Development Of A Cloud Computing Application For Water Resources Modelling And Optimization Based On Open Source Software

Cloud computing is the latest advancement in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) that provides computing as a service or delivers computation, software, data access, storage service without end-user knowledge of the physical location and system configuration. Cloud computing, service oriented architecture and web geographic information systems are new technologies for development of the cloud computing application for water resources modelling and optimization. The cloud application is deployed and tested in a distributed computer environment running on three virtual machines (VMs). The cloud application has five web services for: (1) spatial data infrastructure – 1 (SDI), (2) SDI – 2, (3) support for water resources modelling (4) water resources optimization and 5) user authentication. The cloud application is developed using several programming languages (PHP, Ajax, Java, and JavaScript), libraries (OpenLayers and JQuery) and open-source software components (GeoServer, PostgreSQL and PostGIS) and OGC standards (WMS, WFS and WFT-T). The web services for support of water resources modelling and user authentication are deployed on Amazon Web Services and are communicating using WFS with the two SDI web services. The two SDI web services are working on the two separate VMs providing geospatial data and services. The fourth web service is deployed on a separate VM because of the expected large computational requirements. The cloud application is scalable, interoperable, creates a real time multi-user collaboration platform. All code and components used are open source. The cloud application was tested with concurrent multiple users. The performance, security and utilization of the distributed computer environment are monitored and analysed together with the users’ experience and satisfaction. The applicability of the presented solution and its future are elaborated

Potential Economic Impacts of the Managed Haying and Grazing Provision of CRP

According to the Executive Order 12866, a qualitative and quantitative assessment for any Federal mandate resulting in annual expenditures of $100 million or more is required. This study determines how many of the approximately 34.5 million acres of CRP land is brought back in economic use, how that use is allocated between grazing and haying, and the economic impact.CRP, land allocation, economic impact, Agricultural and Food Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy, Land Economics/Use, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Web-based Spatial Decision Support Systems (WebSDSS): Evolution, Architecture, Examples and Challenges

Spatial Decision Support Systems (SDSS), which support spatial analysis and decision making, are currently receiving much attention. Research on SDSS originated from two distinct sources, namely, the GIS community and the DSS community. The synergy between these two research groups has lead to the adoption of state of the art technical solutions and the development of sophisticated SDSS that satisfy the needs of geographers and top-level decision makers. Recently, the Web has added a new dimension to SDSS and Web-based SDSS (WebSDSS) that are being developed in a number of application domains. This article provides an overview of the emergence of SDSS, its architecture and applications, and discusses some of the enabling technologies and research challenges for future SDSS development and deployment

Hydrologic modeling and uncertainty analysis of an ungauged watershed using mapwindow-swat

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Geospatial TechnologiesModeling of an ungauged watershed with the associated uncertainties of the input data is presented. The MapWindow versions of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) have been applied to a complex and ungauged watershed of about 248,000ha in an area close to the Niger River, Nigeria. The Kwara State Government of Nigeria in collaboration with the newly relocated former Zimbabwean farmers now occupied the largest portion of this watershed for an “Agricultural Estate Initiative ”. The government and these farmers are decision makers who need to take appropriate actions despite little or no data availability. SWAT being a physically based model, allow the use of Geographical Information System (GIS) inputs like the Digital Elevation Model(DEM), landuse and soil maps. The MapWindow-SWAT(MSWAT) involves processes like the Watershed Delineation, Hydrological Response Units (HRUs) Process and the SWAT run. The watershed was delineated into 11 subbasins and 28 HRUs. There were 8 landuse classes and 5 soil types. The model was able to simulate and forecast for several years(1990-2016). The results look 'reasonable' since there is no observed data from the watershed for statistical validation. However, using the Water Balance equation as a validation criteria, the correlation coefficient between the simulated rainfall and runoff was 0.84 for the subbasin 11 (outlet). Thereafter, the uncertainties in the continuous numerical input (i.e. rainfall) was examined using the Data Uncertainty Engine (DUE). One parameter exponential probability model was used for the daily rainfall amount based on the histogram. 700 realizations were generated from this uncertain input. Randomly selected numbers of the realizations were prepared and used as inputs into the MWSWAT model. It was surprising that there were no changes in the results when compared to the initial 'real' value (outflows from outlet) although other parameters of the model were kept constant

Developing a Prototype Web-based Application for Non-Point Source Pollution Assessment in the Songtao Watershed, Hainan, China

The Songtao reservoir, located in the center of Hainan province, is one of the ten biggest reservoirs in China. Since agriculture is the main industry in the watershed, non-point source (NPS) pollution is the primary pollutant source affecting water quality in the reservoir. A scientific approach is required to assess NPS pollution in the Songtao watershed in order to support planning and decision making process related to land use and water resource management. This study compared several commonly used NPS hydrological models in order to identify a suitable model for NPS pollution analysis in the Songtao reservoir. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was selected as the model to be used in this research. In order to put the SWAT model to practical use, a prototype web-based application was developed to help officers in local government in China to use the SWAT model in their decision making process. In addition, spatial and non spatial data about the Songtao watershed area were collected for the SWAT model. Despite data limitations, ArcSWAT software was employed to develop relative scenarios to assess the NPS pollution in the reservoir. One land use scenario was developed to identify an environmentally sensitive basin in the Songtao watershed and the other was created to demonstrate the consequences of over-exploiting forest land in local area. The limitations of using SWAT model in Hainan province were discussed. Further research opportunities such as data collection and model calibration and validation were identified. In addition, possible improvements to the web-based application were presented

Economic Feasibility of Riparian Buffer Implementation - Case Study: Sugar Creek, Caddo County, Oklahoma

Environmental Science

1997 Governor's Conference on the Management of the Illinois River System

Opening Address / Robert W. Frazee Welcome / D. Ed Glover The Integrated Management Plan for the Illinois River Watershed / Lt. Governor Bob Kustra Using T by 2000, the 1996 Farm Bill, and Conservation 2000 to Protect the Illinois River and its Watershed / Becky Doyle What Conservation 2000 Will Mean for the Illinois River System / Brent Manning Applying New Technology to Manage the Illinois River System / Doug Johnston The Upper Mississippi River Coalition / Chester S. Bouruff Aspects of the 1996 Farm Bill and EQIP as they Relate to Illinois River Watershed Management / Wlliam J. Gradle The Personal Side of Conservation Issues / Leon Wendte Breaking the Mold, Upland Treatment of the Swan Lake Area / Martha Sheppard Site-Specific Farming's Impact on Land and Water Management / Harold F. Reets, Jr. Plan-It Earth / Chuck Wheeler RiverWeb TM Building Electronic Knowledge Networks in the Mississippi River Basin / David H. Curtis Operational Water Level Management of the Illinois Waterway / Rick D. Granados Patterns of Erosion and Sedimentation in the Illinois River Basin / Misganaw Demissie Geomorphological Principles for "Naturalizing" Streams and Rivers in Illinois / Bruce L. Rhoads Perspectives on Stormwater Management / Michael D. Platt Navigation Improvements on the Illinois River / David A. Tipple Relationship Between Water Quality and Tournament Fishing on the Illinois River / Roy Heidinger Waterways for Maritime Indurstrial Development and Job Creation / Don W. Miller, Jr. Peoria Riverfront Development - Economic, Recreational, and Social Impacts / Tom Tincher Senachwine Creek EPA 319 Project / John Hubbert Joliet Army Arsenal Restoration / Lawrence Stritch and Francis M. Harty Illinois: The Land Before Lincoln / Gary Foreman Gulf Hypoxia: How Does the Illiois River Watershed Contribute to the Problem / Frederick C. Kopfler National Assessment of Hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of Mexico / Derek Winstanley Gulf Hypoxia: How Does the Illinois River Contribute to the Problem? / Dan Towery Restoration of the River Otter in the Illinois River Valley / R. D. Bluett The Upper Mississippi River System - Environmental Management Program (UMRS-EMP) Current Status and Future Direction / Jerry Skalak History of Commercial Fishing on the Illinois River / R. A. Williamson Mussel Resources of the Illinois River System- Value to Illinois' Economy and Natural Heritage / K. Douglas Blodgett Environmental Pool Management / David Busse Closing Address / Stephen P. HaveraOpe

Research and realization of wireless metropolitan area network for surveillance based on WebGIS

为了实现无线城域网监控(WMAnS)的透明化、可视化与实时互动化,研究了无线城域网监控系统的系统架构和功能,着重分析了系统实现的关键问题以及网络地理信息系统(WEbgIS)在系统的核心功能。再运用软件工程领域成熟的统一建模语言(uMl)设计系统软件模型,最后通过无线城域网传输gPS信息、语音和视频等数据,运用开源网络地理信息系统工程MAPguIdE OPEnSOurCE实现终端监控、终端调度、信息发布等功能。In order to establish a transparent, visible, real-time, and interactive wireless metropolitan area network for surveillance (WManS), the architecture and functionality of the system are studied at first.The key implementation issues and the core functions of WebGIS are then specially focused.The unified modeling language (UML) is utilized to design the system software model.By adopting the open source tool MapGuide Opensource, the GPS messages, audio, and video data are transmitted via wireless metropolitan area network.Finally, the system functions are implemented including monitoring, scheduling, and message distributing, etc.国家863高技术研究发展计划基金项目(2007AA01Z289);国家973重点基础研究发展计划基金项目(2007CB310608

Have the National Resources Inventories advanced conservation policy?

Background. Over the last three decades, the USDA's conservation policy has changed dramatically. Not only has the number of programs multiplied and the scope of issues expanded, but a once-casual link between commodity programs and conservation activities has been formalized. One reason for the changes may have been an effort within the USDA's conservation agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), to collect information on natural resource conditions through the National Resources Inventories (NRIs). In the 1970s, Congress mandated the NRIs and also a national agricultural-conservation appraisal and the development of a national program to devise conservation-policy recommendations. Together these mandates constituted the Soil and Water Resources Conservation Act (RCA) appraisal process. The NRIs have been produced on a huge scale and through great effort, and they have evolved successfully over time. Recently formed Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) offered another opportunity to use the NRIs. But their integration into policy has been neither consistent nor smooth -- nor, heretofore, well understood. Question. Have the National Resources Inventories advanced conservation policy? Methods. I followed three policy layers over the last thirty-five years: the intra-agency dynamic that produced informational products; the USDA conservation-program structure, and the federal legislative branch in its policy-making dimension. In all, I interviewed over 40 experts, looked through nearly 800 speeches, reviewed 47 Congressional hearings, analyzed dozens of databases, and relied on hundreds of internal documents. Conclusion. Yes, the National Resources Inventories have advanced conservation policy. However, NRI influence has been directly unambiguous only once. NRI influence has mostly been through the RCA, and it has been greatest when support has been high at both agency and USDA levels, when participation from constituent USDA agencies and other federal agencies has been enthusiastic, when willingness to restructure programs according to actual findings has been ascendent, and when Congress members have been hearing about NRI results from many sources

Essays on land use regulation

This dissertation consists of three papers on land use economics and regulation. The first paper focuses on the environmental impacts of land use and their implications for the design on water quality trading policies. The second and third papers address local land use regulations and their impact on land values and land use patterns. The first paper provides a national-scale, watershed-level assessment of land use impacts on water quality and aquatic ecosystems in the United States. The results suggest that the level of conventional water pollution in a watershed is significantly affected by the amount of land allocated to intensive agriculture and urban development, while the level of toxic water pollution is significantly affected by the amount of land allocated to transportation and mining. Implications of the results for the design and implementation of water quality trading policies are discussed. The second paper develops an empirical framework to conduct an exploratory analysis of effects of land use regulations on land values and land use patterns in a GIS-based landscape near Eugene, Oregon. All the land use regulations considered in this study, including exclusive farm use zoning, forest zoning, urban growth boundary designation, residential density zoning, commercial zoning, and industrial zoning, are found to affect land value and use both inside and outside of the designated zones. While there are many issues this framework does not address, preliminary results indicate that regulations (except commercial zoning) tend to increase the value of land outside the designated zones, but reduce the value of land inside the designated zones. The framework is applied to measure the reduction in value due to regulations vs. the value of individual exemptions at the parcel level to illuminate the controversy surrounding Oregon's Measure 37. The reductions in value due to regulations are found to be considerably smaller than the values of individual exemptions for almost all regulations contested in the Measure 37 claims. The third paper evaluates the efficiency of the current system of land use regulation, analyzes the possible changes to the regulatory structure, and studies the role of spatial and temporal interaction among neighboring land uses