametric method, being model independent, can also be easily applied in comparative studies to data sets from many catchments across large regions.     

Hydraulic modelling of Athabasca Vallis,Mars

Abstract

Palaeohydraulic modelling is presented for Athabasca Vallis, the youngest known catastrophic flood channel on Mars. This modelling incorporates three significant advantages over previous modelling of Martian channels: a step-backwater hydraulic model; more accurate topography; and improved flood height indicators. The maximum modelled palaeodischarge is between 1 × 10⁶ and 2 × 10⁶m³s^?1 depending on the friction coefficient selected. An anomalously high palaeostage indicator suggests a region of ponded backwater in the channel in which streamlined forms were created through deposition, with the additional possibility of post-flood subsidence/lowering of the channel slope due to magma extrusion.     

Modelling and mapping third dimension in a spatial database

In this paper, an overview of phases for modelling and mapping third dimension of spatial objects in a database is presented based on a selected spatial database management system (DBMS). These phases include (1) defining a spatial reference system for representing three-dimensional (3D) objects with real-world coordinates, (2) geometric modelling of 3D objects in the database, (3) 3D spatial indexing for fast accessing/querying the 3D data, 3D spatial queries and representation of 3D data. Then, a case study is performed to assess needs, possibilities and potential limitations of 3D data modelling in the spatial database.     

Geospatial predictive modelling of the Neolithic archaeological sites of Magnesia in Greece

Abstract

Sources of heterogeneous geospatial data such as the elevation, the slope, the aspect, the water network and the current settlements related to the known Neolithic archaeological sites of Magnesia, are used in an attempt to confirm the existence and allow for the prediction of other archaeological sites using predictive modelling theory. Predictive modelling allows the update of the problem solving strategy as soon as new data layers are available. The Dempster–Shafer Theory also commonly referred to as evidential reasoning (ER) is used to compose probability maps of areas of archaeological interest from physiographical and historical data. The advantage of this theory is that the ignorance is quantified and used to compose the probability maps named as belief, plausibility and belief interval for the archaeological sites. The final digital probability maps show that the Neolithic archaeological sites can be detected in the prefecture of Magnesia. This research study forms a methodological tool for the prediction of new archaeological sites in other areas of archaeological interest according to the physiographical and historical characteristics of the archaeological period being examined. It also contributes to the digital earth modelling and archaeological site protection, one of the most critical and challenging global initiatives.     

Updating digital elevation models via change detection and fusion of human and remote sensor data in urban environments

OpenStreetMap (OSM) currently represents the most popular project of Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI): geodata are collected by common people and made available for public use. Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) enables the acquisition of high-resolution digital elevation models that are used for many applications. This study combines the advantages of both ALS and OSM, offering a promising new approach that enhances data quality and allows change detection: the mainly up-to-date 2D data of OSM can be combined with the high-resolution – but rarely updated – elevation information provided by ALS. This case study investigates building objects of OSM and ALS data of the city of Bregenz, Austria. Data quality of OSM is discerned by the comparison of building footprints using different true positive definitions (e.g. overlapping area). High quality of OSM data is revealed, yet also limitations of each method with respect to heterogeneous regions and building outlines are identified. For the first time, an up-to-date Digital Surface Model (DSM) combining 2D OSM and ALS data is achieved. A multitude of applications such as flood simulations and solar potential assessments can directly benefit from this data combination, since their value and reliability strongly depend on an up-to-date DSM.     

Performance optimization of grid aggregation in spatial data warehouses

The problem of storage and querying of large volumes of spatial grids is an issue to solve. In this paper, we propose a method to optimize queries to aggregate raster grids stored in databases. In our approach, we propose to estimate the exact result rather than calculate the exact result. This approach reduces query execution time. One advantage of our method is that it does not require implementing or modifying functionalities of database management systems. Our approach is based on a new data structure and a specific model of SQL queries. Our work is applied here to relational data warehouses.     

Influence of Hail Suppression on the Hail Trend in Serbia

The influence of hail suppression by silver iodide seeding on the trend in the number of hail days (hail trend) in the Republic of Serbia was studied in three cases: (1) in Vojvodina region, Northern Province of Serbia, in two periods, from 1967 to 2002 when there was no hail suppression, and from 2003 to 2009 when hail suppression was extended to the entire territory; (2) in Serbia proper (Serbia without the Provinces), in two periods, from 1967 to 1984 when hail suppression was spreading, and from 1985 to 2009 when hail suppression occurred over the entire territory; and (3) in the same period from 1967 to 2002 on the two adjacent territories of Vojvodina and Serbia without the Provinces, where no hail suppression occurred in the first and hail suppression did occur in the second. The hail trend in Serbia was calculated on the basis of all observed data from all synoptic and climatological stations for the period 1967 to 2009. The results associate hail suppression with the stagnation of the hail trend rather than its decrease, and show that hail suppression did not have statistically unique influence on the hail trend.     

Digital Archiving and On-line Publishing of Old Relief Models

Abstract

Although people rarely think of relief models when speaking about cartographic products, these artefacts are probably the most impressive way of visualizing landscapes. Unlike traditional maps or globes, most relief models are unique, vulnerable hand-made objects. Digital archiving is an important step in their preservation. There are special tools for this task, but these equipments are rather expensive, and libraries or other institutes that usually own these models cannot spend too much. The authors examined various on-line tools to create digital 3D representation of relief models using a set of photographs as source. These tools create point cloud and textured triangle mesh based on matching patterns on the photos. A workflow was developed which uses these web services and produces the digital 3D version of relief models. This paper introduces the method, discusses the details of successful photographing, the possible post-processing of the results. A new web site, using the X3DOM technology to show the digitized models to the general public, is also introduced.