Utility Of Geographic Information Systems Research Articles

Managing subsurface property hazards: reactive soils and underground storage tanks

Fuels stored in underground tanks often contaminate urban soil and water. A geographic information system (GIS) mapped 1068 underground fuel tanks in Denton County, Texas, USA. Tank locations were compared with soil shrink–swell and corrosivity potentials. Higher percentages of reported leaking tanks were observed in expansive and corrosive soils. This study illustrates the utility of GIS for overlaying layers of data that affect underground tank integrity. Such overlays could find appropriate locations for new tanks, survey existing tanks for potential leak hazards, and assess hazards posed by leaking tanks based upon soil permeability.

Using GIS to identify under-represented ecosystems in the National Wilderness Preservation System in the USA

Wilderness designation continues to be a contentious effort and must be fully justified even in wealthy countries such as the USA. An important consideration in setting priorities for additional designations of Wilderness is to ensure that under-represented ecosystems are protected. The utility of Geographic Information Systems in performing this task is illustrated using data on ecoregions and areas in the National Wilderness Preservation System to determine the relative protection currently afforded to different ecoregions in the continental USA. We find that 23 of the 35 ecoregions have less than 1% of their land area protected as Wilderness, and 7 of the 35 have no land protected as Wilderness whatsoever. While much of the land with little protection is in areas dominated by private land ownership in the mid-west and southeast, a surprisingly large amount of land in the Intermountain states of Nevada and Utah, which is in public ownership, is substantially under-represented in the National Wilderness Preservation System as well. The implications of this analysis for wilderness allocation strategies are detailed. The technique illustrated in this paper is a useful aid in designing protected area strategies in countries throughout the world.

AN INTERACTWE MODELING ENVIRONMENT FOR NON‐POINT SOURCE POLLUTION CONTROL1

ABSTRACT: Non‐point source pollution cuntinues to be an important environmental and water quality management problem. For the moat part, analysis of non‐point source pollution in watersheds has depended on the use of distributed models to identify potential problem areas and to assess the effectiveness of alternative management practices. To effectively use these models for watershed water quality management, users depend on integrated geographic information systems (GIS)‐based interfaces for input/output data management. However, existing interfaces are ad‐hoc and the utility of GIS is limited to organization of input data and display of output data. A highly interactive water quality modeling interface that utilizes the functional components and analytical capability of GIS is highly desirable. This paper describes the tight coupling of the Agricultural Non‐point Source (AGNPS) water quality model and ARC/INFO GIS software to provide an interactive hybrid modeling environment for evaluation of non‐point source pollution in a watershed. The modeling environment is designed to generate AGNPS input parameters from user‐specified GIS coverages, create AGNPS input data files, control AGNPS model simulations, and extract and organize AGNPS model output data for display. An example application involving the estimation of pesticide loading in a southern Iowa agricultural watershed demonstrates the capability of the modeling environment. Compared with traditional methods of watershed water quality modeling using the AGNPS model or other ad‐hoc interfaces between a distributed model and GIS, the interactive modeling environment system is efficient and significantly reduces the task of watershed analysis using tightly coupled GIS databases and distributed models.

Implementation of Geographic-Information-System Technology for Use in Coal Geology Investigations at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geological Survey: ABSTRACT

Geographic information system technology is being used by the Ohio Division of Geological Survey to link project-specific databases to avoid unnecessary duplication of effort and equipment. Descriptive geologic data from measured sections, drill holes, and geochemical analyses are being computerized in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey National Coal Resource Data System. Line and area data, including coal croplines, surface mines, and underground mines, are being digitized into computer-aided mapping systems and transferred to the geographic information system. Computer-generated maps of coal thickness, elevation, and quality also are being integrated into the geographic information system. The Ohio Division of Geological Survey maintains a series of 1:24,000-scale mylar maps showing the outlines of abandoned underground mines. During 1995, these maps were digitized by Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Real Estate and Land Management into a geographic information system. The construction of a database containing geologic and mine information which will be linked to these digitized out- lines is a priority of the Ohio Survey. The Ohio Division of Geological Survey`s Coal Availability cooperative program with the U.S. Geological Survey illustrates the utility of geographic information systems for performing complex analyses of the natural resources in specific areas. Regional databasesmore » (nine-quadrangle areas) were created to estimate the coal resources for eight 7.5-minute quadrangles. These databases will be the basis for additional regional coal resource estimations. Stratigraphic data computerized for Coal Availability investigations are also being used for the statewide bedrock geologic mapping program (STATEMAP).« less

Geographic Information Systems: The Case of Disaster Management

Disaster management, by its very nature, is spatially oriented, and geographic information systems (GIS) technologies promise to revolutionize the field. This analysis examines the major issues in the utilization of GIS in managing disasters and recommends strategies to facilitate and increase its use. The principal focus is on assuring that local GIS capabilities are expanded and maintained, that spatial data are available in forms useful to other users, and that local GIS resources be developed collaboratively. The experience with Hurricane Andrew is used to demonstrate both the importance of GIS to disaster management and the development of GIS capabilities. Keywords: Federal Geographic Data Committee, geographic information systems, National Geospatial Data Clearinghouse, National Spatial Data Infrastructure, North Carolina Multi-Agency GIS Initiative, Spatial Data Transfer Standard.

APPLICATION OF GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS TO GROUNDWATER MONITORING NETWORK DESIGN1

ABSTRACT: Effective monitoring configurations for contaminant detection in groundwater can be designed by analyzing the spatial relationships between candidate sampling sites and aquifer zones susceptible to contamination. Examples of such zones are the domain underlying the contaminant source, zones of probable contaminant migration, and areas occupied by water supply wells. Geographic information systems (GIS) are well‐suited to performing key groundwater monitoring network design tasks, such as calculating values for distance variables which quantify the proximity of candidate sites to zones of high pollution susceptibility, and utilizing these variables to quantify relative monitoring value throughout a model domain. Through a case study application, this paper outlines the utility of GIS for detection‐based groundwater quality monitoring network design. The results suggest that GIS capabilities for analyzing spatially referenced data can enhance the field‐applicability of established methodologies for groundwater monitoring network design.

GPS/Positioned Digital Video for Airborne GIS Data Acquisition

The surveying and mapping industry has experienced significant advances in the last decade due to the application of rapidly evolving modern technology. One of the most important advances has been the deployment of the Global Positioning System (GPS), which enables rapid and accurate positioning in both static and kinematic applications. The use of GPS in conjunction with various types of remotely sensed data, such as videography, aerial photography, satellite imagery, and scanner data, has advanced the application and utility of geographic information systems (GIS). Advances in these and related technologies poses a challenge to the modern surveyor to create and utilize integrated systems that address current data‐collection and dissemination requirements. To this end an innovative approach to application‐specific mapping and data collection for GIS using the integrated airborne Digital Video Geographic (DVG) survey system is discussed.

GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS AS A TOOL IN WATER USE DATA MANAGEMENT

ABSTRACT: The temporal and locational attributes of water use data are ideally suited for analysis using a geographic information system (GIS) approach. A GIS combines spatial database management, statistical analysis, and cartographic modelling capabilities within a computer hardware and software configuration. Texas water use data for selected categories in 1980 and 1986 were analyzed using ARC/INFO to demonstrate the utility of GIS for water resource information management. Examples of data analysis and display are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of cartographic representations to communicate water use data.