The GIS Weasel

1. The GIS Weasel An Interface for the Treatment Of Spatial Information In Modeling Roland Viger, Steven Markstrom, George Leavesley http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel

2. The GIS Weasel What is the GIS Weasel? • A Stand-alone Workstation ArcInfo Application • Map and menu driven • Minimal GIS expertise needed to operate • “bring GIS to the modeler” • Runs anywhere Workstation ArcInfo does • Arc Macro Language (AML), C code, shell scripts • Open source • Useful for: • Delineating spatial features relevant to modeling • Characterizing spatial features • Parameterizing spatial features http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel

3. The GIS Weasel What is the GIS Weasel?(cont.) • Designed to complement a variety of physical process models • Lumped parameter models • Distributed parameter models • Part of the Modular Modeling System Project • Framework for assembling physical process algorithms (modules) • Allows rapid assembly sets of algorithms optimized for constraints of modeling application at hand • Data availability, accuracy, resolution, modeling scale, etc • Allows development & comparison of alternative algorithms • http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/mms http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel

4. The GIS Weasel What isn’t the GIS Weasel? • A model • A modeling system • A DEM manufacturing or reconditioning tool • An NHD processing or conflation tool http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel

5. The GIS Weasel What does the GIS Weasel try to do? Standard Tasks:application of well known/accepted methodologies • Automate tasks typical to hydrologic modeling • Fill DEM pits • Derive Flow Direction (D8) • Derive Flow Accumulation • Delineate Area-Of-Interest (AOI) • Derive Slope, Aspect • Reclassify Slope, Aspect, Elevation • Extract a drainage network from the DEM • Hopefully NHD, NED, NED-H, and WBD will reduce most of these tasks to “query” and “download” activities http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel

6. The GIS Weasel What does the GIS Weasel try to do? (cont) Non-Standard Tasks:the buzzwords • Iteration • User-Data Interaction • Vertical Integration • Leverage it in source data (NHD,NED,NED-H,WBD) • Generate new relationships with derived data, as needed by model http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel

7. The GIS Weasel What does the GIS Weasel try to do?(cont) Non-Standard Tasks: the concepts • Hydrologic Response Units (HRUs), after Leavesley • Land surface areas of homogenous hydrologic character • Alternative specializations of this concept • Erosion Response Units • Chemical Response Units • Et cetera • Genericized to Modeling Response Units (MRUs) • Any type of spatial feature to be modeled http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel

8. The GIS Weasel What does the GIS Weasel try to do? (cont) Delineate types of MRUs: • Can help define and describe features like: • Overland flow planes • Links in a drainage network • Reservoirs/Dams • Not limited to single type of point, line, or polygon feature • For instance, several types of polygon features • Overland flow planes & groundwater reservoirs • Not limited to just vector or raster representation • Usually try to use both for increased flexibility http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel

9. The GIS Weasel What does the GIS Weasel try to do?(cont) Delineate types of MRUs: • Provide relevant definitions for MRUs • Generation and maintenance of simple data models for general and specific MRUs • Enforcing consistency between types of MRUs, where necessary • Provide relevant sets of tools for the delineation and modification of MRUs • Looking to new technology to aid in both of these efforts • Current techniques inconvenient to maintain and integrate with standard geoprocessing functions http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel

10. The GIS Weasel What does the GIS Weasel try to do?(cont) Characterize MRUs: • Provide tools to query and analyze MRUs • information on which to base further MRU modification • Standard Suite • histograms, hypsometric curves, cell query, logic query http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel

11. The GIS Weasel What does the GIS Weasel try to do?(cont) Parameterize MRUs: • Generate output for use in a variety of models • Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS) • TOPMODEL • Climate Data Distribution Models • Flood Frequency Analysis Models • Many generic parameters • Hope to enlarge library of parameterization methodologies • Largely dictated by user demand http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel

12. The GIS Weasel What does the GIS Weasel try to do?(cont) Parameterize MRUs: • Standard Outputs • Plain columnar, space delimited ASCII files • easy to reformat • MMS format parameter files • Shapefiles • Looking to alternatives in near future • XML • ESRI geodatabases • Leverage Arc API for geoprocessing, SQL and Simple Feature APIs for query and integration with modeling • Other open data formats http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel

13. ` Goals for Future • Enable tighter integration with modeling system • MMS II: The Object Modeling System (OMS) • Pure Java and XML • Able to integrate native code, • Including calls to to COM objects (hopefully) • Development of GIS modules for OMS http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel

14. The GIS Weasel Contact Information: Roland Viger rviger@usgs.gov http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel

15. The GIS Weasel Demonstration http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel

16. The GIS Weasel Currently Available Parameterization Methodologies Based On DEMs: • Position • (lat/long, projected) • Area • (various units) • Orientation • (slope, aspect) • Elevation • (various units) • Derived Category Maps • (Radiation Planes) http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel

17. The GIS Weasel Currently Available Parameterization Methodologies Based On Ancillary Data: • Soil • (STATSGO/SSURGO) • Vegetation Character/Behaviour • (type, density, leaf loss, • interception, transmissivity) • Land Cover Character • (impermeability, dominant usage) • Climate Data Adjustment Factors • Snow Factors • Evapotranspiration • (Jenson-Haise coef) http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel

18. The GIS Weasel Currently Available Parameterization Methodologies Based On Topology: • Association between features • (poly2point, poly2poly, poly2stream) • Generic Statistics • (mean, median, dominant category, reclassification, et cetera) • Overlay (intersection, area, weightings) • Line/Network Type Description • (downstream, length, order-strahler,order-shreve, velocity, travel time, from/to nodes) http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel

19. *Soils (change in hydraulic conductivity with depth, etc) • -Due to extreme model sensitivity to this information and limited data accuracy, typically calibrated The GIS Weasel Currently Available Parameterization Methodologies • TOPMODEL • Sub-Catchment Map • Channel Routing Increments • Percent of Upstream Area • Distance to Catchment Outlet • Topgraphic Index (the “loni”) • Loni Category Numbers • Loni Category Values • Percent Area w/in each Loni Category http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel

20. The GIS Weasel Potential Development of Parameterization Methodologies • HSPF • BASINSOFT • User Driven • Agriculture • Climate • Subsurface/Groundwater http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel